Author's Note:
Thank you so much for all the kind words I've received. I'm so nervous about getting this right so I'm glad so many of you are enjoying it :) Even the smallest of words mean a lot to me. Please continue to enjoy!
.: Chapter Nine :.
Heart's Spectrum
It occurred to Harry that perhaps he was more extraordinary among the pack than he had first thought. He had known that carrying the lycanthrope recessive gene made him special to them, a gifted creature akin to royalty and that they all felt the need to protect him. But besides that, as the alpha's mate and their joint leader he was clearly expected to do…nothing.
Frowning at his thoughts, he dragged the cloth in his hands roughly up and down the metal washer, grinding the dirt and sweat from it before dunking it back into the pool he was kneeling beside. The need to avoid Fenrir (Greyback, his mind corrected) and boredom had swiftly driven him from the den every morning only a few hours after the alpha had awoken. This had become the routine over the last few weeks; he would tend the wolf's wounds and then skitter away as quickly as possible – usually into the welcoming sunlight.
It was glorious being outside in the sun all day, even now in spring, with the weather not quite in motion towards summer yet the light and warmth were enough to make his skin sing softly with each passing moment. He was more aware of the weather now. He could practically hear the leaves on the trees whispering conspiratorially about summer. Even the cool water splashing over his hands felt glorious as he washed the clothes he had offered to help Amoux with, the droplets dancing joyfully over the back of his fingers.
"You really don't have to do that," Amoux said softly when Harry turned and caught her staring at him as she worked through her own pile. He had seen her with the load that was shared between the subs a few weeks ago and demanded he be given an equal load to everyone else when she had let him help. It had been nearly two weeks now and still they balked at the sight of him doing 'chores'. Was the alpha numero supposed to sit on their arse and survey? Even Fenrir – Greyback was rarely unoccupied, often hunting or dealing with diplomacy among the pack and anyone (or anything) that got too close to their territory. Werewolves were far too territorial Harry had come to realise.
"It's fine, I'm almost done," Harry declared, giving her a warm smile as he wrung out the garment in his hands, examining it carefully before deeming it clean and laying it out on one of the thick slabs of sheer, clean slate encircling the wash pool ready to dry. It was honest work that required no thinking. He wanted to do something. Anything. Any work was honest work. He was not a fat cat to be fed and left to lounge all day. The thought made his skin prickle in irritation.
"Shall I help you with yours?" he asked. He was used to chores thanks to his time at the Dursleys, but unlike back then, these were tasks he was happy to do for those much more grateful than the occupants of Privet Drive. He might even dare to say they liked him.
"No, of course not," Amoux said, almost aghast, "honestly, you do too much. It is not expected of you to partake in menial tasks."
Harry frowned. "With all due respect I think sitting on my backside all day would be more menial and far less useful than mucking in with everyone else." He looked around at the eight subs (including Amoux) that were gathered by the pool. Some had their children playing close by their side. Vilkas (Amoux's youngster) was playing with two grass dolls between himself and Amoux, making the couple dance happily and giving them childish voices as he played. Ghost was stretched out on the grass next to Harry, watching the proceedings lazily. He had taken his job in protecting Harry very seriously since the incident with the griffins. Thankfully his tail had healed without so much as a scratch.
"The alpha will be back from the hunt soon, you should make yourself available to him," she said simply. Despite the casualness of her tone, Harry still flushed. He knew this was natural to them, but he still couldn't picture this as a life he could every call normal or natural. Although a voice somewhere deep inside him was whispering louder and louder with each day, that this could easily be a life he could be happy with.
"Your bond is still incomplete, it makes the separation agitate you more easily," Amoux smiled knowingly at him. "Just looking at you anyone can tell you're unsettled."
Harry blinked. "To you all it probably seems mental that I won't complete the bond," he said.
"It's a different world here, far and away from the pain and destruction we knew in the wizarding world, but where you came from within it, you knew good things as well," Amoux explained. "We didn't know anything but suffering, that's why it is easier for us to be just what we are and forget the troubles of everyone else outside of the pack." She gestured to the crown of the mountain that encircled them, the sun bathing her beautiful but worn features. She looked like someone who had endured more than even him in her lifetime.
"But we can give you back whatever you miss and more, Harry," she said softly, "just give us a chance – give him, a chance. You will be surprised how well you fit in here."
Harry swallowed. "Even if Vol– I mean Tergarletum or whatever you call him weren't around, I have friends in the wizarding world–"
"You can have a family with us, be cared for, have children," she glanced to Vilkas dotingly and the boy glanced up, noticing their gaze on him. He gave Harry a dazzling smile before ambling over to him, offering him one of the grass dolls before planting himself in his lap. Harry froze at the suddenness of it but the boy didn't seem to notice his awkwardness.
He remembered his first encounter with the boy and how when lost to his instincts, he'd had the urge to wrap the child in his arms. He'd felt comforted by his presence. He still felt comforted by him, a sensation that was heightened by the oncoming full moon. His second with Greyback. He swallowed at the thought. It was barely a week to go and he was going to be shut in here with a pack of wolves. Perhaps he would be able to lock the den with magic or something to keep them out.
"Vilkas is very taken with you," Amoux said with her usual smile, changing the subject when she realised how silent he had gone. Harry looked down. The tot in his lap was making the doll in his own small hand talk nonsense to the doll he had forced into Harry's grasp. "All the children are quite in awe of you, it's because of what you are."
Harry didn't know what to say to that really, but he was spared having to find words when both Amoux and one of the other subs across from Harry (a male called Accalia) both got to their feet. "Perhaps you'd like to help us with bath time?" Accalia said. He was tall and slender – far taller than Harry, rugged with cropped, tousled dark blond hair and rich brown eyes that regarded Harry with the same kind of understanding and affection that Amoux's did.
Accalia was the main reason that Harry had not completely flipped out at being 'left' behind whenever Greyback went out to hunt. It helped of course that he, Harry liked helping the others out in their load and that they genuinely seemed to like him (despite how awkward their conversation often was). That, and being 'left' also gave him ample excuse to escape Greyback's overwhelming presence. He had to take whatever chance he could get to reduce the amount of time they spent together.
Aside from all that Accalia was so utterly…masculine. There was not a shred of femininity about him, which helped Harry to accept that just because they were subs, didn't mean they were analogous to women in any way. He was a comforting sight.
"The twins are a struggle when it comes to getting them to meet water," Accalia smirked, seizing one of the children under his arm while the other identical girl squealed and ran for cover behind the woman beside her. Harry smirked and stood slowly, unable to extricate himself from Vilkas, who clung to his torso until he surrendered and brought an arm around the boy's backside to support him.
"They might behave themselves if their new friend comes to help," Amoux laughed, seizing his poorly hidden tot round the middle and hauling her up into the air. "We'll use my den, come."
Harry found himself wondering if he'd ever had 'bath time' like this. The three of them had the three infants in the hot spring bath (like the one in Greyback's den) and were washing them brusquely while the twin five-year-old girls and little Vilkas splashed each other gleefully. The squeaks of delight made Harry smile despite any lingering awkwardness. He struggled to keep hold of one of the twins as he washed her head of dark hair.
"You're a natural," Accalia laughed just as the other twin swatted at him, trying to escape his grasp.
"Want to play!" the girl squealed, bored of this part of bath time and eager to be playing with the other two. Vilkas was the best behaved, happy to sit close to Amoux and relish the attention quietly. What had he himself been like when he was a child, Harry wondered? Was he rebellious and rueful like the twins or more quiet and content like Vilkas? And if he had a child, what would they be like?
