Proud eyes watched her mate walk down the aisle and accept his crown. She thought her day couldn't get any better, right up until Jane snatched the wand trying to make herself more appealing. The dark little fairy felt a small thrill shoot up her spine as her mate defended her, even as she rolled her eyes since she was the magic-user and more able to defend the both of them against the omega fairy. Besides, she owed Jane one for letting the girl land a hit on her last time.
Shoving Ben aside she strode forward and snatched the wand out of the omega's hands, the crowd instantly shying away from the dark alpha. It wasn't until she heard her friends arriving behind her that she remembered their plan, steal the wand and unleash the villains. The betrayal on Ben's face stung worse than any punishment her mother had ever inflicted on her, and yet he still didn't attempt to control her.
He was her mate, he could pull rank at any moment, and yet he chose to softly plead with her, all while slowly inching closer. There was no way Mal would harm her mate, yet he still made his approach as non-threatening as possible because he wanted her to choose for herself. If she chose evil then he would tolerate it, if only so he could remain by her side, but he hoped he'd shown her enough to make her want to be good, even if the rest of the school wanted to only see the worst of her.
Turning to her pack Mal let the tears roll down her cheeks as they heard her betrayal from her own lips. She chose to be good, to remain in Auradon with Ben, away from her mother, all while pleading with them to forsake their dark vows and join her. Jay was the first to agree, he'd known Mal the longest and he knew she only wanted what she thought was best for all of them. Evie was next, the girl finding herself in Auradon and she didn't want to lose this new confidence. With a final internal struggle Carlos joined them, denouncing evil for the sake of his pack. Turning to Ben she nodded to her small group, it was his pack too now and they took care of their own.
Ben had only just joined them, the pack acknowledging him as one of them, when Maleficent crashed the coronation. A firm hand on her mate's shoulder kept him from trying to attack the woman, this was Mal's fight and only she had a chance of winning. Letting Ben move back to his parents Mal moved, pretending to face-off with her mother only to throw the wand to Fairy Godmother. If anyone had a hope of beating her mother it was the good fairy.
Pained green eyes watched her hopes shatter as her mother countered the spell, freezing everyone but Mal and her pack. Unfortunately the mate-bond was too new to afford Ben the same protection her presence offered the rest of her pack, leaving the young king frozen and unable to lend his support. It was a shame too because if ever she needed his gentle positivity in her ear it was now. Unexpectedly it was Carlos who gave her the much-needed inspiration. Squaring her shoulders Mal dug deep, trying to draw in as much of Ben's goodness as she could as she stepped up and commanded Fairy Godmother's wand to return to her.
She wasn't sure how she did it but there was an overwhelming surge of relief as she watched her mother shrink down into a tiny lizard. The little fairy had never been more grateful as Ben's arms wrapped around her, stopping her legs from giving out beneath her. Holding him tightly she pressed her cheek against the fabric covering his mate-mark, drawing strength from him before letting him go and stepping away to face Fairy Godmother.
Leaving the cathedral Mal pulled her pack into a quiet room, away from where they could hear the party starting to take shape. Undoing the fastenings on her dress Mal let them see the mark Ben had given her, explaining what the magic had actually done to her. She'd expected them to hate her for not telling them, to see it as another reason she'd betrayed them, but instead they congratulated her. They had all seen the dark alpha being drawn to the young lion, the way she looked at him, the way she responded to him, but they'd also seen the way he cared for her. If magic was the only way they could forge a bond strong enough to prevent an omega's heat from tearing them apart then they were glad it had happened. Hugging her pack Mal quickly dried her tears and led them out to the dance floor where she was sure Ben was waiting for them.
Ben and Mal had discussed telling his parents about their bond but the young King had decided against it. He wanted his parents to like Mal for who she was and to see her goodness as part of her and not the actions of a bond. No he'd wait until they accepted Mal before he told them they were mates. Fairy Godmother however, she'd need to be informed, if for no other reason than for her understanding the need for the pair to be able to share his dorm room regularly enough to keep themselves from becoming too protective or needy.
Mates, especially new mates, required regular contact to keep them in check. A simple act such as holding hands would calm them enough to be able to spend an hour or two apart without becoming anxious while a night together would allow them to be apart for most of the day. With time the desperate need to be in each other's presence would dull but they would still feel a longing ache to find each other once more.
For Mal and Ben, their night together had been enough for them to spend a couple of hours apart and the adrenaline from Maleficent's arrival had numbed the desire for contact, but they had been apart too long. The presence of so many others did nothing to soothe their nerves either. New mates usually spent the next day or two after mating getting acquainted with each other, reassuring each other while strengthening their bond. Mal and Ben hadn't had the chance to do that so it was no surprise they both left early, sneaking away to slip back into his dorm room to remind each other they very much wanted their bond.
Monday morning came, a bag of fresh clothes courtesy of Evie somehow magically finding its way into the room. A smug king grinned at his mate, holding her bare body close to his as students moved about outside his room, getting ready for a day at school. "Don't look so proud, we're about to air our dirty laundry." Mal griped, burrowing further into his arms.
"You expect me to not be proud of all those little noises you made?" Ben scoffed, pressing a tender kiss to her hair before leaping out of bed and walking to the bathroom, letting her watch his bare backside as he walked. "You coming or not?" His voice sang out to her, inviting her to join him in the shower.
Fairy Godmother's lips pursed as the glared at the pair. She knew she couldn't be angry with them over something they had no control over, especially since they seemed very much in love. No, if anything she was angry at her daughter for using such dark magic, but then she had to admit it would've been cruel to see Mal and Ben torn apart by an omega's heat. "What's done is done." She remarked, glad they had found a way to stay together. "But I refuse to have a student fall pregnant in my school." Digging about in a drawer the headmistress produced a necklace with a small, delicate charm on it, one spelled to prevent the wearer falling pregnant. "You will wear this at all times." She told Mal firmly, staring at her pointedly until she slipped it around her neck and tucked it under her clothes. "No exceptions. If you lose it you come straight to me for a new one. And I don't need to remind you both that you will keep this affair quiet. No one is to know that you are bonded, I don't need the press finding out that I allowed two of my students to mate on school property and I certainly don't need them knowing their King mated someone on campus grounds. Do I make myself clear?" The pair nodded sheepishly before she dismissed them, handing Mal a permission slip for being late while Ben left to attend to official duties with a promise to meet in his rooms after school.
It was going to be hard to keep their relationship quiet but it would be worth it, besides, they had their whole lives to be together and that was something no one could take from them now.
May your thoughts and creativity flow
Lady Ami DragonHeart