Clayton didn’t look at his mate, just watched Dawson as he got closer and closer. Then, he shoved Saffie, and a snarl escaped his lips, his eyes growing darker as a ring of red began to bleed from the middle of his eyes outward. His wolf was biting at the chance to hurt him for hurting his mate. However, he closed his jaw and pushed back the urge to attack. Instead, he watched Dawson with arctic, calculating eyes. The man obvious didn’t understand what was going on. Who would hit his own daughter back twice if he knew who she was? Besides, he doubted he could sense anything but Clay’s scent in that moment, a scent that made people fear him. It was the same scent that hung in the battlefields of all those he had killed.

He froze as he heard the words coming from his mate’s mouth and his wolf whined in his head, knowing exactly how she would grow to feel about him with the truth. In that moment, it became perfectly clear. She would come to hate him and everything he stood for and he would be alone. Clay didn’t want that. How could he come to convince her that he wasn’t the same beast anymore, that he had found control when there had once been chaos? She wouldn’t see it. No, she would see all the death and the chaos he had set in place and maybe- maybe that would be a good thing. At the sudden dark though his wolf began whimpering.

He heard Dawson speak up again about how he had killed him and her. He scoffed, turning his head away for a moment, thinking about the blood that had dripped from his fingertips once he had once again transformed into his human form. The sight of the man with blood caked onto his body and eyes that held nothing. Yet, whoever he was talking about, this she, he didn’t understand. He would remember killing someone else important.

Clay’s mind worked as Saffie got up to defend him again, trying to place whoever he was being accused of killing. Then, it hit him like a harsh blow, Saffie’s mother. He shook his head, strode forward, and grabbed her arms and tugged her quickly away from her father. “Don’t. You will only hurt yourself,” he told her and moved away from her and her siblings. He back a few more steps away, knowing that Dawson wanted him and not his children.

“We were stupid young alphas, Dawson. I was hungry for power and he wanted to try and teach me a lesson. I accept the blame for that death. However, this- this idea that I killed your wife! I never touched her. I gave my word that I wouldn’t hurt anyone in this pack on that day I signed the treaty after I killed the previous alpha. I was tired of the death, of the carnage, of the pain and suffering. There has not been one instance that I did not uphold to that treaty,” Clayton snapped out, his eyes flashing as he wholeheartedly denied any connection to the death of Dawson’s wife. He didn’t touch her, that much he knew. If he gave his word he wouldn’t attack the pack, he would never go back on it.

“I’m a different man, Dawson. I’m not the same young pup, making mistakes over a broken past that cannot be fixed!” he exclaimed. “However, if you wish to attack me, then go ahead. Remember that you are attacking the same man who protected your daughter from a group of violent, idiotic males, and just remember that I am her mate, no matter what I did or who I am,” he stated calmly, knowing that he could take whatever hits the man decided to throw out. He was prepared to take a beating if it meant that he didn’t hurt Saffie in any way. So, he held his arms out at his sides, his wolf telling him to not let the man lay a finger on him. Yet, he was going to let him. Even as his eyes turned blood red and his wolf snarled violently in his head, he held his ground and had his eyes directly on Dawson, not daring a look over at his mate, at the woman who would hate him. “I’m sorry,” he whispered very quietly, yet still audible to werewolf hearing.

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Saffie frowned up at Clayton in confusion as he moved her aside. She knew he was trying to protect her but he was suddenly no longer the passionate leading male but a firm Alpha that was used to being obeyed. How could she just stand aside whilst her father and Clayton were close to fighting? She didn't want either of them to get hurt. She'd never forgive herself if it happened. Maybe she should have never brought Clayton here. Maybe she should have just got him to meet her siblings somewhere else whilst she got someone in the Pack to look after her father. There wasn't anything she could do now. All she could do was stand where Clayton had left her, her arms wrapped around herself as she tried not to intervere.

Dawson's body stopped for a moment as the word 'attacking' bounced around in his brain. For some reason that word just stood out and for the first time there was a feeling of straining as he, buried deep inside himself, tried to decipher the words surrounding that one word. Four minutes went by before a second word was connected to 'attacking' and that was 'daughter'. Relief seemed to flood through him as a connection was finally made but then confusion followed as it tried to decipher the meaning of the two words together.

"D-daugh... ter."

A frown overcame his face as he swayed from side to side dangerously making it clear what control his body had of itself was waning due to the effort needed to try and put just one connection, one thought, together and produce an reaction in response to it.