The thoughtfulness must have shown on his face because Accalia's voice interrupted his reverie. "You're not worried about the festivities are you? It's only natural for us to celebrate yours and the alpha's joining, there won't be a ritual slaughter or public display of carnal passion," he mused. "You should enjoy it."
Ah. Yes, he'd forgotten about the rearranged festivities. He'd hoped that they all would have forgotten too but it seemed not. They really were fixated on their traditions here.
Harry bit the inside of his mouth uncertainly, beginning to rinse the suds off twin number two's head. It was still bizarre, having the life of a small wriggling child in his hands. It made him uneasy, despite his purring instincts. "Even though I won't complete the bond?" he said without really meaning to speak aloud.
Either Accalia didn't hear him, or decided he couldn't find an answer, for he said, "I was considering our conversation from the other day, regarding your desire to harness your werewolf magic faster?"
Harry blinked in surprise. He'd believed that subject had been closed or was taboo in someway, that they feared him gaining too much power and using it to escape. He licked his dry lips, pausing in his task for a moment. "You'll help me?" he asked. Apparently Accalia had been the youngest and quickest to come into his magic after he had been turned, that was why Harry had gone to him in the first place.
Accalia seemed both amused and pleased with his eagerness, not in the least bit worried. "I give lessons of a sort to the youngsters to help them find their magic deep within themselves. I would be happy for you to sit in on our sessions."
Harry beamed. He couldn't believe it. A pull similar to that of homesickness swelled in his stomach – only he was longing for his magic rather than home. Magic, he would have his magic back! "When can we start?" he asked eagerly, loading a wash cloth up with warm water to dab the suds away from the twin's skin.
Then, as he waited for the man to answer a thought occurred to him and he glanced to Accalia warily. "Err, maybe it'd be best if you didn't tell Greyback about it," he said carefully.
Amoux smiled softly. "Afraid he'll disapprove and try to stop it?" she asked. "I don't think he will be displeased. It's part of being a wolf, of course he will be happy that you're eager to learn more."
Harry fidgeted uncomfortably. "Not if he thinks I'll use my magic to escape he won't," he muttered, mostly to himself.
"And would you?" Accalia asked, his tone still light but hard to read.
Unable to lie to these people who seemed to genuinely care about him, he gave a small sigh. "Would it stop you from teaching me?"
"No," Accalia replied simply. His face was as gentle as ever, but that was all he had to say on the matter for now apparently. At least it seemed there was a way forward in all this apart from sitting tight and waiting for Ron and Hermione to rescue him. He might be able to redeem and repair his fractured pride yet. If only he could claw back some power, some control to level the uneven scales of strength.
"How did the twins come to you?" he asked quickly, wanting to change the subject from his potential betrayal of their kindness. Accalia smiled fondly, bitterness just touching the corners of his dark eyes.
"There was a report of abuse in one of the foster homes in the city, continual abuse that the muggle authorities couldn't prove and so Lupa, Echo and Hemming rescued the five children there and brought them home. I took in the twins who were still babies, and the three adolescents were old enough to choose their own families here." Accalia considered Harry thoughtfully before adding, "it's a delicate matter. It can be considered both right and wrong. I have heard that outsiders even call us cruel for 'damning' the children to our 'cursed' lives–"
"I know lots of people who would think that," Harry interrupted him, grateful to the task at hand (washing the fierce little girl before she wriggled away) to give him an excuse not to have to meet Accalia's eyes. "I used to think that, but having lived the childhood I did…" He paused for a moment, forcing his unwilling memory back to that time where he would fantasise that someone would come and rescue him from the misery of Privet Drive. "I think if someone had given me the choice, to be raised as I was, unwanted and neglected or cared for as a werewolf, I would have chosen to be a werewolf any day."
"That's encouraging to hear," came a voice from behind them. It made Harry whirl around and the twin still in his grasp squeaked delightfully as Harry lifted her clean out of the water, her still moving legs splashing at the surface like a propeller. Greyback had just walked into the wash area of the den, watching them (Harry in particular) with an odd look in his eyes.
"You look good with a cub in your arms," he mused, his voice gruff but smooth and his appearance dishevelled from the hunting trip he had just returned from. Harry flushed darkly and set the twin down, wrapping her up in a towel, and drying her carefully, avoiding Greyback's eyes. He could tell the other two were trying to hide their good-natured amusement.
"Don't get any ideas," Harry snorted, making sure the little girl was dry before wrapping her up tightly in the over-large towel. "I have no intention of being a father. Especially not of your children."
Greyback snorted. "Just as well that you'll be their mother then." Harry glared at that, but before he could even find words for a retort, Greyback had glanced to where Ghost was sitting dutifully at Harry's side and was speaking again. "You can bring Ghost along on our walk if you want."
Harry frowned in confusion. "Walk?"
"It's customary for the mated pair to walk together while the final touches are added to the festivities," Amoux said, plucking Vilkas from the bath and drying him gently. Harry's frown intensified. Greyback just expected him to know that? He scratched the back of his neck in irritation but couldn't miss how excited Ghost looked at the prospect of enjoying the forest again under less dangerous circumstances this time.
Harry tried to ignore the eagerness swelling in his stomach as he got to his feet and moved towards Greyback, Ghost following quickly in his wake. He'd been away from the werewolf since daybreak and thanks to his insistence they hadn't touched since before Greyback was injured either. Harry felt quite proud of his resistance, his determination to keep himself as distant with Greyback as possible.
Except his resolve was dwindling under the pressure of how much he missed whatever it was he felt when the bastard touched him. He felt wanted, treasured, pleasured and so much more that he would never voice aloud once he got out of here.
The sun was still bright in the sky, it was a cool afternoon but beautiful as the daylight swept across the forest, making every blade of grass shimmer while they danced in the embrace of the breeze. Harry couldn't believe Greyback was letting him outside the mountain paradise and into the forest again after his so recent escape attempt. But then Greyback would be able to stop him from escaping easily if he tried, he supposed, gritting his teeth in annoyance.
He hated feeling powerless, which is what he felt with Greyback near him. Even his own emotions and body weren't under his control where the bastard was concerned. He didn't like it and with his recent celibacy, the confusing incompleteness of their bond and the oncoming full moon, it was all feeling more intense than usual. That was why he needed to find his magic again – now more than ever.
Harry walked beside Greyback in silence, trying to prevent the infuriating hurricane of emotions from betraying his internal struggle to Greyback. He didn't want to give him the satisfaction. He tried to concentrate on the puppyish glee with which Ghost darted from tree to tree, spinning around in his bliss, often bolting out of sight only to fly back to their side again, panting and wagging his tail.
"He's still a cub at heart, he's got some growing to do," Greyback muttered when Ghost bolted back into the trees again. The forest was calmer now at this time of year, mating season was over for most creatures and young were often taken to the meadow beyond the forest to graze. It was safer than the last time Harry had ventured out here, trying to escape.
"You've been spending a lot of time with Amoux, Accalia and the other subs," Greyback noted, "you've been happier."
Harry's skin prickled. "Happy? that's one word for it. I call it making the best of a bad situation. Like I said, when I leave here I don't want to owe anyone anything." At this, Greyback snarled and seized him by the arm, whirling him around to face him. He towered over Harry as always, but at times like this the alpha didn't scare him. Harry tilted his head up, facing him defiantly as always.
"You get all defensive when I'm right, pet," Greyback growled. "You could easily enjoy your life here, that's why you try so hard to not get yourself too attached, but it's all futile. You can't leave me, even with an incomplete bond you'd drive yourself mad–"
"I'd rather be committed to St. Mungo's than be stuck here as your little pet," Harry retorted hotly, but the werewolf ignored his words, his free hand catching the back of Harry's neck and hauling him in close so that he could inhale his scent at the base of his throat, where his mark would forever brand the sun-kissed skin.
