I had more endurance than most. Females were vicious creatures, taking their vengeance as easily and remorselessly as breathing. Deep within the ever shifting lights, a parade of flashing colours that made up the beauty of the wolf’s soul, I was more than aware of my own failings in this bond. The wolf whispered words of hypocrite on a growl of disgust. I was a different package though - one that easily bled my own mistakes away on rivers of sweet denial.
"Yer not talkin', pirate?"
I huffed a small laugh, seems as though that nickname was staying for good. Conall refilled my glass, rum in its finest state - dark wood in colour and straight up. Ty had gone to the room he'd been in last time, leaving me in Conall's care with a warning to the Irishman to keep his hands to himself. They'd found some common ground in the last few hours, now it was more words than any real antagonism between the two. I took a sip and hummed in appreciation, a pure burn that heats and chases away a chill that settles. "I'm talking, just thinking for a while."
He got a little devilish smirk that stretched obscenely across his face, "If yer tinkin' about torturin' the lad, I've got a few ideas." A small tick in his facial muscles was slightly worrying, he lent forward and whispered conspiratorially, "I'm very good, wit' knives."
My eyes widened slightly and I nodded slowly at him in return, "that's a lovely offer, Conall. I'll be sure to keep it in mind."
He sat back with a satisfied sigh. I appreciated his suggestion, however I think I'd leave that to a last resort.
Lane had yet to enter the house, I was glad for the space and yet I couldn't help but wonder what he was doing, a twitching need from the animal that begged for his attention. I'd survived worse needs though, ones that gnawed at organs and twisted in deathly urgency. This, I could live with.
"Tell me, pirate. Where yer been all this time?"
I shrugged and raised a questioning eyebrow, "What do you mean?"
Conall took a long sip of some awful smelling whiskey, something highly combustible no doubt. "You're not pack and you've got no family but the boy. Seems odd is all, especially a female wolf, not many males be happy tae know yer been unprotected."
I snorted out a laugh, "You're living in the dark ages, Irish. No such thing any more. The last Alpha was too concerned with his own power to worry about a female, especially one like me. Besides we've moved around a lot in the last twenty years."
We sat in the kitchen, the large aga on high with something smelling strongly of herbs finishing off in the cast iron cooker and producing a serious amount of heat throughout the room in the process. Every so often, one of the females would walk through, grab something from the huge double fridge and leave again. A little smile on their faces for Conall and a sneer of distaste for me - it was getting rather annoying. I grumbled lowly when the latest in the string of them left with nothing more than bottled water.
Conall laughed loudly in the otherwise quiet house. "Looks like yer got some new friends."
I frowned at him, "Yeah, if wanting to see someone dead is friendship."
He peered at me curiously, "yer had run-ins wit' these females?"
I shrugged back at him, "I told you they already knew what we were, hard to hide when we grew up in Charlestown."
Conall frowned, "Yer grew up here?"
"Yes, my parents lived here. When they died, we stayed in the territory." I laughed a little bitterly, "we were kids, didn't have anywhere to go and for one incredibly stupid moment we actually thought the pack might take us in, we were idiots."
"Where did yer live."
I smiled at him, "in the woods, not far from here actually. We learned to hunt, stole what we couldn't get for free."
Conall cocked his head to the side, "you're an angry pirate."
I clinked my glass with his, "a very angry pirate."
I caught a
"Yer not talkin', pirate?"
I huffed a small laugh, seems as though that nickname was staying for good. Conall refilled my glass, rum in its finest state - dark wood in colour and straight up. Ty had gone to the room he'd been in last time, leaving me in Conall's care with a warning to the Irishman to keep his hands to himself. They'd found some common ground in the last few hours, now it was more words than any real antagonism between the two. I took a sip and hummed in appreciation, a pure burn that heats and chases away a chill that settles. "I'm talking, just thinking for a while."
He got a little devilish smirk that stretched obscenely across his face, "If yer tinkin' about torturin' the lad, I've got a few ideas." A small tick in his facial muscles was slightly worrying, he lent forward and whispered conspiratorially, "I'm very good, wit' knives."
My eyes widened slightly and I nodded slowly at him in return, "that's a lovely offer, Conall. I'll be sure to keep it in mind."
He sat back with a satisfied sigh. I appreciated his suggestion, however I think I'd leave that to a last resort.
Lane had yet to enter the house, I was glad for the space and yet I couldn't help but wonder what he was doing, a twitching need from the animal that begged for his attention. I'd survived worse needs though, ones that gnawed at organs and twisted in deathly urgency. This, I could live with.
"Tell me, pirate. Where yer been all this time?"
I shrugged and raised a questioning eyebrow, "What do you mean?"
Conall took a long sip of some awful smelling whiskey, something highly combustible no doubt. "You're not pack and you've got no family but the boy. Seems odd is all, especially a female wolf, not many males be happy tae know yer been unprotected."
I snorted out a laugh, "You're living in the dark ages, Irish. No such thing any more. The last Alpha was too concerned with his own power to worry about a female, especially one like me. Besides we've moved around a lot in the last twenty years."
We sat in the kitchen, the large aga on high with something smelling strongly of herbs finishing off in the cast iron cooker and producing a serious amount of heat throughout the room in the process. Every so often, one of the females would walk through, grab something from the huge double fridge and leave again. A little smile on their faces for Conall and a sneer of distaste for me - it was getting rather annoying. I grumbled lowly when the latest in the string of them left with nothing more than bottled water.
Conall laughed loudly in the otherwise quiet house. "Looks like yer got some new friends."
I frowned at him, "Yeah, if wanting to see someone dead is friendship."
He peered at me curiously, "yer had run-ins wit' these females?"
I shrugged back at him, "I told you they already knew what we were, hard to hide when we grew up in Charlestown."
Conall frowned, "Yer grew up here?"
"Yes, my parents lived here. When they died, we stayed in the territory." I laughed a little bitterly, "we were kids, didn't have anywhere to go and for one incredibly stupid moment we actually thought the pack might take us in, we were idiots."
"Where did yer live."
I smiled at him, "in the woods, not far from here actually. We learned to hunt, stole what we couldn't get for free."
Conall cocked his head to the side, "you're an angry pirate."
I clinked my glass with his, "a very angry pirate."
I caught a
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