A Wolf Among The Sheep

At the grimace on Tate's face at the sight of her, Clarissa forced herself to stay standing strong instead of allowing her shoulders to slump and eyes to lower in shame of evoking such an expression from her mate. She wondered if there were added factors to his reaction, because surely he couldn't be that annoyed with their conversation? But then again, this was Tate. She had learned if he did something, or felt something, he did it big. The attack on her village symbolised that.

Hands fell feebly into pockets as she walked closer to him, not wanting to allow them the opportunity to fidget uncomfortably in front of her once she was there. She didn't like this tension between them, that was for sure, but she couldn't act like the reality of their situation didn't hurt her. And now it simply felt like she was a bigger burden than ever. Anders had said that he had vocalised his opinion before on not wanting a mate. Perhaps he was beginning to wonder if he would have been better off not finding her.

Her eyes lingered on him as he sat by the fire, poking and prodding at the flames in the way he did when he wanted to avoid anything. But when he didn't look at her, as she had hoped he might do so he could get an inkling as to what he was feeling, Clarissa gave up and looked away. Only as far as the captured werewolves on the other side of the pit.

"Your wounds are still healin'... I don't think that's a good idea. Whatever good the paste has done overnight could be ruined an' you might just break the new skin." She answered quietly, still wanting to voice her opinion but not wanting to trigger any negative reaction that her disagreement may cause.

Exhaling softly, she took a step back, "But I see your mind's made up, so I ain't about to argue with you again." She hesitated, unsure as to what else to say. "I'll... I'll go catch up with Gio. See what I've missed from the last three days. Be-- be safe. You don't know where that other pack might be at this point."
 
The awkward, almost tense atmosphere was one Tate wanted to remove as soon as he could; repair what had clearly been disrupted between him and his mate. However, doing that, repairing what had come undone, wasn't that easy when it felt he was just being disagreed with once again. He couldn't hold it against Clarissa if she just wanted him to be safe, and thereby had a right to vocalise the concerns she had over her mate's safety, but after their conversation that morning, it was just another disagreement he didn't want - and couldn't necessarily deal with.

He withheld a biting response in recognition of the fact it probably wouldn't help remove the tense atmosphere but only serve to intensify it, so however disgruntled he was by the disagreement and feeling some desire to defend himself, he shrugged in response and set his eyes back on the flames.

Not once had he struggled to communicate with Clarissa. Even when they first met and their interactions were dominated by annoyance and mutual dislike, he still always found something to say to her - even if those words were far from pleasant, it was still something. The fact he genuinely couldn't find anything to say to her wasn't a healthy sign, his frown only growing the more he tried to find words to say and failed.

It would be a long couple of minutes before he peered back across at her, taking a sip from his water to give himself a few more seconds of thought.

"...I'm sure Gio's busy, you can catch up with him later on. He's probably with Sasha; you shouldn't interrupt them," he offered with the faintest of smiles, one he might have forced through the awkwardness of the atmosphere between them but it was worth it if it helped, even a little bit, to patch things up between them. Admittedly, he doubted things would be okay for a long time - not when the children in the camp would only remind Clarissa of what she might never have; of what Tate definitely didn't ever want.

"I'm sure I'll be fine, Clar. I'm not that badly hurt, an' I can't just let them go without me. I never miss the hunts; it's my duty to bring back food to the pack. I ain't gonna... miss out on that," he continued with another shrug, his eyes glancing across at the captive strangers. "If I leave you here in charge, do you reckon you can make sure those lot don't cause trouble? Gio comes on the hunts with me but he can stay behind with you if you want."
 
"Yes well... sometimes we gotta miss out on things we don't want to." The words had slipped out before Clarissa could even stop them, body immediately tensing and eyes moving away from Tate's. Not downwards in a submissive gesture, just away to the side. Rarely would she submit to him, and rarely did she have to. She wasn't about to start now.

Clearing her throat, her hands were pulled out of her pockets so she could fold her arms across her chest, a foot lightly scuffing at the dirt on the ground. "I'll be fine 'ere. Just don't take too many of the good fighters. I'm not worried about them lot, I'm worried about the ones that'll be comin' to get them back." She mumbled finally, still unable to look at him and so cast her eyes over the group that were tied up.

There was a familiar scent coming from their direction, one that continued to niggle and pull at a deeper part of her memory. However, Clarissa simply shook it off and ran fingers through her hair, clearly fidgeting and clearly uncomfortable with the atmosphere between her and her mate. An atmosphere that shouldn't have even been there to begin with. Yet it was there, and it wasn't easy to ignore. Especially with Tate's behaviour. She too had noticed his lack of response earlier, and that simply bit into her even more. There was so much more she wanted to say to him, especially off the back of her conversation with Anders. Such as the comment about how he knew what he didn't want, yet still indulged in the night he had with her.

Now it would be in the back of her mind until her next period, that panic and fear of being pregnant with a child Tate didn't even want. What would he do if that happened? Ignore her? Disown her as a mate? Go and enjoy someone else who didn't want children while she was left to raise the child alone?

Of course Clarissa knew the last option wasn't a possibility, since she hoped that Tate would do nothing like that. The first option was the most likely, and it made her shoulders hunch in tighter at the mere idea of it.

"I'm goin' check on the ones that were wounded from yesterday, then send the healers to them lot," she inclined her head toward the captured group, "To check on the bandages an' stuff." She lowered her hands to lightly scratch at the back of her head with the one while the other was shoved back into pocket.

"Like I said, just be safe. I'll see you later."
 
Tate wanted to move on, he really did. While he doubted that they could easily get over something that both of them had such strong, opposing feelings about, he wanted to at least try. The idea of spending the rest of his life with Clarissa where bitterness and resentment reigned between them was horrific - one of them was going to have to get through life not having their way regarding the topic of having children so it was either accept that one of them would have to be unhappy and move on, or let unhappiness drive a wedge between them.

