Copyright VedaPettigrew

Two weeks had flown by too fast and it was my last night with the Loyal Starfish. We decided to sneak off to spend time together, just the six of us. Dominic had taken Marcus and Fiona to visit Amos, Marcus felt the need to challenge his former alpha in person and Fiona wanted to be by his side. Considering she was pregnant, it had taken quite the argument to persuade him.

Eventually he had agreed because Dominic had offered multiple warriors to accompany them, as well as adding his personal protection over her. Marcus also understood she felt the same compulsion he did, to look Amos in the eye and speak to him about the crimes he committed. The wellbeing of the pack was the most important thing to them both and they were angry at the way Amos had run things. They'd trusted him and had been let down.

I credited Marcus and Fiona for their passion and prayed they would get the closure they sought. I myself was still working on wanting to forgive Amos but anger bubbled in my stomach whenever I thought about what he'd done. I kept praying for Ori to help me - I wanted to be free of the hold he had over me. The fact that he was getting punished for his crimes didn't make everything alright, but it did help me - knowing that he would be in prison for a long, long time, knowing that justice was being served. I hoped that if and when he got out, he would be a different person.

I thought of Elgatha, still in her self-imposed exile and knew it was time to try and bring her out of it. I'd got Hestia on board, hoping that they would be able to bond over their terrible alpha mates. We planned to visit her next week; selfishly, I wanted to wait until my friends had left. Apart from work, all I had done was spend time with them. They came to the women's meetings and went with us on our different visits around the packlands. We instituted the changes to the pack meals at the other packhouse, and visited the children regularly. It had been a busy, wonderful time.

But now it was over and we had one last night before they headed home. It was amazing that they'd managed such a long visit, but with plenty of Starfish at Stone Mountain, Marcus and Fiona had a team of people they completely trusted. Dominic had also ensured they had an office at the packhouse, where they were able to work and keep in touch.

Hammer went to the prison with Dominic, Marcus and Fiona, sending a wink in our direction. He knew we wanted some time alone together. Pav waved away Kat's concerns about abandoning him with assurances that he would be fine, he was happy for us to disappear because he would be packing anyway, and with that, we headed to the private part of the forest where only Dominic and I were allowed to enter.

We found the biggest clearing and built a bonfire, pulling logs to sit on and making a circle around it.

"I don't want you guys to leave tomorrow," I said dolefully.

"No," agreed Joan, looking miserable.

"I'd forgotten how wonderful it was to be together," Bee sighed. "I missed you guys so much but life got really crazy with Marcus taking the Alpha-ship and everything changing so much, I just sort of got used to it. Now it's heart-wrenching again."

I scooted closer to her, laying my head on her shoulder in agreement.

"It's certainly not the best feeling in the world." Lacy frowned, looking into the fire. It was dancing merrily, contrary to our mood.

"Lots of families have to live apart, through matings and transfers." Kat tried to reason with herself as much as us. "It's normal."

"It still sad," Sophie muttered.

Kat waited a beat, "Yeah," she said softly.

"But at least we have that weekend in the diary," I offered. "And really, it's only three weeks away."

"Yeah, that's true. Three weeks is nothing," Lacy nodded determinedly.

"And don't forget that soon there'll be Joan's mating ceremony, and Kat's," I teased as they blushed. "And you'll also have to come to Uncle John's and Hestia's."

"Who'd have thought all those months ago that our family would expand so much?" Sophie sighed.

We all looked at each other, and I realised how miraculous it was. We had all been islands of one; abandoned, lonely. Now all our islands were permanently connected, we weren't alone anymore and we never would be again. We were a continually growing family.

The moment was thick with unspoken emotion as we all seemed to have the same realisation. We nodded gratefully at each other, not needing words to know what we were all thinking.

After a while of simply looking at each other with deep, unwavering love shining from each of our gazes, Joan broke the silence. "Did you ever speak to Fiona about doing more cooking?" she asked Kat through a clogged throat.

"I did," Kat nodded, "she said that once everything had settled down and I had more time, she would put me on the rota."

Lacy raised her eyebrow, adding, "She also said that she remembered how good your food was and that she'd try to rush through some new help in the packhouse to speed the process." Kat blushed with the praise.

I looked at Lacy, she was so good at building people up, I was glad she was given the leadership position of being Fiona's second. Plus there was something else that I knew was going to happen when she got back, but I'd been sworn to secrecy. Marcus had been looking into her history and discovered that she was in the same position as Joan, in that although she was an omega, she had come from pi origins. He had officially asked Dominic for permission to reinstate her and Dominic agreed. There was to be a surprise ceremony when they got back. I'd made Fiona promise to video it, but it was seriously hard not to spill the beans.