"Sa... Saf... Saffie?"

Then his eyes rolled back into his head and his body began falling backwards. Unable to help herself Saffie rushed forward, holding her arms out as she rushed behind him to catch him as he fell backwards. Due to reacting out of instinct she had forgotten how heavy her father actually was and so she ended up falling with a thud onto the floor on her back with her father falling on top of her, his back to her chest.

"Da- Daddy! Is daddy okay?"

She asked, breathless as she tried to lift herself up and roll her father gently off her body and onto the floor. Unfortunately she wasn't successful although that didn't stop her from trying. Ruby, Emmie, Malachite and Jasper rushed over to help and together they all managed to roll their father off Saffie and onto his side in the recovery position so that he was safe and Saffie was free.

Saffie clutched her side, panting a little as she slowly lifted her gaze to look up at Clayton. She had been right. He was the Alpha of the rival Pack and from what she had heard he was old. Perhaps even older then her grandfather. Not only that but he admitted to killing her grandfather although he denied killing her mother. She knew she should be more upset and disgusted that he had killed her grandfather but the truth was that she had never known him. All she knew about him was what her mother had told her before her death. Besides it had been a war... However it didn't mean she could forgive him either. She honestly didn't know how to feel. All she knew was that she liked the Clayton she had been around before he'd met her father. She had been willing to see how things could turn out between them.

She didn't know what she should do about his history. However there were more important things right now - her father. She didn't know what was happening to him, his body was shaking, and she was sure he needed a doctor.

"Clay... I don't know what to do. Please, you have to help him. He's all we have left."

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Though he was waiting for Dawson to attack him, it seemed that the man was trying to think of something Clay had said, as if had finally clicked in the man’s head. He continued to wait calmly as he watched the man, wondering if he was going to brush aside the word and hurry over to attack him again. Yet, he didn’t. In fact, he spoke the word ‘daughter’, which made Clayton’s eyes widen slightly. Was it something he had said that had triggered the reaction in Dawson’s mind? He had no idea why it took him to bring it out, but apparently it was doing something.

The man’s form began to sway back and forth with a frown and Clayton watched as he seemed to think about why the word was so important. As if it drained all of the man’s energy, he said Saffie’s name and his eyes rolled backwards. Though he wanted to help, he kept his distance, not wanting to look at any members of the family while he stood there. They probably hated him for what he had done, he knew that much. That was why he spent so little time making himself known as the alpha of his pack. Sure, they would know he was an alpha, but they wouldn’t be able to place him, especially the younger ones who never attended the events used to find mates.

It was confrontations he wanted to avoid.

He winced as Saffie caught him and hit back against the ground. His hands twitched to help her as she tried to get him off of her. He even tried to move, but stopped himself even then and watched as her siblings came to her aid in his stead. His head turned away as she seemed to be panicking about what was going on. Clayton didn’t want to look.

Her eyes moved onto him and he froze further, his eyes getting a slightly pained expression while he avoided her eyes and even made sure she didn’t see his. His wolf whined in his head. Still, he didn’t want to see whatever look that came upon her face. He knew he had a lot of lives to account for, and war wasn’t the best excuse either, especially when both him and his rival had been the ones to start it off. That, he knew he couldn’t be forgive for, and just hoped that she didn’t hate him at the end of the day.


Clayton moved forward as soon as she requested him, body moving to kneel besides her father’s. His hand went onto the man’s forehead, feeling the heat pouring off of him. “He is probably in some sort of state of shock and deterioration,” he stated calmly, his eyes moving over the man. “He obviously is weak, and added on all this stress to his body has taken a high toll on him. Moving like he did, using his own memories after what I figure to be a very long time… it will drain someone like this very quickly. He sighed slowly and leaned back on his heels.

He knew a solution, but it meant giving up another secret he held close to him. Blood wolves had another thing that could help others around them, make them have a task of the sem-immortality a blood wolf could have. When a blood wolfs blood was freely given, the one who received it would have more regenerative abilities for a short amount of time. However, it also meant putting the blood wolf at a slight disadvantage due to the fact that they would have to willingly hurt themselves to get the blood from their system.

