A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I am really pleased that you liked Fenrir's little twist. I am a big fan of Fenrir x Hermione, so I couldn't help myself. And, since it is Fenrir February, I will be posting a series of Fenrimione oneshots, hopefully next week if everything goes well, so check back for that if you are interested! You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.
Please let me know what you thought of chapter thirty-two and be on the lookout for chapter thirty-three soon!
After their daring escape at Malfoy Manor, Theo hadn't been able to physically let go of Hermione. He had to convince himself that she was safe within his arms, full of shame that he hadn't been able to protect her from being captured by Fenrir Greyback. Even worse, the directive from Fenrir to mark his mate was clanging around in his head like some unbearable gong, until he couldn't focus on anything else besides the need to make Hermione his - his forever.
Vaguely, he recognized that they were in friendly territory. Shell Cottage, Ron had said, the home of his eldest brother and sister-in-law. Theo knew that he had an unlikely ally in Bill Weasley seeing as the gangly cursebreaker had also been attacked by Greyback. Even though he was spared the curse of lycanthropy, the eldest Weasley still had some more lupine urges and could understand Theo's behavior. Fleur was also part veela, so he knew she would understand his innate need to be with his mate.
They were shuffled into the kitchen of the tiny cottage, eagerly telling the couple of all that they had just endured at Malfoy Manor, shaking with unspent adrenaline from their brief duel. The tiny house elf was busy fusing over Harry Potter, trying to ascertain that he was unharmed.
Theo had pulled Hermione into his lap, holding her snugly against his chest and pressed his face into the crook of her neck, breathing in the smell of her, wishing that they could just slip away to somewhere more quiet. He sat in a daze, so completely wrapped up in Hermione that he almost didn't register Ron's disgusted looks.
"What the fuck is he on about, Hermione?" the younger redhead finally demanded, arms crossed over his chest in consternation. "Now is not the time for PDA - you were just almost bloody tortured!"
"He's my mate," Hermione answered confidently, using one hand to gently glide through his hair, attempting to sooth the werewolf's worries. "He can't help it..."
"I'm sorry, Hermione." Theo groaned into her skin, before pressing light kisses to her exposed neck. His arms tightened around her waist once again, thinking about the way that Greyback had held her. He was insanely jealous - worried even - that someone might come in the way between him and his mate. "I can't stop thinking about what Greyback said."
"I just don't see why you have to kiss and stuff in front of us," Ron continued, looking at the pair of them with disgust in his eyes. "We have more important things to talk about right now."
"Ronald, it is instinctual for him," Fleur said smoothly, in that calming voice of her's. "He cannot help but reassure himself that his mate is okay, especially if she was attacked. We should give them time alone together, so that they can make their bond strong again."
The french woman's brother-in-law looked like he wanted to vomit from the idea of giving Hermione and Theo any time alone together, but before he could say anything hurtful, Bill was giving his opinion as well. "It is probably especially bad because you haven't marked her yet," he said, giving a concerned look to his brother's friend, making sure that she was comfortable in Theo's arms still. "I thought Remus would have talked to you about that."
"Oh, he talked to me about it alright, but I was trying to..." Theo trailed off, unsure of why he was trying to explain any of his reasoning to the Weasleys. It really wasn't their business that he was trying to be certain Hermione was ready for the decision that he was asking her to make. He was trying to be gentlemanly, and not take advantage of her hormones to get her to commit to him for the rest of their lives, no matter how prettily she would beg to him. It didn't matter anymore, though, because Theo didn't think he could stop himself from claiming her now. And he knew he better take her someplace more private before he laid her down on the table, uncaring of the audience that they had. "Yes, some privacy to reestablish our bond will be necessary."
"We have a guest room upstairs, if you'd like," Bill offered, looking increasingly uncomfortable with the whole discussion.
"No!" Theo answered, standing up and pulling Hermione against his body. "We can go outside - it will be better to be under the moon, anyway." He winced thinking about how awful that must sound to the rest of them.
"D'accord!" Fleur said, her cheeks turning a light pink color. "We will see you in the morning, then."
Theo did not have the time to wait around and hear Weasley complain more about him taking away Hermione to sleep under the stars on the beach. It was a far more romantic evening than what he would have imagined, if he was honest, and being on the beach felt too open to him. Instead, he pulled Hermione alone the tree line, until they were a few paces back and he was sure they wouldn't be seen, but they could still see the soft lights from the cottage filtering through the tree branches.
When he was certain they were well and truly alone with one another, Theo pulled her in for a quick kiss, groaning in appreciation when she immediately deepened it. Pulling back, he looked at her with desire in his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Hermione," he apologized again, hating the way that he was rushing what should have been a lovely moment between the two of them. "I feel like I might go crazy if I don't mark you, and-" His words caught in his throat.
"There is nothing to be sorry for," Hermione said, being far too understanding of him. She was so much better than he deserved. Turning, she conjured a soft looking blanket to protect them from the forest floor. "I understand, Theo."