Of course, he wasn't envisioning himself being that person; Clarissa was the one who would have to accept not having children and move on from that desire (as far as he was concerned) so he wanted nothing more than for her to come around to that realisation and try and move on so their relationship didn't suffer as a result.

Not that it helped when she made remarks that felt pointed and bitter, his eyes raising to glance over at her in annoyance. How could they move on if such remarks were made? He would understand them if they felt like they were borne from a place of acceptance, but they didn't; they felt bitter and resentful of her situation which wasn't going to improve it whatsoever.

He kept quiet to avoid another argument though he visibly tensed nonetheless, teeth gritting together and jaw tight as he returned to his mundane activity of poking at the fire, it at least helping him focus on something other than the urge to turn to Clarissa and snap at her, get out all his residual anger. She was the only person he could talk to about his emotions in such a way, so when he couldn't turn to her (he didn't want to upset her), he had to let it build up in his silence, however unhealthy such a strategy was.

"Of course I'll be safe," he muttered in response with a false smile, one that he didn't bother holding for more than a second. He glanced up at movement nearby from several pack members, disliking the quiet glances they gave back in return and the inevitable murmurings of confusion and worry that erupted between them. They had a right to be concerned if their alpha was acting in such a way when he ought to be happy and upbeat after such a success, but their concerns only served to anger him, a hang tightening into a fist at his side.

"Just keep an eye on things; don't disappear into the hut with Anders again. You gotta stay 'round the pack, make sure everything's runnin' smoothly," he eventually continued as he rose to his feet and nodded across at a few hunters lingering nearby, patiently awaiting the order to gather the other men and women up for the hunt. "Don't go fuckin' feeding them lot either; they aren't to have anything to eat until this evenin'. I ain't allowing 'em to have anything else - that's an order, Clar. I'll know if they've had food so don't-- don't defy me on this."
 
His reaction to her comment didn't go unnoticed by her, and Clarissa had to swallow back a heavy sigh as she realised that the whole topic wasn't going to go away quietly. She just didn't think he realised, or fully appreciated, how much this hurt her. Being a mother was the only certainty she had in life, and now that had been taken away from her too. If their views on children were so different, how were they going to get passed this stage in their lives? As Tate thought, she would be constantly reminded about what she couldn't have every time she had to help look after a child in the pack. And what if Sasha did get pregnant? While Clarissa would be undoubtedly happy for the couple, it would be a massive slap in the face.

She could sense that his anger was building up, and the last thing she wanted was for him to take it out on some poor, unsuspecting pack member. Or even yet Anders, who she knew Tate would also have a problem with because he still tended to Teddy. So a part of her really wished to step closer into his space and demand he just had it out with her. To get everything off his chest so he could feel better and not keep it bottled up like she knew he did.

It would be better for the pack, and that was what mattered to him. The needs and wants of the pack always came first, and she was beginning to wonder how big of an impact that had on his decision to not want kids. He would always be dedicated to the pack, before himself, before her... and at times it was noble of him. But then again... it was frustrating as hell, and Clarissa was soon realising that.

"Don't fuckin' order me, Tate." She retorted, bristling at the commanding tone and also at the comment about her disappearing with Anders. Her spine instantly straightened, shoulders pushing back instinctively at the prospect of a challenge, "You know that shit doesn't work. So don't fuckin' try it."

Glancing around to see the stares and whispers, she finally stepped closer to him, arms still folded and uncaring to the difference in their height.

"I'm going to give them some fuckin' food because if that were Anders, I'd be furious. They've got families somewhere, who are prayin' like we did that they are okay. And if they did this to Anders and the others, then we're goin'ta be the better pack an' treat them fairly." She glared up at him, jaw set stubbornly, "An' don't think for one minute that just cause you're my mate an' we fucked like bunnies last night that I'm goin' start bowin' down and kissin' your feet. I'm your mate, an' your equal. So don't you dare ever pull that 'it's an order' bullshit with me."

She took a step back, eyes still narrowed, "Go off on your hunt. I'll see to the rest of the pack."
 
It was true that Clarissa was perhaps the only one with the authority, according to pack dynamics, to challenge him. The only one who was afforded that right to confront the alpha without fear of consequence. Tate's siblings had often challenged him over the years if his behaviour became too much for them to handle or his plans had flaws within them, but even they knew that there was a limit to that challenge; that ultimately, Tate held authority over them and he could assert that natural dominance and expect them to fall in line.

Clarissa, as his mate at least had the right to challenge him and continue to do so even if he disliked it. Even if he attempted to assert some authority, she had the right to waive that aside and continue to confront him if that was what she believed was right - she was well within her rights to do so now, to step up to him and set her point across however forcefully it was.

But to say Tate disagreed with it was an understatement. He was the alpha and while he encouraged Clarissa to put him in his place, he also knew that he was the one who would always have the final say. Equal partners in the pack or not, he had dedicated his entire life to being the alpha; put every ounce of time and energy he had into doing them all proud. It was his birth right and he wasn't going to allow Clarissa to undermine him so openly in front of his people.

Perhaps he would have had it been something he wasn't so passionate about, or if he and his mate weren't going through a rough patch, but that wasn't the reality of their situation. His bitterness towards her and the fact he felt he was in the right and, with characteristic stubbornness, didn't wan to deviate from the plan he had set out meant that her challenge to him wasn't met with understanding or appreciation. It felt like an unneeded challenge to his authority, one that he really didn't appreciate being so public when all it did was increase the attention from his pack towards their troubles.

