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Chapter 10 - Black is Creeping

Braeden

I did not return the the camp that night, I knew that my presence would only inspire further disagreement within the community. Asher was absolutely furious with me and had openly castigated me in front of the whole pack. I had felt the growing tension between everyone's wolves then and I knew that I would only make it worse if I returned.

"The enemy!" He had loudly shouted at me, waving his arms vigorously. "That is the enemy in that tent Braeden, why can't you get that in your head!"

The truth was that I didn't know why I could not get that fact into my head, even when Asher screamed it in my face. My whole being rejected the thought of Nereyda posing any threat to my pack and myself. When I thought of her my breath was stolen from me and my wolf howled at the sky. The words 'danger' and 'Nereyda' were the last two words I would ever think of using together.

And yet, she was the evil King's daughter. I wondered if it was possible that she was actually the King's daughter by blood or perhaps her mother had had an affair. I knew I was being desperately stupid now, trying to think up any excuse to justify my relationship with Nereyda.

I had not told my pack that she was my mate. I doubted that they would believe me, for a wolf to be mated to a cat was rather ridiculous by anyone's standards. I had to protect my pack. But I could not be away from Nereyda. It was not even an option for me to separate myself from her. It would have been so much easier if she had just waited a bit longer before she decided to take her first journey into town. The attack plan was nearly ready. It would not be long yet.

It was sunrise by the time I returned to camp and I found myself irritably restless, waiting for the time I would see Rey again.

I received many glances as I made my way into the centre of the camp, both curious and resentful. I wanted to go and see Gelina. She would understand what I was going through and sympathise thoroughly I was sure.

I had known Asher for many years, we had survived on the streets of Creta together as young boys. I had lost touch with him for several years but recently he had invited me to join his rebellion pack. I had only been a member of the pack for about three months now so I did not know everyone very well. I knew that people were still reserved when it came to me.

I made it to the centre tent where meetings were held and attacks were planned. The remains of last night's bonfire lay smoking in ashes.

Pushing aside the curtain hesitantly, I slowly made my way inside. I smiled slightly when I saw Gelina there, I hadn't been sure that I would see her today. My smile fell however when I saw the stiff form of Asher's back as he faced away from me.

As my alpha he obviously knew that I was there, yet he refused to turn and look me in the eye. The snub was not lost on the rest of the rebellion leaders and they looked away uncomfortably from where they sat cross-legged on the floor.

I wet my lips uneasily and took my place next to Asher's taught form. He was the only one standing now, several feet taller than the rest of us because we sat on the floor. I could hear the grinding of his teeth as he worked over his frustration at me.

Gelina was the only witch in the rebellion and she gave me a worried glance from where she sat diagonally opposite me. Everyone in the pack thought that we were together because we had known each other for so long and we were so close but it was not true. We were just good friends.

Back when we were kids, roaming across the sandy shores of Creta after the Quakes, Asher, Gelina and myself had been rather good friends. To this day I thought that Asher fancied Gelina but no matter how much I encouraged him, he refused to act on his feelings. I thought it was because he did not want to be distracted from the rebellion but it might also be that he was waiting for his mate. Not that he was likely to find her what with the current state of disaster the world was in.

Asher started to speak then. He spoke softly but he did not turn to look at us. The enclosed environment within the tent was awkward and tense. There were six of us sitting on the floor and Asher stood at the head of the rectangle.

I listened habitually to Asher as he started to outline the main points to be discussed throughout the meeting. My ears perked at the mention of the huge sack of gold Nereyda had leant me but I thought nothing of it. I was expecting him to go through safety and terms of the loan so I was abruptly surprised when he started to say something completely different.

The tension that had dissipated throughout Asher's speech returned with full force. He had turned to face us as he had talked but he looked resolutely ahead as he spoke, making an obvious effort not to make eye contact with anyone.

I couldn't do what he was asking of me. It was totally immoral and I didn't at all see how it would benefit the pack. When I voiced my opinions through clenched teeth I received a curt statement about money and the need for expenditure.

