The beat of the music was pounding in Leo's ears. The alcohol was making him relax. The scent of arousal was in the air. Ever since the girls showed up in his life they had always mentioned the smell of this or the smell of that, scents his dull senses couldn't detect. All that had changed and now he understood how much the wolves relied on their sense of smell to communicate. Fear, stress, arousal. All had their own unique scents. He watched the people on the dance floor from his place at the bar. Donnie and Saffron were pressed close. Raph had his arms around Gabby's waist as she ground her shapely ass against him. Leo smirked. His brother was a lucky bastard landing her as a mate, that was for sure. He saw Mikey off in a corner whispering into Melody's ear. Her green eyes were crinkled with laughter. He didn't think he had ever seen her smile so much. She was usually fairly reserved. Maybe it was Mikey. That guy had a habit of bringing joy wherever he went. His eyes finally landed on Jayden who was dancing fairly modestly with Riley. Still, when his hands went to her waist and he leaned in close to her ear, and unexpected growl came from deep in his chest. He cut the sound short, shocked at himself. Riley was his date, sure, but he didn't really have any claim on her and he shouldn't be getting upset over another guy, especially a friend like Jayden, getting close to her. Still, he couldn't help but feel like he needed to do something. He stood and went to them, stealing her away so he could dance with her himself.

Riley could sense that Leo's beast was near the surface. The way his aura pulsed and deepened hinted at a more connected and deep spirit. She was sure the alcohol helped him loosen up a bit but she wondered what else was driving the beast forward. Maybe the competition? There were a lot of dominant males on the roof. Maybe it was the scent of arousal into the air. That always peaked a beast's interest.

"Having fun?" She asked as she looped her arms around his neck.

"I always have fun." He replied and she laughed.

"The only time I ever see you really let go and enjoy yourself is when you're too drunk to care about being perfect." She said.

"I'm not perfect." He said, bristling a little.

"I know. You're too up tight." She goaded. The sandy flecks of color started to show in his eyes though a mischievous smile played on his lips.

"I'll show you up tight." He growled and then he dragged her against him, his lips crashing down on hers. He had maneuvered his thigh between her legs and he ground it into her center. She moaned against his lips, drawing out his second ever churr. She quickly pulled away, detangling herself from him.

"Catch me." She challenged, her silver eyes flashing, and then she took off for the stairs. He gave chase but as soon as she hit the stairs she shifted and he realized he wouldn't be able to keep up. With a roar, his body morphed into the almost black, massive beast that the turtles harbored inside themselves. He sprinted after her, following her out of the front door and out across the compounds into the woods. Finally she skidded to a halt, facing him. She was slightly smaller than he was but she knew her strength and her power better than he did. She pounced on him and they went tumbling. She playfully snapped her jaws at him and he used his front legs and threw her off of him. She stood up and ran again and he quickly followed. He tripped her up and she went down and he pinned her with his weight. She could have struggled but she licked at his face instead. She was glad he was letting loose.

Leo was in a different world. The alcohol he had consumed was making his head spin. The wolf beneath him more so. He was so riled up that he wasn't thinking straight at all. The little tease. She had turned him on and then run away in a chase that aroused his beast as well and now every ounce of him was screaming to mount her. The impulse was strong enough that as soon as he let her up, he stuck his beak under her tail and his tongue snaked out and buried itself in her pussy. He got one taste of her sweet juices before she turned around with a vicious snarl. Startled, he backed up and took in her aggressive posture. He had taken it too far. When he realized what he had done he shifted back immediately, shaking his head. The beast was still so close to the surface. She shifted as well, her face a mask of worry, and tried to come to him. He scrambled to his feet and backed away.

"Leo, just wait a minute." She said.

"I didn't mean for that to happen." He said his voice fearful. "That's not who I am. I don't force myself on women."

"You didn't force yourself on me." She said flatly. "I was just startled and you backed off when I told you to."

"This isn't right." He said, still panicking. She could smell the bitter scent of his stress.

"Leo, this is normal for shifters." She tried to calm him down, but he wasn't listening.

"I gotta go." He said and he turned and took off.

