A Wolf Among The Sheep

Allowing their walk to slow to a stop just before the hut of Sasha and Gio, Ronan carefully peeled his arm back from his mate's shoulders so he could turn to look at him head on. He softened immediately at the sight of the worry and guilt that marred his mate's expression, gaze flickering over him as he listened to his anxieties. Ronan stepped forward and took Anders' face within his hands once again, tilting his mate's head slightly to ensure he continued to look at him.

"If there's one thin' I've learned about Tate an' Lu, Anders, is that they compliment each other. Where Tate gets angry, Lu stays calmer. Not to mention, after everythin' that's happened recently... I think we've all-- well, the majority of us have learned that people do things for a reason. She kept Tala away to keep her safe... I think she'll recognise that's what you've been doin' with this girl." Ronan kept his voice firm but gentle, wanting to reassure his mate but drive his point home.

To Ronan, it felt like things were so obvious these days when it came to mates. Now that he and Anders were together, it was like he noticed all the little mate things, within his relationship and within others too. One big thing that stood out to him the most was how each pair complimented each other, like he said about Tate and Luana. If one was fiery-tempered, the other tended to be a little more rational. If one was shier, the other was louder for the both of them.

"I think she'll be fine. Besides, I think with how worried she was about ya, like the rest of us, I think she'll just be relieved that you ain't goin' nowhere. I think that was her biggest concern-- losin' her best friend." Ronan then confessed, taking his hands from Anders' face to reach one down to hold one of his.

He smiled fondly, giving his mate's hand a squeeze, "Now, stop worryin' about all that-- just imagine how excited Teddy's goin'ta be now, knowin' she don't need to keep 'er secret no more." He pointed out, chuckling at the prospect of the toddler's excitement.

He too was keen to have his relationship with his daughter out in the open. He was excited at the idea of being able to play with her like any normal parent in front of other people and not have to hide his love for his family. Ronan was not naive, however, and knew from the looks given to them by members of the pack that the road to acceptance may be a long one... but knowing that he now had Anders - and his family (hopefully still after that fight with Tate) - firmly by his side.... it felt as though anything was possible.
 
Though he remained slightly wary that he would receive backlash from his friend for his secrecy (especially when it might have given the encroaching humans a substantial advantage, a point he had somehow overlooked), Anders allowed himself to be comforted by his mate's reassurances. If there was one person who could hammer home a message to him, it was, inevitably, Ronan - he trusted his every word so if he said that everything would be fine, that their friend wouldn't erupt into an explosive rage like Tate had, then it would be.

He might cling to the fear that things would go as badly as they had back in his hut, just so he could mentally prepare himself if that was the case, but a large proportion of his concern had evaporated. There was little point in racking himself with anxiety when his mate clearly felt like things would be okay, and he chose to trust him on that rather than nervously perpetuate fears that may not even materialise.

Besides, the thought of finally being a family with Teddy, unafraid to watch her share her time with Ronan out in the open, was more than enough to settle any remaining nerves. Undoubtedly, there would be judgement over their family but it wasn't fair on their daughter to force her to keep her secret any longer - Anders knew how horrible it was to harbour secrets from those he love and he couldn't allow those feelings to start to affect his daughter in similar ways.

It was why, after a firm nod to remind himself that there was no need to feel so scared, he made the move to enter Sasha's hut. Just because most of his nerves had been eradicated didn't mean awkwardness hadn't, more than aware that there would be questions from the two women who had no choice but to sit out of the intervention despite being as much his family as his siblings were. The fact only he and Ronan had arrived would undoubtedly be questioned too, though he put the awkwardness aside to greet his daughter, the toddler immediately abandoning her drawing on the floor to rush into her father's arms, her unsubtle delight at seeing both her parents at one another's sides making him smile.

"I-- I guess I just-- wanna say sorry? I dunno. I've not been... the best lately, huh?" He began quietly as he stood back up, having bent down a little in order to pull the toddler up into his arms. Her eager babbles about her drawings distracted him for a moment, unable to waive aside her excitement, and only turned his attention away from her when she seemed to settle for a quiet cuddle into his chest, head nestled contently on his shoulder.

"I mean, I know I've been distant, an' I'm sorry, I just... 'ad my reasons," he continued as he scanned the room quietly, eventually opting to take a sat in the corner. With a further moment of contemplation on how best to handle the conversation, he eventually opted to just... blurting it all out; getting all the details out in the open so Sasha and Luana were as aware of what was going on as the others. They were family, after all; they had the right to know.

"...Tate's real mad at me. The twins too. An' I reckon Gio's not, uh... not that pleased either. I mean, he... he wasn't angry but I bet he's... he's annoyed. But I didn't have a choice, right? I 'ad to protect the kid, an'-- Ronan an' I are gonna go and see her later, Lu. You should come, I... I want you to, is what I'm trying to say. I think you could really 'elp her."
 
There were a mixture of emotions within the hut when Ronan and Anders suddenly entered, with Luana surprised and then immediately pleased as she came to realise that the two mates were rather close and affectionate with one another - Ronan's arm still being around Anders' shoulders until Teddy raced up to them. While she hadn't seen them outside, the fact that the display of possession was so clear signalled to her that something had happened to make Anders take that step to make things public. Although she couldn't recall hearing any sort of announcement being made outside.

However, the broad smile flickered and faded as Anders began to apologise, the woman frowning slightly. However, before she could inform her friend that his apology wasn't necessary, and that all she cared about was him being alright... in typical Anders fashion, everything came blurting out anyway.

After his confessions, Luana and Sasha sat there in momentary shock, both at what had been kept secret from them and for the fact of what happened to the poor girl. It was only until Benji began to grizzle that Sasha had to stand and tend to the baby that Luana too was pulled from her state and forced into action.

Leaving Tala to sit at the table colouring by herself, Luana stood and moved across to her friend. Of course she had the same concerns as Tate - the humans would undoubtedly be combing the area for the girl and, if any evidence was left, be planning something of a retaliation. But, she also couldn't stop thinking of how terrified the poor girl must have been. It made her reflect on her own time being introduced to a world that she didn't know existed. They couldn't be sure how much the girl knew of their kind, but even so, any associations with them now would be negative. They couldn't allow that to continue.

