Deaton pursed his lips as he held the camera up to Deucalion's eye. The Alpha didn't resist, just sighed. The vet's gaze drifted over to where Isla was speaking softly to a cat in a cage and couldn't help but smirk at the irony, given the young woman's situation.

"What?" Deucalion growled. It earned a glance from his lover, but the redhead turned back to the calico at the subtle shake of her Alpha's head.

Alan's smirk widened. "I'm just surprised is all; I never thought you'd take a female Beta…" He eyed the disheveled man before him with a hint of bitter amusement. "I thought you were uncomfortable fulfilling certain obligations to their kind."

The werewolf heaved a sigh, but said nothing. In truth, Deucalion hadn't considered that his first Beta, his only Beta, was a woman. Worse, a woman he was romantically entangled with, a woman whose trust he was trying to regain and the thought of having to help her through her estrous cycle made his stomach tight. Swallowing, he met Deaton's gaze.

It was unsympathetic, and frankly a bit impudent, but the human said nothing as he snapped another photo of the Demon Wolf's healed eyes. "There are alternatives, you know." The human stepped back. Gathering the photos in the file, he didn't meet the Alpha's gaze as he continued, "If she hasn't accepted you as her Alpha yet, you could place her in another pack. Perhaps Satomi's."

The or Scott's was left unsaid; a wise move on Deaton's part.

Deucalion sneered at him. Eyes flashing a feral red, he stood from the exam table. His chest bumped the shorter man's, but the vet didn't so much as blink. The werewolf bared his fangs at him. "I'm her Alpha. No one is going to take care of her but me."

"You're taking this as a criticism. It's not." Deaton arched a brow. If he was surprised by the outburst, it didn't show on his face. "She's young, I assume fertile, there's clearly something between the two of you…"

Isla cleared her throat. The men looked to find her standing in the doorway of the backroom, the cat purring obnoxiously in her arms. The orange in its fur matched her hair almost perfectly. "If you two are done talking about me like I'm not here…" She paused looking between them to verify that they were. "I think it's time to go."

The men shared a look before Deucalion nodded. "I agree."

The young woman made her way to them and offered the vet the calico. He took it and arched a brow at her. "I assume he's made you aware of his past?"

"He has." Isla nodded and slipped her arm around her Alpha's waist.

Alan eyed how Deucalion thumbed the edge of the woman's jeans, but met Isla's gaze without comment. "And you've decided to stay?"

She inclined her head once more. "Until he gives me a reason not to."

"Making a new Alpha pack?" There was no inflection in Deaton's voice, but there was one in Isla's heartbeat.

Stricken, the girl shook her head. "No! No, that's not what I want at all."

The human's eyes skirted to Deucalion's. Tone even and plain, Deaton told her, "There are other packs. Other Alphas you could go to."

Isla frowned. Aware of how her lover's fingertips dug into her hip, she shook her head once more. Firmer this time. "I want Duke." She nodded, her spine straightening as she put her hand on her Alpha's chest. "He deserves a second chance."

"Why?" Deaton asked with a hint of dissent. "Perhaps your love for him is blinding you to the animal he is."

The young woman blushed, but kept her head high. "Maybe it is." Ignoring how Deucalion was looking at her, the fond surprise of his tired features and how his eyes lit up with hope, Isla went on, "And maybe I'll regret it, but it's my choice. Now please show us out."

Alan considered her words a moment before he nodded. Isla offered him a demure smile and thanked him... or at least started to before her lover reached out and grabbed the human by the front of his lab coat.

Eyes a vibrant, murderous red, Deucalion yanked Deaton close. Voice low and grave, he warned, "Never do that again."

"Duke!" His Beta pulled at his arm, but it was fruitless. Even with the strength he had given her that made her a bit stronger than the average Beta, she was still just that; a Beta and he was the Alpha of Alpha's. Still, Isla tried. "Deucalion, stop it!"

She could see the shake in his arm, in his hand and quickly took hold of his wrist.