Riley watched him go and with a big sigh, she returned to her cabin alone.

Nobody really saw Leo until the next evening when Gabby spotted him marching purposefully across the yard towards the Triplets cabins. Leo remembered what he had done and he had never been one to hide from his failures. He marched right up to her door and knocked. She yanked the door open, her silver eyes blazing in a way that told him he should be very careful with how he chose his words.

"I'm sorry." He said as formally as he could.

"What you're sorry for and what I want you to be sorry for are two completely different things." She replied, turning away from him and walking inside. The fact that she hadn't shut the door clued him in to the fact that he was expected to follow her. Her words had taken him off guard and her disappearing act even more so. When he made it to the kitchen he saw her sitting on a chair, legs crossed, foot bouncing, sipping on a whiskey and Coke. He didn't know what to say but it was obvious by the way she was lifting her pale eyebrows that she was expecting him to say something.

"I'm sorry I ruined our date last night." He tried. "I wasn't myself. The beast…"

"Nuh uh." She said. "You. That was all you Leo. The beast wanted it but you facilitated it. Wanna know why? Cuz you were drunk. The only reason you were able to shift was because you were drunk. The only time you ever let yourself just chill is when you're drunk."

"Listen." He said, irritated at the interruption and the things she had said about him. "I'm just trying to apologize for ruining our date."

"You know what ruined our date Leo?" She asked, piercing him with an uncomfortable glare. "It wasn't when you stuck your nose in my cunt." He flushed at the mention. "It was that you ran away. You just left me there, Leo. All by myself." He listened as her voice strained a little, like she was hurting, and his heart clenched. "You didn't even say goodnight to me or anything. You sit there and apologize for something so normal and completely ignore where you actually went wrong."

"What I did was not normal." Leo said.

"That's how it goes in the Were world, Leo. You made a move. That's what Weres do. They go for what they want and see where it leads." She pointed out. "You've been a part of this world long enough to know that by now. You know that sex isn't a big deal here so why are you turning it into a problem?"

"I'm not like everyone else here." He said.

"You're not human, Leo!" She finally raised her voice to him, angry that he couldn't just see his problem.

"Well I'm not an animal!" He yelled back.

"What, like me?" She asked softly, that faint sound of hurt returning to her voice.

"That's not what I mean." He replied, his anger deflating. "I just mean my instinct doesn't rule me."

She stood from her chair and slowly circled him once. When she came around his side, her soft fingers trailed down his arm. When she stood before him she came close. Close enough that even her tall frame had to look up to see his face. She took advantage of his confused stillness, rubbing her hands up his chest, letting the feel of his body, of his spirit, bring her to life.

"Do you know why I've never had sex, Leo?" She asked softly, eyeing his lips hungrily. His head was spinning from the speed at which the tone of the conversation kept changing. "Aside from the fact that I was raised in isolation until I was eighteen, it's because I've never been interested. No one's scent has ever called to me. I assume it's because of my spirit blood. With my rank in society, it's hard to find someone who doesn't fall flat. Then you came along." His heart raced as she pressed herself against him. "You'll understand my frustration, then, when the only guy who's ever turned me on gets me all hot and bothered and then just leaves because I show my teeth for one little second. I thought you had a little more backbone to be honest." In a quick move, she hooked her leg around his knee and took him to the ground where she sat across his hips. Her hands wrapped around the edge of his carapace. She leaned closer, her hair cascading over her shoulder and tickling where his plastron met skin.

"You owe me another date." She said, and then she dropped her lips to his in a demanding kiss that seemed to set fire to his bones. All thought ceased to exist. Their tongues dueled and of their own accord, Leo's hands came up. One tangled in her hair, reveling in the silky texture, and the other fit itself over the curve of her hip. Without thinking, he twisted, rolling her beneath him without releasing her lips. The intoxicating scent of warm, white chocolate filled the air and he pressed into her core when she rolled it against the stiff bulge in his shorts. Her little gasp brought a loud churr from him. Before he could stop himself, she dragged one of his hands up to her respectable C cup breast and another churr rolled through him as she whimpered her need. He suddenly sat back, panting, taking in the beautiful sight of the woman before him. She was flushed, her chest was heaving, her hair was disheveled, and her shirt had come up enough that he could see her taut belly where a shiny jewel sat above her belly button. He groaned and closed his eyes. She was testing his will power, that was for sure.

