"It's not your fault, it's the damned siren song," I grumble, checking my pockets frantically for the suppressors. Of course, given that it was a solo mission, I'd come horribly unprepared for a Siren intervention. "Damn it... I don't have my inserts." I was out of practice with caring for my own organization, normally Verando was stocked to the hilt with everything we would need. 

"A Siren? A real Siren?" He slides out of his chair, standing as he attempts to distance himself from me. "Wait. I think I knew that. Tiberius, right?" 

The willpower was impressive. He must really find me repulsive to resist the melody, the Siren was good at aiding you into what you wanted. Sexual needs, desires, impulses, anything was on the table and the song provided you an outlet in the form of whoever was around you. It seemed to affect those with chemistry the hardest but even knowing someone and being familiar with them seemed to pull the two together. 

It had thrown me into Grayson, and had sent me ravaging Verando more than once. My wolf stands front and center, it'd been pawing at me all day for any sort of male attention. My body was in some sort of strange state, needing constant attention since I'd managed to gain some sort of control over it. I knew what it wanted, but the time and energy it took to fulfill the hunger was minimal. 

"Yes. Tiberius." I pull out my phone, fighting through the immense pressure. I just need to find his number, I need to call him and tell him to stop. "It's alright, I can control myself." It was a lie, I was failing miserably. My pulse was pounding in my ears, my clothes felt too tight, everything in me screamed for contact and the lesser version of my soul mate stood before me.

"What if I can't?" He manages, when I look up, I see that he's before me. Reddened cheeks, lip parted, he takes my face in his hands and crushes his lips to mine. I shiver at the intensity, cursing under my breath because it's on par with what I love about my husband so much. The way he claims my mouth, the command of his tongue against mine, while he lacks the stubble and the broad size of my version, his lips feel so familiar. 

I shove him back against the wall, attempting to put some distance between us. I was afraid I'd hurt him, my masochist grins back at me as he struggles to catch his breath. "This isn't going to be enough. I'm too familiar with you, you need to get out of here." 

"You give me and my self-control way too much credit." He manages, gripping my shirt as he yanks me to him, capturing my lips once more. "I don't think I could leave if I tried. I feel like my skin's on fire." Using both hands, he pushes me into one of the theatre seats roughly, sliding the arms up so he can straddle my waist and kiss my neck. I groan low in my throat, the alpha in me rages as I tangle my hand in his hair. 

What would Verando think? Would this hurt him? What was the line, what should I do? Pushing him away again, even if I could, might permanently damage what little we'd managed to build. My own sky-high morals waged war with the wolf who wanted to claim this man as his own. 

"You're starting to hurt my feelings." His hand snakes between my legs, groping me through my pants. "You're being way too quiet."

"Ah!" I manage, sinking my teeth into his neck. The moan he responds with sends a shiver down my spine, I'd never seen him so unleashed. 

"Keep doing that and there won't be anything left of me for you to have." He nearly whimpers, clutching my shoulder as he strokes me through my pants. Randy was light, so much so compared to his older self, thinner, I could see where Caspian viewed him as feminine. 

He had not yet come into his own, not bulked on the muscle that I found so alluring. "Randy I'm just thinking about how you're going to feel about this." I roll my hips against his hand, the Siren song was nearing its second chorus. I could only hope they would take a break, that they would need to discuss Helen's role in this. Her missed notes were affecting the song, giving me small lapses of clarity though it didn't seem to do the same for the mortal on top of me. 

Straightening, he meets my gaze and I see the intoxication clear in his eyes. Panting, he brushes his nose against mine in a way that is so uniquely Verando that I kiss him passionately, moaning against his lips as he unzips my pants. "You've got it bad." He murmurs against my mouth, I see he's staring at me once more, curious as he searches my face.

"It's taking everything in me to not do something we will both regret. You don't belong to me, not yet anyway." I could vomit at my nobility, my wolf thrashes in its cage, demanding to be released. 