"I can understand why they're annoyed," she confessed, reaching out to place her hands on his shoulders, "These humans will be looking for her an' if they found anythin' that would point them to us, if they found us... we could all be in danger." Her eyes drifted to Ronan who seemed to puff up, immediately on the defensive for his mate, "However," she added sternly, keeping eye contact with Ronan until he backed down again and she gave Anders her attention again, "However... I know your heart was in the right place with this girl, Anders, an' I ain't mad at you."

She smiled quietly, rubbing his upper arms, "I'm just glad you're alrigh' an' everythin's alrigh' with you two. S'a relief, gotta say." She told him, motioning for them to follow them to the table where she retook her seat besides Tala.

"An' of course I'll help. She's goin' to be terrified an'... an' I know what that's like. Besides, if the same sick bas-- if the same people attacked her who hurt me... I ain't lettin' that stand. She needs to know somethin'll be done about them lot, as well as that we ain't all like them. We can't let those sort of people live with us no more... they don't deserve to."
 
Even though she didn't fall down heavily on the side Tate had, the reiteration that he might have put the entire pack at risk confounded his guilt regardless. He might not trust the pack as a whole right now when there was no telling who was at fault for the horrendous attack on the young girl he had been caring for (understandably, she remained far too traumatised to offer up any accurate descriptions of the perpetrators) but the majority of them were innocent. There were young children who deserved to live out the rest of their lives freely who were now potentially in grave danger; a danger that could have been prepared for months in advance had he revealed what he knew of the human hunters.

Though Luana proceeded to reassure him and reinforce that he had taken the choice to spare a traumatised pup further fear and pain (in spite of the consequences), the guilt of his choice couldn't be alleviated. He couldn't regret it entirely when he had prioritised caring for a pup who only had him to rely upon... but knowing he might have put the innocents in the pack at risk made his stomach churn queasily.

Especially at the sound of his nephew's grizzling. Benji was only a handful of months old, but that, he had learnt, wouldn't matter to the humans. Werewolves, in their eyes, were a risk to humanity; nothing more than vicious monsters who needed exterminating - and though Benji, like the other children, were the most innocent of the lot, they would grow up; become stronger.

To the humans, eliminating them all regardless of age was the 'safest' option.

"I, uh... I'm sure Tate'll do something about 'em, but you'll 'ave to tell him who hurt you, Lu. So we can establish if they're the same folks who hurt Georgia, right?" He murmured, the feeling of finally being able to speak freely of the teenager he had been dutifully caring for ridding him fully of the weight on his chest... though when one weight was relieved, more only seemed to take its place. Inevitably, the fear of an attack, of his pack being wiped out, wasted no time in unwelcomingly settling in.

He carefully set Teddy down when she had seemingly had her fix of cuddling with him for the time being, watching her eagerly race back across to her cousin to continue colouring at her side. The urge to protect his pup -and his entire family- was strong within his chest, but it didn't erase the growing fear that it was too late; that his hesitation in telling them what he knew would, devastatingly, cost them their lives.

"But-- yeah, you should come later on, to meet her. It don't feel great leaving her in that village alone but-- y'know, she obviously didn't want to come here when the-- jerks that hurt her are here," he continued as he eased himself back in the chair, having to soften the blunt cuss that threatened to escape his lips for the benefit of the young children in the room, even if 'jerks' really didn't come close to describing the monsters responsible. "An' her family, they'd just kill 'er, y'know? She couldn't go back to 'em now she's... one of us - and hell, she's spent her life being raised to think we're beasts, Lu. So yeah, she could really do with you an' Ro, knowing we're not... like tha'."
 
The idea that she would have to identify her attackers didn't sit well with Luana. While she didn't like the prospect of anyone living with someone who they didn't know the truth about didn't sit well with her, especially when their children - Benji, Teddy and Tala - would potentially mix with such ill-minded people... the prospect of outing those that hurt her caused an anxiety to rise within her. She knew she was on tenterhooks with the pack as it was, and the reason why she didn't name the perpetrators in the first place was because she didn't expect anyone in the pack - except for Tate and his family - to believe her.

She was trying to make amends and slowly fit back in, not cause even bigger rifts and make the pack hate her even more.

Her gaze lowered to her hands, the nail of her one forefinger quietly scratching against the wood of the table, "You might not even need me-- attackin' this girl-- Georgia? Attackin' her should be enough to send them out on their as-- butts as is. I-- I don't know if me gettin' involved with any accusations is right, Anders. I mean... the pack hate me enough, I don't wanna take away any credibility to Georgia's story or take the focus off her because people think I'm lyin' an' just jumpin' on the bandwagon, y'know?" She explained, frowning down at her nail as she continued to scratch away.

"Stop--" Sasha interrupted, reappearing at the table with Benji against her chest and a towel thrown over the pup and over her shoulder, "Firstly-- stop scratchin' my table, you're goin' mark it an' I'll be holdin' you accountable for makin' me a new one," despite her firm tone, Sasha smiled faintly so her words were taken as a joke, "An' secondly... I can't believe you've been keepin' that to yourself. Someone attacked you? An' you ain't said nothin'?"

Luana sat up and leaned forward, shrugging as she kept her eyes lowered, "I tried to. But people keep goin' on about it when I didn't want to make a big deal about it. S'fine." Before Sasha could argue, Luana slumped back against her chair and held her hands up, "Look, can we just-- this is about the kid. She's the one whose gone through worse an' no one ever - human or not - s'goin' to go through that kinda stuff again."

Sasha briefly looked to Anders, a hand slowly patting Benji's back, clearly not happy to let the matter go but knowing Luana was right. "So, you said you left the kid in some village? Not...?"