"That was instinct, Leo." She said, her silver eyes blazing with heat. "Everyone has instincts and everyone is ruled by them now and again. It doesn't mean you can't control them."

His eyes opened, about to be angry that she was trying to use their situation as some sort of lesson until he saw the way her eyes were still burning into his, and how she was arching her body, trying to entice him back down to her. Rather than going back down, he bent and scooped her up and put her on her table.

"I want you." He finally admitted out loud. He was fitted between her long legs, his length against her center, hovering over her.

"If you don't fuck me right now I'm going to scream." She replied, unbuttoning her cut off shorts. He helped her shimmy out of them and then traced the line of her pale blue panties. She pushed at them and he helped her pull them off, his stomach clenching when her glistening slit was revealed. She spread her legs shamelessly, her body opening to him. He stepped closer, slowly running his rough hands up her smooth thighs. The nerves were hitting him now. He could admit to himself that he had wanted Riley since the first moment he had ever seen her, even though she was in hybrid form at the time. He wanted this to be good for her.

"I've never done this." The usually sure leader faltered.

"Me either." She said a little breathlessly. Her hand found his and she guided it to where she wanted his touch the most. His own rough finger was different than hers and together they experimented with pressure and speed on her hard clit. When he had worked her almost to an orgasm, she begged for him to put a finger inside of her. He did so a little nervously. She moaned as her opening stretched around the thick digit. She instructed him on how to move it and where to press and just about jumped out of her skin when he found the sweet spot inside of her. Her reaction was enough, and Leo worked the spot mercilessly, testing a few angles and speeds before settling into a steady rhythm. Her body began to quake and her walls were drawing tighter. Her cries became sharper and then with one loud cry, her body arched up off the table and clear fluid gushed out of her, coating almost his entire forearm. Leo knew what squirting was, but he had never expected to run into it before. When the shock wore off, he withdrew his finger and bent over the quivering woman on the table.

"You okay?" He asked as he brushed her hair back. She nodded and then slowly sat up. Leo stepped back, allowing her room as she stood. He kissed her again, devouring her lips. He jumped when he felt her hand close around his covered shaft and start stroking.

"You don't have to." He said, his voice strained.

"Don't be such a gentleman." She replied. "Besides, I want to." She blushed. "I'm not….you know….really sure what feels good though."

He kissed her again, understanding perfectly her state of loss. Still kissing her, he popped the snap on his jean shorts and pulled the hardest dick he'd ever had in his life free. He pulled away a little and took her hand, guiding around his shaft. He groaned when he realized how much bigger it looked in her hand than it did in his own. His hips pressed forward just once, to feel himself slide through her soft skin. Then he guided her wrist until she got the hang of the speed and the places he liked best. He couldn't help but watch as she worked his length. His cock pulsed when she went down to her knees in front of him, as though on impulse, and added her other hand. He was getting so close. A few more strokes and he would be there.

"Riley.." He started, but just then slick, wet heat covered the head of his cock and her tongue rolled along the underside of his shaft. The reaction was immediate. Cum poured into her mouth, causing her to pull back in surprise. He pulsed again, his next spurt landing across her face. He just about passed out when her hand came back to his cock, massaging it and aiming it at her chest. She drew every last drop from him, painting her own chest, face, and neck with his seed. When he was spent, he took her in and just about came again when he saw her tongue flick out to taste. He felt strangely satisfied having her covered like she was. It was like he had marked her as his own.

"Well that's a side of my sister I've never seen before." Came a deep voice from the doorway. They both whipped their heads to the side to see Frankie standing in the doorway, his brother Wayne grinning behind him.

"About time you got some action little sister." Wayne said.

No matter how much of a wolf she was, she couldn't help but be mortified at being caught by her two older brothers with no pants on covered in the cum of the guy she was supposed to be mad at for ditching her the night before. Leo stuffed his dick in his shorts and snapped up and then stepped in front of her, shielding her from the view of her brothers.