Deucalion ignored her. He could only see Deaton's smirk and taunting eyes and he hated him. He hated the risk Alan was; that it would be so easy for a human to undo all the hard work he had done with only a phone call to Scott.

Thumbing the inside of his wrist, Isla squeezed her lover's shoulder. "We had a deal."

His scowl softened at the crack in her voice.

"I'd listen to her, Duke." Deaton's stare never wavered. "Keep this up and you'll have no allies at all."

Aching fingers let him go. His gaze fell to the tile floor and he allowed Isla to steer him toward the door. He ignored her apologies and earnest thanks for helping them and grabbed the umbrella from where it had been rested against the counter. He ignored how Deaton closed the mountain ash barrier behind them with a clank. The moment they were out of the building, the Alpha opened the umbrella and tilted it over the young woman's head.

Isla batted it away. "You promised. You promised you wouldn't hurt people."

"I didn't. If I had wanted to hurt him, he'd be dead and not smirking at us from the window." Deucalion nodded to where Deaton was doing just that.

The young woman's expression didn't lighten. She wanted to be mad. Mad that he had broken his promise so quickly and so easily and frightened that his threat had seemed so sincere…but mostly Isla was just tired. No, not tired. She had been tired when she left her mother's house. Isla was exhausted, mentally and emotionally. As far as physically went she was still feeling rather spray, but it was clear Deucalion didn't feel the same.

His shoulders were slumped, his eyes laced with heavy bags and body bent slightly. Not much, but it was a noticeable change to how he usually held himself. The perfect posture was gone, the air around him tinged not with confidence but fatigue.

Isla licked her lips and picked her battle. A faint smile on her lips, she tilted the umbrella toward her with a coy finger. She stepped up to him. Their chests brushed together as she teased, "There. Now you know. You can finally stop looking at me like you're never going to see me again."

The Alpha brushed the backs of his aching fingers along the soft curve of her cheek. Deucalion could almost see the bruise that had lined her cheek the night before, the broken blood vessels in her eye and still smell the hint of blood that had seeped through the bandage. He hated that had been his first impression of her. Pleased by her recovery, by how strong she looked in the dim light, he smirked. Her cobalt blue eyes were as clear as was her pale skin, with the exception of the embarrassed flush on her cheeks.

Isla's rueful smile fell into something a bit more gentle. "Come on, Dee. Let's get you to bed."

He nodded. With an arm wrapped around her shoulders, Deucalion pulled his Beta close to his side. Hip by hip and shielded under the umbrella, the couple made their way back the young woman's apartment. By the time they reached its stoop, it was clear the Alpha didn't share Isla's vigor. His footsteps were steady but slow and the hand on the back of her neck heavy as the uninjured thumb of his right hand rubbed circles into her hairline. Admittedly, it felt rather nice. The simple, affectionate action made it even harder to stay mad at him.

As they reached the entrance of her apartment, Isla fiddled with her keys. Breaking away from him, she spun to plant her back against the door. At his raised brows, Isla bit her bottom lip and ignored when his gaze dropped to her mouth. "Am I really what you wanted? Appearance wise, I mean."

A smile wound over the Alpha's lips. His eyes were tired and fond. "I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful Beta, Isla."

The redhead's cheeks flushed pink. Dropping her chin, she forced back a grin with a swallow. "Well, you didn't exactly ask…"

"Isla." Deucalion cupped her cheeks with aching fingers. Her nose wrinkled at the scent of his blood, but he ignored the gesture. "I wouldn't change a thing about how you look." He considered a moment, easing a silky strand of her orange hair through his wounded digits before he added, "Or anything about you at all really."

Isla rolled her eyes. Turning to open the door, she sighed, "Come on, Romeo, it's time for bed."

"Will you be joining me?"

After a moment's consideration, she nodded.

A smirk pulled at Deucalion's mouth.

The apartment was chilly and the air damp. The Alpha let his lover take his jacket and kicked off his shoes before she herded him toward the bedroom. The clutter was still pushed out of the way for the doorway. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the redhead slip out of her sweater. Left in a pale green undershirt and jeans, she looked over to him.

