Chapter 13 One Giant Leap Back
Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh
Atem was the first to awake the following morning his beautiful, perfect mate still sound asleep beneath him. He leaned down and lightly pressed a kiss to the crook of her neck before he finally forced himself to slip from within her. He was halfway climbed off of her when he froze, his nose lightly nuzzling the side of his mate's throat.
Fresh water and Lavender. Atem frowned, there was something else there. It was subtle but he could definitely smell something else. It was another flower not just lavender. Is that cornflower? Atem thought to himself as he continued to nuzzle Yami's throat, trying to work out what precisely the new scent he was picking up was.
He had been nuzzling his mate's throat for several minutes as his mind tried to identify the new scent when it finally hit him what a new scent even meant. His mate was carrying his pups. Gods above she was carrying his pups! HIS PUPS!
Atem could not help but grin. This was without a doubt that happiest day in his life by far. The day he discovered he and his mate were going to be parents. This day will of course ultimately be topped when the day comes for the pups to be born but still it was definitely going to always been in the top five best days of his life.
Atem sighed as he gazed down upon his sleeping mate. He had to tell her, there was going to be no getting around that. But, the question was how was he going to bring that up? You can't just spring news like that on someone. It was exciting news yes. News that had him wanting to go out back and transform just so he could howl and share his excitement with his pack. But, before he could give into that temptation he needed to tell Yami.
Atem slowly climbed off the bed before wandering over to his mate's duffel bag and digging out the cellphone that Seto had given him before he left. Given what he just discovered Atem had a strong feeling that it would be for the best if he and Yami delayed their return to the clearing. She was without a doubt more comfortable here in the human world and news like this was no doubt best delivered where someone was comfortable.
It took Atem several seconds of starring at the phone before he figured out which button he needed to push to call Seto but thankfully he did manage it before he brought the phone up to his ear, listening to it ring.
"Alpha? Is everything alright?" Seto answered.
Atem nodded, not that Seto could see. "Yes Seto, everything is fine. However, there has been a slight change in plans. My mate and I will not be returning to the clearing until later. Tomorrow at the latest." Atem said.
"Very well Alpha. I will see you and your mate when you return." Seto replied.
Atem said nothing more before he disconnected the call. That was one very good thing about Seto. He never questioned Atem's decisions always trusting that his Alpha had a reason for everything that he did even if Atem didn't feel the need to share that reason with him.
Atem shoved the cellphone back into his mates duffel bag before he crawled back into bed with his mate, drawing her into his arms once more. Breathing her scent in deeply. Gods above he would never tire of breathing in this new scent.
And now that he knew she was pregnant he couldn't help but wonder. How many pups would they have? Would the litter be male or female? Or a mix of both? He really hoped that they had some female pups but he would be happy no matter what they had.
Finally he felt Yami beginning to stir in his arms she slowly blinked open her beautiful violet eyes before she stretched.
"Good morning." Atem whispered, his arms still wrapped around Yami's torso.
"Morning." Yami replied after she had stretched. "Gods I need to take a shower." Yami muttered.
"I could join you if you'd like." Atem replied. He was ansy and deep down he knew it but the realization that his mate was with pups was both exhilarating and absolutely terrifying. He didn't want to let her out of his sight, especially when they weren't back in the clearing where he knew for a fact that she would be safe.
Yami shrugged, "You don't have to but if you want to I'm not going to say no." Yami replied.
Atem nodded, "Well, if its all the same to you then I would like to join you." Atem said.
Yami nodded before she removed the blankets and slowly slipped out of Atem's arms before heading into the bathroom. Atem followed right behind her. Yami paused briefly at the sink before opening the cabinet above the sink. "I can't believe we went to bed without me washing off my makeup last night." Yami muttered as she used a cleaning pad to remove the makeup from her face.
Atem chuckled as he slipped his arms back around her body, resting his hands on his mate's still flat stomach. "Well, we did lose ourselves to the desire to mate. We weren't' really thinking about the makeup." Atem replied.