Randy scoffs, running a hand through his hair. "That's the thing about me, love. I don't belong to anyone. I do whatever I want, whenever I want, with whoever I want."

Gripping his hair, I give it a sharp pull, growling low in my throat as my eyes flash, my dominant nature boiling to the surface. "Except for me." I attack the bite mark on his neck, bringing a low, sultry moan from his throat. "You'll always belong to me. No matter what you do, where you go, you're mine."

"Fuck you." He chuckles, breathless. "You're the one chasing me, I think it's you who is quite smitten. You sound like a shitty play, I don't want to hear that." Shaking my hand out of his hair, he slips off my lap to slide between my legs. "I don't fuck to be told I'm pretty or how much you love me, words like that are a dime a dozen." 

I'm too far gone, they could be singing the words of the bible and I would be lost to the rhythm that seemed to match my heartbeat. 

Yanking my pants down, I spring free and he takes me in his hand, bold as he stares into my eyes with his own light ones. "This is the effect I have on people. Men. Women. It's so difficult to tell what's real. You love me now but for how long?" Brushing his lips against my length, he passes his tongue slowly over the tip. "But. Nobody has ever kissed me like that before."

I'm coming apart at the seams and he's having a conversation as if we were having brunch. This was definitely the younger version of my husband, so articulate in his work. "Longer than I thought possible. Now I know why you found me so amusing-" He takes me into his mouth, I groan as I fist my hand in his hair, pulling it from the roots to elicit an appreciative hum. "You're just like me."

He grumbles around me and I yank his head up to hear what he has to say. "Don't talk with your mouth full, it's rude." I scold him. 

Randy grins, licking his upper lip. "A pompous prick who talks too much?"

"You're such an asshole." I snap as he takes me back into his mouth. I move against him, tilting my head back to shut my eyes, apologizing to my husband, wondering how he's ever going to forgive me. I was caught in limbo, stuck between what my wolf and body wanted, and what my brain knew was a fact. At the end of this, I would have Tiberius skinned. 

I'm impressed by his skilled tongue, though I know he had a particular enjoyment for oral. I'm getting close, my breath starts to quicken as I hear the song coming to a close. I'd been so worked up, they could have started a whole new song by now and I'd been none the wiser. A Siren feeds off this type of energy, for all I knew, Tiberius was just hungry or perhaps had sensed my raw energy from earlier. 

Randy's hand slides up, slipping under my shirt, rolling my nipple as his mouth works me as if he'd known me for years. I'm dangerously close, reaching up to put my hand over my mouth as I desperately want to grip my thighs. His free hand slips under my leg, resting one on his shoulder as his eyes catch mine. The song slowly fades out of my ears, my senses crawl back into my being. 

I can begin to think clearly and sort through the fog of Siren magic. 

Carefully, I place my hand on his shoulder, stiffening. "Randy. I think it's passed." I manage, while a Siren could make me do unspeakable things, my completion and devotion belonged to one man, and much as he might look like him, this version was not my husband. 

Falling back away from me to sit on his ass, he works to catch his breath as I pull my pants up with careful management. The air between us is dense, heavy with uncertainty, I'm afraid to look at him, afraid to see if he regrets it. 

But to my surprise, he looks... sad. 

"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?" I scramble onto the floor, spotting the bleeding bite mark on his neck as I inspect it. He shrugs me off, gritting his teeth as he glares at the floor. "Randy I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen. I don't want you to think I did this one purpose."

"Why would you when you have a better version of me waiting at home for you?"

My lost warlord. The youth in me wants to lash out, but I recognize this discomfort. He was embarrassed, feeling rejected, he thrived on the completion of others and it would seem that I dismissed him as soon as the trance wore off. Boldly, I take his face in my hands, forcing him to meet my gaze. 