Ahh the hardships of being Luna Luna.

We chatted for a while about everything and nothing. All important nothings of course. The evening got progressively darker but none of us were willing to call it a night. Our mates periodically checked up on us but were content to let us have our time. Dominic had of course assigned every single one of my poor protectors to surround us before he would allow me to stay. I even caught scent of some warriors as well. I rolled my eyes at his over-protectiveness as the same time that my heart warmed at being so cherished.

I felt bad for leaving Fiona out of it and was going to ask her to join us, but Dominic told me that she was emotionally drained after the meeting with Amos and had gone straight to bed. Apparently they were both disappointed that all he did was rant and rave, spewing hatred for everyone else and taking no responsibility. It was clearly a good thing he was going to be incarcerated for a long time. He obviously needed time to re-evaluate the past and change his future.

I shook thoughts of him away. He wasn't welcome right now. I turned back to my friends and remembered that we'd come prepared. With a whoop, getting everyone's attention, I dived into the bag containing food and drink. I pulled out some marshmallows to their cheers and Lacy gathered some sticks, handing them to Bee who wrapped them in silver foil. Kat poured the juice from the colourful bottle we'd nabbed from our fridge into cups that Joan held, and then she passed them to Sophie who handed them around.

We were a team through and through. I smiled at the sight.

We waited until everyone sat down again before toasting our last night together. The juice was delicious but had a peculiar taste to it none of us could place. Shrugging carelessly, we gulped it down, passing round the bottle again as we toasted our marshmallows until they were gooey on the inside.

Gradually everything seemed to get much funnier and before long I found myself on the ground snorting at Kat's impression of Dominic.

"No," she said in a deep voice as she puffed out her chest. "Th..." she started before stumbling over a stick and frowning at it, staying in character. "Who said thish shtick wazssh allowed? Bad shtick. Thish shtick could haff hurt my Gggrreta-pooh. Whoever leffft thish shtick here will bee punished." She bent down and picked up the stick. Unfortunately her body kept going and she ended up flat on her face.

"I will vanquish the stick," Joan jumped up and put her arms wide, waddling over to Kat like she was huge. "I yam hher Burpa, I will defphend her honour."

"Hhammer. I trusht you wifv the life of my ickle bickle Etta-bom-better-than-anyone. You WILL deshtroy thish eeevviill." Kat flipped over and threw the stick to Joan who, amazingly, caught it with one hand before snapping it and throwing it into the fire.

I couldn't breathe from laughing, and when Bee stood dramatically holding her hand aloft it only got worse.

"I am Pav. I luff my Kat..." she paused looking wildly around at us, before fixing on Kat, "...especially her tail. It so phluffeee." Bee laughed hysterically at her own joke. "Geddit? Cat meow, Kat kissy kiss? Cat, Kat, cat, Kat?"

Kat growled and tried to get up but without much luck, the floor wasn't staying still long enough to let her. After a few fruitless attempts she crossly shook her fist at Bee who just blew a raspberry at her and continued her spiel.

"But it ishn't as phluffy as my bootifool Kat's hairy hair. It'sh soooo bouncy and like fphurry..." her eyes darted about for inspiration, "...furrhy... furreee... MARSHMALLOWS," she shrieked grabbing the discarded bag and holding it aloft.

"The marffmallohs are mine," growled Lacy in a deep voice.

Bee cocked her head, "Who you menna be?"

"I'm me. Gimme," Lacy held her hand out for the marshmallows and Bee wickedly crushed them to her chest.

"Nope-a-rope. I am a MAAAN. I neeed the phfoood more dan you, toiny female bean. Look at my musshles." Bee flexed her petite arm.

"Your muscles are pee-uuu-nnneeee," Kat tried to roar like Dominic, but it was rather strangulated and odd. "I am Falfa. My musshles are the biggesht in the world."

"Ha," Sophie stood over her. "Your muscles won' even get you off the ground."

"You dare to dishreshpect your falfalfafa?"

"Watcha gonna doo? Huh?" Sophie taunted wiggling side to side. Suddenly she stopped. "Whoa, guys... I control the uuunivershe. When I move, sho do all the starsh, and treesh and the whole wooorld."

Suddenly a rumbling, crashing sound resounded loudly through the trees. It seemed to be coming our way.

"Ish thatchoo?" I asked Sophie since she was the controller of the universe.

"Noooh," she whispered wide eyed.

The sound got louder and louder until Dominic burst into the clearing in his upright lycan form. All of my friends screamed and tried to run away. I wriggled my nose at them, weirdos! What were they doing? I lifted my arms, "Come reschue me Dom-larick-nic."