Exhaling heavily, Lu finally looked across to the two men, "You mean my old village? S'that... s'that were you took her?" If it was that village, Luana knew she would have to pull herself together and keep herself that way for the duration of the visit. It didn't exactly hold good memories, and while they weren't her real family, the Scrivens' had raised her. They had fed her, clothed her, treated her as one of their own. Loved her as one of their own. There were still times she didn't understand why Tate had done what he had done - it was one man that stabbed Anders, seeing only a wolf after his chickens. While she loved Anders and would defend him forever, Luana still struggled to understand why an entire village - especially the children - had to die for the actions of one man.

"...It don't matter. Never mind. Okay... so... so I'm joinin' the hunt this afternoon. So maybe... maybe we can go when the others are havin' dinner. We can get ours, sneak an extra portion away for her an'... an' go see her in the evenin'. No one'll miss us, I don't think."
 
It was regrettable that the village that had served as a home for the young former human was the place Luana had been raised; the place where she had been dragged kicking and screaming from just a few short years ago whilst the people that raised her were visibly massacred. It wasn't ideal, but Anders had had no choice.

It was a village entirely abandoned and not too far from the pack: the former meant no werewolves (namely the girl's attackers) would ever venture there when they believed there was nothing there to be found and the latter meant Anders could sneak out at night and spend only an hour trekking there and back in total. Sure, it exhausted him - but it was better than leaving Georgia in a cave complex farther from the pack's settlement, where she wouldn't have the warmth that her current temporary abode provided her.

As unfortunate as it was that Luana would be forced to reckon with unwelcome reminders of the massacre that had taken place there (one committed by the wolves she now considered family), it had been the best of all available options to Anders. He couldn't allow himself to feel too guilty about it when, fir six months, Georgia had been safe, allowed to recover from her near-death injuries feeling comfortable and secure.

"...You don't 'ave to come if you decide later on that it's too difficult, Lu. 'Cos that place... I get why you'd be, y'know... wary about returnin', I just... it made sense to house her there," he clarified in the attempt to justify his reasoning, feeling uncomfortable if he didn't. He hadn't quite considered how difficult it would be for his friend when he genuinely didn't foresee himself telling anyone about the situation, at least not for a while - only now it was out in the open could he acknowledge the difficulties he continued to place on those he loved.

Inadvertently, of course, but that didn't mean that he was innocent of it.

He frowned to himself, allowing silence to fall over him in the inward effort not to make the moment about him. He didn't want to demand sympathy from those he cared about when he wasn't the one everyone should be concerned about, so if he had to pull himself together and force a smile, he would: he couldn't afford to distract attention away from those who currently deserved it more than he did.

Granted, putting on that smile was made a thousand times more difficult for him when Tate made an entrance into the hut, the casualness of his body language indicative of how unprepared he was to see Ronan and Anders - and his body promptly tensed in a mixture of awkwardness and lingering anger (at Ronan for the confrontation and at Anders for failing to reprimand his mate for his behaviour).

"...We should get goin'. For the hunt. Sooner we go, the better. I don't wanna spend all day out in the woods, Lu," he began as he folded his arms over his chest. He purposely kept his gaze away from the other men in the room, avoiding the possibility to be antagonised by the sight of them... even if it wasn't particularly subtle and only helped to emphasise the tension. "You alrigh' watching Tala for us, Sasha? Daisy can come by an' help 'ya if you need another pair of hands."
 
"No, don't be silly. I'm comin', it'll be fine." Luana argued, shaking her head stubbornly. She wasn't about to let her concerns and reluctance stop her from helping the poor girl. She was certain she would be able to offer something to help the newly-turned pup come to grips with what was happening, and that not everyone in their world was as horrendous as she had been undoubtedly taught to believe.

However, she was stopped from continuing her reassurances that such visits would be fine by Tate's appearance, a soft smile forming on her lips as her gaze settled on her mate. Though it slowly faded at the sudden tension in the room, evident by his body language and Ronan's quick glance away from the door, a scowl settling on her friend's expression. Since the confrontation was a part of the big reveal, Luana could only assume that the men were going to be awkward around each other for a while and sighed as a result.

At Tate's words, Luana picked herself up from her chair and planted a kiss to the top of Tala's head, murmuring her goodbyes to the toddler who looked up to see where her mother was going. At the sight of her father, she immediately began to babble excitedly, lifting up her paper to wave the drawing in the air.

"Ronan an' Anders can help look after Tala. Teddy an' her have been enjoyin' their time together today." Luana answered despite Sasha's quiet nods, the other woman having picked up on the tension in the room too. "Would be a shame to split them up before the day is done." She looked pointedly at her mate, eyebrow raising in a silent request for him to not allow his own grievances ruin the time the two cousins would spend together.

Once mildly satisfied that her look at been received, she peered back to Anders and Ronan, the latter keeping his eyes firmly on the table, "Don't go without me. We can go after dinner, take the girl some food."

She finally moved towards the door, purposefully standing in front of her mate once she arrived there and looking up at him, "C'mon then, like you said, the sooner we leave, the sooner we can get back." She gently patted his chest, still keeping her eyes on him.
 
Tate wasn't so stubborn that he would allow his acrimony with the other male to impact his daughter's life in any way, nor his niece's. Seeing the cousins getting along so well, their budding friendship having fully blossomed at this point, he had no desire to pull them away from one another's company when it was crystal clear they were enjoying their time together.

Their presence also meant that a second confrontation with Ronan was, for now, off the cards. He had no intent to make things up with him; to be the first to extend the olive branch. As far as he was concerned, the disrespect he had faced after the kindness and understanding he had shown Ronan over the last day was like a smack to the face. It had stunned him far past the point of waiving it aside - any man or woman had the right to defend their mate, but the sheer forcefulness of Ronan's behaviour had been far more impactful than the words themselves.

He knew he might have been too harsh on Anders, but they were brothers. To Tate, that meant his harsh words could be overlooked and forgiven with much more ease than it he had spat out cruel words to someone else... and thus, Ronan's interjection had aggravated him far more than it really ought to.

But he wasn't going to explode with rage in front of children. He was furious, his body language emblematic of that anger, but he could bite his tongue for the benefit of his daughter, niece and nephew currently present in the hut.

