Was that even possible? Subconsciously, I place my hand over my stomach, not even daring to allow myself to entertain something like that. Female lycans weren't necessarily widely studied, in fact, there were very few of them. My father had made certain lycan's were sterile, it was the only way to assure the market would remain restricted. 

As time had gone on, we'd found that the males weren't sterile as Verando had gotten Penelope pregnant, and then Marisol. The breed, in itself, was quite misunderstood due to their practical extinction. But, it would seem they were quite fluid in their sexuality, perhaps there was flexibility through their makeup that we had yet to understand?

So what had changed? Had time weakened the spell? In a time drowning in stress, reproduction hadn't necessarily been on anyone's mind and for the most part, it would seem magic users enjoyed their lycan slaves too much to allow them to reproduce among themselves. I shudder to think how many of these hidden wolves that walked among us today came from crossbreeding that went unreported? 

We hadn't gotten to be around long enough to see what became of any interspecies co-mingling. 

His silence is deafening, I sit up abruptly, "That's not possible, is it?"

Verando exhales, running a hand through his hair as he considers it. "You're male, darling. A heat cycle is for reproduction, it's more of a fluke than anythin'. A rare occurrence from what we understood." Taking my hand, he presses my knuckles to his lips, savoring my scent. "I didn't allow females in the army for that reason, a heat cycle is not their fault but when it happens, it's catastrophic. In such early days, none of our masters kept females within reach of us.

I couldn't afford a bunch of distracted males, but I've also not been around a female in that situation. If I remember correctly, it was a seasonal thing." He yawns, stretching out as he seems to consider my sanity.

I had no womb, nothing that would produce a need for such a thing. There was no place for anything to grow, no reality in which this was realistic for me. "So it's not common?"

He shrugs, "What is common in a magically induced condition? Every wolf is different, but as a male, you shouldn't have something like that. Why don't we just chalk it up to a Siren-induced state of euphoria and leave it at that? Don't fret about it, love." Kissing my palm, he slides out of bed and buttons his pants as he stands.

I admire the plains of his back, the way his body moves beneath his shirt, I envision him naked before me and nearly ravage him again. It's enough to make my mouth water, the tanned skin plays interestingly against the light streaming in the window. I spy a glimpse of the black scarring at the nape of his neck and shudder at the wishful thinking that I could spend all day up here with him.

"I wish I could gain more control of these emotions, between the younger version of you and my wolf, I'll be driven to madness by the time this is over. I'd really hoped I was getting the hang of this." 

Smirking, he pulls me to my feet with startling accuracy as he clutches me to his chest, burying his nose in my hair with an appreciative hum. I nuzzle against him instinctively, soothed by his possessive nature. 

"You've done wonderfully. I'm continually impressed by how much you've improved. Don't forget you were practically nonverbal at one point, claiming me as your own is quite normal. At the risk of sounding cliche, as far as our wolves are concerned, we are mates and it's about as animalistic as it gets."

Flushing, I sigh as I press my cheek to his chest, listening to his pounding heartbeat and enjoying the warmth of his body. The strong arms wrapped around me bring me comfort, yet fracture me as I consider just how much he'd grown since the slight version from his youth. It was hard not to compare the two. "You don't have many moments like this," I complain. "You hardly even seem jealous anymore. You could act more feral, I might like to see your 'Alpha' side return."

"Every ounce of my self-control, love." Taking my chin between his thumb and forefinger, he tilts my head up to meet his gaze, grazing his nose lightly over my cheek as he wraps his free arm around me to lift me to his level with a rumbling growl. "You're lucky we have company or you would be made quite aware of exactly what you're doing to me. I'd have you until you were unable to stand, I'd take you on every surface in this room. Don't mistake control for a lack of desire. I want every inch of you." 

Wide-eyed, I stare at him, lips parted as I drink in his words. "Mr.Mercer." I gasp, feigning surprise. "So crass."

Kissing the junction of my neck and jaw, he rakes his teeth over my skin and I moan in response, clutching him to me to plead with him to pursue his desires. It catches him off guard as he sets me back down, concern crossing his face as he examines me in a quick once-over glance. "Mmm. We should keep an eye on you."

"Should I get naked?"

"Nic." Verando sighs, rolling his eyes. "While I appreciate the flattery, this is a new level of desperate, even for you."