Yami sighed, "I guess you have a point." Yami replied as she finished washing the make up off her face before heading over to the shower. The two climbed in together and Atem forced himself to keep things quick and simple. He was not a slave to his desires and no matter how much he might have wanted to he was not going to pin his delectable mate against the wall.
Showering did not take long before they headed back into Yami's bedroom. "So, I take it now we need to be heading back to the clearing." Yami said. Atem could hear the disappointment in her voice and that again reminded him that he had, at least in this instance, made the right decision.
"I actually called and spoke to Seto while you were asleep. I told him that we were going to be staying here for another day but that we would be back either by tonight or tomorrow at the latest." Atem replied.
Yami turned around smiling, "That's great! But...I have to ask, why?" Yami said.
Because I need to figure out the best way to tell you that we're having puppies. If you had been a normal Were I just would have said it and left it at that. You aren't and the last thing I want is you freaking out and trying to run away again. Atem thought to himself. Although he also knew better than to say such a thing out loud. "You seemed so happy yesterday. And, well I want spend more time with you like that. You said there was a lot more stuff we could do here in Domino. So, I figured I'd give you another day." Atem said. It was a lame excuse and he knew it but sadly it was the only thing he could come up with at the moment.
Yami's grin broadened before she literally pounced on Atem, knocking him back onto the bed before kissing him, deeply. Atem kissed Yami back, his arms slipping around his mate's waist as he tried not to lose himself to the feeling of his mates tongue twirling with his own. It was several long moments before Yami finally broke the kiss. Atem tightened his hold around Yami's waist, "Can I ask what that was for?" Atem asked, "I only want to know so I can repeat it in the future."
Yami just smiled before slowly slipping out of Atem's arms and heading over to her closet. "By just being an amazing mate." Yami said
Atem nodded in acknowledgment before he also climbed out of the bed before he quickly darted out of his mates room and back down the hall to her grandfather's where the bags of clothing they had purchased yesterday were still sitting. He pulled out a simple pair of board shorts and one of the t-shirts out of the bag before slipping them and another pair of boxers on, figuring that should be good enough. He changed as quickly as he could before darting back into his mates bedroom, just in time to see her slipping into a pair of shorts, her top half still nude.
Yami glanced back over her shoulder. "That was quick." Yami said as she glanced at what he was wearing. "You look good dressed like a civilized human." Yami commented.
Atem frowned briefly at the comment but forced himself to ignore it as he continued to watch his mate getting dressed. Yami was slowly looking through a wide variety of shirts, apparently trying to decide what she should wear.
"So, what do you say we head down to Six Flaggs today? I bet you'd really enjoy that." Yami said.
Atem shrugged, "If that is what you want to do my mate then that is what we shall do." Atem replied evenly.
Yami glanced back at Atem as she slipped a tank top over her head. "Do you even know what Six Flaggs is?" Yami asked.
Atem shrugged once more. To be perfectly honest he neither knew nor cared what Six Flaggs was. He was more concerned with just finding the right words to tell Yami that they were going to be parents so they could get back to the clearing. "No, I don't." Atem said flatly.
Yami smiled, "You'll love it. Trust me."
Atem nodded, "If you say so my dear then I trust you." Atem replied.
"Go and grab your shoes and then we can get going. The park opens at 11, so if we leave now we'll be able to get there just as they are opening." Yami said.
Atem paused for a moment as his mind raced to come up with an excuse to keep Yami with him before he blurted out, "Ummm, I actually don't remember which shoes you said were supposed to go with this outfit. Can you come show me?" Atem asked.
Yami just shook her head almost fondly, "And now I know how Jane must have felt. Lucky you're so adorable." Yami muttered.
Atem frowned as he followed Yami back down the hall, "Who exactly is Jane? Is this another friend of yours?" Atem asked.
Yami shook her head, "No, Jane was the English woman who introduced the King of the Jungle, a man named Tarzan who had been raised by gorillas his entire life to civilized society. In a way you're a lot like Tarzan, pretty clueless." Yami said.