His eyes, hardened with the simmering rage within him, only softened at Luana's approach, her nearing scent working to cool the flames and provide much needed composure. He had had Ronan's vicious words regarding the actions taken to Luana's former village running through his mind, their presence inevitably stoking the anger up all over again, but she helped to immediately brush them aside without even realising it - her presence in front of him was more than enough to centre his thoughts, a gentleness falling on his toughened, clean-shaven features.

"Sure, ain't no point postponing it, not when humans are possibly crawling around. S'why Gio and the twins are staying back today; they'll need to be here if..." He trailed off, unable to even vocalise the possibility of humans encroaching on their territory when it filled him with dread, especially if he was out hunting when it occurred. He shook his head free of the darker thoughts and offered an apologetic smile, moving back to hold the door open for her.

"C'mon then; our first hunt together, huh? It'll be fun, Lu. Mind you, don't go throwing a hissy fit if you get embarrassed by my skills; I know you've toughened up, darlin', but I dunno if you've got the skillset I do~"
 
Luana kept quiet as they left the hut, not wanting to respond or engage with any conversation about the issues with the girl or the tense atmosphere that only served to suffocating them for the briefest of moments that he was in the hut while they were around Anders and Ronan. She supposed, undoubtedly, that her mate would want to potentially vent his views about what happened before she started giving her opinion on the situation.

She was in agreement with him about the fact that they should have known sooner, given the nature of the young girl's family and what sort of settlement she belonged to. The fact that the girl belonged to a village that knew of werewolves and, even worse, knew how to take them down and kill them, they would need to be aware now and on high alert. They couldn't know if the humans had already stumbled across them and were preparing to attack, or if so far they had gotten lucky and were still undetected, unfound. However, it surely couldn't be long before they were caught if that was the case.

The anxiety was now there, lingering, as she thought about not just this pack but her own a few miles away. They all had families they wanted to protect, and Luana felt sick at the notion of Tala - and of course Teddy and Benji - getting caught up amongst it all.

But then she also couldn't be mad at Anders either. She knew that her friend's heart was in the right place and that keeping the girl separate for the time being had been the correct decision. Bringing her into a large community, where animosity was already running riot with Luana's presence causing friction and displeasure, was not ideal. Even more so with Georgia's attackers walking around, freely and unconcerned about their actions. It wouldn't be at all relaxing or reassuring seeing the faces of those who attempted to kill you while trying to adjust to a new way of life.

Especially when one had heard nothing but how beastly, cruel and monstrous those in that life were.

So, as the door shut behind them, Luana continued to stay silent as they walked along, offering only a faint smile at his teasing as her mind continued to race.

"...Don't be... don't be too angry at Anders, will you?" She finally looked up at him, reaching out to hold his arm. She pulled them both to a stop, partially turning to face him, "I'm just as worried as you are about... about any potential attack-- maybe even more so cause I got the other pack back... back with my parents an' they don't even know about the threat yet. He should've told us an'... an' we should've had some time to prepare... but we know now, yeah? We know now an'... an' we can start workin' on thin's now."

Luana knew it was a risk opening up the conversation, recognising that his anger could flare again and this time be turned onto her. But she knew it needed to be discussed. Especially after that thought about her parents pack.

"We... we've also got to think about this girl, Tate. I mean I... I think I can help with it all, I... know what she's goin' through. It ain't... it ain't easy, an' she'll already be scared... she's got to know that... comin' into this environment, that she's welcomed. She'll already be terrified 'cause of what some... bastards've done. She needs introducin'... carefully."
 
The teasing remark had been an effort to alleviate whatever tension might have continued to linger on him, to prevent it from infiltrating his and Luana's time together. In the past, letting his issues with others affect his mood with his mate had been a stumbling block to their relationship developing further - he would inevitably allow grievances with other members of the pack to filter into the way he interacted with Luana, however unfair and unjust such behaviour had been.

He wanted to make a considerable effort to improve that; to ensure whatever issues he developed with other people (in this instance, Ronan and Anders) stayed with those people. The teasing, though somewhat forced, had been a way to encourage that and to give his mind something a little less stressful to focus on.

But such efforts ultimately went out the window when his mate opted not to reciprocate them. Instead, there was a preference for continuing a discussion on what was currently facing them as a pack - and frankly, however much of a priority such conversations were, he wanted some time to forget about it entirely. The more he considered how much of a threat these humans were, with their expertise in eradicating those of his kind, the more he panicked; the angrier he became.

And when that anger was primarily placed at Anders for withholding such valuable information for months on end, he could do without having those flames of fury stoked up more and more.

He withheld a grated exhale as best he could, despite the fact his jaw clenching together, allowing a muscle to jump at the tension, being a rather unsubtle giveaway of the bubbling ire beneath the surface.

"Whaddya want me to fuckin' say, Lu? I don't want to talk about this... shit right now. I'll be angry at my brother all I fucking want to, a'ight? He's a grown-ass man. He can get all teary-eyed and pout an' get everyone feeling sorry for him, but he made a decision an' it was the wrong one. Actions have consequences. I can be mad at him if I damn well please," he scathingly responded, the regret of letting his anger release so abruptly at someone who didn't deserve it showing itself immediately upon his expression. Apologetically, he reached out to rest a hand on her shoulder, the tension breaking on his face to allow a softer smile to rest there.

"Sorry. Didn't... mean to snap, I just... yesterday everythin' looked hopeful, y'know? Now it's all gone to shit again, which is... tough when you're the guy in charge 'round here. You should know, you're the pack alpha too, right? The pressure's... kinda immense," he laughed weakly, a glance across the nearby pack making him frown - he wanted to protect them, but knowing there were also members within his community who had taken such radically violent actions against an innocent child and against Luana (who was always going to be their alpha after mating with Tate) was horrifying and created the conflict that continued to rage withinh im.

"...First thing's first, we hunt. You see to the girl later on, ain't no way I'm gonna let a child suffer when she's innocent in all this. Born to human hunters or not, she... didn't ask for assholes in the pack to turn 'er so... she's our responsibility now. But probably best we, uh... kick out the perpetrators, yeah? The guys that hurt you and 'er. Poor kid doesn't need to be welcomed into pack 'aving to face the folks who... left her for dead," he grimaced, reaching to rub the back of his neck; a move he made when overwhelmed or stressed out.