I'd be offended if it weren't true. My body was on fire, to the point where it was almost uncomfortable. Every inch of space between us felt like miles, his scent driving me wild, the closeness sending me over the edge. I needed more, I needed to be closer to him. Rubbing my cheek against his chest in a half-hearted attempt to soothe myself, I pause. "Can I have your shirt?"

"Beg your pardon?"

"Don't be stingy." I muse before straightening to collect the hem of his shirt in my hands. Bringing it to my nose, I inhale, like lidocaine to the impossible desire to have him once more. My hands release the shirt to press against his abdominals, traveling up his body in a greedy fashion that makes him shudder. His eyes darken, locking with mine with a low growl as I rake my nails over his pectorals.

"I think this would help, besides, I never get to wear your clothes." Sticking out the tip of my tongue playfully as he rolls his eyes dramatically, he removes the shirt in a quick motion of irritation and amusement. My favorite look returns and I marvel appreciatively at his chest as I remove my own shirt and capture his. I take a long, pointed inhale, squirming happily as I nuzzle the clothing to my cheek. 

My pleasure softens his expression as he sighs, crossing the room to slip into the closet to slip into a button-up. Rolling up the sleeves, he catches me gawking and scoffs. "Gods Nic, you weren't this enamored when I was in considerably better shape." I cross the room in a quick few strides, slowly aiding him in buttoning the shirt from the bottom up. 

"I can't admire what belongs to me?" A small twinge comes into the back of my mind as I think about young Randy and the comment on his weight. Glancing up, I stop halfway up, pressing a kiss to his sternum. "You know I love the way that you look, right?"

Awkward, he shifts under my fingers and I hold him in place, refusing to let him slip out of my grasp. "Where did that come from?"

The tone of his voice says it all, the half-hearted comments often made me wonder if it's just sarcasm but after speaking with his younger self, I hadn't realized just how much he truly did care about his appearance. At least, now he did. Even in our time, I often did catch him inspecting his waistline, devoting countless hours to fitness, and grumbling about potential gains at every extravagant meal. 

Often I joked about my own weight, that I was soft, not given a 'lycan body' like my husband. I was more fit than I had been, for certain, but not nearly the trimmed adonis that stood before me. His scars often lent me to put much consideration into his body, I'd loved him for who he was, and getting over the physical issues meant nearly excusing the physical achievement beneath.

Shrugging one shoulder, I button two more, leaving the top few undone. "I don't think I tell you that enough. You're quite generous with telling me how.. beautiful.. you think I am. I guess I never think of you as needing to hear it? But, I am quite smitten with you." How do I do this? How do I compliment him without seeming ingenuine? Beautiful was not the correct word, handsome didn't seem to cut it.

With a scoff, he slips out of my grasp to tug at his shirt awkwardly and finish rolling up his sleeves. "Good, domestication hasn't withered away my good looks and waistline?" He sighs, running a hand through his hair as he takes stock of himself in the full-length mirror. I hug him from behind, plunging my hand into his pants to grope him through his boxer briefs and achieve a sharp gasp of surprise. 

"I'd beg you to have me again if we didn't have our children downstairs."

"We've been up here a suspicious amount of time." He points out, the intensity of his eyes reflecting back at me in the mirror and I grin up at him as I peak around him, leaning my cheek on his bicep. "Later. For now, we're being rude. You're a King, isn't being a good host your job?"

It was my turn to roll my eyes, stripping off my shirt to put his on and drink in the glorious scent. I hug myself with a deep inhale and sigh, I practically float out of the room and head downstairs to see Helen had been intermingled into our circle quite happily. It was as if she never left, as silence falls over the group once we make our appearance, she sets her eyes on Verando and quickly stands. 

"Verando." She greets, standing as still as possible. "I'm.. I'm so sorry." 

"It seems you've grown up a lot in your time away." He exhales, eyeing her suspiciously. "You're not a kid anymore."

"I've got a lot to learn. I've got a lot to atone for. But I'm determined to make this right, to help wherever you need me. If that's acceptable to you." Glancing back and forth between the two of us, she waits on bated breath. I can tell by the look on Legardo's face that denying her would not be an option but as I touch Verando's arm, I know that it's not his attention. 

He'd missed her, much as he was upset with her for my disappearance, he did love her. 

With one nod, she races across the room and throws her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest with a hearty sob. He places one hand on he back, patting her in an attempt to not look so uncomfortable by the display. "I missed you so much."

Legardo crosses his arms over his chest, "Of course she missed him."