Atem's frown deepened. He might be reading far too much into his mate's comments but if he didn't know better he would honestly think she had insulted him. To be honest, he wasn't sure how he felt about that. But, that was going to be another problem for another time. Right now he had bigger things to worry about.
Yami walked back in her grandfather's room before pulling out the pair of sandals that she'd picked out at the shoe store yesterday and handing them to Atem, "These should work." Yami said.
Atem nodded before he quickly slipped on the shoes and followed Yami back out of the room as she headed back down the stairs and slipped on her own pair of sandals. "Well, let's get going then so we can catch the bus. I'll warn you its going to be a pretty long ride to the park it'll take an hour to get there by bus." Yami said.
Atem sighed. That was not what he wanted to do at all. "Is there nothing else you would like to do today instead?" Atem asked.
Yami paused frowning, "Do you not want to go to Six Flaggs?" Yami asked.
Atem sighed once more, "Personally, I would prefer that we do something a bit closer to your grandfather's home." Atem said.
Yami's frown deepened, "You mean closer to MY house." Yami growled.
Atem frowned, "No, I was correct the first time. You may have used to live here but this is no longer your home. Your home is with me back in the clearing, which makes this your grandfather's house." Atem growled right back.
Yami bared her teeth, "And why the hell do you want to stay so close to the woods? I thought you said we could have the whole day together to do something else fun. Because you wanted to make me happy? So why the fucking hell are you changing your mind?!" Yami snapped.
"And I'm willing to follow you to whatever stupid civilized thing you want to do. I just don't want to have travel a large distance to do whatever it is you have decided we're going to be doing for the day." Atem snapped back, taking a step closer to Yami as he spoke.
"Oh yes because teaching you about the wonders of civilization is such a terrible thing. Isn't it Atem? Or are you worried that you'll come to realize that you like being a human. And that you aren't just a beast." Yami snapped back.
Atem's eyes narrowed before he stepped even closer to Yami his hands coming up as he slammed Yami's back against the wall. "I assure you I am most definitely a wolf. No amount of pointless time wasted here in civilization will change the fact that this is not where we belong. And this is not our true form. The ONLY reason I am here right now is for your benefit. That's it." Atem barked.
Yami snorted, "Oh. Right. How could I forget." She shook her head in mock realization, "Its so obvious now that I think about it. And I was the idiot that fell for it. You just wanted to fuck me. And you wanted me to let you so you came up with this whole ridiculous plan so I'd be okay with you fucking me. And me the naive fool...here I was starting to believe that you actually cared about me. That you wanted to know the real me. To learn about the world that I belong to. I forgot that I am nothing but your damn WHORE." Yami growled.
"Oh yes. Of course. That has to be it. Because, lets face it its not like we haven't had sex several times prior to last night. Every single one of which you were more than willing. I put myself through your ridiculous human nonsense because it was something that you wanted. I did that for no other reason that to make you happy. But of course that isn't good enough. Of course, somehow in your mind no matter what I do or do not do I will always be the bad guy in your eyes." Atem snapped back.
Yami's eyes narrowed, "Well, as we like to say here in civilized society. IF the shoe fits." Yami hissed.
Atem was quiet for a moment as he tried to clamp down on the white hot anger that had begun to boil deep within his gut. He hadn't been this angry much in his entire life, although the last time had been when Duke had attacked the very girl standing in front of him. And it was taking every ounce of his self control not to knock Yami to the ground and punish her for daring to speak that way to him. He had been NOTHING but accommodating to her. And this was the thanks he gets for it?
"And as you know damn well, I don't need any damn shoes. The only reason I bothered to wear any was because it was something you wanted. Coming here was a mistake." Atem snapped back.
"Oh yes, because the fact that we were having fun and enjoying ourselves like normal people. Civilized people were that makes this whole situation a mistake." Yami growled.
"And no matter how much you want to ignore it you aren't as you keep putting it over and over again a CIVILIZED person anymore Yami. You are a Were. You are a wolf. Just like me and the rest of the pack. And no matter how much you might want to pretend otherwise you can't ignore that fact." Atem barked.