"Your body would pine for me, worse than it has these last few weeks even," Greyback continued, murmuring into his throat, his stubble (which remained neatly trimmed now at all times) tickled Harry's skin as he spoke. "And it would only get worse with time. Do you forget the last full moon so easily? You'd be fucking the nearest solid object in your desperation to be close to me – you'd tear your pretty little body apart in want of something only I can give you…"
Harry squirmed and shoved hard at his chest, ignoring the way his heart was pounding and his breath was coming out in sharp, uneven pants.
"Don't pull away from me when you know that you've missed me," Greyback breathed in his ear, only to receive a swat in the chest that's sharpness so surprised him that he pulled back. He frowned. "You're getting stronger," he noted. "You're coming into your heritage faster than I'd have thought."
"Always a mould-breaker, me," Harry snorted, taking a few steps back to put space between them. "It's about time, I'm tired of being the puny one. I wish Dumbledore had taught me wandless magic…"
"You aren't weak," Greyback said rigidly, looking quite insulted at the idea. "I wouldn't have chosen you if you were. And by the time you've fully adjusted, you won't need anyone to show you how to handle your magic – it'll come to you naturally when you need it."
Harry raised a brow. "Considering you hate wizards so much, you sound a lot like Dumbledore sometimes."
Greyback grimaced. "Oh, joy," he sneered. "And for the record, they loathe me just as much as I do them."
"They think you're a child-snatcher, that's why," Harry said.
"Despite my reasons, I am a child-snatcher and I do bite them young and raise them away from their parents. That part was built on words from my actual mouth rather than rumour built by wizards who despise wolves."
Harry frowned. He had the urge to justify the alpha to everyone in the wizarding world – was that because of the bond they shared making him feel protective of him? Or was it just the time they had shared here with the pack opening his eyes? He still wasn't sure if it was right or wrong. Perhaps to say it was a bit of both was the only justification? If there was one thing he'd learnt over the last few years, it was that the world was painted in grey rather than black and white.
"Don't waste your time, pet," Greyback said, as if reading his mind. "I don't care what they think. Everything I give a shit about is back in that mountain." He stepped forward, but after surveying him for a moment, made no move to touch him. "And here, I s'pose," he said gruffly with a smirk on his face that told Harry instantly that he was teasing him. He said nothing and they continued to walk through the trees, following in Ghost's wake.
It was an oddly companionable silence that they fell into then and Harry felt himself filled with unnerving calmness. This is what he had been missing all day – everything made sense again and the uneasy anxiety that had swelled within him was diminished. Even if his temper and frustration had soared sky-high. Was it simply the incomplete bond? Or did the bastard just really know how to push his buttons?
Suddenly, Ghost's excited howl ripped through the air. The trees parted to reveal a small glade where a vast rockery rose up out of the ground and glistening water cascaded over the crest into the large pool in the rocky basin below. The day's setting sun danced across the surface until every rivulet gleamed like diamonds in the now orange light.
Harry paused at the sight of it, every ripple dancing coquettishly across the water as if it were beckoning him toward the pool. Ghost had flown across the rockery that formed the wall of the pool and was now darting in and out of the water descending from the rock that jutted out from above, his tail wagging with frantic excitement. Harry smiled at the sight but gasped in surprise as two large arms tugged him back into the burning heat of Greyback's body.
"There's an expression not seen often on the Chosen One's face," the alpha whispered huskily into his ear, his hot breath and stubble tickling the soft shape of the appendage and making Harry squirm. He felt like saying 'I wonder why' but bit back the words and the groan that threatened to leave him simultaneously, his teeth sinking into his lower lip.
One arm tightened around his middle, holding him tight against that hard body while a coarse thumb tugged at his captured lip until he released it. The digit forced his mouth to open enough for the tip of it to skitter inwards and tease his tongue.
"If you accepted what you are and what you want we'd see it more often," that raspy voice whispered. The tone slithered through Harry's bones, caressing him with all the intimacy and menace of a viper's embrace. "Come on pet, forget everything – run for me…" The large hot hand around Harry's middle slid down, down, hovering over his groin briefly, before it snuck up under his shirt to brush tauntingly over a nipple. The thumb in his mouth pressed down on his tongue and Harry grunted, squirming again, only this time, Greyback released him with such suddenness that he nearly fell forward clumsily. He whirled around in shock, only to find the familiar silver wolf standing over him, watching him with eyes ringed with supernatural gold.
The beast's great tail swayed slightly and Harry instinctively knew what it meant. He wanted a chase. Harry snorted, well if that was his game…
Without really thinking about what he was doing, he held the wolf's gaze and he toed off the shoes he had been given – he would be faster without them, he just knew that somehow. Maintaining the eye contact for a moment longer, he felt a thrill rush through him and flew off to the side, shooting into the trees with a swell of exhilaration. He felt as well as heard Greyback tearing after him.
With his instincts roaring with bliss, he felt deep down for his growing skills and flew forwards with such speed that he felt the cool afternoon air press against his face. Like before, it was a thrilling moment, like taking to the skies on his broom. He ran faster and just when he felt the heat radiating from Greyback's body right behind him, he zigzagged through the trees to the side, bolting in a complete new direction. Greyback was faster than him and stronger but Harry was smaller and more nimble.
Harry made a wide circle as he flew through the trees, weaving with unnatural ease through their great bodies. He felt distanced from anything but the grass beneath his feet, the air on his face and the sensation of Greyback close behind him. He could hear the beast panting and glanced behind him to see that tail and those eyes betraying his excitement as well. Why did this little game of chase exhilarate him so? And why did he suspect that the fact that he was starved of contact with the brute was only intensifying the excitement?
He wanted him and feared the sensations his touch incited equally. Feared how easily he forgot the rest of the world. Was that because he'd never been touched like that before? Because he was trapped here alone? Or because he was starting to understand the sad, bitter anger resonating in the silver wolf?
They had come full circle and Harry was panting heavily, grinning as he saw the waterfall descending into the pool – he'd beaten the git back! Just as he'd thought that, however, a sharp howl of delight ripped through the air and the wolf slammed into him, sending them both hurtling with a roaring splash into the water.
Kicking out with his legs, Harry swam back towards the surface of the pool, his heart still hammering in his chest when two arms closed around him and hauled him back up to the surface. Harry took in a deep lungful of air and whirled around in the water to find a very naked, very human Greyback holding him tight with his usual wolfish smirk.
Harry could feel the alpha's heart beating hard and fast against his own where their chests met and couldn't tear his eyes away as he drank in great gasps of air, shivering where he floated fully clothed in the water. Before he could satisfy his lungs with precious oxygen, however, his mouth was sealed with a damp, breathless kiss. Harry's entire body bowed forward with pleasure. The stubble around Greyback's face tickled his own slightly stubbly jaw and he groaned breathlessly into that mouth, seizing two fistfuls of silver hair as Greyback pulled him tight to his body.
Harry bit at Greyback's lower lip, hearing him grunt with bliss before pushing his own tongue into Harry's mouth to ravage him with such hunger as Harry had never known before. No one had ever wanted him this badly, nor made him feel so alive or pushed the threat and ever-suffocating knowledge of death far from his mind.
Suddenly, one hand knotted into his hair, tugging his head back and breaking the connection with his lips so that Greyback's stubbly kisses could rest on the dip between his collarbones. To Harry's surprise, he felt the beast's breaths dust his cold skin for a few, long exhalations, as if Greyback were drinking in the smell and taste of him. He was growling under his breath again, that same soothing, rumbling sound that made Harry roll his head back further and give a part sigh, part whimper. It was so good.