"Just, uh... we should see to that later on, Lu. I need to know the names so we can get rid of the bastards; banish 'em into the woods. You think you'll be up for giving me the names this evening? 'Cos ain't a desire of mine to have 'em involved in this pack a day more."
 
While Luana was determined for things to not go back to how they were before she left the first time, she was also aware that some leeway would be needed as they readjusted to being back with one another and recognising what they needed to work on. She knew to expect the snap, just as much as she knew that she would have to grow accustomed to her suggestions not being taken all the time. However, that didn't stop her from standing there with her arms slowly folding across her chest as she waited for his anger to dissipate. The raised eyebrow was suppressed, for now.

"I'm a pack alpha, Tate. I'm a long way from bein' this pack's alpha again. But... speakin' of packs... I think, maybe, after this hunt... we need to talk about the two packs. Now-- now, don't go jumpin' down my throat or sayin' it ain't goin' to happen... but I think we... might need to seriously consider pullin' the two of them together, now more than ever. There's... strength... in numbers, right?"

Luana watched him nervously, the emotion clearly written across her features despite her best intentions. Though she had managed to hide some details of her life from her mate for some time - the pregnancy, Tala, the names of those who attacked her - it didn't mean that her emotions were easier to mask.

The maturing woman was more than aware that they really needed to consider the depth in threat that the village of human hunters posed, and one united pack of wolves would be better than two separate, weakened groups.

"We can talk more about it this evenin'." She told him, quietly stepping forward and reaching up to take his hand from the back of his neck, "It needs to be discussed, Tate, 'specially if we're looking to deplete the numbers of this pack by kickin' out those who don't stand up to the ideals we want to keep." Her fingers moved to entwine with his, eyes looking up imploringly at him.

She breathed a heavy sigh at the request to give him the names of those who attacked her, Luana's gaze dropping to the space between their feet as she mulled over what was wanted. "I mean... it shouldn't be about what they did to me, I can handle that. It was... it was only a punch, after all. I've had worse in trainin'." She mumbled, obviously still reluctant, "We should focus on gettin' the identities of who hurt the girl. She's our first priority."

Deep down, Luana considered that her lack of desire to name those who harmed her was due to her still believing she deserved the physical punishment. To her, those four had delivered the reprimand that no one else had the guts to, and it was again another reason why she didn't defend herself against it. Not that she would ever confess that, not willingly, anyway.

"...If... I'll make you a deal... I'll consider tellin' you who was involved with me if you seriously consider my suggestion about our two packs comin' together-- at least until this threat is over."
 
Given his inability to approve the two packs joining together was possibly the straw that broke the camel's back two years ago, the final piece of evidence that Luana needed to justify leaving Tate's side for space, it was inevitable that the return of the conversation resulted in a cold dread falling over the alpha. He felt his chest tighten in discomfort, his gaze averting elsewhere to avoid having to take in the nervousness he knew for certain plagued his mate's countenance - and to avoid her having to see the disgust that marred his own.

Because that was all he felt when he thought about that pack: disgust. Their antics may have been brushed off as desperation, and justified as such, but he had never quite been able to forgive them for their course of action. They had systematically set about dismantling his pack for their own selfish reason of boosting their population numbers, uncaring about the knock-on effect it had had on his community: on the parents who worried for their sons and daughters, of the mates whose hearts ached and bodies physically pained them for their missing half.

How could he fathom ever joining forces with the people -the monsters- he despised?

But he also couldn't fathom losing Luana, not again. He couldn't stomach the thought of her taking Tala into her arms and leaving him for 'space', only for her to never make a return. He hated himself for the thought that now tortured him, his hands balling into fists and allowing the nails to dig into his palms to centre himself; to realise that that wouldn't be a possibility if he just... took the time to consider her suggestion and show her he was mature enough to do so.

To emphasise that he was doing all he could to be a better mate to her than he had been two years prior.

Even if considering her request made him feel physically sick.

"...I'll... give it thought, yeah. We can talk about it later on - but I fuckin' want those names off 'ya Lu. You said it yourself: we gotta kick out those who don't stand up to our ideals, right? An' assholes who target an innocent woman, a young mother to a pup, don't deserve to be part of this pack's future. Even if they're different men to the ones that hurt that girl -though I highly fucking doubt it- I want 'em gone," he emphasised sternly, his eyes snapping back to her to ensure she received the message -and its seriousness- loud and clear. Only when he felt she had, he let out a long breath and attempted to lessen the tension with a little humour - or just anything to avoid having his mind so overrun with discomfort and worry.

"I'm really gon' t' 'ave to be on best behaviour if your folks end up joining us, huh? Be the perfect lil' son-in-law to win 'em over 'cos we ain't had the best... interactions, have we? Gonna take some serious schmoozing to get 'em to like me."
 
As the silence continued and he looked away from her, Luana's anxiety began to rise. She hadn't expected a positive reaction from him, not with the history between the two packs and that relationship being the final straw for Luana in an already tense situation before she left in the hopes it would allow them both some time to cool down and reflect.

Granted, she respected Tate's emotions towards her new pack but it wasn't easy seeing her mate respond in such a manner. Her parents were the alphas of that pack, at the end of the day, and she could no easily sit back and allow an attack to happen on a group she was born to lead as she could with the pack that had introduced her to her new way of life.

Tate wasn't to know, but not every member of that pack had agreed to what had been decided. It had gone down to a vote, yes, but not everyone made up the majority. It was a democracy, like in Tate's pack, and even if there were people involved who disagreed... they still respected the majority decision. Not to mention, she had made it clearly known in her time with her long-lost family just how ill-thought out the idea had been. Privately, of course, when it was just her mother, her father and herself. She had made it clearly known just how damaging the experience had been, and set out that if tactics such as that were ever used again... she wouldn't continue contact.

Though she supposed Kaius would love that.