"...We are not equals when it comes to our roles in this pack, Clarissa. You have the right to challenge me but I am still your fuckin' alpha. I don't wanna assert that when it comes to you 'cos I respect and love 'ya, I want us to be equal in this, but I won't stand 'ere an' let you speak to me like this, contradict me when I'm giving a fuckin' demand. What I say goes 'round here - you have the right to make decisions, sure, but you ain't gonna snap at me and think you can go against me right now. Do not fucking test me, I ain't gonna have it," he grunted, keeping his voice low as he closed the space between them - though the body language also had other purposes. Other than to ensure he kept his voice low, it allowed him to physically dominate the space, to assert whatever dominance he could by using the height advantage he had over her.

It was perhaps reminiscent of the first time they met when he would leer over her and snarl threateningly. He didn't do so now, respecting her enough not to pull that type of move on her, but he did want to make sure his word was heard; that he had the final word and the love between them, the respect he showed their partnership, wasn't an exception to that.

"...If I learn that they've been given food, I'm not gonna be happy with 'ya. I'll leave it at that."
 
His body language hardly intimidated her during their first few days together, and it certainly wasn't about to intimidate her now. She knew him better than before, understood him better than she did then. This aggressive attempt to dominate the space between them and therefore her, that didn't go down too well with Clarissa.

She kept her head tilted upwards to meet his gaze, not willing to back down, not after everything they had already been through that morning. She knew she was already going to have to give in to his wants of not having children, so conceding on anything else now felt like a failure and a further shove down on her soul. Perhaps a bit dramatic, but after having something she wanted taken away from her, Clarissa wasn't ready to back down so easily again.

"You think you can put your alpha role first with me, you can fuckin' forget it. Maybe I'm still learnin' this shit, Tate, but as far as I'm concerned, you're my mate first and my alpha second. So that means the only time you can dominate me is in the fuckin' bedroom."

Clarissa was aware of a few shocked reactions to the crude words she spoke, but at this point she didn't care. She knew how embarrassed he got when he thought other pack members knew they had been getting frisky, and she was beginning not to care. If it was one thing she had learned, was that that sort of stuff happened with mates and it wasn't something to be mortified about.

"I won't need to fuckin' contradict ya when you give a demand, so long as you stop commandin' me like I'm beneath you. I'm already givin' up somethin' for you, maybe you should start seein' me as your equal. I'll do somethin' for you so long as you do somethin' for me. Ain't that what a partnership is?" Her hands had formed fists under her folded arms, body beginning to tremble slightly from her pent up anger, "You already ain't happy with me, what fuckin' difference does it make?"
 
The retaliation was something that he had come to expect so it wasn't necessarily surprising to see her shirk his efforts to put her in place by challenging him even more. He had expected it but it wasn't welcome, his eyes briefly taking in the pack members not in their huts almost frozen in place to observe the public argument between their alphas. To be undermined to publicly was humiliating, especially to an alpha that had constantly prided himself on his professionalism around his pack. He had devoted everything to them and built up a reputation based on that, so to be openly challenged in the manner he was felt like that reputation was at threat.

Perhaps that was dramatic - though it certainly wasn't when his mate blurted out references to their private life, something he had constantly informed her that he wasn't comfortable sharing with anyone besides her. He had always shut off from entering discussions about intimacy and romance, resisting sharing any details with his brothers when they all hit their teens and started to notice girls - they would laugh amongst one another or gossip about the girls in the pack they had their eye on, but the eldest brother would keep quiet.

To him, it was a private thing; something to only be shared between him and his mate. He wasn't a prude who didn't enjoy the romantic interactions but he didn't want that to be exposed and gossiped about - as harmless as it was, he wanted what he had with Clarissa to be special and part of making it so special was to keep others from gaining any knowledge about their private life together.

Her blatantly exposing the fact they had been together and being so uncaring about it did stop his attempts at authoritatively undercutting her. His harsh frown faded and was replaced immediately by a mild panic and, beyond that, a disbelief that she would say one thing she knew he didn't want told to the pack. It embarrassed him but it also hurt, his eyes taking in a few smirks from the pack members stood around whose concern easily drifted into amusement at Clarissa's remarks. To onlookers, it was amusing to know their alpha had been intimate in such a way, gaining a new opinion of him that they really shouldn't ever had had.

He drew in a breath quietly, his eyes falling to the ground under his feet to avoid both Clarissa and the few smiles that remained in place on other members' faces. He didn't want to react with anger, not when it wasn't the strongest emotion running through him at the moment, so he took a moment to calm down and push that (and the more prominent hurt) aside.

"You happy now? Got everything off your chest? I... I wouldn't fuckin' embarrass you like this, Clar. I hope my fuckin' public mortification makes you happy," he retorted after a moment or two of just breathing in and out, a coping mechanism his mother had once taught him for when he felt like he was about to say or do something he might regret. It managed to hold him back from saying anything about the yearning she had for a child, knowing that mentioning anything about how she would never get that chance would be cruel - and however angry he was, he wasn't about to hurt the person he loved.

Daisy had, like mostly everyone else, been watching the interaction from the side, unsure who to really support when it seemed cruel words had been uttered by both parties. With Tate heading off on his hunt, however, she only had Clarissa to head to and support, and she wasted little time in making her way across to the other with a quiet smile, waiting for Tate to disappear with the hunters into the foliage before daring to speak.

"...How-- are you; are you okay? That was-- I-- god, here, take a seat, have some water to cool down, Clar. 'Ya need to take a breath."
 
The moment she saw the hurt glimmer in Tate's eyes was the moment Clarissa knew she had stepped over the line. Her anger had gotten the best of her, and she had wounded her mate as a result of it. His lack of fight after that, the avoidance of her gaze was just the start of her guilt, his words only confirming and cementing in place what she had just done. It was too late to rectify and much too late to take back her words. But in the heat of the moment they had slipped out, and now she couldn't do anything but watch as he struggled to compose himself.

She had simply allowed her rage and her own hurt to get the better of her. The hurt that she was having to give up more than him, having to ignore the one thing she wanted in life, all to make him happy. Just to be told that they weren't equals. To be commanded and ordered around as though she was just another member of the pack and not his mate.