After a few moments like this, he shivered as the cool, late afternoon air swept over his damp skin and the growling stopped. He felt Greyback's head tip up before he opened his eyes to look at him. "So strong yet so fragile," Greyback smirked, holding his bright gaze for a fleeting moment before hauling them both out of the water. He was so quick that Harry only had time to blink. He saw the waterfall getting closer and closer, felt it's cool water briefly wash over him and then they were…behind it?
Harry squirmed out of Greyback's grasp as they entered the cave that had been invisible from beyond the waterfall. He was coming back down from the high he had been on in the pool thanks to the cold lancing his limbs and shivered as he landed on his arse on the ground, wincing. "You really need to learn to let someone take care of you, pet," Greyback said with a derisive smirk, leaning down a foot or so from where Harry had landed and making what looked like a circle out of the rubble and crumbled rock.
Harry frowned as he watched the precise movements of his large hands. "What are you doing?" he asked, confused just as a soft orange light burned into life beneath Greyback's fingers, trapped in the circle of stones he had made. The fire swelled higher and higher, until Harry could feel the warmth radiating from it begin to chase the chill from his body.
Greyback sat back from the fire and finally met his gaze. "What's the matter, pet, have you never seen magic before?"
"You didn't use an incantation," Harry noted, his voice almost protesting what he had seen. "The fire just sprang to life in your hands!"
Greyback's smirk broadened. "Werewolf magic is tied to the world around us," he explained gruffly. "Deep in civilisation we can still use magic but we have to channel it through wands made by wizards to release our full strength. Out here in the wilderness though…"
Harry watched as Greyback moved his hand through the air, summoning a startling white vapour that followed the path of his hand.
"Out here our magic is channelled through the air, ground and water. We don't need wands out here and soon, neither will you."
Harry blinked. "Show me," he demanded, even as he shivered in his damp clothing. Greyback held his gaze thoughtfully. After a moment, he circled the fire that was now blazing brightly, illuminating the rounded walls of the small cave. Greyback came to kneel in front of where Harry sat and proffered his palms up. With obstinate determination Harry set one of his hands in Greyback's and shivered again as the wolf turned it over in his grasp.
The firelight bathed their faces and Harry inhaled sharply as Greyback dragged a coarse thumb across his palm, tickling it slightly. The wolf's skin was hot unlike his own chilled flesh, still prickling with the cold from the water and the world outside. Harry's breath was coming out in furls of mist and he frowned impatiently, meeting Greyback's eyes with annoyance when nothing happened. Before he could open his mouth to express his displeasure, however, Greyback had beaten him to it.
"With werewolf magic it works based on what you need and feel rather than what you want," Fenrir explained, his gruff voice negating the intimacy of his words. Harry could feel the way his breath danced across his palm and shuddered again, not solely from the cold this time. "I know what you're feeling, boy, so show me," Greyback all-but purred.
"What're you–?" Harry's words were cut short when Greyback's grip tightened on his fingers, arching his palm slightly up, both of their breaths mingling on his open hand.
"It's one of the first spells any werewolf learns," Greyback explained in a low voice. His eyes were dark, the flickering orange light of the fire betraying feelings in them that made Harry's swell and bubble to the surface like a boiling batch of Amortentia.
Suddenly, the mist of Greyback's hot breath rolling off his lips and over Harry's hand shone a mystic, glistening blue as if imbued with stardust. It swept across Harry's palm as if it had its own life, sending little jolts of electricity through his skin. At once the soft blue glowed a vibrant red and then deepest violet, midnight blue, then red again, a storm of intense colours that kissed each of his fingertips before hovering over his lips.
Harry gasped, his palm twitching where it remained trapped in Greyback's grasp. "Let go," Greyback breathed roughly and with that a softer light stuttered to life over his hand. Harry's eyes widened, shining with the now erratically changing light in his hand, flashing faster and faster from glistening red to gold, then a confusing myriad of rainbow-like colours.
The light washed over his hand then up around them, sweeping the air up into a spectrum of ever-changing light. It swirled tighter and tighter around them both before bursting into his chest with a final explosion of multi-hued light. Harry gasped for air again, falling back onto his hands, his heart hammering in his chest, his skin buzzing all over as if alive.
"What the hell was that?" Harry asked breathlessly, both awed and anxious at the same time.
"Wandless magic – werewolf magic," Greyback said with an undeniable edge of superiority, gesturing to Harry's chest. "It's called the Heart's Spectrum."
At this Harry flushed, righting himself where he sat, using the excuse of edging closer to the fire to avoid Fenrir's eyes. He knew what that meant without it having to be explained – he wasn't stupid. The lights had been a confusing, haphazard myriad of ever-changing colour and that betrayed the bewildered, lost state of his soul. He'd always known he was muddled in the head, he just didn't know it was this much.
"You need to trust me to watch over you, pet. You need to find a moment of relaxation before all of that chaos inside you tears you apart," Greyback insisted as Harry tried to warm himself by the fire. He felt even colder all of a sudden.
"Trust isn't something I can give away, you need to earn it," Harry said simply, not daring to meet those knowing azure eyes. His heart's spectrum was a chaotic explosion of madness, Greyback's had been focused and determined, radiating the clear sensation of lust, frustration and determination that Harry could not fail to comprehend. Greyback knew who he was, what he wanted and didn't fear reaching out to take it – Harry envied that, whatever else was going on between them.
"So tell me what I need to bloody to do to earn it?" the wolf snarled.
Suddenly he felt the heat of Greyback's body beside him and instinctively glanced up to meet that unreadable face. The last few weeks he had spent trying to avoid him at all costs had proved to him only one thing, that he only felt any semblance of peace with their limbs knotted together in a sensual courtship that chased his concerns away. He would never stop trying to escape, he would never accept this as his life here but he could not deny that he wanted him.
Stop being so bloody melodramatic, he cursed himself, unwilling to betray his mawkishness to anyone, particularly Greyback who had an infuriatingly powerful insight into his troubles thanks to the bite mark at his throat. He didn't need to mark Greyback back to know what he was thinking – most of the time anyway.
"What's happening at the full moon?" he asked after a prolonged silence, changing the subject to one that had been plaguing his mind for the last few days, ever since he had begun to feel the pull of the moon in his bones again. It was coming and he didn't fancy a repeat of last month or a close encounter with the pack all riled up on hormones and instincts. He had things to do before he could allow himself to be ripped to shreds!
"What do you want?" Fenrir asked in a low, gruff tone. Harry clenched his teeth and glanced to the fire, biting back the shudders that shook him. Among the creatures in their pack he was the weak one, out of him and Greyback he was the one that needed protecting – he didn't like that. He didn't like not being able to look after himself.
"Does it matter what I want?" he asked bitterly.
"Don't give me that shit," Fenrir growled in answer through clenched teeth. Then after a heartbeat, he added, "each full moon that door that guards entry to our valley also locks us in. It stops us from escaping and coming across humans or strangers that might be in our territory and ripping them to shreds in our mindless states. When we turn under the moon's pull we act on instinct and can't be responsible for anything beyond that, so the gate keeps us there, among the pack where we can do no harm."
Harry blinked at the fire. He was still cold. "That other wolf tried to kill me and worse last time," he said at last.
"You're afraid," Fenrir noted.
Harry gritted his teeth tighter, until they groaned under the pressure of his bite. "I'm not stupid," he said, by way of explanation. "Is the plan for me to stay locked in the valley with you? Because I don't fancy being raped or shredded by you all every month, thanks."