However, she couldn't understand the grudge Tate held. Of course the pain lingered, but his pack had caused more damage in retaliation. Luana still felt ashamed of herself for how she reacted once he returned from the fight (something she also partially put down to her heat intensifying matters), and felt disgusted with herself for it. But she saw things as even, no longer needing the animosity that remained. Equally horrible things had been inflicted upon each other, and Luana was eager to create a ceasefire, perhaps even a peace.

Especially with Tala's birth, in her mind, signifying the eventually union of the two packs.

When he finally looked back up to her, Luana nodded quietly, recognising the intensity of his look and deciding it was best to not push the matter. Even if having to acknowledge who her attackers were didn't exactly fill her with warmth.

"You're all goin'ta have to be on your best behaviours. Not just you. I've given them a stern word should you... ever met, an' hopefully I don't need to give you a stern word an' all." She smiled weakly, "But we can talk about all that later... le's go huntin' first... get out some of that stress, yeah?"
 
Tate was relieved in a sense that the compromise he felt obligated to arrive to only existed in the basis of considering her suggestion; not putting it into motion entirely because if he was honest, he couldn't think of anything worse than having to open his pack up to countless strangers who he still felt he had bad blood with. The pack was sacred to him, a community his ancestors had led for generations and oversaw the running of with such pride.

He couldn't say he would feel the same if the specialness of the place was overrun by people he, frankly, didn't like all that much. He could accept Ronan for the friendship he had developed with Luana -and especially now he was in a seemingly committed, bonded relationship with Anders- but the thought of welcoming in anyone else from that pack made his teeth grit together in dissatisfaction.

The idea of welcoming the entire pack as a whole in, naturally, intensified such ire.

As such, he genuinely couldn't be sure he would agree to it - but when the compromise had only specified to consider it, he refused to harbour too much guilt over the fact he was mostly inclined to say no.

"Yeah, huntin' has to be done soon - I'd rather be here in the pack for... y'know, obvious reasons," he shrugged, opting not to be too explicit in explaining why he would rather be present in his settlement. He knew Luana could easily put two and two together (his need to protect his people from any human attack was obvious when it was such a genuine threat) but saying the words aloud, giving them life, only made the fear more present in his mind.

And he couldn't allow it to swamp him when he had responsibilities to fulfil on behalf of the people that looked to him for guidance and protection. He couldn't abandon his usual hunting just because there could be humans lurking amongst the foliage - he had to trust that his second-in-command (this, as ever, being Gio) could order fighters together and handle things in his absence.

If he didn't believe his brother was capable of it, it would only lead to panic and he couldn't allow himself to inundate himself with such an emotion.

Not now.

Not ever.

"Right... hunting, then. You ready to show me what you got then, tough guy?" He snorted as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, his other hand reaching to tousle her hair affectionately. The momentary lapse of thinking allowed him to put on such an affectionate, playful display with his mate, culminating in him lightly nudging her into making a response... though he quietly came to realise the fact such a display after a particularly unkind break-up with Leah might not have been the best course of action to take in front of his pack. He coughed awkwardly and held a hand up in greeting though refused to remove his arm from around Luana.

He cared what the pack thought but not when it came to his mate - and like hell was he going to feel shamed into removing himself from her side when it was, for him, the most natural thing in the world.
 
A soft, playful growl was on the tip of her tongue as he ruffled her hair, but upon realising just how much closer to members of the pack than she thought they were, Luana swallowed it back. Her gaze had seen the hardened looks that were directed their way at the sign of affection - or really, her way, because she doubted any of them would ever really openly look at Tate in such a way - and immediately she felt her skin crawl. She was made to feel slightly better by the fact that Tate did not remove his arm from her shoulders, however Luana awkwardly looked elsewhere from the group as they made their approach.

She knew better than to avert her gaze or lower her head, not daring to show such a submissive stance now that Tate wanted to truly integrate her back into the pack - no less as their alpha. Any sign of weakness or passive behaviour would be unacceptable, despite how difficult it would be. Even more so now that Tate had broken up with Leah seemingly so out of the blue.

To steady herself, her one arm hesitantly snaked around his waist for a hand to grip the back of his shirt, holding there to just help give herself that extra bit of strength and reassurance that her mate was at her side. If he were to step away, she would let him go, but until he did, she would hold there.

However, her entire body would become stiff at his side at the sight of two familiar faces. A man and a woman, both within the hunting group, standing just within the middle. If Luana didn't know any better, the male was suppressing a snarl of discontent at seeing her involvement, with the woman having rested a hand on his arm. A mated pair, it seemed, if the wind carrying the mixture of their scents was anything to go by. He may not have been the man to throw the punch, but he was the one who spat at the dirt near her feet and the woman the one to steal her towel after she was sent reeling from the hit.

Cassian and Mirella.

They had both been there that night.

Her gaze remained locked onto them for the majority of Tate's debrief, not even leaving them when the group began to move out and only when Tate began to walk away to head to the front. Only then did Luana snap out of it, lips parting and eyebrows furrowing. She kept herself partially turned from Tate as she undressed ready for her transformation, to hide her expression but also to discourage any questions if he had noticed. She couldn't make a fuss, not right now, not when they were about to go on a hunt. Besides, the two surely couldn't do anything while they were out, not when Tate was around.

After shifting, which for Luana now took a matter of seconds, the she-wolf moved to brush quietly up against her mate. Her head ducked to bump under his chin, it going through her mind that this would be the first time they would be together in these forms since he saved her from the wolf belonging to her parents pack. While she wished to savour the moment, she couldn't help but pull her head away and look over her shoulder, immediately finding the narrowed gaze of Cassian's wolf form, another stood beside him at his shoulder, which could have only been Mirella.

Before anything could go further, Luana turned her head back to Tate, a soft noise rumbling from her to encourage him to begin the hunt.
 
He might have been dedicated to keeping their relationship quiet when out of the privacy of their hut for Leah's sake, primarily concerned that his affection with Luana might be perceived as flaunting what his former girlfriend no longer had directly to her face. That wasn't the case, far from it, but he knew the possibility of it being misconstrued that way and inevitably, he sought to avoid that.