With a hiccuping giggle, she glances over her shoulder. "You, too, Daddy. All of you... " Straightening, she wipes at her eyes with the back of her hand. "Does anyone know where Tyler is?"

"A heat cycle?" Steffan tilts his head, keeping his voice nearly inaudible. We were surrounded by beings with super hearing and I knew Verando was keeping track of my conversation despite his occupied state with the young Caspian. 

Much to my amusement, young Caspian had decided to make a dish from their childhood and my husband seemed mildly interested in it, far beyond anything he'd displayed in normal times for anything I'd cooked. 

I shrug one shoulder, "I don't know. I can't stop myself, I'm losing my mind." I mouth back. It was killing me to be so far away from him, but the shirt was helping. I could take a hit off of it, take a deep breath into the collar and soothe the ache to be close to him. My body screamed for contact as my wolf barked at everyone to get away from what was mine. 

Every time Cas touched the man I loved, it was like an electric shock. My hand tightened on my glass of wine, and my body clenched. I wanted to eviscerate him. "How is this even possible? Have you ever heard of anything like this?"

Steffan considers it, staring into the fireplace as Darrius plays with his little brother. I'd put the fire out already, too concerned about the two being so close to it with Darrius being an unknown. I had horrible visions of the boy burning the house down without even meaning to. 

With a shudder, I focus back on Steffan. 

"Wolves are fluid. They don't even seem to have a sexual preference. How else would you explain a clearly... clearly.. straight male falling head over heels for another man? Perhaps it's an adaption thing? You are the 'female' in the relationship? This is all speculation of course. Hmm. Maybe you should just enjoy the sex?"

I shush him, urging him to keep it down as I catch the light eyes locking on me. Sipping my wine, I shift in my seat, the pressure of his gaze making my heart threaten to flutter. Steffan appears impressed, "You've got it bad."

"I feel like I'm dying." I exhale, breathless. "My body is going to give out before my libido does. I'm drooling over him like a teenager, I've always found him good looking but by the gods, I can't stop. I 'feel' like I'm in heat." I scowl, pinching the bridge of my nose in frustration. "It's not like there's a doctor I can go to."

"You need to speak to a female lycan. Obviously, I don't think you've become a woman but your body is going through something. The future is changing... maybe something in the spell has changed, maybe something has been altered to make this a possibility? Stranger things have happened, there are spells that can cause men to conceive but they're complicated and a lot of times, the men didn't survive but it was usually for the sake of producing an heir so it was a duplicate more than a conception."   

Was this even responsible? I knew how the math worked, if there was even a risk, I should be taking precautions until I knew what this was. If something had altered our timeline and changed the spell, it could change everything. But, with everything else appearing within the span of normal, it felt almost too painful to even consider. 

The demon of my past reared its head, the desire to have a child of my own, to carry and conceive just as the others had. 

Watching me, Steffan frowns. "Have you ever.. spoken.. about something like this in front of Darrius?"

Shocked, I quickly shake my head. "No. Gods, no."

"It is possible that Darrius could, in some strange way, be altering something within you. That's the only other option I could think of, even if he isn't meaning to, this did happen once Darrius came to you for a night. It's something we should keep an eye on." 

Was he suggesting Darrius had given me a womb? Shaking my head, I rub my temple with my fingers as I down the rest of my wine. I could only hope this was a bad dream, a nightmare, that I would wake up from. It was all ridiculous, the testosterone I was surrounded with and the Siren song had put me over the edge. I wasn't having a heat cycle, I was a horny youth with an incredibly attractive husband.  

Excusing myself, I stand to make my way to the kitchen and wedge myself between Cas and Verando, slipping my arms around his waist to insist upon him to rest his arm around me. "What're you making?" I ask, wanting to distract myself. 

Legardo glances up from his careful scrutiny of the cooking process. "Some sort of tamale?" He suggests. 

Cas snickers, "A feast, that's what I'm making. Mama would be so proud, though mine doesn't come close to hers. She would have loved to cook for everyone here, any occasion to make people happy."

"She was a good woman." Verando sighs, taking a sip of his glass of scotch, looking quite decided with the expression on his face. "Tonight we recoup, tomorrow, we come up with a plan to get Echo to return to the mainland."

Hesitation causes my throat to catch, and I nearly choke. So we were going forward with the plan it would seem, to get Echo to release her demi-god to Verando.