"Wolves are possessive," Fenrir explained. "I won't let anyone touch you, to rape, kill or otherwise."
"But you can't protect me from you, you said so yourself. I have to play the perfect sub or you could hurt me," Harry retorted.
"If you marked me and made our bond complete you'd make us more equal under the moon," Greyback said bluntly. "We're both torn by the incomplete bond, whether you believe it or not and my wolf will be even more likely to jump you out of the need to assert itself the longer you leave things this way."
"You say you and the wolf are the same yet you talk about it like it's separate," Harry snapped.
Greyback gave him a wolfish grin. "Ah, well it has a mind of its own – I know a part of you that has a mind of its own too," he murmured suggestively, causing a flush to rise in Harry's cheeks. There was a moment or two and then Greyback leant in so that his chest brushed against Harry's side. Harry swallowed, turning his head and keeping his eyes defiantly up.
"Why are you so afraid of sealing our bond? Even without your mark on me it's still irreversible," Greyback breathed.
"Because I didn't choose you," Harry replied. "I've had enough of people manipulating my life by keeping things from me or making decisions for me. Even if it makes no rational sense, I won't give in and just go along with it anymore. Whether I live or die, everything from here on out has to be of my choosing."
Greyback tilted his head to the side, closing the gap between them so that their mouths were almost touching. "So choose now," Greyback growled, one hand sliding up to grasp the hair at the back of Harry's neck firmly but gently. "Choose me and I'll make sure no one fucks with you again."
"Except you," Harry protested defiantly.
"Only when you want me to," Greyback smirked. "Once He is finished you can have more freedom to do as you want."
"And how will he ever get finished if you don't let me finish him?" Harry demanded, even as he was falling inevitably into the heat of Greyback's body. "It seems like you're expecting Ron and Hermione and your two minions to finish him off while I play the dutiful bitch to you in return."
Snarling in frustration, Greyback pulled back and dragged his fingers through his wet hair. "No matter what I do you'll find an excuse to not make a decision, a decision that like it or not, you already made last month under the moon. That was your deepest wish and your shitty human morals are just clouding that – you wanted me! You pulled me in and now you're fucking me about, putting me through this…" He scratched in frustration at the back of his neck, growling in anger. "It's like a constant buzzing in my head. You and your fickle human feelings – this incomplete bond is driving me insane!"
Harry flew to his feet, hands curled into fists. "Well like you saw with the heart's spectrum, I'm fucked up and I can't change that. If it's driving you even more mental than usual then just bloody let me go like I asked!" He snarled. "I'm not asking you to put up with me, you're keeping me prisoner here–"
"To stop you from being killed or worse!"
"Oh, don't pretend it's for me," Harry snapped. "Don't for a second pretend a month is enough to make you give a shit about a fickle human."
"A stupid one at that, if that's what you think," Greyback retorted heatedly, fury radiating from him in thick, heady waves. "You think you're innocent in this, pet but you're not. I gave you a choice last moon and you made it–"
"Whilst inebriated and out of my mind with the need for sex!" Harry cut across him. "Drugged on hormones of a disease you forced on me!"
At that Greyback roared with fury, lunging forward and seizing him by the front of his damp shirt. "That disease as you put it runs through the blood of every sub and child you've been getting friendly with over the last month – through your pet Lupin, through you and it will flow in the veins of our cubs."
Harry winced. He hadn't meant it like that – not really, he was just angry. "It doesn't make me care about them any less, but it doesn't make me relish the lot I'm stuck with. And I've told you once before that I'll kill myself before anything of yours grows inside me. You won't dictate my life anymore than you already have."
Greyback sneered. "The only time you have any peace in life is when I take control of it for you, when I force you to let go. Don't even pretend that's not true."
"I never denied it, but the ones you make in bed are hardly life-changing decisions. You won't emasculate me anymore than you have. You won't rule over me like you do over your pack back there and you won't force this shitty situation we have on an innocent child that I don't want. Which, incidentally if it did exist, would be part 'shitty human' and I'm not sure you can handle that after the outburst I just heard." He shoved out of Greyback's grasp, finding it easier than he thought he should have. He was definitely getting stronger.
"I've lived a childhood of resentment and not being wanted. I won't help create a child to suffer the same as me, especially with a prick like you."
Greyback snarled. "You've got some issues boy, but it doesn't change the fact that you want me, you chose me and now you're filled with bitterness because you're getting cold feet." He seized Harry's wrists tightly and glared down at him with his teeth bared. "A boy that whinges about his lot in life and then flees at the first sight of any improvement to it has no business complaining in the first place. I think you like to suffer, my very own martyr," he hissed venomously.
"Just because you can't understand why I wouldn't want to shack up with my gaoler," Harry retorted hotly. "It's hardly a choice if I never had any other options."
"You've never felt better than when I'm ploughing your backside and you know it," Greyback spat.
Harry flushed darkly at those words and threw his fist up with all his strength. His knuckles collided hard with Greyback's jaw and he released him with a roar. "That doesn't mean I want to spend the rest of my bloody life as your bitch," Harry declared breathlessly. "Whatever you say I need or want, even if I do seal our bond, even if I can be happy here for the rest of my life, I will never want you or anything that you can give me more than my freedom. And the second freedom is in my grasp, I'll take it without another look back."
Fenrir visibly gritted his teeth. "If I give you freedom with Him still watching you–"
"So help me to kill Him. You say you'll do anything for me but then you fail to deliver," Harry cut across him. "Fact is, you'll do anything as long as it's what you want anyway. You want me to give up everything to be yours without giving anything of yourself – that's why I can't stay here, that's why I can never choose you. You're far too selfish!"
"And you're too selfless! You'd rather I were like you and wore myself into the dirt under the weight of everyone's problems?" Fenrir replied. "I do what's best for the pack, for my mate and myself, forgive me if my concerns don't stretch as far as the wizarding world that's done nothing but rip everything I've ever cared about to shreds!"
Silence fell then and Harry stared breathlessly up at the alpha, the firelight flickering across his livid features. He had forgotten what Echo had told him about his past until then. It softened Harry's tense features somewhat, but it did not completely erase the anger or resentment inside him. It did help him to curb his temper however. He missed his friends; Hermione would know what to do about this inescapable situation and Ron, he would offer a few choice swear words at least to let Harry know he wasn't alone in his troubles.
With a sigh, Harry lowered himself to his backside on the ground and wrapped his arms around his damp knees, trying to hold the warmth inside as he allowed the heat of the fire to slowly dry him. Far too slowly. Now he was sitting again without the heat of rage to fuel a fire in his veins, he was shuddering and cold again. The sky was so clear outside, giving the cool spring breeze free reign across the countryside – and being wet didn't help either.
Suddenly, movement behind him made him stiffen in surprise and he jumped slightly, his head whipping around to see a large silver wolf getting comfortable on the ground against his back. Those unfathomable azure eyes stared into him as the wolf's large body stretched around him, enveloping and warming him with the heat of his body and fur.
Harry stared into his eyes for a moment, contemplating struggling for freedom, but he didn't. Turning his gaze back to the dancing flames again, Harry tried to shut out the crescendo of deafening thoughts that assaulted him. He lay back against the warm, soft fur without even realising and did not even register when his eyes began to droop.
It was much later that they finally returned to the valley in silence and Harry immediately sought sanctuary in the den. He wrapped the fur cloak (that he had neglected to wear today) around himself and lay flat on his back on the bed, staring up at the canopy above. And there nightfall found him, still staring, still lost in a barrage of confusion and indecision. He couldn't leave; he'd known that for a few weeks now. He'd been trying to make the best of things while he was stuck here and he had done so, in all things except for Fenrir bloody Greyback.