Yami frowned, "The only one who thinks that we're actually beasts is you Atem. You're the one who has this whole situation backwards. We are cursed with the fact that once a month we have to turn into a wild savage beast! And only a true beast like you lets that define who they are. I know that I am still a person the rest of the month." Yami snapped.
Atem took a deep, calming breath. She certainly knew exactly how to get under his skin and if he didn't have such excellent self control this argument would turn into an actual fight. He'd pin Yami to the ground and settle the matter once and for all.
The argument came to a stop when Atem heard the sound of a cellphone ringing. Or more specifically the phone that Seto had given him so the pack could contact him in the event of an emergency. "Fuck." Atem snapped before he turned and darted up the stairs, "This isn't over Yami. We'll finish this after I find out what happened." Atem growled as he ran back up to Yami's room and grabbed the phone out of Yami's bag.
"What is it?" Atem snapped.
"Whatever the fuck you're doing right now Alpha needs to stop. We need you back on pack grounds. Now." Seto said, his tone grave.
"What is going on? We'll start heading back now but Seto what happened?" Atem asked as he started shoving all the clothes that Yami had purchased yesterday into the duffel bag as well as some more of his mates clothing before zipping the stuffed to capacity bag closed and slung the bag over his shoulder and darted back down the stairs.
"I'll tell you when you get here Alpha. This isn't something that I want to relay over the phone. But it is an emergency. Your pack needs you Alpha. Your family needs you." Seto said.
"And I'm on my way. I'll be there shortly Seto." Atem replied before he hung up the phone and shoved it back into the side pocket of Yami's duffel bag. "Yami we need to..." Atem began, only to freeze as he came back down the stairs to see that Yami was gone.
"Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me!" Atem swore as he raced over to the front door and yanked it open, hoping to catch a glimpse of where his mate had taken off to but he couldn't see her. Yami was gone.
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Yami marched moodily down the street as she made her way over to Mai's house. If Atem thought she was just going to stand there and wait for him to come back and continue to berate her then he had another thing coming. He was wrong and it was really that simple.
Mai was right all along. Atem and I just have a sexual relationship. He doesn't care about me beyond being able to pin me beneath him and use me. And I was a fool to think even for a second that wasn't the case. Yami thought to herself as she rounded the corner. Mai's house was only a few blocks away from her and her grandfather's house and had always been Yami's home away from home.
Yami could not help but smile when she saw the large two story house with the white siding and lavender shutters. Last summer Mai's parents had foolishly agreed to pay Mai to repaint the house. Problem was they didn't specify the color scheme so Mai decided she wanted purple shutters so that was what her parents ended up with.
Yami slowly made her way up the driveway before she headed around the side yard and into the back. If Yami had to take a guess on a sunny day like today Mai would be out back sunbathing. Yami couldn't help but smile when she saw that she was in fact, correct. Mai was sitting lounging on a chair dressed in the purple bikini Yami had helped Mai pick out at the beginning of the summer. Yami could hardly believe that it was actually only 9 days ago this whole nightmare had begun.
Yami pushed open the gate and walked onto the pool deck. Mai glanced up briefly to see who had come out onto the pool deck, "What are you doing here hun?" Mai asked.
Yami sighed as she took a seat on the ground and slipped off her shoes before dipping her feet into the water. For some reason the smell of the chlorine bothered her more than it ever had before but Yami forced herself to ignore that. "I wanted to talk to you Mai, and this seemed like a perfect opportunity." Yami said.
Mai straightened up, "Well, I guess that depends hun. Are you actually going to talk to me or are you just going to lie to me again." Mai said and Yami could clearly hear now that she was listening to it that Mai was hurt by what had happened.
Yami sighed once more, "Mai, I know this is hard to believe. Trust me, I get it. I do. But I wasn't lying to you the other night. I told you the truth." Yami said.