But he had naturally taken to showing his mate affection within their close embrace; a mistake he had been so focused on not making - but now it had, now everyone knew without a doubt that he had rekindled his relationship with Luana, was there really any point in hiding it? In depriving himself of the happiness he felt at interacting with Luana like this just because it might hurt someone else's feelings?

He was genuinely upset that he had hurt Leah - but he wasn't going to put his own life at a standstill because of it. She would have to see him move on with Luana at some point, that was just as inevitable... so the sooner she came to terms with it, the better.

Because now it was more or less out in the open, he had no intention of retreating back into the shadows.

He felt Luana's body tense up at his side but could only assume that it was a result of the eyes peering across at her, some not caring to hide their dissatisfaction at the event taking place. His mind didn't even take into account the fact that some of the perpetrators of the cruelty she had faced were present and glaring daggers at her - if he had, he would have ensured they faced the appropriate punishment there and then without hesitation.

Yet, the realisation passed him by. Even if his own eyes crossed Cassius' and noticed the unenthused frown on his lips, the alpha failed to put two and two together - because he considered Cassius a genuine friend and couldn't, for one second, believe he would have gone to the lengths he had to make Luana's return to the pack a living hell (particularly with the consequences it was having on her emotionally).

No, Tate remained oblivious and, after offering his mate a kiss to the side of her head in comfort and reassurance, proceeded to prepare for the hunt ahead of their group. He postponed his own transition in order to observe Luana's, a proud smile growing at the easiness of it. He remembered the first transition and how long and painful it had been for her to accomplish; the contrast between that and the natural, smooth transfiguration now inevitably made him beam in pride.

He couldn't focus his attention on it for too long, but he made a note to himself to bring it up at the next appropriate moment, preferably in private where she wouldn't feel too conscious of receiving his praise and affection.

Though he couldn't quite help himself when it came to reciprocating the latter, an appreciative rumbling from deep within his chest arising at her head gently rubbing up beneath his neck once he followed her lead and transitioned. There was an urge to playfully wrestle her to the ground, reminiscent of the time they had been caught by Anders, and simply get carried away in enjoying her presence in these forms, but duty, as always, tended to take priority.

His return of the affection was (reluctantly) limited -he moved his head down, his forehead resting against hers in a long second or two of appreciating the reunion of their bond- before he ventured forward ahead of the others to initiate the hunt: a duty that now held more difficulty than ever before with the added knowledge that there were humans potentially in these woods, beginning a hunt of their own. He had to keep that distinct possibility in mind, even if he also had a group to lead and prey to find.
 
Choosing to focus on supporting her mate with the hunt was natural. Luana forced all thoughts of Cassian and Mirella from her thoughts and settled into the fact that she could ignore them until she had to acknowledge them or work with them on a part of a hunt. It was difficult at first, with the she-wolf constantly aware of how she was vulnerable with them behind her and incapable of seeing them to keep an eye on their antics. She was aware that they wouldn't be the only ones uncomfortable or displeased with her presence, but they were the only two who had done something about their feelings towards her.

And clearly now knew she had kept her mouth shut given they were still within the pack, and Tate's lack of reaction with even seeing them in the hunting group. She knew none of them would expect Tate to remain calm and nonchalant if he knew he was in the presence of those who harmed his mate, and if not that, then the mother of his pup.

There was nothing Luana wanted more than to have this hunt with just her and Tate. Not just because of the animosity she could feel radiating from those who she had joined, but also because it had been so long since they had run together as they were doing now. The experience at being by his side was sweet enough, of course, especially since she was fitter and stronger and more capable of keeping up with his pace. Although she did remain a step or two behind him purely because he was leading and she didn't know where he would be taking them.

She was incapable of maintaining complete propriety, however, with the desire to be beside her mate even stronger. Occasionally she would allow herself to step closer so their sides brushed, though she told herself it was just to reassure him that she was still there with him.

When they eventually came to a stop, a small herd of deer not far in front of then, Luana stalked her way forward and paused in a crouch beside Tate. Her entire body remained stiff, muscles tight and bunched, ready for whatever Tate's plan would be. Behind her, Luana was aware of irritating nips and swipes being taken at her tail, which she forced herself to keep still, not wanting to be the reason their prey escaped because she gave away their position.

Luana glanced finally to Tate, keen to begin the climax of their hunt but also just as eager to show him (like an adolescent pup) just how much she had learned and grown over the two years. Despite the annoying behaviour of whom she assumed to be Cassian and Mirella behind her, Luana's body hummed with adrenaline and excitement, but she only moved again on Tate's command.

As she parted from the group, she ensured to have her tail hit whoever it was behind her taking aim at the appendage, allowing the tail to slap them in the snout as a result.

The young she-wolf then continued to circle the group of deer until she was certain she was on the other side of where her mate would be, keeping low to the long grass until the signal arrived.
 
When he was hunting, Tate liked to focus on the task at hand. He had become so accustomed to the duty that he sometimes overlooked just how important it was for the well-being of his pack; how they were reliant on him and the select group of hunters to provide sustenance for them all, though he had always succeeded in the endeavour regardless. He had never failed to triumphantly return with prey for the cooks to prepare, his concentration on fulfilling his responsibility never wavering even if he sometimes forgot the sheer importance of it.

This was one instance where he could be forgiven for not being quite as concentrated as normal; not when he had countless other concerns battling away for focus in his mind, whether it be the issue of the young girl Anders had been protecting, the humans that could be within the woods he and his pack regarded as sacred, or the perpetrators of the violence inflicted upon his own mate. Each issue arose when he least wanted it to, demanding his attention and rendering him unfocused and distracted.

It was why he was slow to react to the sight of Luana up ahead of him, crouched low and circling the deer as other hunters followed suit to ensure the prey were surrounded and most of their routes of exit closed down. A quiet growl left the back of his throat in annoyance at himself for allowing himself to devote his time to matters that, whilst important, just couldn't be analysed; not when he had a duty to oversee and succeed in first.

He was just thankful the lack of focus hadn't impacted the hunt - he could get away with letting the concentration drift if it didn't distract others or jeopardise their mission, and the fact the deer remained unaware of the approaching threat proved that, fortunately, it hadn't.