The tension between them was worsened by the incompleteness of their bond – or so Greyback kept saying. It was driving him to madness. He wanted him, yes, the bastard made him feel good but he knew he shouldn't want him and he didn't know if that should stop him or not. Despite everything he had learned about him in the last few weeks, Fenrir Greyback was a murderer, was a vicious beast. And he is holding me here against my will, whatever his reasons are, his mind supplied.
With a heavy sigh he closed his eyes and pulled the furs over his head. What was he meant to do? He needed to get out of here but he couldn't and come the full moon…
Suddenly he heard the unmistakable sound of the door opening and closing, followed by Greyback's confident strides across the floor. Harry felt Ghost shift from where he had been laying across his legs and hop off the bed. He always was very respectful in Greyback's presence, always moving to sit with his head bowed in respect as if he were a human servant. He'd enjoyed his run today, Harry thought. He'd awoken in the cave to find the wolf had finally joined them with a juicy rabbit in his clutches – he'd seemed very pleased to have caught it all by himself.
At last Greyback reached the bed, which dipped under his weight as he knelt beside him – Harry's only warning before the furs were tugged from his head and the image of Greyback leaning over him swam into view. He fought to keep his expression vacant as he met that gaze. "Yes?" he asked, nowhere near as nonchalant as he would've hoped. The werewolf had the ability to get him worked up and on edge by just looking at him and he knew it, Harry was sure of that.
"I've tolerated this moping all evening, boy," Greyback snapped, glowering down at him in a way that would make even Uncle Vernon recoil. Harry set his jaw and raised his chin in defiance, saying nothing. Greyback continued. "In case you didn't hear, the festivities outside are for us, a celebration of our mating."
At this Harry scoffed. Of course he had heard the music, he wasn't deaf. He'd been valiantly trying to ignore the merriment and smells of delicious food coming into the den since they had begun at nightfall. He cared about Amoux and the others and the fact that they had gone to such effort for him, but how could he honestly go out there and celebrate a union that he considered a fraud?
At that moment, he felt himself tugged to his feet and the cloak he had swaddled himself in all evening wrapped around his shoulders. "I don't care if you sit and sulk in here but Amoux, Accalia and the others went to a lot of effort for you. The pack want to welcome you and camping up here in your misery is the biggest insult to them."
Harry frowned. "I don't want to offend them but I don't want to pretend like I'm happy to spend the rest of my life here when I'm not–"
"But you would be," Greyback murmured, capturing his chin between a rough thumb and forefinger. "Isn't that the problem? This is like a paradise to you."
Harry winced and shook the wolf's grip off his chin. "Don't start that again. Look I somehow managed to get myself irrevocably bound to you and I just don't want to make anymore commitments."
At this, Greyback snorted. "Whatever, I'll probably have a better time out there without you sitting there feeling sorry for yourself and ruining the mood. If you want to stop playing the martyr for five minutes though and show your face out there, it might make Amoux and the others feel more appreciated."
"Are you seriously giving me a lesson on civility?" Harry sneered.
Greyback smirked. "Oh you'd be surprised how nice I can be when it's worth my while," he said wolfishly, before vanishing out the door, closing it behind him.
When Harry eventually moved out into the night the stars were shining, uninhibited by clouds in the sky and the moon was bright but not yet full. Music filled the air. With a sigh Harry followed Ghost over to the circle, the moonlight rippling through the wolf's glossy fur as he moved, guiding him to the festivities that had been calling to him all evening.
Accalia smiled as he spotted him and beckoned him over. Almost everyone was dancing or singing around the circle. The children had long since gone to bed it seemed (for he had heard their screeches of delight earlier) and any sight of the meal he had smelled earlier had vanished.
"Amoux has kept your meal warm for you," Accalia said in his usual soft voice, hopping up nimbly and bringing back a large plate that had been covered with a charmed bowl to keep it warm. Harry smiled gratefully and not wanting to make anymore of an arse of himself this evening, he lifted the upper bowl. His mouth watered at the sight of the finely roasted meat (pork he thought it smelled like, though he couldn't be sure) and potatoes that had been lightly charred to luscious crispiness. There were some greens too, although he couldn't identify them exactly.
"Thank you," he said, still a little sheepish thanks to the fact that he knew this meal was prepared especially for him alone. "You and everyone for all of this." He gestured to the festivities and Accalia's lips quirked into a broad grin.
"We just want you to feel welcome here and for you to know that Weylyn and Ulric, they're the minority here, everyone is happy that you have come. You're a blessing to us," Accalia explained, his eyes drifting to where Amoux was among those dancing in the circle, Echo giving her a twirl around the fire with the rest of them.
"A blessing because I could give Greyback kids someday?" Harry asked cautiously. "But what if I don't?"
Accalia's smile did not falter as he regarded him. "You're one of us now, we wouldn't disown you for not doing so, that is not our way," he explained. Harry frowned, their selfless and sincere good-heartedness confusing him immensely. He didn't understand how people that had been so wronged could be so…good. He tucked into his food, not knowing how to answer Accalia's honest words. Unconditional acceptance; it was hard to believe since he had only ever received it from Hermione, the Weasleys and probably his parents when they were alive.
The food tasted as delicious as it had smelled and he filled his belly to capacity until with a groan he set the bowl down for Ghost to finish off. Accalia smiled at him. "You've got a good appetite, that's a good sign for one just awoken. But then you are used to being the exception the way I've heard it," Accalia said, before adding, "I know that you weren't always unique in a good way before, but trust me when I say we won't ever be as capricious with you as most of the wizarding world has been."
Harry smirked. "That's encouraging." But before he could say another word, the music halted and some of the people dancing took their seats breathlessly as it began to change. Amoux took a seat beside him, happy to see him. "I do love to dance but I'll leave the next number for someone younger," she laughed, fanning herself with her hand before taking up a tankard from by her feet and taking a deep swig.
Harry glanced to where everyone was dancing around the fire to the now low, heavily acoustic music being played by the handful that sat just off to the side of the circle. The beat was low but fast and Harry flushed as he watched the bodies swaying closely together. The leading partner threw their sub out, twirling and dancing them on the tips of their toes before tugging them roughly back to their chests. Each time the rhythm reached a pique of a particular section the sub was twirled briefly into the embrace of a neighbouring dancer, only to return to their true partner, grinding subtly into them with rolling, undulating hips.
Harry caught sight of Greyback among the writhing bodies and for some reason, he saw red. His entire body stiffened as he watched Greyback catch Larentia's body and tug her back to him, her hips grinding shamelessly into his before she was whirled back out again. There was an irrefutable pleasure in her eyes that made Harry's blood boil. Beside him, he knew that Amoux and Accalia must have sensed his anger or seen what he was staring at for they both murmured his name warily. He didn't listen. He flew to his feet.
"Stay," he said shortly to Ghost as the wolf leapt up to follow him, before storming forwards. "Whatever, I'll probably have a better time out there without you sitting there feeling sorry for yourself and ruining the mood…" Greyback had said that. Oh I bet he'd prefer if I never came out at all, Harry thought furiously, so he can rub himself against some slut just because I haven't put out in…
Greyback hadn't responded to her, hadn't grinded his hips back in acceptance as the others were doing with their partners, but he'd still let her do it and that was just as bad. He'd said that he and Harry were equals in this but they evidently weren't if he, Harry was forced to stay trapped here and watch Greyback frolic with whomever he pleased. He didn't care if it was just a dance, he didn't give a shit if everyone's hormones were up in the air because of the moon either. If he was stuck marked as Greyback's bitch, a possession then it was only fair that Greyback was the same.