"A shower would probably be nice and relaxing." Leo suggested to Riley without taking his eyes off the brothers. She was grateful for the excuse and hurried from the room.

"We heard her scream." Frankie explained to Leo when his sister's shower turned on. "We were worried she was hurt."

"She's fine." Leo said a little tensely. He wasn't sure how the brothers were going to react.

"I saw that." Frankie replied calmly. "We were worried she would never find anyone. Just don't ever hurt her or I'll have to kill you." He turned and quickly left the house, leaving Leo to wonder if they were serious or not.

Leo sank onto the chair, his hand covering his face. He had come here to apologize, not mess around with the beauty in the shower. What had gotten into him? He wasn't drunk and his beast had been relatively quiet. That had been all him. Since when did he let his wants and needs dictate his actions? He sat there tensely, contemplating what had happened, until Riley came around the corner. Her hair was only half dry. Her makeup had been washed away, and she looked so adorable in a pair of sweats and a spaghetti strap sans bra. Tension bled from him as she stood there nervously. He didn't know it but she could read his tension in his aura and it made her nervous. When the sight of her settled him, she came forward cautiously. She settled into his lap, tucking herself against him, nuzzling his neck and enjoying his scent, waterfalls and and rich earth.

"You know," She said, "I don't just want you because you're attractive or because you smell good. I like you Leo. You've always been kind and thoughtful and well mannered. You're detail oriented and brave. You love your family and have put yourself in harms way to keep them safe." She sat up to look into his vibrant blue eyes. "And I had so much fun last night."

Leo smiled at her. "I really did too." He answered.

Her fingers traced over his jaw. "I had a good time today too." She grinned slyly and he laughed.

"You don't have to be perfect with me, Leo." She said, her hand cupping his cheek. "I like you for all of the stuff on the inside. Besides, no one's perfect, even if they strive to be. It's just better to be yourself." Her lips covered his once more and he couldn't help but feel a little piece of himself settle. All he had ever wanted in his life was approval. From his father, from his brothers, from his friends. She gave it so freely and didn't expect him to try and be better than anyone else and that lifted a burden from his shoulders that he never knew he was carrying.

"So I owe you a second date then, huh?" He asked, his arms around her waist.

"Yes." She replied.

"Are you free right now?" He asked.

She smiled. "You already have a plan?" She asked.

"I always have a plan." He said.

She laughed. "You know, it can be fun to just wing it sometimes."

"Improvising is a specialty of mine." He reassured her. "Stuff doesn't usually go according to plan anyway." He gently pushed her off of him and stood up. He wrapped his hand around hers and started leading her to the door.

"I'm not dressed." She said a little self consciously. She had been so concerned about leaving Leo with her brothers that she had hurried through her shower and rushed back to him.

"You look beautiful just the way you are." He promised her. "Besides, there won't be anyone there but us." He dragged her off to the garage in the main house. She was shocked to no end when he brought out two fishing poles and a small tackle box. She just stared at him.

"You don't like fishing?" He asked.

"I sure do." She answered, still looking perplexed. "For some reason I just can't imagine you fishing. Where did you even learn?"

"We fished a lot as kids." Leo replied. "Our dad found us good, secluded places and we would go out there at night and camp and fish. We were always very vigilant. We were almost caught a few times but the older we got the better we were at disappearing."

She looked impressed as he handed her a pole and they headed down to the lake. It wasn't all that big in circumference but it was deep and cold and Leo knew lake trout among other fish lived in it's cool clear water. Riley herself was no slouch at fishing. She could set up her own line and put bait on her own hook. She admitted she had never fished for trout before and was usually more interested in bass and panfish. He talked her through the finer points of lake trout fishing but told her they weren't after them today and sunfish and bass and northern were plentiful in the warmer shallows. They fished from the dock and he watched her bring in some sunnies, a couple bass, and a few little northerns as well.

"Who taught you to fish?" He asked as he unhooked a nice fat sunfish and threw it back. They weren't keeping any.