With a groan, knowing that getting a doctor by that point in time would take far too long he shook his head. “If you are faint of heart, I would recommend not looking,” he stated easily. Then, with a quick movement, he put his wrist to his mouth and forcibly tore into his own skin. Pain moved up his arm, but he ignored it, and hovered his arm over Dawson’s mouth. Blood trickled from the wound, which was already healing relatively quickly. Blood splattered onto Dawson’s lips and a quite a few droplets moved into the man’s mouth. Before he gave the man too much, he grabbed his wrist, tore his shirt and wrapped it up with a sigh. “It should help, but someone should still run for the doctor anyway,” he stated calmly, not looking at anyone, his eyes gone ruby red and his wolf snarling in his mind at the thought of giving his blood to someone the wolf still thought was his enemy. Still, he was willing to do anything to help his mate.

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Despite being children of an Alpha pair, or maybe because of it, they had never seen war or fighting - not true fighting. They had heard of their histories of course and all they knew of their mother's death was that someone had done it, someone had killed her and their father had to bury her as he wanted the children to remember her as she was before and not as she was dead. Basically this meant although they knew the Pack's history they had no strong emotions about it. At least not like the ones who fought it and remembered those who lost loved ones in it. They had never known their grandparents and so could not mourn them like others in the Pack would as they had known them. The only person they mourned was their mother, and even her siblings didn't have as many memories of their mother as Saffie did. Sure they had fuzzy memories, some that out lasted time, but the bond hadn't been as strong as Saffie's to their mother as she had known her mother longer. She had known her until the twin boys, Malachite and Jasper, had turned a year old and she had then shortly after been killed. None of the Laine family would ever forgive who killed her but even now they had no idea who did it. Clayton's adamant denial seemed too truthful for them to blame him.

Saffie couldn't help but feel hurt as Clayton did nothing when she got hurt. She was so used to him being there, holding her and kissing her, even defending her that for him to ignore her and not even try to see if she was okay stung deep. Did he not want her anymore? Had her father chased him away? Was she not good enough now that she couldn't take care of her own father? Did he think her weak and so not able to help him run his Pack? She had thought she was his. She might not love him yet but she was used to his passionate and affectionate company. Before he came to this house he refused to let her out of his sight and now he couldn't even stand to look at her. She knew it had been too good to be true. She knew she shouldn't have given in and allowed her defenses to come down. He had seemed so sincere and yet here he was, pulling away as if she had the plague.

She watched and listened as he tended to her father, still refusing to acknowledge her or the fact she was still cluthing her side in pain and tense due to the pain in her back. Saffie continued to watch as he mentioned not to look if they weren't strong of stomach and soon she realised why. He fed her father his blood! Like a vampire which did not exist except in the imagination. She was so confused. She didn't know why he had fed her father his blood. Their blood didn't have healing properties. If they had she would have used her own on her father long ago and maybe her father would have used it on her mother. The thought swirled around her brain, overwhelming her and so she knew she had to get her questions asked. She had to know what was going on - both with her father and with the fact he was leaving her.

Saffie was an intelligent, logical and independant woman yet what came out of her mouth was:

"Why aren't I good enough anymore?"

It was pathetic as well as stupid and she knew it the second she said it but she couldn't take it back. Saffie didn't move from her spot on the floor, knowing she'd need to wait for the pain to ease before she could stand up and not return to the floor due to the pain she was in.

"Look if its daddy then I could just keep him apart from you. You'd never have to step inside the house. Even if he does recover and lives again he won't be able to go out yet anyway as he needs to build up his muscles again and get them used to moving of their own free will. I promise he'll be good. He won't attack you any more I promise. He's never attacked anyone before. I swear I can look after him really well, I... I could look after a Pack if thats what you are worried about. Daddy was just too strong this time and isn't in a position to reason with logic which was why I couldn't do much but I did try and he didn't hurt you did he?"

She rambled trying to figure out where it had gone wrong. She would have said it was because he found out who she was but she had told him her whole history back at the Nationals so he had to know who she was so she couldn't say that was it. He had been fine with her siblings but as soon as her father got up and tried to attack him Clayton had gone cold towards her as if she didn't even matter anymore. Tears had gathered in her eyes and she tried to surpress the whimper in her throat.

"You said I was yours. You said you were mine..."

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Clayton jerked slightly at her question, his eyes instantly widening and his head turning to look over at her. Words spilled from her mouth, one after another until he was completely immobilized. He had been prepared for her to tell him to leave, to tell him that she could never be mated to a man who had killed so many. Clay had expected her to tell him that she hated him, breaking his poor wolf into pieces and leaving him alone for the rest of his long, painfully long, life. Then, she asked him why she wasn’t good enough anymore.