Mai snorted, "Alright Remus, say that I believed you, not saying I do but let's say that I did. Are you next going to tell me you got a letter delivered to you by an owl and you're going to be attending Hogwarts or some other nonsense story." Mai asked.
Yami shook her head, "No Mai. I'm not. Look, I'm not expecting you to believe me. If I wasn't living this nightmare myself I probably wouldn't believe me either. But I'm telling the truth. I got attacked by a werewolf in my grandfather's backyard while I was taking out the trash. I was pounced on from behind and slammed into the dirt before the wolf viciously bit me on the shoulder. The bite was bad enough I wouldn't be surprised if I have a scar where he bit me. My grandfather took me to the ER and I was informed that I had contracted Lycanthropy. A disease that actually did make me into a monster. And I HATE it Mai. I hate it! I hate that there is this other creature that lives inside me that is so fundamentally different from who I really am. I wish I had never gotten bitten. But that doesn't change the fact that I did. And I was forced to move into the woods to live with the rest of the pack. Yes, there are more werewolves living in the woods. "
For several seconds Mai was silent and Yami just moodily kicked her feet in the pool. She glanced up when Mai took a seat beside her, also dipping her feet into the pool. "You aren't just making this up? Are you hun?" Mai asked.
Yami shook her head. "No Mai. I'm not. I could even prove I'm not lying but I really hate turning into a wolf and I don't want to shift. It hurts Mai. Shifting fucking hurts." Yami said.
Mai fell silent once again and the two girls just kicked their legs in the pool. "You know the one point in your favor Yami is that you are terrible at making up stories. It was why you got a C on your creative writing project. Teacher said you had no imagination. Not to mention you can't lie to save your life." Mai said.
"Gee thanks. Well, I guess my bad storytelling skills are coming in handy for once." Yami muttered.
Mai chuckled, "Yeah. Who'd have thought." Mai replied.
"First time for everything." Yami said before the two fell silent once again, just kicking their feet in the water.
"So, you want to tell me the story with jungle boy?" Mai asked.
Yami snorted, "Mai, you have no idea how luck you are that you don't have to deal with a guy. Putting up with Atem's bull is really not worth it." Yami said.
"Then break up with him." Mai replied.
Yami let out a snort of laughter, "Yeah. I wish but sadly Mai I have a feeling that things between Atem and me are a lot more complicated than that. I don't think I can just walk up to Atem and say 'things are over between us.'" Yami said.
"But seriously? You and him? How'd that even happen?" Mai asked.
Yami shrugged, "Hell if I know it just kind of did. We went from he was helping me figure out how to be a wolf to waking up the morning after the full moon and him telling me 'oh and by the way we totally fucked last night. And guess what that means we are married now. Isn't that great?'" Yami said.
"That's terrible." Mai said.
Yami sighed, "Its complicated. That's what it is. There are times, like yesterday, where he actually is an okay guy. He brought me back to my grandfather's house so that we could spend some time together just the two of us. Get to know each other and stuff like that. And I actually had a great time with him yesterday. He was nice. He was sweet. And I actually didn't want last night to end. And then there are times were he absolutely drive me insane. He is stubborn. Arrogant. Bossy. Controlling. Possessive. And it either has to be his way or no way at all." Yami said.
"That's insane Yami." Mai said.
"Tell me about it. And yes, we have had sex. More than once. Mentally I know its wrong and that we shouldn't but when it actually happens...I just..."Yami trailed off with a shrug.
Mai frowned, "Wait are you saying he rapes you?" Mai asked.
Yami sighed, "What I'm saying Mai is that its really complicated." Yami said.
Mai shook her head and got to her feet, "No, its really not. Either you wanted to sleep with him or you didn't. There isn't a middle ground. Either you chose to sleep with him or he forced you. Which is it?" Mai said.