"Margie, actually." She answered, hooking a worm on her hook. She skillfully tossed her bobber to the edge of the lily pads. "We were a rowdy bunch and she needed to keep us occupied. She liked to keep us out of the house when it was warm so fishing was a good option. We all ended up enjoying it. I can clean them myself too."

"You really never knew there were other Weres out there?" He asked.

"No." She replied. "The man who used to own the mansion, Mr. B, he found us in the forest when we were newborns. We never knew until we found the spirit world, but our mom died shortly after our birth. She was being hunted. There are dark forces in this world that didn't want us to come. Spirit blood is a powerful force of good. It makes it harder for the evil to take root. She birthed us as a wolf and led her enemies off, leaving us in the woods. She knew our father would lead someone to us. Mr. B was that someone. He saw us shift from whimpering pups to screaming babies and he brought us back."

"I'm sorry for your loss." Leo said.

"I never knew her, and we had Margie. Hard to miss something you never knew. I'm just glad to know she didn't just abandon us and she loved us." She replied.

"Do you know who killed her?" He asked.

"Not who." She replied. "It was a demon."

"Demons are real?" He asked.

She nodded. "The spirit world isn't all good. There's evil there just like any other dimension. The Great Spirits, like my father, are the warriors of that world. They keep the evil from spilling over into our world. They know some will slip past them, though, and so they breed with their people and their spirit blooded children take up the fight here." She explained.

"You and your brothers fight demons?" Leo asked incredulously.

"That's where we go when we slip off of the radar. There aren't many out there at any given time, but when we find them, we destroy them. After we found our way to our father, he trained us to use our powers. My spirit seeing helps me locate them. If I laid eyes on any demon, I would know immediately that it was one no matter what form it was taking. I've started to be able to sense them from a distance. I'm still learning to expand my radius."

"Have you guys killed any?" He asked. "Do they even die?"

"You saw one die." She replied. "Raph killed Aiden. Aiden was possessed by a demon."

"So they can posses people?" Leo asked.

"It takes less energy than conjuring a form. It's exceptionally hard to posses someone though. Only when someone's spirit is weak can a demon push it out and take it's place. When someone is going rogue, possession can happen. Luckily there aren't enough demons in the world to possess every Were that goes rogue."

"Can it happen if a Were looses their animal?" He asked, remembering that Gabby had mentioned Weres who had turned human.

"The spirit would be weak enough, yes." She replied. "Demons don't especially like possessing humans though. They don't regenerate like we do. They can't shift to a deadlier form, their senses aren't as sharp. Demons want power. They want to spread their evil. It's hard to do that as a human."

"You would think I'd get used to all the weird stuff that keeps popping up." He said, shaking his head.

"You're not the only one who thinks that." She smiled at him. "The first time I had a vision of you guys, it was a shock to say the least."

"You've had visions of us?" He asked.

"A lot of them actually. They started the day Raph bonded to Gabby. I knew you guys were essential to the cause and I tried to communicate that to Gabby. She's always been a noble soul though and she wouldn't say anything to influence Raph's choice in keeping them as his pack or allowing them to join the Thompson Pack."

"Have they always been about war stuff or do you still get them?" Leo asked.

"The one I showed you the other night was recent." She admitted.

"Do you get visions of other stuff?" He asked.

"Yes. Future fights, future events, things that I need to watch for. Sometimes it's about when and where a demon will be or where an ally can be made. That's what led me to Melody."

"Where do the visions come from?" He asked. "Does your father send them? Or the universe?"

"My father's creator." She answered. "The humans call the creator a lot of things. The creator is God to most of them. The greatest being in existence. We just call him the creator. He's not even a he. Or a she for that matter. Sexless, ageless, formless, limitless. The creator knows all and is all. He can see the strings of fate and wind them as he pleases. He uses me to help do so."

"Is he good then?" He asked.

"Good is such a subjective term." She replied. "He has a lot of good in him and some of what others would consider bad. He is mercy and he is wrath. He is kindness and he is judgment. He controls the ebb and flow of good and evil in the world. When he gave people their own will, he knew evil would come into the world but that is how it has to be because without evil there is no good and there is no worth to fighting and living. Of course, we can never really know how he views these things or what his philosophy on it is. I just take what information I can get from my father."