"Believe me. I want you so badly that I hadn't even noticed the song had ended. But. I made a promise to you, and I don't think you'd appreciate me breaking that... even in these circumstances. You are quite the jealous type. I'm trying to help you see that there is plenty worth living for, that you just have to make it through this and it truly does get better." The fine balance between changing his mind and creating a complex for the past was a delicate balance to tread. 

Pulling his lips into a thin line, he doesn't seem so convinced. "I said too much."

"Stop!" I demand him. Leaning forward, I kiss him, pinning him between me and the wall of the lofted booth. His lips feel uncertain against mine, I sigh as I brush my nose against his in an affectionate nuzzle. His eyes meet mine, startled. 

"Why did you do that?"

"Kiss you? I love you." I snap and he rolls his eyes dramatically. 

"No.. you.. rubbed your nose against mine." The embarrassment floods his cheek as I sit back on my hip to give us both some space. 

"You have done that to me since..." Thinking back, I attempt to remember the first time. "Since you came to me. I would find you in my room, after training or patrols, but oftentimes it was me pursuing you. But the first time you needed me, the first time we laid together on your command, you did that. I always thought it was a lycan thing."

Standing, he abruptly leaves. I sigh heavily, watching him go before jumping to my feet to run after him. Tiberius meets us at the bottom of the stairs with Helen, her pale face suggests that she was horrified and exhausted but she does seem to be smiling. "She will do!" He tells us excitedly. "Bring her and Verando here tomorrow, we will practice and put out a push to bring people in. This might actually be quite good."

"As opposed to all your other crap music? You know you're a complete prick, right?" I spit, he winks at me with a shrug and I roll my eyes. "You get to deal with Verando."

"Aw. He'll thank me when he doesn't turn to vapor." He groans and waves me off, I lead the two out to the car and we silently get in. 

"Helen, where are you staying?" I ask, watching her in the rear view mirror. She shrugs. 

"Um.. in the outskirts. But it's fine, I've been keeping myself busy at night and I sleep during the day."

Oh. She was homeless. We had exiled her. Randy glances at me sharply, I know what he's thinking because I had the same thought. "We're bringing you home," I tell her firmly. 

"Papa doesn't want to see me." She mumbles. "I imagine Daddy doesn't either." Her hair is chopped like she'd been cutting it with scissors. Slowly, she drags her fingers through it, like she doesn't want them to see her like this. 

Pursing my lips, I swallow back my dislike of her. "Helen, you were always welcome to come home, you just had to find your way first. You don't have to perform grand acts, you had to do what you did today. Be a part of this family, just as you have been. Verando and Legardo will forgive you, I know they have both missed you. It's time for you to stop running. It's time for you to come home."

I couldn't let her go as we did with Tonic, we had to reel her back in, and we had to let her know that our door was open for her. Much as Verando could be harsh, he did love those who he considered his people with all of his heart. 

Arriving home, I push the door open to see Verando and the younger Caspian sitting in the living area, Verando plays the guitar as they strum out a Spanish song that Rhea seems quite smitten by. He seems in better spirits, his skin has returned to its former glow and he's sitting up taller. Darrius peeks up at me over the couch, "Tata!" He giggles excitedly, I see Steffan had arrived with Xaiver to retrieve the child. 

Randy retreats to a corner of the living room, wanting to be out of the way as Helen steps through the door and the space goes quiet. It's Legardo who moves first, running across the span to throw his arms around her. Helen hugs him tightly, sobbing into his shirt. "Helen." He mumbles over and over again, holding her impossibly close. 

A wolf reunited with her pack, and a piece of the missing puzzle had been found. The house feels fuller instead of tense. I spot Silvia, skipping over to hug Helen's waist. Verando's eyes lock on me, I couldn't hand him over to her just yet. I allow Darrius to go to Helen as I bound across the small space and leap onto him, tackling him over the back of the couch and onto the ground. He hardly has time to catch himself, the reflexes give me a moment to catch my breath and I wait for him to flinch. 