Clarissa had known about his preference for a quiet, secretive private life and yet ignored it by flinging the words she had done at him. While it didn't bother her as much, she knew it was something he preferred to keep to just them and yet she had abused that knowledge.

Her mouth had opened to apologise meekly, knowing that her own words wouldn't make anything right now. He would need time to cool off and she would too, while at this point she had no idea who was more in the wrong. Since the pack didn't even know what was going on in their private lives, their argument and her words, she believed, would undoubtedly have them siding with Tate. She didn't want or need any looks of displeasure or whispers about what had been said.

However, despite her hands dropping from where they had been folded across her chest and the apology on the tip of her tongue, Tate had left for the hunt before she could even begin attempting to make amends.

So she watched him leave, shoulders hunching in tighter and hands being shoved into pockets as her eyes lingered on the retreating figure of her mate.

Daisy's approach made her feel even worse, and she quickly shook her head to whatever the girl offered, even if she couldn't even really hear what she had said. "I'm-- I'm fine. I-- I can't-- I need to check on things. Now ain't the time to be sitting down." She responded, ignoring the soft whines of her wolf in her mind. It was horrendous, knowing that Tate had gone off with things the way they were between them. She hated it.

"Please-- please don't. I-- don't deserve any of that. I just-- fuck. I just need to get to-- to work, alrigh' Dase? I'm sorry I just-- I can't-- I can't right now."
 
Daisy knew that the other probably needed space to cool off and a resumption of her duties to distract her from focusing too much on what had just occurred between her and her mate, but she couldn't just stand off to the side and let that happen without first approaching to see if there was anything she could do to help. She would have just felt guilty if she let Clarissa go about her day without checking in on her - even if her presence wasn't needed, the fact she had offered would have been enough to satisfy her; to reassure herself that she had done the right thing.

As eager as she was to sit Clarissa down and have her relax a little before she went on with the responsibilities she, as the one left in charge, had to undertake, she knew better than to try and force her friend to do or say anything she wasn't in the right mind to do. Daisy had the mindset of throwing herself into a hobby or a duty when she was hurting, to distract herself from the pain - and she imagined Clarissa was probably the same way.

As the one left in charge too, she had no option but to get on with her jobs without sparing even a few minutes to collect herself - and as uncomfortable as it made Daisy feel to see her friend in such distress without being able to help her through it, she nodded quietly in reluctant understanding of the position she was in.

"I think-- I know Tate said not to feed them but they do need to have their bandages changed; some of them have pretty nasty injuries. I need to apply more paste, make sure everything's healin' properly," she began as she switched focus to the duty she had; one she assumed Clarissa might want to help with. Even though she was only in her teens, Daisy was the resident healer in the pack - at least one in training. She had the knowledge to help the captured werewolves with the injuries they had sustained and while Tate hadn't told her to help them that morning, he had last night - and she assumed her oldest brother wasn't so cruel to leave them in pain. He could leave them hungry until that evening, but she was almost certain he would have directed her to help them had he stayed long enough in the camp to do so.

"I'd appreciate the help, Clar. I normally get Sasha to help me out but she's restin', an' I ain't gonna wake her. Same with Anders. He's got a passion for helpin' me out with this stuff but he's resting up with the baby so-- you're real good, anyway. I've seen the way you've patched Tate up, so I know you can lend me a hand," she encouraged as she glanced over at the captured wolves with a faint frown in sympathy at their predicaments, the sight of their bruises and cuts stirring her need to help them - enemy or not, they were in pain and she wanted nothing more than to numb that for them.
 
Her eyes remained on the spot where Tate had disappeared, trying hard to block out the whines and whimpers that sounded from the wolf within her. She had fucked up, seriously, and she couldn't ignore that. But in the moment, her hurt and anger at his behaviour after their conversation that morning had fuelled her to say what she did. It was no excuse, Clarissa knew that, and she felt disgusted with herself for allowing her emotions to get the better of her.

There was no need to make such a comment, but she knew she had wanted to shock him. She knew that talking about their intimate details embarrassed him, and saying such a thing out loud would only lead to public humiliation for him. Yet still she had done it. She knew he cared about his image and his reputation within his pack, and still she had continued to challenge him. It was difficult, in her eyes, as only that moment of their moment would have been witnessed by others. No one else knew what had happened prior and the news she had received; what she had been told she would never have.

Again, not an excuse. But that morning was the most hurt she had ever felt since being dragged into the pack a month ago. And he didn't even seem to care.

Eventually she turned her eyes downward and bowed her head, swallowing back the pain that came from the memory of his expression after she spoke her harsh, crude words. Perhaps they were as bad as each other, but at least Tate would never say such brutal words. He wouldn't go out of his way to see her mortified. At least he wouldn't do so willingly.

Clarissa pulled herself out of her thoughts, inwardly beating herself back into focus so she didn't drown in the overwhelming guilt she was feeling.

"Sure... sure... I-- I was goin' to see them at some point today anyways. I don't like the idea of their... bandages going bad." She mumbled, lifting her head back up but it was no secret she was avoiding the gazes that were turned in her direction, since she was the one left behind after the rather obvious fight between her and her mate. "We need to make sure there are some others checking on our own wounded. It won't look good to anyone if we're lookin' like we're tendin' to them first before our own."

She glanced at the younger girl, wrangling her mind into work rather than personal problems, "Best get going. There's a fair few of them, after all, and if we need to make more paste we're goin' have to do it as we're goin' along."
 
"I made plenty of paste when they all went to find Anders an' the others; I sorta figured there'd be a lot of injuries to deal with so I prepared a lot in advance but-- but I also got plenty of the herbs in case we gotta crush 'em to make some more. We can focus on the strangers; they're in a worse state than our lot, but Katie can handle our members. She taught me everything I know so... she'll be alright by herself. I, however, need the help; I don't think I can manage 'em by myself."