I felt Silver quivering in awe of her mate, thoroughly impressed at this form we'd not seen before, and I had to agree. I also had my suspicions that the shaking might be because we were lying on the wiggling world. I would have to tell Sophie to stop it from moving so much.

He was beside me before I finished speaking and I saw him starting to change back. I frowned, "Noooo. I wanna shee. You neffer let me shee you laik thish. Don' change. Pick me up." I ordered pointing my finger at him.

The lycan's face contorted, drawing his eyebrows down as he stood towering over me, much higher than anything else in the whole world. "You're not scared?" Dominic's rich voice sounded in my mind giving me shivers.

"Nuh-uh. Why I be?"

He grinned as much as his snout would allow and bent over me with his forearms out.

"Noooo," Screamed one of my friends. "Get 'im, he'sh gon' eat Grecha."

They all appeared in my peripheral vision, running in my direction, but were snatched back by my protectors before they could reach. Once caught, they started yelling that I needed to be saved.

The lycan's sharp claws were very careful as his large hands scooped underneath me and lifted me to the hairy chest of my mate. I gave him a lopsided grin and wrapped my arms around his neck, "Hi Alarck-inic. Dj'a geddit? Domlick-aric?"

The lycan rolled his eyes causing more screams from my terrified friends. I turned to them and the whole world tilted. I gripped Dominic's neck tighter and he responded, cradling me harder against him. "Shhhh, shilly schillies. It'sh my Mine. My Domnick."

They stopped screaming and gazed in horror at the form they'd only ever heard about. "But he's sho shcary," Bee whispered.

I looked at the beast holding me and only saw my heart. I wrinkled my nose at him, "No he'sh not. He'sh gorgeoush."

The Lycan's eyes widened and I giggled and snuggled my face into his long neck, softly kissing the underside of his jaw. I sighed happily, "I luff you. I luff, love, luvf, love you, sho sho much. You're mine. My Lick-nic."

A rumbling started deep in his chest. I pressed my ear against him to hear the proud sound.

"Ahh, Boss," Hammer's voice said carefully. "Do you want to hand Luna Greta to me? I can look after her."

The lycan whirled towards him and a deeper growl emerged from his chest. "Oooo," I giggled, "angery Alack-inic." The growl stopped as he looked down at me. I grinned up at him.

"Boss, there's part of you that knows you don't have as much control in this form. Wouldn't it be safer if..."

"Shilly Bapa," I interrupted with a wiggling finger. "He's shtill my Alarck-nic. I'm shafe as shafe. Right?" I turned to the lycan staring down at me with deep pride shining from his eyes. He nodded and suddenly his tongue lolled out and licked the side of my face.

"Eeeewwwww," I whined, rubbing the slime away. "Bad Alark-nnk."

A gasp sounded from Hammer, "Greta pet, don't make him angry. He's not as predictable in this form."

"Pooh," I waved my hand. "He'll NEFFER hurt me. Neffer, neffer. Don' oo undstand Bapalapa?" I turned back to the beast whose adoring gaze was on me. The forest kept turning, even when my head stopped and I gripped onto him, whimpering a bit. "Bad world," I whispered and heard a snort of laughter from the beast.

Everyone gasped fearfully again. Didn't they get that he was laughing?

"Hey!" I objected when I realised he was laughing at me. "Bad Alnickric," I mumbled into his chest closing my eyes against the tumbling scenery.

I yawned as I rubbed against his fur, it was soft and cosy. When had I got so tired? I couldn't remember, I was fine a minute ago. I nuzzled my nose in a bit more and yawned again.

"Sleep baby, I've got you," he ordered.

It was all the incentive I needed and I let my mind drift away.

I woke the next morning wrapped in my mate's arms. My head pounded and I groaned quietly. Memories of the night flushed through me and I couldn't work it out. All we'd had was juice and marshmallows. How had we turned into the ridiculous crazies we were last night?

"Juice?" Dominic said in a low voice. Somehow it relieved the hammering inside my brain and I pressed into him and nodded. He kissed the top of my head, "Baby, it wasn't juice. It was an alcoholic fruit cocktail and it got you rip-roaringly drunk."

Oh.

That would explain why I felt so horrible this morning. "I didn't know," I whispered, "none of us did."

"So I gather," he murmured, soothing my frazzled brain even more. I pulled myself up along his body and tucked my head firmly into the crook of his neck, hoping the closeness would help as well. "I think I know what would help you even more..." he kissed my temple, "if I go inside your memories."

I nodded. That sounded like a good idea to me.