Yami shrugged, "I don't know Mai. I really don't. Its hard to explain. There is a part of me that...I don't know. Wants it. Then there is another part of me that knows its wrong that I want it. And there is a large part of me that...likes it when we have sex. It feels good. But again, its not like I walk up to Atem and say 'hey Atem, I think we should have sex." Yami said she paused for a moment, "And that isn't even bringing in the whole animal thing. Or the domination. And all that stuff that's also thrown in just because of course nothing in my life can ever just be simple."
"That...sounds messed up Yami. Like really messed up." Mai said.
Yami laughed, "That's what I'm trying to say. Its all kinds of screwed up. And yes there are times that I think you are absolutely right. That I am a whore. I feel like one. Like all that exists between me and Atem is sex. And then there are other, very rare, times where it feels like there might be something else going on." Yami said.
Mai sighed, "Look, I shouldn't have called a whore." Mai said.
Yami snorted, lightly knocking her shoulder against Mai's, "Don't worry about it. You have nothing to apologize for. Especially since I'm not sure you aren't wrong." Yami said.
Mai snorted, "And even if it IS true, as your friend I should have known better than to say it." Mai said.
Yami shrugged, "You were upset. I get it. And like I said you just put into words what I was already feeling. I just have to get used to the fact that I am a whore. Atem's own personal whore." Yami said.
"Yami..." Mai said.
"YAMI WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING TAKING OFF LIKE THAT!" Atem shouted as he came jogging up the side of the house before vaulting the fence.
Mai frowned, "And who the hell do you think you are coming onto my property uninvited? Get out." Mai snapped.
Atem however ignored Mai as he marched right up to Yami and harshly grabbed her by the arm pulling her onto her feet, "We are leaving. Now." Atem growled.
Yami frowned, "And what if I don't want to leave right now? What if I want to stay with my friend?" Yami asked.
Atem harshly yanked Yami away from the edge of the pool and back over towards the gate, "I don't care what you want right now. We are going back home and that is final." Atem growled.
Yami tried to pull back against Atem's iron grip. "Atem, you're hurting me." Yami said.
"And at this moment I don't care. Now lets go." Atem growled.
Mai also got to her feet, "You can't do that! You can't just march in here and drag her away against her will. That's kidnapping you psycho." Mai shouted.
"And this does not concern you. This is between me and my mate." Atem snapped.
"I'll call the cops." Mai said.
"Mai, please. Don't. I'll be okay. And I'll come and see you the next time I'm here. I promise." Yami called out as Atem gave another harsh yank. Yami turned and glared at Atem, "I'm coming. You don't have to be such a jerk. You're hurting me." Yami growled.
Atem said nothing and dragged Yami out of Mai's yard and back down the street towards her grandfather's house.
"We're not at Mai's anymore so LET GO of me." Yami growled as she tried to pull her arm out of Atem's grasp. There was not a doubt in Yami's mind that Atem was going to leave a bruise.
"You knew better than to take off like that." Atem hissed.
"And I did it anyway. I know that. But that doesn't justify you hurting me!" Yami snapped.
"We are going back to the clearing where you will be confined to our den until I decide you can be trusted not to run off again." Atem declared.
Yami started pulling even harder against Atem's grip, "You can't do that!" Yami growled.
"I just did. You did not have permission from me to be wandering around unsupervised. You broke pack law for the second time. And this time there are consequences for your actions." Atem growled as he dragged Yami into her grandfather's back yard before finally letting go of Yami by shoving her to the dirt at the edge of the treeline. "Shift. We need to be going. Now." Atem growled, his teeth bared.
"And what if I don't want to shift?" Yami snapped back.
Atem's eyes narrowed before he crouche down and once again harshly grabbed a hold of Yami's arm, "Then I'll make you." Atem snapped.
And he did exactly that. Yami actually cried out in pain as her body began to quickly and painfully undergo a shift. The shift itself was over in seconds and left Yami panting and her entire body aching. Atem nudged her with his muzzle. "Move." Atem growled.
For a moment Yami just glared at Atem before she turned and trotted into the woods, "I hate you." Yami growled. Although, Atem either didn't hear her or he just didn't care and right now Yami would bet that he just didn't care what she had to say.