Deucalion quickly righted his stare to the wall. It was painted a soft color, a shade or two darker than aqua. He quickly undid his pants and pretended not to notice Isla's gaze on his back. Still, he could smell her approval. In only his boxer briefs and bloodstained undershirt, the Alpha turned back the blankets. Expectant, he looked to Isla.

The girl faltered. Her fingers tense on the zipper of her pants, she hesitated before stripping out of them. Ignoring how his gaze swept over the pale expanse of her legs, Isla awkwardly tried to hide her white hipsters from view. They were cheap and cotton and a bit too tight, but given how his pupils dilated and the sudden twinge of sex in his scent, she supposed the Alpha didn't terribly mind. Steeling her resolve, the Beta snapped off her bra and slipped into the bed.

Deucalion peered down at her. Discomfort radiated from the young redhead, but she said nothing. Instead of commenting, the man joined her. The two of them were quiet, simply staring at the ceiling a long while before Isla rolled on to her side.

Her blue eyes searched his face. His features were passive. After a moment's hesitation, the redhead reached out to touch his chest. The Alpha didn't move, just blinked as she moved to settle her cheek against his shoulder. His eyes fluttered closed at the familiar weight, at her soft scent and he turned to press his mouth to her brow before he thought better of it.

"I'm still mad at you," Isla murmured.

"I know."

She sighed and fiddled with the sleeve of his undershirt. "But it's hard to be."

"I know. I'll try..." At her curious glance, Deucalion caressed her cheek with his bandaged index finger. "To treat you as an equal, but it's in my nature to be…"

"An ass?" The girl offered with a small smirk.

He squinted at her. "Domineering."

She shrugged. At her dismissal, the Alpha nuzzled the top of her head. She smelt different; without the bitterness in her scent, he could read her emotions a lot better. Isla was relaxed. Comfortable and a bit aroused, but he wasn't about to push his luck. She would come to him when she was ready and Deucalion could wait. He smirked as his lover, his Beta, curled into his chest.

The two of them drifted off to sleep.

When he woke, it was late afternoon. Not that he would know it, the only light coming from the small lamp beside his lover's bed. It took him a moment to realize he wasn't alone. Fingers were carding through his hair, long legs framing his sides. The familiar softness of Isla's body under him in a new, more tender way. Nestled against her breast like a babe, Deucalion sighed as she thumbed his bicep. His arm.

She tutted quietly at his injured fingers. Her own never paused, stroking the length of his spine at his lumbar region. A moment passed before she caught the change in his breathing. With a smirk, Isla told him, "Still mad at you."

"Given your downright brutal treatment of me, I never would have guessed." He slipped up to bury his face in her neck and realized he was naked. Curious, he hummed as his cock brushed her cheap sheets. "Did you undress me?"

"More or less," Amusement shone in her rich voice. "I told you to do it and you mumbled something about insubordination and how good my sheets smell, so I took it upon myself."

He ran his palm over her thick thigh and let his mouth whisper over his skin. "You didn't have your way with me, did you?"

Isla shuddered. "No, I did not." She offered him a playful shrug to distract from the scratch of his stubble against her collarbone. "Lines of consent and all."

"How noble of you."

Her finger found his cheek and gave it an idle stroke. Deucalion's eyes fluttered closed at the touch. The young woman let herself smile while he couldn't see it. He looked better than he had the night before. The dark circles were gone, his skin a healthier shade and she didn't resist running her fingers through his sandy hair. It was peppered with gray, but that was hardly a turn-off for her. The low groan he gave went straight between her legs. Ignoring it, she licked her lips. "Your hair's grown out."

"Has it?" His hand eased over her thigh to rest atop the crotch of her cotton sleep shorts.

She pushed his hand away, choosing to instead lace their fingers together on her knee. "Mhm."