More and more words left her, making his wolf whine in his head, wanting to console her as soon as she started to ramble. Yet, he couldn’t move from his stunned position. In his wildest dreams he couldn’t have imagined her taking his presence and his past so well. Yet, she still seemed so confused about him and his way of life. He had a lot to explain and his brain didn’t know how to go about it.

He jerked into action as soon as tears came to her eyes, moving over to her and pulling her against him roughly. He buried his head against her shoulder and ran his hand slowly up and down her back reassuringly. “Why would you ever think it would be something that you’ve done? Have they hurt you so much that you cannot see how beautiful you are, inside and out? You are my mate, there is no question about that. I am yours as much as you are mine. I never once lied to you, Saffie. Sure, I kept a few things to myself, but only to ease you into the world I live and possibly make it far easier for you to accept me into your life, as your mate, as the only man you would be with,” he began to explain slowly. He knew she was so worried it was something she had done that it made his wolf into an emotional mess. The poor thing paced in his mind, begging to reassure his mate that it was he who was uncertain and that it was he who figured that she would no longer want him.

So, his mouth opened once more as he continued rubbing her back, breathing in the scent that was so uniquely hers and sighed lowly. “When I was put in the position as the killer of your grandfather and killer of a lot of your pack mates all those years ago before I could properly explain myself and my foolish actions, I didn’t know how you would react. I- I admit I was uncertain of your feelings for me after that point. I didn’t know whether or not you would accept me anymore, even though my feelings haven’t changed, especially since I doubt many would still wish to be with me after all I’ve done,” he explained further, going into more detail and knowing that it was all because he hated to see her doubt herself, to think he was the one who had caused those doubts to resurface and those tears to shine in her eyes.

He pulled his face away from hers and searched her eyes. “You are mine, my mate. You will be mine until they day I die. You are the only woman I could possibly be with, more than you can understand right now,” he breathed, his eyes softening and his hand moving to her face to brush against her cheek. His lips came down to kiss under her eyes, wanting to dry any tears that may have fallen. Clayton’s mouth moved down and captured her lips once more. He pressed her tightly against him, not letting go of her, and the kiss going on and on endlessly. He didn’t want to pull away, and so he didn’t as he kissed her deeply, wanting her toes to curl from the motion and wanting to hear the sounds she made in response to his actions.

Then, his mouth moved down her jawline, to her neck and nipped at the skin there. Before long, he followed the line of her dress and nudged it downward. He didn’t stop until he felt the dress give enough to let him nip at her collarbone, before pausing, his breath heavy and his eyes having faded from the red and turned a lustful deep brown color that bordered on black. “Mine,” he ground out. His wolf was panting in his mind, wanting her then and there, though he kept himself in check. He was just barely able to make himself stop, wanting to make her understand just how serious he was then and there. "Mine."

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Saffie ended up crawling onto his lap after he had pulled her against him. She felt emotionally shaken. Whilst she would have liked to say it was either half about her father and half over Clayton or the majority over Clayton, it wasn't. The majority was the shock of her father not only moving of his free will, not only because he talked for the first time since her mother died, but also that he had just collapsed in a seizure and she didn't know if he was going to be okay. She had been very upset when she thought she was going to loose Clayton too, of course. She knew they hadn't known each other that long yet but she was just getting used to him, his personality and the way he treated her. She didn't want to go back to a life where he wasn't in it. He was the only male that had ever thought she was worth something, he had beauty that descended from the gods, and he was really good to her. He was nice, strong, a dominant Alpha that defended her.

He actually defended her. She hadn't even reacted to the usual stares, expressions and comments. She was used to it and would have simply walked on without reacting. Yet he had still seen fit to defend her when he noticed them. He didn't react to her reaction to it as she had shown none but he reacted to it. It was his reaction and that meant a lot to her. Now that she was in his arms again and he was assuring her nothing had changed between them, she could think better and more logically. She realised that the fact he defended her through his own reaction, without any input from her, showed just how genuine he was about her. It was so sweet and made her feel all warm, tingly, and made her toes curl happily inside her socks as she tucked her head underneath his chin. She was so used to being the rock that right now she just wanted to lean on someone else and have them be the rock for a change. Just for a minute. It wouldn't be any longer. Saffie just wanted to indulge in being the wreck before building up her composure once more. Due to this she let half a lifetime's worth of tears, grief, and pain out as she buried her face into his chest, her body shaking from the effort of her sobs.