He exhaled a breath slowly whilst adjusting his positioning behind the sprouts of long grass, his paws, usually sounding against the ground with heavy thuds indicative of his strength, now barely making a noise as they padded the earthy woodland floor gently, allowing him to venture within striking distance without a sound being made.

With the ground they had made on the herd, every hunter in position ready to pounce, he broke the silence with a signalling bark before leaping from his crouched spot; claws extended and tearing into the flesh of a young buck who stood little chance of struggling out of the determined grip... and no chance at all when another of the werewolves arrived in support of their alpha.
 
In the melee of the other deer stampeding their way to freedom, leaving the young buck alone to deal with the overwhelming intent of the hunting wolves, Luana had targeted the legs nearest her mate. While the drive to hunt and provide had been a main force the moment she had encircled the group and waited for her mate's signal, upon seeing him latch himself to the body of the young buck, her immediate and innate focus had been to protect him.

She had sunk her teeth into their prey's one front leg, the one closest to Tate, and began to pull forward. As the beast began to stumble, another wolf from the group seemed to get the idea and latched on to the other front leg. Together, she and the other nameless wolf, with Tate's weight on top of the buck, caused it to sink to the group. Incapable of rearing and striking any of the hunting group with the front legs, all that was needed was the killer blow. The animal was already weak and tiring, its back legs unable to kick out lest it collapsed to the ground completely, and blood staining its soft, beige coat.

Luana would have almost felt sorry for the beast, not even having lived a full life yet, if it weren't for the knowledge that they had a pack relying on them back at the clearing.

Another wolf stepped forward to then set their jaw around the buck's antlers, pulling the head down further but leaving the throat bare for their alpha - for Tate - to deliver the final blow. Luana, however, was momentarily distracted as a sharp scratch was felt at her shoulder, leaving her to growl quietly in discontent. Her eyes shifted, but her body remained locked in place, not daring to let go and potentially ruin all their hard work. There she saw Mirella, a smug gleam to the other she-wolf's eye, before she moved closer to help keep the buck still. Luana couldn't see what had been done, but she wasn't stupid, and knew the she-wolf would have sunk her claws into her shoulder to cause a shallow cut that could be passed off as an accident.

Fury bubbled up within Luana, the emotion sparking in her gaze for a few breaths which also vibrated softly with suppressed growls. She couldn't believe the audacity of the woman to try such a thing in the middle of a hunt. Just to prove a point. Just to get her back for slapping Mirella's mate in the face with her tail. If Luana had reacted, which she was sure the pair wanted so they could potentially blame a lost hunt on her, then the process would have to be repeated, or at least the kill of this buck would have been slowed. They couldn't risk being away from the pack for too long, not that Cassian and Mirella knew that, but also people were waiting on them to return with food.

Once the life had been finally extinguished from the buck's eye, Luana took a step back and sat a few paces away from the carcass. Her shoulder throbbed, but it didn't actually pain her that much, since the injury was so shallow. She was more just furious, and that rage flared back up again as both Cassian and Mirella briefly looked in her direction.

Before, Luana was nervous and hesitant about giving Tate the names of those who were involved in her own attack, but after the hunt, where the two had proven themselves incapable of accepting her and going as far as to try and evoke a reaction and sink their claws into her... Luana couldn't stop thinking about how they may have potentially toyed with Georgia, the human girl, in the same manner. Then the figure of Georgia became Tala, and Teddy, and Benji... and her hackles began to raise, her lips twitching as she fought to keep them over her sharpened canines.

They had hurt her and almost killed Georgia. Now Luana wanted them to hurt too. But she knew she couldn't do anything, not without telling Tate and definitely not if she wanted that acceptance back into the pack. She had to stay level headed, and uninvolved. She needed to not take matters into her own hands.

As badly as she wanted to.
 
Once again, Tate remained entirely oblivious to the sly swipes and attempts at intimidation his mate was being inundated with. Having been fearful that he would jeopardise the entire hunt through his mind drifting to the thoughts unwelcomingly occupying it, the triumph he felt at successfully taking down the young buck and knowing he had fulfilled in his duty to bring the pack the food they needed for the night was all he wanted to focus on and bask in.

Everything was stressful for him back at the pack, with countless problems that required his attention as alpha; as the authoritative figure in place that everyone expected to lead them through whatever troubles came their way. As such, taking just a moment to bask in the adrenaline that fuelled his body after each hunt was all he felt like doing, the delight coursing through his veins as the usual congratulatory growls sounded among his hunters.

For the first time in those few days since Luana's return, he finally felt the connection he had missed amongst his pack; the innate closeness that tied them all together as members of their community. His joyousness at their success was unsubtle, tail swaying with puppyish excitability as he bounded across from the buck (other wolves held the duty of dragging it back to the settlement) and towards his mate, hoping to spend just a minute or two revelling in the success... and offering an insight into how proud he was of her through a little affection.

Which was when he finally sensed her anger, the emotion radiating off her with such intensity that it caused the alpha to physically halt in his approach, the fear that he had upset his mate causing a small, but noticeable, whine to sound, ears falling flat against his head in the same worry. Regardless of whether he was at fault or not, he finally proceeded to venture forward to offer support, albeit only after signalling that the group could begin to head back to pack (he trusted Cassian to lead them in his and Luana's place, unaware he was placing that trust in entirely the wrong person).

"Right. What the fuck's the matter, Lu? 'Ave I... done something? I mean, I ain't sure what I could 'ave done but you're upset an'... it's just easier to assume I did somethin'. I don't wanna head back to the pack with this bad energy 'cos-- y'know, there's already too much of that goin' on," he began once seamlessly transitioning into human form, deciding that if he wanted to get to the root of Luana's problem, it was easier to communicate like this, rather than through whines and growls.

He sighed as he moved to position himself on the forest floor, tugging his knees to his chest. "You gonna tell me then? 'Cos we just have a good hunt an' I got to see what you could do an' I'm fuckin' impressed, Lu. So... what's up? I know I was distracted, an' you have every right to be pissed at me, I was just-- y'know, my mind was elsewhere, I'm sorry, darlin'."
 
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