The delicious tendrils weaved through my brain, making me groan in relief. Yes. This was amazing. He snorted but kept going, gently massaging my scalp at the same time. Everybody should have their own personal Dominic to help them in situations like this. It was glorious to feel the relief his touch brought.

We lay like that for a while, time passed slowly or quickly, I really had no idea. His gentle embrace and tingling brain massage was all there was. After a while he eased me up and handed me a glass of water.

"So where did this 'juice' come from?" he asked with a frown.

"I found it in the fridge downstairs," I put the glass back and leant into him, glad that his arms automatically wound round me. "Why?"

He gave me a look. "It shouldn't be here. Nobody drinks that stuff."

I giggled at the thought of Dominic sipping the fruity drink instead of his usual beer or whiskey, "I think it would suit you very well."

He shook his head at me, "Minx."

"Your minx."

"Yes," his eyes warmed as he looked down on me. "Last night when I got the message from Ned that he thought you were all drunk in the woods, I lost it. The thought of you falling on the fire... of you being so vulnerable when I wasn't there..." his brow drew down as he left his sentence unfinished. "That's why Alarick chose the lycan form. He needed to get to you quickly, I am strongest in that form."

I nodded as I snuggled into him, remembering the size and shape of the monstrously huge beast. "I bet."

"A part of me that I couldn't listen to, wanted to stop, I never thought I'd let you see that side of me, I dreaded the thought of you looking at me in fear," he growled fiercely, shaking his head as if trying to remove an image. "But you weren't afraid at all." His voice was full of surprise. "Even Hammer is wary when I'm in my lycan form, despite seeing it more than most."

He looked down at me, running the back of his finger along my cheekbone as he gazed at me in wonder, "You weren't scared at all." A grin stretched his face, "You ordered me about, you wanted me to hold you close, you got cross with me and called me names... you had absolutely no fear."

"All I saw was my heart, my love," I hugged him tight. "I knew then, the same as any other time, with complete certainty that you would never hurt me. Your lycan is still you."

"He is, but Hammer was right, I don't have as much control in that form. I wouldn't do anything out of character, but when I use that body I'm wilder, acting with more animal instinct. But you," he kissed the corner of my mouth, "You had him wrapped around your finger. I never realised that he would be so compliant. You tamed my wildest beast with one command. He was smitten when you treated him the same as our wolf or human form."

The pride in his voice was unmistakeable and I felt a warm tingling through my body at his marvel of me. "I warty love you remember? That's WARTY love, not just regular ol' stinky love."

He swore and dived to kiss me roughly, putting all his emotion into it.

An hour later I hid a smile at all the wincing, grumpy people I was sharing a last breakfast with. They were leaving straight after and though I was sad to see them go, I knew that it wouldn't be long until I saw them again.

I was the only one with my own personal Dominic, so I alone had no hangover, though Kat and Joan seemed better off once they were with their mates.

"Any idea how the cocktail got into my fridge?" Dominic addressed the group.

"What cocktail?" Hestia asked brightly, stepping onto the patio.

"The one in the fridge," Dominic replied.

"The pink bottle?" she said blithely, "That's not a cocktail. It's a new juice that George gave me. I think it was a peace offering of sorts."

She looked so pleased by the gesture that I felt tears welling in the backs of my eyes. That flipping George. Throwing his nasty mischief into the wind and causing pain again.

Dominic stood and held her hand between his as he gently explained exactly what it was that George had given her.

"But why? Did he want to get me into trouble?" she asked in a small voice and I wanted to march to wherever that slime-ball was and punch him on the nose.

"He just wanted to cause trouble in general Hestia, I don't think he was thinking properly," Hammer said kindly. Uncle John stood and took Hestia from Dominic, whispering words of comfort in her ear.

"I think your idea deserves merit Ets," Dominic said as he sat beside me once more.

"What idea?" I frowned.

"I'm going to transfer him out of the pack. It will be his punishment, but also hopefully will give him the freedom from me that he obviously needs."

"How did you know about that?" I asked suspiciously, nobody had heard my conversation with him.

He wiggled his eyebrows and smirked, "I know everything. Including," he turned to Kat, "all about your performance last night."

She widened her eyes and gulped.

I laughed as he faked her out once more and she pleaded with him to understand. Looking around the table at all the people I loved, I felt glorious peace. I had loved ones, family, friends. I wasn't alone. I wasn't stuck in a place without any control. Things had moved forward, changed for the better, and although there had been some really rough times, and probably a lot more to come, I wouldn't let them define me - I was determined to work on my confidence and push past the things that haunted me.

Life was good.

A week later, everything changed.