She smiled quietly as she collected the basket of supplies she had the foresight of bringing out of her hut earlier that morning, her mind having been set on offering aid to the wounded from the moment she woke up - even if the wounded were primarily the people she was told were the enemy. Obviously Tate wasn't wishing them to die or he wouldn't have fed them last night, nor planned to do so that evening too, but he maintained that they were enemies of their people nonetheless.

But it was rather hard for Daisy to see them as the malevolent enemy when the strangers tied up looked frightened and pained as anyone would in their position. They seemed receptive to the kindness offered to them last night and though she wasn't going to admit it, smiles had been shared between her and one or two of the less stubborn werewolves she had helped. She didn't want to go against Tate's authority but it was crystal clear to her that they were just people too; pack members following the word of their alphas.

They didn't necessarily deserve to be welcomed with open arms but they at least deserved to be treated with a modicum of respect, at the very least.

"...I know you don't wanna talk about Tate, I don't want to have a conversation 'bout him, but-- lemme just say that he loves you and he won't... hold what you said against 'im, Clar. He'll get over it," she murmured quickly. Her heart was undoubtedly in the right place but she had no knowledge of the preexisting animosity that reverberated between the two mates, stemming from a fundamental disagreement that would leave one of them unhappy for, possibly, the rest of their lives.

Though even if she was aware of that, Daisy hardly had the words to resolve that situation and unless one of them had a huge change of heart, nobody did.

"Anyway, you'll stick up for me, right? If one of 'em snaps at me or somethin'? I know you will, obviously; I just don't want to put pressure on 'ya but-- I dunno. Tate's been saying they're the enemy so it's hard not to feel nervous. These are the people that took Anders, and-- and as soft as he is, he's pretty big an' tough. I-- I'm just babbling; ignore me. I'm not scared, they're nice people, all things considered," she weakly laughed as she made her way towards the group at the corner of the camp, taking in a deep breath as subtly as she could as she offered them a smile in the hopes that, and the obvious basket of medicinal herbs and pasts in her hand, would prevent an angry outburst towards her.
 
"Always one step ahead." Clarissa forced herself to smile, glancing towards Daisy again after finding herself looking back in the direction that Tate went in. Her mind would be in two places at once now, and after what happened, she was scared he might go too hard in the hunt and end up hurting himself even more. Either to push himself to the limits to prove himself like he felt he ought to, or simply to release the emotions she knew were undoubtedly bottled within him.

The young werewolf moved to help Daisy with what she had brought out, taking a few things out of the basket in order to make things lighter on the other girl. She wasn't prepared to let the girl carry everything alone, she needed to pull her weight and tire herself out with the work of the day. Maybe that would help her sleep tonight. She was already considering skulking off to the family hut, just as she had done when she first arrived, to leave Tate to have their hut to himself. She doubted he'd want to see her after their exchange of words that morning, and she would hardly blame him.

At Daisy's hesitant words regarding Tate, her shoulders tightened and her movements became rigid as they walked. She knew that Daisy was only attempting to reassure her, but it was so much harder to take it when Tate's sister didn't even know the truth of the situation.

She wondered what the reaction would be if she did know what had happened that morning. That their fight had stemmed from the harsh reality Clarissa had woken up to that she wouldn't get the chance to be a mother. Perhaps she would be shown sympathy, and that was the last thing she wanted. She didn't want people from the pack looking at her with that emotion in their eye, it would drive her insane. Then she also didn't want anyone becoming publicly involved with their issues either. It annoyed her most of all that this was all happening during a time where they needed to be at their strongest. Having the alpha of an enemy pack tied up not far from where they were fighting, able to see and hear all that had happened, wasn't ideal.

However, instead of responding to Daisy, Clarissa simply pushed forward with another smile, despite it being small and not reaching her eyes, "Not for a few hours though. Perhaps even a day. I hurt him, Daisy... I-- I just gotta live with that now."

Allowing that comment to be the last for a moment, she allowed her gaze to sweep over the group of unknown, injured werewolves before them as they approached. Her ears tuned in to Daisy's words, although her attention was briefly caught by that same familiar scent from earlier. Though Clarissa didn't allow herself to linger on it for long, turning her head to study Daisy.

"Of course, and don't ever apologies for being nervous. Especially when you have a right to be," she assured her gently, keeping her voice lowered for Daisy's ears only, "They ain't about to snap at you, Dase, don't worry. You're goin' be helpin' them, they'd be stupid to snap at ya and if they do, you got me right beside ya to snap back. Promise."
 
The reassurances from Clarissa did ease her nerves somewhat, but it was difficult to force them back entirely when she was up close with the captured werewolves. She was almost entirely certain that each and every one of them were appreciative of the efforts to tend to their wounds and make their miserable time just a little less miserable - but it was difficult to not be fearful when these were the people that had taken loved ones from the pack.

She had seen the devastation their actions had caused to family members - mothers who didn't know if their sons or daughters would be brought home, or the children themselves, some incredibly young, wondering daily if their parent was going to return. She had lived through that anxiety when Anders had gone missing, perpetually living through a daily fear that news would arrive that her brother was found dead in the woods somewhere - and there was nobody to blame for that other than these werewolves.

If they could take Anders, then they could do her harm if she gave them half a chance. As innocent as Anders tended to be, his naivety and softer personality didn't mean he wasn't a capable werewolf who could defend himself. He was strong, muscular and tall - he was second only to Gio in the pack, in fact, having grown past Tate in his early teens. If someone could take down Anders when her brother was perfectly able to defend himself, more capable than she was, then she knew she wouldn't stand a chance against an abrupt attack.

And allowing that fear to place its roots in her caused her hands to shake as she reached for a jar of the trusty paste she had concocted together, doing her best to smile as she knelt down before one of the more injured werewolves; Ronan. His injuries, while not life-threatening, were more serious than the ones his fellow pack members had sustained - perhaps because he had been in a battle against Gio, who would almost always come out on top in any one-on-one situation.