I felt like Asher was targeting my relationship with Nereyda and not even thinking about the long term effect this would have on the rebellion. We needed Nereyda's investment and constant trust, not a random splurge on weapons. And her money was for goddamn charity!

Asher refused to see reason, sticking resolutely to his proposal. I knew that the attack was fast approaching and we were short on equipment but surely this was not be the best way to solve the problem. I soon realised that I was the only person challenging Asher's proposal and shut myself up soon after. Did everyone really think that this absurd plan was the best course of action?

I reigned in my emotions for the remainder of the meeting, my jaw working furiously even long after we had moved on from the sensitive topic. I was the first out of the tent at the adjournment of the meeting, flying straight into the alpine forest without talking to anyone.

My relationship with Asher and Gelina had been going very well since my return, this was the first major conflict we had encountered since then. I stripped quickly out of my clothes and tied them around the trunk of a slender tree. I phased immediately after, my wolf practically bursting from my skin.

I could feel my wolf calling to it's mate and I knew that Nereyda would be feeling the effects of the attraction right now. It was regrettable that I was making her uncomfortable, but there was only so much I could do to hold back my wolf from taking it's mate. When I was close to her I found that if I concentrated on holding back my wolf, she was a lot more comfortable.

I needed to teach her how to phase and soon. Her lack of control over her beast was appalling and it was inhumane how no one in her family had bothered to teach her how to handle her beast correctly. For them it was just, 'shut up and look pretty'.

My temper eased as I flashed through the tall pine trees. I thought of how much Nereyda had to learn about the world and I was unable to help the growing excitement I felt at the prospect of me being able to teach her these things. Today I would teach her to phase.

+++++

"Have you ever phased before?"

Nereyda's delicate porcelain skin flushed pink at my words. Her dark eyelashes fluttered as her clear lilac eyes cast downwards.

"A few times," she admitted, her voice like soft chimes. "As a child."

We stood together in the forest, the sun had just set on the horizon and the trees loomed over us in the dark. The sky was a deep blue which was rapidly growing deeper and I found myself needing to tap into my wolf to see clearly. From the way that Nereyda's eyes were glowing mild purple, I could tell that she was using her leopard too. That was good. It meant that her leopard was close to the surface.

"But you don't anymore," I stated more than asked.

Her gaze penetrated me as she shook her head. She did not elaborate but she did not need to.

"Would you like to phase tonight?" My question was voiced in a soft tone, something about the night sky and the closeness of our bodies made the whole situation seem very intimate.

"I don't know..." She trailed off, uncertain. "I guess if you are here I can try."

Her trust in me pleased my wolf to no ends and I had to tamp down on his need to claim his mate before he gave Rey a heart attack.

My mouth curved in a happy smile, a smile that Nereyda hesitantly reciprocated. My heart stuttered and my eyes blinked a few times.

It was silent for a couple of seconds before I remembered the next step of my plan. My own cheeks heated marginally as I prepared to ask something that was awkward for both of us.

"Um, can you, er." Well that wasn't a good start. "Would it be possible for you to changintoyourshift." I felt like a stupid, insecure teenage boy but I absolutely could not help it. There was no denying that Nereyda intimidated me. She was on a whole different level to me, her beauty was enough to knock the breath from any man but paired with her intelligent, penetrating eyes, well, it was enough to knock any man to the floor.

Said penetrating eyes pierced me now, the confusion in them challenging me to repeat myself. My voice shook slightly as I said, "Would you change into your shift?"

Her eyes lightened with surprise and purple eyes darted away from mine as she processed my words.

"It is just that you will ruin your clothes if you phase in them and I figured that if you phase in your shift then you can put your other clothes back on afterwards. That way you - um - always have clothes on?" My rambling finished in an uncertain question when she did not put me out of my misery.

Her all seeing eyes continued to stare at me. I resisted the urge to fidget.

Then she started to remove her clothes and I had to lean against the tree next to me. Her fingers fiddled with the buttons on the side of her dress for a while before she stopped and turned back to me. I knew what she was going to ask before she said it and my heart sped up and spluttered. I was so not ready to undress my mate.

"Could you...?" She did not need to voice her request.