The man hummed with disappointment. Still, any touch was appreciated and he absently scratched his cheek against the thin strap of her tank top. It was a faded blue and didn't quite cover her stomach. His gaze locked on the exposed skin. He wanted to touch it. To kiss and grope the pale skin until it flushed the same pretty pink that she wore on her cheeks. Instead, he traced her palm with his thumb. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

She shrugged and gave his chin a tap. "What you need is a shave."

Deucalion smirked. Sitting up a shade, he peered at her passive features. "Not a fan of beards?"

"Beards are fine…" The young Beta offered him a bright, teasing smile that did little to ease the press of his erection against the mattress. "But why cover up a jaw like that?"

He chuckled and leaned up to kiss her. Isla's cobalt blue eyes watched him carefully, let him brush her mouth with his, but pulled away before he could deepen the touch. Stroking the skin just above the tattoo on his chest, she offered him a mute shake of her head.

The man nodded and moved to settle back down against her chest with a sigh. It wasn't resentful. He watched as her hand returned to his. The slow caress of her fingers drew black lines from it. Deucalion chanced a glance at his lover's face. Isla didn't seem surprised by them. Her features were relaxed, completely calm. Curious, he asked what she thought she was doing.

"Healing you," was her reply. The young woman looked down at him. "Like you did for me in the hospital."

Deucalion squinted at her. "You remember that?"

Isla shrugged and set her cheek against his forehead. "It hurt less when you were around. Was that your way of trying to provoke some kind of Pavlovian response?"

"I don't like seeing you in pain."

"Really? Seeing me in pain?"

He bristled and pulled her buxom form closer. "Feeling it then. Smelling it, hearing it. I hated the power you had over me with your human frailties."

"So you took them away from me."

The Alpha's gaze rose to hers. Her features were somber and a bit sad. Eyes and voice sharp, he told her, "It was selfish of me, but I'm not sorry."

Isla almost flinched at his words. The intensity in them felt like a blow. Still, she was taken aback by his eyes; no longer rimmed in red as that had been when he was blind. They reminded her of blue quartz. A steely, deep blue grey. A gasp slipped from her lips as Deucalion blanketed her form. His body heavy and sinfully warm against her and she couldn't help it as her eyes gaze flickered down to his mouth.

"I will never regret biting you, Isla." Deucalion shook his head and pressed his brow against hers. His Beta's eyes widened, but she didn't shy away from him. In fact, her legs had spread surprisingly easy for him, and better yet, stayed splayed as he pushed against her. He could feel the heat of her sex against his abdomen and ground against it, his cock digging into the cleft of her ass. Deucalion watched her lick her lips, watched her swallow and the color rise on her cheeks as he growled, "There's nothing you could do that would make me feel differently."

Then she leaned forward. The action was minimal, so subtle he almost didn't respond to it. Just stared at her mouth a long moment before he decided the risk was worth the reward. Deucalion grabbed her by the front of her shirt and wretched her forward. Their teeth clacked together, but neither of them paid the pain much mind.

Legs gripping him tight, Isla let him grope her. At her jaw and neck and arm, touching her like he thought he never would again. A gasp escaped the young redhead as Deucalion threw her across the bed. Now spread across the mattress horizontally, Isla swallowed as he moved to cover her once more. With only the thin cotton of her nightshorts keeping his cock from being nestled between her slit, the woman began to pant.

Her Alpha grinned and rocked his hips forward. The mew that left her made him shudder. The sound was almost as good as how she felt. His gaze flicked about his lover's form as he began to fuck against her hidden sex. Each steady, purposeful rock earned him another noise and pride welled in him. True, Isla might have been mad at him, but she wasn't pushing him away. She was letting him touch her most intimate places and the man was certain that she wouldn't stop him from stripping her out of the stupid plaid shorts- but he wasn't about to give her the satisfaction of that.

A minute quirk of her hips made the Alpha growl. Her blue eyes peeked out from under her lashes at him.

She looked just like how he imagined; her wild orange hair thrown across her pale green sheets, her cheeks, throat and chest all flushed pink and vulnerable. Her breasts bounced with each push. The golden rim around her irises was no doubt new. Still, Deucalion loved it all the same. More so even, because he had given it to her.