Gently easing the ropes up a little, she winced as she carefully removed the bandage covering one of the worst injuries and set it aside, cleaning the dried blood away as tenderly and with as light a touch as she could manage before scooping up some paste and lathering it across the wound with faint murmurs in apology for the stinging that would be caused before the numbing agent did its job.

"Are you hurting anywhere else? I can-- brew some herbal tea, that might help with any general aches and pains," she spoke carefully, her eyes drifting from Ronan to the others to extend the offer to them. "...Clar, you can brew some tea, right? It... It might be beneficial. Tate can't get mad at us for that; it's not food. We're not feeding them; they do have to have fluids."
 
Glancing up from where she had been attending to another injured werewolf, the young woman nodded, "I'll get someone else to brew it and hand it out, we've got our hands full." She commented, pushing herself up onto her feet to find one of those whose role it was to provide water and food for the pack.

Ronan, meanwhile, watched the female alpha go, having both witnessed her entering - and then leaving - the hut with his mate, and then having an argument with her own. It hadn't looked pretty, the fight, that was. But that wasn't entirely why Ronan had kept his attention on her, even if only for a short while. It was more due to the fact that his mate's scent lingered on her skin. That and of the baby girl who he knew Anders was taking very good care of. It took a lot of his self control to not smile quietly in fondness of his mate. But he was at least distracted by that with the pain the changing of bandages and cleaning up of his wounds caused.

He hissed sharply, leg jerking as bandage was peeled away. Though he didn't snarl or snap at the young girl who was tending to him. She too had his mate's scent on her skin, and he had to wonder if it was a family member of some kind. If that was the case, Ronan had to be on his best behaviour.

"My... shoulder. Had a big chunk ripped out of it." He mumbled, not overly keen to be confessing to another large injury but knowing when to accept help when it was there. He would need to heal quickly, not just for himself but for Anders too. He knew his mate would be worried sick, because he would be too if their roles were reversed.

He kept his eyes lowered onto the wound on his leg which was now slathered in some of the paste the healers last night had used too, the smell of it stinging his nose slightly, causing it to wrinkle.

Ronan turned his head to wipe his face into his shoulder, brushing his nose against it in an attempt to rid the itching the paste caused. "It's... kind of you... to do this for us." He then added, shifting where he sat. It wasn't easy to stay comfortable when there were only a few positions in which one could sit, especially with an injured leg. "I can only imagine a lot of you don't think we deserve it..."
 
It wasn't helpful for her nerves to be assisting one of the tougher-looking werewolves currently tied up and branded an enemy by her own people - but he was the one that was the most hurt and she wasn't going to allow her intimidation to get in the way of helping someone who needed the aid. She knew not to allow Tate's labelling of these people as the enemy to affect her too much when they were people too; sons and daughters; mothers and fathers, each enjoying a life in their own pack not too dissimilar from the one Daisy enjoyed with hers.

But every time she tried to brush aside Tate's warnings, she couldn't help but remember the pain and anxiety she felt at Anders' disappearance; the fear fuelling her everytime she woke up in the morning to see his bed empty. Sometimes it wasn't but that was because she had chosen to sleep in it, to take in her older brother's scent and fall asleep deluding herself into believing he was beside her. These people were responsible for that so while she tried not to see them as these malevolent beings intent on utter devastation, she wasn't going to let her shields down too much.

She cared too much about Anders to let herself grow close to any of the people that had put him through hell, unaware that the man she was currently tending to probably cared about Anders as much as she did.

She eyed Ronan's shoulder at his words, a grimace spreading as she contemplated removing the ropes in order to gain access to that injury - there was no way she could tend to it without removing his shirt, and doing that while he was tied up would have required a great deal of movement and shuffling; not entirely ideal when he was injured and needing to sit still.

"Don't-- Don't think about shifting o-or... or attacking me; I want to help you, so just sit still and-- and let me do that, don't take advantage of my k-kindness because-- because my brothers went on the hunt but-- one of them stayed behind; my big brother is right over there in that hut and he'll take you down if you hurt me. So will my sister, she's the alpha s-so-- so don't try anything," she warned as sternly as she could manage, taking in one deep inhalation for bravery before starting to nimbly work on the ropes, tugging them apart with a quiet huff at how tightly they were bound.

Once loosened, she set them aside and gently eased Ronan out of the t-shirt giving to him the previous night, each of the other pack members charitably offered clothes for their decency and warmth. The sight of his bloodied shoulder caused Daisy to visibly grimace, though she couldn't let the injury dissuade her from action, dutifully cleaning the wound as gently as she could manage.

She paused only slightly at the proceeding attempt at a conversation from Ronan, having assumed that no more words would be exchanged. Not expecting it, she took her time to contemplate his words before daring to answer, a smile (one that was relaxed and not forced) pulling at her lips.

"II'd like to think that you all helped my brother in the same way; that he was tended to for his injuries and given food and water when he needed it. For my other pack members too - though even if you didn't, I can't sit back here and allow you to... all be in pain. No matter what you did to my brother and the others, that don't sit right with me," she shrugged as she reached back for her paste and a square-piece of bandage to stick down across the wound and protect it from infection.

"...I ain't gonna agree with you taking members of my pack; my brother wouldn't hurt a fly, he didn't d-deserve to be taken, but-- it won't stop my treating you, making sure you're all okay. Ain't no reason to continue the ill-feeling between our packs, right? Not when we could be building bridges an'... working out how to co-exist peacefully. Maybe I'm just a fuckin' naive optimist though."
 