"This wasn't how I imagined it being. I wanted to wait until after the war was over...so that you would have plenty of time to think everything over. You wouldn't feel pressured to be with me," he said, feeling very sorry for himself.
Hermione grabbed his hand tentatively, before pulling him down to sit beside her on the blanket. "Stop apologizing," she commanded, unwilling to hear another minute of his pity party. "I don't need anymore time to think about it. I've actually wanted to do this for a long time now," she said quietly, before looking down at their joined hands. "I love you, Theo, and no amount of thinking it over will change my mind. You are my mate and I want to be with you - desperately."
Everything except for Hermione faded away as soon as he heard her reveal her feelings to him. To know in such certain terms that she was feeling the same way about him as he did about her was making his heart beat wildly in his ribcage, pounding. Needing her to know he felt the same, he pressed her back against the blanket, brushing a wild curl behind her ear. "I love you, too, Hermione Granger," he confessed, before pressing his lips to hers in a possessive kiss.
He could have spent the whole evening kissing her under the stars on the little blanket they had set up, but his would not let him forget that he had more pressing issues to attend to. His little mate was nearly hurt that day, and he needed to mark her, to take her under his protection, so that he could be certain she was would be well looked after, so that everyone would know that she was his. Hermione hooked one leg around him, pulling him closer to her, making him groan low in his throat.
Breaking away from the kiss, he looked down at her. They had spoken vaguely about what the mating would entail in the past, but not all of the specifics. "Hermione, I am going to mark you," he promised, enjoying the shiver of delight that ran through her body at the thought of it. "When I finish, I will bite your neck right here," he said, tapping at the skin on her neck reverently. "And once that's done...it's an unbreakable bond. We won't be able to undo it. Are you sure?" he asked, even though he was fairly sure he would go mad if she said no.
"Yes, yes I'm sure," she said, breathing heavily, her arms wrapped around his neck. "Merlin, I just might go mad if you make me wait another second longer," she said with a pout on her lips.
Theo did not need to be told a second time. Eager fingers pulled her jumper up over her head and her jeans down her legs. He could barely force himself to stop touching her, not even when he was only doing so to take off his own clothes. The night air was cold, but Hermione's body was warm and inviting. She wrapped her arms around him, fingers delving into his short hair to pull him down for a kiss, the other smoothing up the skin of his back, giggling at the goose flesh he was sporting.
He was far too intrigued by the feel of her heat radiating from between her legs. Cradled by spread thighs, he was almost embarrassed by the way he was thrusting against her clothed core, like some kind of dog. Pulling away from her sumptuous lips, he kissed a path down her jaw, down her neck, to the swell of her breasts, still hidden behind nude colored cloth. Hermione must have taken pity on him, because she was reaching behind herself to unclasp the bra, revealing hard, rosy nipples to him.
Wrapping his mouth around one, he loved hearing the way she moaned when his tongue touched the little point. Using his hand, he softly rolled her nipple with his thumb, so that it wouldn't feel left out. Once she was writhing under him, Theo kissed further down her body, past her belly button and the curve of her hips, until his nose was pressed against her covered core. Hooking his thumbs under the cotton cloth, he slid her knickers down her legs, revealing her wet flesh to him.
He pressed a quick kiss to her button at the top of her sex, before licking tentatively at her. Merlin, he promised himself that at some point in his future, he would take the time to fully appreciate her, but he wasn't sure he could hold off much longer. Lapping at the pink flesh, Hermione's whines only drove him more wild with desire. Very familiar with what she liked at this point in their relationship, it didn't take long for him to push her over the edge of orgasm, revealing in the sound of his name pulled from her lips.
Theo hurried to push his own boxer briefs down his legs, knowing that he couldn't wait any longer. With his hands on Hermione's hips, he encouraged her to flip over onto her hands and knees, her arse in the air presenting herself to him. He wished that their first time could have been face to face, but he knew that his wolf would accept no other position. "Ready?" he asked, surprised by the graveley quality of his tone.
"Yes," Hermione answered, her breath catching when she felt him align himself with her core.
As soon as he had permission, he was pressing forward, eyes shut tight in ecstasy while he allowed her body to stretch and accommodate him. She felt better than anything he could have imagined when he was finally fully seated inside her, his chest pressed against her back. He held her tightly to him even as he began to move, groaning when she leaned further down, to muffle her cries into the blanket, enjoying the change of angle more than he thought was possible.
He kept his face pressed against her shoulder, whispering words of praise and encouragement to his sweet mate, telling her how much he loved her over and over again, promising that she wouldn't regret it, and that he would prove himself to her. His thrusts soon grew more shallow and he knew he was close. Wanting her to come with him, he used his fingers to circle around the button at the top of her sex, sliding against sodden flesh until he could feel her core pulsing around him. It was enough to send him over the edge after her.
His teeth were biting down on her shoulder before he even realized it, joining their bodies and their souls. She was his - marked for everyone to see - and nothing would be able to separate them now.