Just as Greyback threw Larentia out and her hand came back to seize his once more, Harry's fingers wrapped tightly around her wrist. She stopped, as did Greyback although the others continued the dance, not having noticed the intervention. Harry glared hotly at her, fighting the urge to bear his teeth and snarl like an animal. Instead he shoved her aside and locked his fingers in the fabric of Greyback's shirt, tugging him sharply towards him.
His mind was overwhelmed with the undeniable heat of anger and lust both, his skin tingling with familiar hormones. Behind them, Larentia gave a growl of irritation as she slunk off away from the circle of bodies dancing around the fire, but as Harry's head whipped around to retaliate, Fenrir's fingers knotted in his hair, keeping his gaze locked on his.
Azure eyes shone brightly in the darkness, ringed with amber fire. Fenrir snarled in pleasure at the sight and feel of him, pulling him tight to his body as he continued to move as if his dance had never been interrupted. This time, however, he held Harry's hips close to his with his free hand, guiding them in slow gyrations, their groins contacting with every other movement.
Harry glared up at him obstinately with blazing emerald eyes, grinding challengingly forward into their increasingly intimate dance, unwilling to let Fenrir win. His fingers curled punishingly into Fenrir's flesh through his shirt. When everyone else twirled their partners briefly into their neighbours embrace, Harry winced as Fenrir's fingers dug into him tightly, refusing to let him escape.
The music was speeding up, the intensity heightening and their movements grew tighter and more urgent. Harry glanced to the side and caught Larentia watching them both with venom. "She wants you," he managed out through the haze clouding his mind with. Words were hard to form. Fenrir tugged his head back again, forcing Harry to look on him and he swore he felt his teeth ache with longing at the sight of Fenrir's broad throat. Longing to bite and mark so that everyone knew…
"Does she now?" Fenrir growled huskily, whirling him on the tips of his toes before tugging him back harshly to his body, his feet barely touching the floor. "It was just a dance with her, pet, with you it's more." Suddenly the beat lurched into overdrive, a throng of sensuality and carnal emotions. Those creating the music with their primitive and yet so beautiful sounding instruments howled to accentuate the symphony, just as Fenrir and the others threw their partners out across the roaring fire.
Harry gasped, feeling the warmth of the fire skim his flesh before Fenrir hauled him back in close so that he could not even feel the ground beneath him, their breathless chests touching. Screeches of delight filled the air as the others all mimicked their movements with perfect synchronicity. Harry half groaned, half growled. There was but a moment between them where he met Fenrir's eyes, dilated and almost completely amber now. Then his gaze raked over the alpha's neck, tracking the droplet of sweat that swept down the flesh there. He pounced, seizing fistfuls of Fenrir's hair as his mouth latched onto his pulse.
A feral snarl seemed to sweep through every fibre of his being, starting in his toes and vibrating up, up until it spilled over his lips as his teeth pressed hard into Fenrir's flesh. For a moment the hard skin would not give but then the ache in his jaw gave an almost unbearable throb. Fenrir's fingers tugged again at his hair and his teeth sank into the werewolf's neck.
Coppery blood sang on Harry's tongue and the taste startled him into letting go. He drew back sharply, staring up with slightly less inebriated eyes to see Fenrir smirking with feral glee at him and rubbing his neck where the already healing bite mark was shining an angry red. Harry flushed darkly, breathing heavily, lost for words as the music finished and everyone slowly seemed to be realising what had happened.
Before he could fully come back to himself, however, Harry heard the approach of someone off to the side and turned to see Larentia making a beeline for him. "You think you can storm in here and change everything to your liking, you little shit?!" She hissed, coming to a halt before him, towering over him with her eyes dark and her dirty blonde hair mussed from the dancing. "You defy every tradition and law we have gone by since this pack was formed and expect us to lay it all aside for you? You've already made the alpha bleed for your stupidity and you still dare to dictate what he does?!"
"Only who he does," Harry sneered, the wolf inside still in control of him. He glared up at the woman that stood head and shoulders above him. He wouldn't allow her to intimidate him. He was the alpha mate not her. "If I'm bound to him then he is to me too. So you and any other bitch without personal boundaries can keep your hands off him."
SLAP!
Harry's head was wrenched to the side as she smacked him, hard, full palm across the face. He stood frozen for a moment in both surprise and at the feeling of his senses reining in his instincts once more. At the same time, he was vaguely aware of Echo and a few others flying forwards with snarls of indignation, sending Larentia to her knees in the dirt before him, her arms bent back at an awkward angle to hold her still.
When he finally looked down, Harry saw Echo and two others pinning her in place.
"You have stepped out of line one too many times, Larentia," Echo hissed at her. "The alpha pair command us and whether you like it or not, Harry is part of that pair – from now on irrefutably," he added, glancing up to where the blood had stopped flowing from the mark on Fenrir's throat. Harry flushed but did not tear his eyes away from the scene at his feet. He couldn't believe he had allowed his instincts to control him like that, couldn't believe that he'd marked Fenrir but at the same time he felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his chest. He would worry about all of that later.
"It is you who have had no respect for either of them or our traditions," one of the others aiding Echo murmured in a thick, heavy voice. "He is precious to us–"
"He's a gifted bitch and nothing more!" Larentia screeched from under their hold. Harry could hear her snarling through gritted teeth into the dirt. "He's got too big for his boots and needs to remember he hasn't got werewolf strength or any leadership in him – only the ability to spread his legs and squeeze the alpha's litter from his unworthy belly. He doesn't even want to be here!"
Harry heard the unspoken 'it's not fair' at the end of her words and stared at her for a moment, before kneeling down so that he could see her now dirty, infuriated expression trained on him in hatred. "So that's it?" he said softly. "You want to be the alpha mate and you're resentful because you can't have children." The latter part wasn't a question, he knew he was right and he could feel Fenrir's gaze on him like an ant could feel the burn of the magnifying glass. He was suddenly hyperaware of Fenrir's every breath and wondered if that would be a permanent thing…
"She has insulted you greatly, Alpha Numero," the other wolf at Echo's side said after Larentia and him had both remained silent for some time. "What shall her punishment be?"
Harry could feel the weight of everyone's gazes on him. He stood with a sigh, determinedly not looking at Fenrir as he moved back towards where he had been sitting with Amoux and Accalia – what seemed like an age before. "Let her go," he said. There was an outbreak of disbelieving whispers as Echo and the others did as they were asked. Larentia stormed away but Harry didn't care about any of it, not even when he felt Fenrir catch him by the arm and steer him slightly away from the circle.
"Why did you waive her punishment?" Fenrir asked, not critically, but in a voice of genuine interest. From the look on his face it didn't seem like he could fathom it. "Werewolves can hold grudges you know; you'll regret letting her off so easily. An alpha needs to run the pack with a firm hand."
Harry sighed again and rolled his eyes. "Didn't you say I could relax and leave all the worrying up to you?" he said dismissively. "You can be the firm hand for both of us." At that Fenrir gripped his backside hard and dragged him in close so that the was staring down into Harry's face. He wasn't letting go without an answer, it seemed.
"Just because I'm a bloke doesn't mean I can't understand her pain," Harry muttered, glancing over to the circle where the festivities had resumed as if nothing had happened. "I can see it in all of them; she wants to do what her body was made to do but can never achieve. She wants children but unlike Amoux and Accalia and the others, she won't be satisfied by adopting, she wants her own of her flesh and blood – I can have that and she can't," he paused then, taking a glance up at Fenrir before adding, "and I just swan in and somehow manage to get the mate she wants without even trying, on top of that. I have everything she wants and she feels I'm ungrateful. It's sad, that's all."