Ronan couldn't help but smile weakly at Daisy's attempts to threaten him into behaving. His eyes moved to the hut in question, realising with raised eyebrows that she was referring to Anders. He had noticed the lingering scent, and should have really put two and two together quicker than he had done, but despite the young girl not knowing the truth, it filled him with a sense of relief to know it was his mate's sister tending to him. Although it did also amuse him that she had used Anders as a means of getting him to behave. While he had no doubt his mate would put him in his place in certain circumstances, he knew how much of a softie Anders could be.

"I'm hardly in any position to be taking anyone on at the moment." He answered, but his voice was gentle, holding his bound hands up and out toward Daisy so the girl could remove the ties for the time being.

He winced, biting hard on the inside of his cheek as a part of the shirt was peeled away from his shoulder. Her brother had definitely gotten him good, and Ronan had to acknowledge it as a fellow fighter and werewolf how good the bite had been. It was a textbook take out, and definitely had immobilised him quickly. He had been unable to put pressure on the arm - or leg - when he was in wolf form, and incapable of using it in his human form. However, thankfully with their rapid healing abilities and the paste... it didn't seem like it would take much longer to be back to full strength. Maybe another two days or so.

He was grateful the young girl continued talking while she worked on the wound, knowing he wouldn't be able to distract himself from the pain if she hadn't. He may be a fighter, but that didn't mean he did well with the pain it sometimes brought.

"We weren't monsters... we didn't just-- y'know, like-- leave them there to sit and fester." He mumbled, however he was slightly embarrassed at the view she seemed to have of them. Perhaps things would have been different if Anders hadn't been his mate. He definitely wouldn't have paid him the extra attention he did, that was for sure. But they were mates, and that was that. "We didn't-- fuckin' torture them or nothin'. If anythin' our-- our alphas-- we just wanted them to join the pack."

Their pack had lost a large number of wolves in an attack a long time ago, and were still trying to recover. Recruiting strays, outcasts and those who wanted a new life were a big part of their regrowth. Them coming back to the area was just their attempts at reclaiming a life they used to have, not far from where Tate's pack were set up. So seeing them already in the territory they used to know was a bit of a slap to the face. Not that Ronan knew much about that time. He'd just been born.

"You're very wise, little she-bear." Ronan murmured eventually, wincing and shoulder jerking as she accidentally pressed on a sore spot of the wound, "Sorry-- sorry. Just-- careful there. That hurt." He exhaled, shaking his head before continuing, "Ya never know... perhaps our alphas... maybe they could come to some kind of agreement."
 
"...If the aim was to get them to become part of your pack, could I be so bold as to claim that kidnapping 'em and scaring the hell outta 'em might not 'ave been the best way to achieve that. Not that I'm doubting your methods but... well, I sort of am. It ain't the best way to recruit new members," smiled Daisy in response, her fear and nervous gradually easing upon realising that not only was Ronan following her commands in staying still and not launching into some frenzied attack at her, but was... sort of nice?

She didn't doubt that these people were friendly and inherently decent folk, but she had held a fear that their anger at their situations would prevent such characteristics from rising to the surface; that they would stubbornly cling to anger rather than show anything that could be construed as a weakness and render them vulnerable.

Sharing a conversation void of animosity with someone that had intimidated her before she got talking to him was a huge relief, but also gave her the hope that something could be worked out. Tate could see that these people weren't the monsters he thought they were, that they had reasons behind their madness that wasn't evil or torturous. There could be a future where both packs coexisted alongside one another, peacefully and respectfully.

But then she remembered just who Tate was and how stubborn he could be.

She apologised quietly under her breath at provoking the pain in him, cleansing the wound with a lighter touch and doing her best not to aggravate any further discomfort. Only when it had been properly cleaned did she apply the paste and carefully set the bandage in place across it, sticking it down with the aid of a honey-based adhesive that would come clean off with water, when the time came to replace it.

"...I dunno about your alpha but my brother is-- he wouldn't be easily convinced. You kidnapped our brother; you took 'im from us. He's real protective when it comes to him. He... He massacred an entire village of humans just because one of 'em stabbed Anders with a pitchfork when he was younger, y'know? He didn't just kill that guy; he had our pack attack the village. He ain't gonna just... forget what you put Anders through-- he's stubborn," she murmured with a brief frown, realising that discussing her alpha so openly with someone he regarded as the enemy wasn't the wisest choice in the world if any of her pack passed by and overheard her.

"I-- I don't want to talk about that though, my brother knows what he's doin'. He's stubborn but he's real smart an'-- an' a good alpha," she defended quickly to counter any of her remarks that could be construed as negative towards Tate. Even if they were, she needed to cover herself and defend him and his actions. With a nervous shrug, she began working on his ropes once more as her eyes lowered to the ground in refusal to make eye contact now her anxieties had kicked back in. "Clar's bringing the tea-- you're all patched up so.. so try and rest if you can, after the tea. I need to tend to the others."
 
"Hey, it weren't me that made the decision. You ought to talk to our alphas about their ways of recruiting." Ronan shrugged, inclining his head toward where the female alpha currently sat awaiting attention. Although it looked like Daisy's alpha was close on reaching her, having returned and just finished with the wolf beside her. "I think they were just kinda going for the... angle that you'd'all get scared and leave. I don't know. Whoever knows what goes on inside an alpha's head?"

Exhaling softly with relief once the girl had finished attending to his shoulder, Ronan looked down to inspect it briefly. Considering how young she looked, she did a good job. Not that he thought they'd use untrained healers to mend them, but who knew? Perhaps they were the guinea pigs for those that were still learning?

His brow then furrowed at the words that came next, glancing back to Daisy with a tilted head. It wasn't a story that Anders had told him during the time they had been together at Ronan's pack, but then again, they didn't really discuss much about the deeper backstory of each other's lives. Their time was so short and limited, it was just enough to cover the bases of the surface.

"So we really fucked up when it came to choosing people, ey? Your brother, and it seems like your sister too if the wounds on her neck have anything to say about it. And the fact you guys found us." He drawled, a hand raising to rub at his eyes.