But, he doesn't. Bewildered, he allows me to take inventory of him. Solid, prepared for my next attack, he tilts his head as he waits for me to speak and I throw my arms around his neck to kiss him in a way that no man should be kissed in public. My hips grind down on him, I invade his mouth with my tongue and moan against his lips as I revel in the health of this man who'd worried me to death these past weeks. 

Stefan clears his throat. "There are children present." He points out. 

Verando climbs to his feet, dragging me with him as I wrap my legs around his waist and arms around his neck. "Are you alright, darling?" 

"I need you." I mouth against his neck. 

"Bold, aren't we?"

"Desperate." I exhale, growling low in my throat as he attempts to unhinge my legs from his waist. 

Supporting me with his hands under my ass, he surrenders to my need. "Excuse us." Carrying me upstairs, the moment our bedroom door is closed his mouth is on my neck. 

"Bed." I plead. 

"What's gotten into you?" He manages against my lips as I find the ground with my feet and drag him towards the bed. As I fall back, I pull him with me, arching to grind against him and hook one of my legs over his waist. "Did something happen?" 

"Siren song." I whimper, my wolf is free and I'm unable to stop it. I'd been so close only to be denied, I needed something, anything. His smell is like a drug more potent than any magic song. It's intoxicating and I'm drunk off the thought of him. "Ravage me."

Running his tongue over my neck, my hands frantically unbutton his pants, pushing them down. I don't bother attempting to get our clothes off, my body couldn't wait any longer. "Gods, Nic." He moans against my neck, pulling my pants down just enough to expose my ass, he shoves my legs to one side, hooking his hand over my thigh to lift me to his level and sink into me. 

I nearly come unglued at the intensity of the angle. I was at his mercy, unable to control the depth, unable to do anything but take what he was giving me. I'm crushed beneath him, the weight of him sending my pulse skyrocketing as he takes me relentlessly. Claiming me, taking me as his own, I'm incoherent as he loses himself against me. 

I can only beg him for more, plead with him to have me however he so pleases. "Don't you dare finish." I threaten him, lost in the pleasure of it as I roll onto my stomach to surrender to him. Verando hikes my hips up, I can only sink my teeth into my lower lip to keep my volume to a somewhat reasonable level. 

"That's a good boy." He purrs against my neck, biting the junction between my neck and shoulder as he fists his hand in my hair to pull my head up. My legs tremble, and I begin to pant as I get close once more. The discomfort of his pace coupled with the incredible sensation of his body connecting with mine was sending me into overload, "You came to me, perhaps you shouldn't be making demands. Don't finish until I do."

A whimper leaves my lips, "Please." I beg. 

"You won't like what I do to you if you disobey." He growls. The challenge tempts me, but the thrill of the command keeps me motivated. I was in ecstasy, the return of my warlord and his presence had me willing to do whatever it took to please him. 

"Yes, Alpha." I manage, rocking back against him, attempting to do anything I can to get him to completion. 

He smacks me firmly on the ass, I nearly yelp, "You're incredible." He manages and I know he's close. Forcing my head back down against the bed, I feel him quicken. He pins me there, helpless beneath him as he chases his release. "Beg." He snarls. 

"Please, Alpha." I whimper. "I need you."

My words are his undoing, I finish with him, burying my face in the sheets to keep myself in check. Verando rests his hands on my hips, panting as he rides out the waves. "Fuck, Nic." He manages, I flinch as he slides out of me to flop down on the bed. My body collapses, I feel light for the first time since I left this morning. "We're going to need to open a window, there is way too much testosterone in this house for you to smell that incredible."

Curious, I tilt my head. "Smell? Do I smell different?" 

"I can't even describe how good you smell." He manages, watching my face as he strokes my cheek with the back of his fingers. "If you were a female, I'd be almost concerned."

I snicker, "What, like a heat cycle?"