"Crazy." Leo muttered, shaking his head.

"Trust me, I felt the same way when I found out." She replied.

"How did you find out?" He asked.

"That is a really long story."

"I still want to hear it."

She sighed. "I'll try to shorten it up so we aren't here for the next five years." She said. She reeled in another sunny and tossed it back as she gathered her thoughts.

"As you know, my brothers and I grew up isolated. For all we knew we were the only ones of our kind. When I met Gabby and learned there were Weres in the world I though I was just another Were but when Gabby found out I had no Alpha and needed no Alpha, I learned we were different. Females are so rarely dominant enough to not need an Alpha that it's almost unheard of. When we felt no need to follow Alpha orders in the Rebel Pack or when my visions started coming when I was awake it just proved even more that something wasn't normal about us. When Gabby was forced out of Minnesota three years into Aiden's reign, we lost our one and only source of information and we weren't ready when Aiden's wolves attacked. I had dreamed for months about this place and these mountains and when the pack was gone and the forest burned around us, we started a journey that led us to our reputation. There was no fight we couldn't win together. There was no Alpha who could stand to look us in the eye for more than a few seconds. Maybe they instinctively knew we were more. I don't really know for sure. For a full year I had dreams about mountains and this strange place there and finally, there was a vision that made my path clear. My brothers and I immediately left and made our way to the entrance of the spirit world. We entered and found our father who unlocked our potential and gave us our history. He trained us to hunt demons. We returned to our world to gain some hunting experience. We met Melody on one of our excursions. Then we returned to the gateway and continued to learn about our capabilities. Before we came to help you guys with Aiden, we had one final trip to make. We came home. It took us months, but we found our mothers bones and we burned them, return her spirit to our father before the evil claimed her. We came as soon as that was over."

"What do you mean before the evil claimed her?" Leo asked.

"You've heard ghost stories before right? Haunted places, evil things? My mother died an awful death at the hands of demons. Her violent death plus the fact that she was never put to rest made her spirit restless. She was trapped in the in-between. Her spirit survived there for eighteen years, growing more and more restless with each year. Evil of all kinds is drawn to that kind of negative energy. We had to find her bones and burn them before the evil could consume her and make her like them." She replied. "With no physical remains to keep her tethered, she was able to return to the spirit world where she will enjoy a time of rest before returning to this world as a baby."

"Reincarnation?" He asked.

"Yep. Some souls finish reincarnating and stay forever in the spirit world. Also, new souls are created all of the time. I'm sure there's a way to it but I don't know what it is." She said.

"Your whole life is crazy you know that right?" Leo asked.

"Coming from a mutant turtle, that's a lot of crazy." She laughed and he laughed with her

"it seems to me that crazy is normal now." Leo said.

"It doesn't scare you does it?" She asked him uncertainly. "My brand of special is kind of a lot I know."

"No, Riley, you're the perfect amount of crazy. Just enough to keep things interesting." He nudged her playfully.

They sat on the docks talking about this and that for a while longer, watching the sun sink behind a mess of dark clouds rolling in. Thunder sounded in the distance and Leo sighed.

"Let me walk you home." He said as they packed up. "That way you can't say I ditched you." She poked him with the top of her pole for that little comment and he just laughed. Leo walked her to her door and feeling more bold than he usually felt, he lowered his lips to hers. He kissed her slow and deep, taking a chance to thoroughly taste her before releasing her.

"Did I make up for yesterday?" He asked when he pulled away.

"Definitely." She said a little breathlessly.

"Good. Can I interest you in a third date?" He asked.

"Eager beaver are we?" She teased. "I've got full days this coming week. We might have to wait til the weekend."

"I can handle that." Leo said. He kissed her again, her lips like a potent drug. "I'll see you tomorrow." He said, pushing the door in for her.

"Bye." She said sweetly and she headed in. Leo stood on the porch for a few seconds longer and then with a half smile and a shake of his head, he headed back to the Alpha House. There was a real spark between them, and he was ready to chase it.