He was slightly disappointed when Daisy said she had to move on, having hoped to become more comfortable with his mate's sister but he knew she had a job to do... and also didn't know who he was. Offering a small smile of understanding, he raised his wrists, head once more nodding toward the rope, "Better not forget those then. S'alright, I can drink the tea with them on. It'll be fine, promise."

Clarissa approached just at the end of the conversation, having finished with the wolf she briefly tended to in order to provide tea and then bring the last cup to the wolf Daisy was tending to. Her eyebrow raised at the sight of unbound hands, glancing across to Daisy, "Better do them quick before Tate gets back. He won't be pleased." She commented, crouching down to place the mug in front of the werewolf who nodded his thanks.

"I'll tend to the alpha, you check on one of the others. I ain't having you go through whatever bullshit she has to say." Clarissa then told Daisy firmly, eyes lifting to watch some of the other pack members move around to put down mugs of herbal tea near the injured enemy wolves. "Get him tied back up, the quicker we get this done the quicker we can move on."
 
"But he-- he can't really drink his tea properly--" Daisy weakly attempted to defend her decision not to tie the wrists up, more than happy to allow Ronan that freedom to drink his tea without struggle or difficulty. He had already proven that some desperate attempt at escaping to freedom within the woods wasn't a plan of action he was intending to make in that moment, so allowing him to drink his tea was the least she felt she could offer him in gratitude for his politeness and refusal to make things difficult for her as she tended to his wounds.

But she couldn't ignore an order from Clarissa, turning to tie up Ronan's wrists before carefully placing the cup into his hands with a meek smile in apology for the difficulty he was now presented with; one she felt was wholly unnecessary when a) he was hardly going to go anywhere, and b) even if he did try to tug off the remainder of his ropes, he would be tackled and brought down by pack members before he could even leave the camp's boundaries.

But if Tate would really react so badly to seeing that she had made the lives of one of the captured werewolves just a little easier, she had no choice but to oblige with Clarissa's request and tie his wrists back together and move on down to aid another of the captives, wisely avoiding even glancing at the alpha. The idea of tending to her wounds had struck a fear in Daisy that couldn't have been removed - the alpha might be bound by ropes and appearing just as behaved as her pack members amongst her, but she still exuded the energy of an alpha. Tate had been the one to take her down and Daisy had already revealed herself as his little sister - she couldn't imagine she would be met favourably by the alpha, even if she was offering help and promising to tend their wounds dutifully and gently.

She left the duty of helping the alpha to Clarissa, not envious of the task she had on her hands when briefly noticing the stern look in the alpha's eyes in response to Clarissa's remark. The idea that she would give a teenage girl 'bullshit' was ludicrous in and of itself, let alone when that girl in question was offering her and her people a kindness that she hadn't expected from the pack. The alpha, Meredith, appreciated the kindness greatly: she might be remaining stern and in control but that didn't mean she would show Daisy anything other than a quiet appreciation if the girl came to tend to the large bite mark across her stomach and right-side, courtesy of Tate.

Apparently, Clarissa feared that she would put the poor girl through a tirade of unsettling remarks and sent her to tend to someone else, allowing Meredith to settle her gaze on this pack's alpha for, perhaps, the first time. She had seen her from afar, witnessed the argument between the alphas in thinly-veiled amusement at such a public airing of their private issues, but she hadn't had the opportunity as of yet to really take Clarissa in and see what this other alpha was made of.

It was only when she started to analyse the girl that she picked up on her scent; a scent that stirred familiarly within her, causing the alpha, who was so determined to remain stoic, to let her mouth drop in disbelief. She would recognise her daughter's scent anywhere. It was the scent she had gotten to know deeply and lovingly during the four short years she had got to spend with her. A scent that she had clung to on days when the grief hit her at the disappearance, holding her daughter's treasured blanket to her chest and reminding herself that though years had passed, there had to be some hope to cling to; that maybe she would pick up on the scent within the woods if she was lucky and find her daughter, however unlikely she had been told such a thing was.

When others in her pack lost hope, she had always been determined to keep it alive. Her partner had held that hope for so long but had let it die eventually so he could slowly start to mentally recover from their daughter's disappearance all those years ago, but Meredith couldn't allow herself to move on from her only child's absence. A mother would know if their child had died and she had never once felt that overwhelming sense of loss; rather, she always felt Luana was out there in the world, the day when they would be reunited growing closer.

And that day, however unlikely she had been told it was, seemed to have finally arrived. There was no question that this was her daughter; her Luana. The scent was unmistakable. The bright blue eyes she had passed down to her being ones she had seen sparkle excitedly when she would take her into the river for a paddle. The locks of auburn hair the women shared having been brushed back gently by Meredith as she sung her daughter to sleep in their hut, tucking her into bed and watching over her protectively as she drifted to sleep.

That little girl she remembered was a woman now, one with a mate and a pack of her own, but it was still her baby and once she had come to that instantaneous realisation that her own flesh and blood was stood before her, Meredith's eyes shone with tears and her hands, though tied, shakily attempted to reach up for the other with the desperation expected of a mother reunited with her long lost daughter.

"L-Luana, it's-- it's y-you, my baby, I-- i-it's really you," she choked, unashamed and unembarrassed by the outpouring of emotion her pack members had rarely witnessed her expression. Her grief had clawed at her for years but she cried within the comfort of her hut, in her mate's arms; not in front of the people she had to be strong for. Now was hardly the moment to care about their view of her, the tears coming thick and fast as the woman's desperation to hold and hug her daughter became unbearable.

"I-- u-untie me, please, I-- I have to-- to hold you; I knew I-I'd find you, I knew it, I just-- a mother always knows her child and I knew. I knew we'd find one a-another again, my darling. Please-- please untie me, I-- I-I haven't held y-you in-- in so long, I... I've missed you s-so, so much, sweetheart."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back