After a long moment something akin to a smile touched the corners of Fenrir's mouth and he leant down, brushing his callous thumb over the corner of Harry's lips. "You have a foolishly good heart," he said bluntly, but with a look in his eyes that made Harry's cheeks darken again. Fenrir's almost smile widened into a smirk as he pressed closer, so that their lips were nearly touching.
"That was a good dance, pet," he breathed hotly against Harry's mouth. Harry could not help but gasp and inhale him, his head swimming again. He tilted his head a fraction before he knew what he was doing, ready to accept Fenrir's mouth on his. But as those lips descended and he felt that stubble tickle his face, the alpha's words caressed his tongue through his slightly parted lips
once more.
"But I think the sexiest thing I've ever seen is you storming between me and another bitch like a possessive demon and spreading your scent all over me."
Harry's face burned with mortification and arousal. He knew Fenrir could sense it because he could feel his delight in it pulsing through the air around them as surely as if it were a solid entity.
"You were all over me, pet," Fenrir continued, "I like it and I can feel how much better you feel now you've marked me." With that he turned Harry's head to the side slightly, inhaling his scent and staring down at his mark that was now such a startling silver in colour that it almost glowed in the dim light.
"I'll help you finish him," he murmured against Harry's throat, his nose trailing softly over his marked skin. "I'll wipe him off the face of the earth."
Harry groaned, his back arching as Fenrir bent him backwards, mouthing the oversensitive flesh of his neck until his fingers scraped urgently over Fenrir's shoulders.
"Lupa and Hemming are looking for your little friends, they'll help them. We'll be able to move more freely and do more once He is convinced you're nothing to worry about but until then…" He nudged Harry's jaw with his nose to make him turn his head back and held his gaze as his mouth whispered over his, as if scenting his breath. "Play with me, pet."
Suddenly Harry's mouth was being taken, swiftly and sweetly with such hunger that it made him groan into the kiss. For someone who claimed they didn't like 'human kisses' Fenrir was awfully voracious. He grasped Harry tightly, pulling him straight off his feet as he ravaged his tongue with the tip of his, tracing the along it, tasting the sides and scraping it gently with his own muscle.
Harry felt the coppery taste leave his mouth to be replaced with nothing but Fenrir. That tongue swept across the teeth that had broken his skin only a few moments before.
"Stay with me," Fenrir growled into his mouth, punctuating his words by nipping Harry's kiss-bruised lip just enough to make him squirm and thrust his arousal into Fenrir's belly.
"Please," Harry panted, without really knowing what he was begging for. But before he could even worry about it, he was being tossed onto his arse on a familiar bed of furs. Firelight illuminated Fenrir's body as it arched above him, stripping swiftly. Then the alpha was on him again, his nails scraping across his buttocks until he arched up enough for his trousers to be tugged off of him.
When Harry looked up next he swore he could see the colours of the Heart's Spectrum blazing in a myriad of reds around them. Not just with his feelings, but with Fenrir's as well. He could feel them as clearly as if they were his own, running alongside his, entwining with his until he wasn't quite sure which was which.
***CENSORED. FOR FULL SCENE PLEASE FOLLOW ONE OF THE LINKS ON MY PROFILE***
"Sexy," Fenrir grumbled in approval before rolling back onto the furs. He tugged Harry with him until they were resting with his chest to Harry's back, and his nose resting against his neck just under his ear again.
"I'm sticky," Harry muttered in half-hearted protest, his cheeks still flushed from their lovemaking and his body still tingling in all the wrong places. He swore he could still feel Fenrir inside him. Those arms tightened around him and he stilled, feeling the alpha's heart beat slowing down to normal against his sweat-dampened back. He could not deny how good it felt to lay here like that and he wasn't sure that he wanted to deny it either.
"Did you mean what you said?" he asked, breaking the silence when he could trust his voice not to crack, although his words were slightly coarse from all the noises he had made. "Before," he elaborated, "about helping me to get rid of Vol– Him?"
Fenrir seemed to freeze for a moment, before rolling him onto his back so that he could stare down into his eyes. All of the amber had vanished now, leaving only clear shining blue. "I don't lie, pet, I can't to you," he said in his usual rough voice. "I don't give a shit about Him, but you do and that makes it my problem. Besides," he paused a moment, considering Harry closely. Harry could feel an odd flutter of emotions that weren't his own inside him but could not identify exactly what Fenrir was feeling as he muttered, "if he's out of the way, you'll be able to focus solely on me."
Harry stared at him, stunned by the sincerity in his words before he turned his head to the side and scoffed awkwardly. "Typical, greedy bastard–"
"Oh very," Fenrir smirked, turning his face back to look on him, ensuring their eyes met once more before he continued. "But I meant what I said; we have to wait until he thinks you're not a threat, until Hemming and Lupa report back from your friends at least. And if you try to run off and handle things on your own beforehand I'll drag your arse back here every time." His voice was stern and unmoveable but that odd unidentifiable fluttering of his emotions was still swimming through Harry's head.
Eventually Harry sighed, he could tell that there was no scheming maliciousness or lies in his words, he felt the truth in him and the last few weeks had showed him a slight insight into the pack's ways. They shared their troubles, so he knew what Fenrir thought on his situation with Voldemort. He would accept his words for now, but he wouldn't sit here forever, content to wait it out while everyone else risked their necks. Things would no doubt be much easier with Fenrir's help, however, especially as Harry knew that despite his flaws, he would have his back whatever happened.
They were bound together now; there was no going back. He finally appreciated that for what it meant now. He would never feel alone, never be alone again and that wasn't all that bad, was it?
"What's going to happen at the full moon?" Harry asked after a while, realising awkwardly that Fenrir had been looking thoughtfully at him the entire time.
"You're mine now, utterly, completely and you can wash 'til your skin is red raw but you'll smell like you're mine as well," Fenrir explained, leaning in so that his nose stroked down the side of Harry's. "I couldn't kill you now, even as a wolf and the rest of the pack will know you even in that state as well. They might play rough but you'll come to no harm with us, pet."
Harry thought about his words and the sincerity of them before he nodded slowly, trying to ignore the uneasiness concerning the full moon that failed to ebb from the forefront of his mind. Evidently sensing his agitation, Fenrir tilted his head, his tongue swiping across Harry's lips before his mouth mimicked the motion swiftly. When he drew back, he rolled onto his side and let a possessive, heavy arm fall over Harry's body. His nose nestled into the marked side of Harry's throat. He was sniffing him again, as if his scent were an addictive drug.
"You kiss me a lot you realise, considering it's a 'human' thing," Harry muttered, unable to help himself.
Fenrir snorted, pinching Harry's earlobe between his teeth in teasing punishment. "I suppose they had to get some things right – they seem to manage fucking quite well," he said lewdly, running a hand over Harry's stomach. "Their beer is pretty good too."
Rolling his eyes, Harry seized Fenrir's wandering hand as it was about to skip lower and turned his head so that the wolf was forced to look at him instead of inhaling his throat. "All the important things?" Harry mused tiredly.
Fenrir smirked. "Well, the humans that made you did an alright job as well I s'pose."
Harry stared at him. "I think I bit you a bit too hard earlier, that was almost sentimental."
At this Fenrir let out a sound that was part growl, part bark-like laugh as he rolled Harry on top of him, seizing the hair at the base of his skull with mock ferocity in his fist. "And I don't think I fucked you hard enough if you've still got the energy to give me cheek," the wolf murmured huskily, his voice thick with promise.
~To Be Continued...