I attempted to clear my throat of the large lump that had taken residence in it.

I slowly padded towards her, unable to get there fast enough but at the same time never wanting to get there. This girl made me insane.

I gently pushed her long, white hair over her shoulder so that it hung in front of her. The texture was soft under my fingers, feather light as if I were touching clouds. I had to push her hair away twice because of the full volume of it. The second time, my shaking fingertips brushed her neck, a zing going through me at the same time as I heard Nereyda's quiet intake of breath.

I drew away from her skin, doing my best not to touch her as I unhooked what seemed like thousands of buttons. I had close to no experience undressing rich women so I wasn't entirely sure what I was doing as I tugged at her garments.

It was unavoidable that our skin touched occasionally and each time that it did, we both held our breath. I wanted to go further with Rey, there was no doubting that, but I did not want to push her too fast. I had sworn to myself that the next time we had sexual contact, she would be the one who instigated it. The last time I had lost control of my wolf's desire, she had ended up fainting and Asher started thinking I was a total idiot.

When the dastardly buttons were finally all open, the dress slipped off Rey's shoulders. Even with her back to me, I could see that she was looking down in embarrassment.

"I will turn my back," I told her. Although I was going to turn around and see her later, I figured that it was more my watching her undress that had the prominent goosebumps rising on her skin. Or perhaps it was just the cold.

Several agonizing minutes of rustling later, silence fell again and Nereyda's quiet voice came from behind me. "Braeden?" She called my name.

I turned around slowly, unsure of what I would see. She stood in just her shift and corset, her dress pooled around the floor about a meter away. I tried like hell not to look, but the draw of her pushed up breasts would have been damn near impossible for any man to evade.

My nails dug into my palms as I clenched my fists. I felt a wet substance there and realised that my wolf claws had been protruding, piercing the skin of my palms.

This was ridiculous, if I didn't feel comfortable then there was no way that Nereyda felt comfortable. If she was not at ease then there was no way that I would be able to coax her long dormant leopard from beneath her skin.

I sighed out a breath and relaxed my hands.

"Sorry Rey," I apologised, "Sometimes my..." I paused, realising that I was about to say 'wolf', "beast gets carried away around you."

I knew she had not missed the pause and change of words. Her violet eyes watched me carefully, unravelling all my deepest secrets. She said nothing.

"It might be easier if you sit," I motioned to the gnarled root of a nearby tree.

She did not look at all convinced but she followed my instructions nonetheless. With her sitting and me standing, the view of her cleavage was all the more pronounced. I swallowed and hastily sat down beside her.

"Okay close your eyes," my voice was hoarse. Her pale eyelids fluttered shut.

"Now take deep breaths," I waited a few moments for her breathing to deepen and the atmosphere still before I said, "Open your senses to the forest."

I could feel her leopard moving restlessly under her skin, it could feel that it was on the verge of being released. Despit my instruction, her breathing started to come faster. Her skin flushed as her beast rose inside her. I knew that these feelings were new for her and it showed in the way her red lips were slightly parted. She was feeling the adrenaline rush that came with the coming change.

"Now let go," I whispered lowly into her ear.

Her brow creased, her hands clenching and unclenching on her thighs.

This was by far the hardest part if you were new to phasing. Most people never had to relearn how to phase, once you could do it from young you never lost the ability as long as you practiced it frequently.

I was not sure how difficult it would be for her to let go of all her ridiculous etiquette crap but I could feel that she was struggling. The unfortunate thing was that now we had come this far there was no way that we were going back. Her brain would go into overload again and then she would probably be even more adverse to ever trying it again.

I raised my hand to her face and stroked the back of it along her cheek.

"I'm here Rey," I hoped my reassurance would give her the power she needed to overthrow her family. "Let go."

Her eyes opened marginally before they rolled into the back of her head. It was close.

A ripping sound echoed through the clearing off the walls of trees. A sleek white beast leaped from the shredded clothes. 

--- A/N ---

Braeden yay! I do love myself a bit of Braeden's POV. Hope you all enjoyed, vote and comment if you like. Thanks for reading lovelies! - Z