With a bit more force, he fucked her into the mattress. Her shorts were drench with his precum and her arousal. The air in the room so heavy with the humid smell of sex it was almost hard to breath. Neither of them minded.

The Beta arched her back, her hands trailing over the muscular plains of his chest. Cunt rocking against his cock, she smiled and nudged their noses together. She had missed being intimate with him. Missed touching him and teasing him and it felt nice, it felt natural and better yet, normal having him on top of her. Like things might finally be starting to be okay between them. Nails biting into his skin, Isla ducked her head down to kiss and suck at his neck.

Instinct took over before he could stop it. For a moment the world went red and it was his lover's yelp that brought him back to reality. With a blink, Deucalion flinched when he found his hand wrapped around Isla's throat. He jerked away from her, ready to apologize, but the damage had been done. With blank features, he eased off her.

The Beta kicked him away. Quickly scooting away from the man, she tucked her legs up to protect her sex. Her eyes were blue again and rimmed with tears.

"I'm...I'm sorry."

She just shook her head. Tears fell over her lashes and she was quick to cover her eyes with her hand to keep him from seeing.

That hurt. The simple, impulsive action to shut him out of her grief made him feel weak. Helpless. He hated that. "Isla. Isla, look at me."

"You promised." The young woman shrank back from him as he moved to console her. "You said I could trust you."

Deucalion raked his hand over his face. His fingers still ached. "It was an impulse. The only reason another werewolf would touch an Alpha's neck is to deliver the killing blow."

Isla shook her head again. Her orange hair clung to the sweat on her brow. "I don't care."

"I didn't mean to-'

"I don't care," she repeated, voice cracking as she fought back a sob. "You- you can't just- I promised my mom if you even looked at me wrong, I would-"

"Look at me now."

The Beta did.

Carefully, he reached for her. Isla shook her head, but didn't fight him when he picked up her hand. He put it at the base of his throat. "I'm sorry." Letting his head fall back, he didn't fight the wince that came as she traced the cords of his neck with clawed fingers. Jaw clenched and eyes red, he fought to stay still as she shifted forward.

Rising up on her knees, she glared at him. "You really think I'd do that to you?"

His jaw clenched and he spoke around gritted teeth, "You'd be surprised what people are capable of."

"I'm not people." She tipped his chin down. When his gaze met hers, the young woman was a bit struck by the remorse in his gaze. Still, the disgust read on her face just fine. "You were disciplining me."

Deucalion licked his lips and went to touch her face. She flinched away from his hand so he let it drop. "I'm sorry."

The waitress shook her head. "Get out."

"Isla..."

"Get out of my house."

Deucalion nodded as her voice cracked. His freshly washed clothes had been knocked to the floor during their little tryst. Dressing quickly, the Alpha watched her carefully. Isla was quivering, fear and rage in her scent, yes, but most of it was pain. He knew he hadn't hurt her; she didn't have so much as a bruise on her. Where he had grabbed her remained perfect and pale and he felt his stomach knot. Cautiously, he approached her again.

Her blue eyes snapped to his. Dismissing the warning in them, Deucalion leaned down and placed a careful kiss to her temple. He nosed her hair. It was still damp with sweat and smelt faintly of arousal, but just barely. His mouth worked down, over her jaw to her chin. His gaze touched hers, but he didn't dare take her mouth.

Instead, he told her, "If you kill your Alpha, the one who bit you, they say your humanity will return to you."

She blinked up at him with surprise. "What?"

"I understand if that's what you want." Deucalion ground his teeth together a moment before he went on, "I could arrange for another pack to take you. I could get you another Alpha. Someone more...suitable to your needs."

Isla regarded him. His posture was tight and anxious and his words seemed genuine, but she didn't believe them. "You'd never let me."

"If you would feel safer with someone else." He nodded curtly. "Than you should be with someone else."

The woman said nothing as he pressed another kiss to her cheek and walked out the door.

Both this and my new DBQ chapter were unbetaed, so my apologies for any mistakes.