Saffie listened to every word he spoke. They were like a soothing balm to her spirit. It helped her to calm as she finally let the sobs die off. She took in a deep breath and then exhaled as she tried to focus on building herself back up again to be the rock and head of the family she had always been since her mother died and her father became a living zombie (or at least that was the closest comparision she could come up with, which wasn't much since it was after all a fictional type of being found in novels). Her gaze met Clayton's only for her eyes to flutter close as he kissed beneath her eyes. Then his lips met hers and she forgot everything else.

She didn't even hear the cough and whisper of her siblings as they as one grabbed an arm or foot of their father and began taking him upstairs to leave the couple to their private moment. All four did their best not to giggle, red faced doing so, and happy grins that their eldest sister had finally found someone who made her happy.

At some point he had managed to part her lips, his tongue met hers, and all she could do was let out a husky moan that didn't sound at all like herself as her fingertips gripped his broad shoulders tightly as she succumbed to his touch. It felt so raw, so passionate, and so overwhelming. She was sure at some point she may have made a mewing kind of sound as her toes curled inside her socks but when his lips left hers all she could think of was him as her chest rose and fell rapidly and deeply.

"Oh! Oh, Oh Clay!"

Saffie gasped as his lips made his way down her jaw and neck. When she felt him slide the collar of her dress down to reveal her collarbone she knew she should stop him, it wasn't appropriate after all, but the soft nip and the look in his eyes was enough to stop her. She knew by the look in his eyes he wouldn't push for anything further then that tonight. She could tell he was making sure she knew how important she was to him and right now she felt thoroughly worshipped. She felt like a woman for the first time, her bosom heaving just like it said it could in fictional books, and she was pretty sure she must have a fever as her temperature felt so hot.

"Oh... oh wow... we should definitely do that again... somewhere more private. Very, very private."

She decided, leaning over to rest her forehead against one of Clayton's broad shoulders. Saffie took a couple of minutes to compose herself and to think things through before reluctantly pulling away from Clayton a bit to look him in the eye.

"My siblings and I were quite fortunate when we were raised by our parents. We all know the histories, it was taught to us, but we never experienced any of it. None of us knew our grandparents, and any time there was a fight we were kept in our play room. We never heard or saw the fighting or heard or saw the injured and dead coming home. We know things have happened, we do have emotion in that of course since it is our Pack but we don't have a strong emotional connection to it. Its like being taught about when the dinosaurs died when we were children, it happened, it must have been scary and awful, and we all feel bad about it but it was dinosaurs we didn't know. Pack we didn't know. The only Pack members we were close to back then were children and like us they were hidden away so they didn't experience the fighting either and so they didn't get hurt or killed. It didn't touch us the way it did everyone else. Its not the same. If you say you have changed, your Pack has changed, and that you didn't kill our mother then we believe you. I am sure Daddy would believe you too if he was in his right mind. He was barely operating on instinct..."

Saffie explained, this time not in an emotional ramble but in a calm and controlled manner. She wanted him to know not just that information but that she wasn't usually such a huge emotional wreck.

"What is going to happen now Clay?"

She asked, knowing she couldn't leave her father or any of her siblings behind. She hadn't cared for them and raised them this long just to abandon them now. They still needed her even if they were all fast approaching adulthood.

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Clayton was happy to have her in his lap, especially since she seemed to enjoy his touch to the point that she made a mewling noise in her throat. He could kiss her all day if she would only let him, knowing that his wolf had waited for her for the longest time. Yes, his wolf was dying to have her, but he doubted she would ever not earn that reaction from him. She was his mate and the wolf was hungry to have her again and again. The beast was restless in his mind, wanting to touch her more, expose more skin and taste every inch of her. Barely, he was able to keep the animal inside him in check. He had to keep himself from going any further, respecting her as his mate and as a strong, kind-hearted woman. So, he pressed down the instinct the blood wolf within him was going practically crazy with, and just rubbed his thumb along her side slowly.

He chuckled at her suggestion of doing that again somewhere very private. “Yes, we definitely should,” he replied with a crooked grin moving one corner of his lips upward. Those few minutes that Saffie seemed to take to compose herself, he took to compose himself as well. His wolf was whining as she stayed pressed against him, her head on his broad shoulder. However, he placated the wolf within by brushing his thumb over her skin continuously, loving the feel of her and the fact that she just felt so right against him. Her smell filled his mind and he couldn’t help but find it strangely comforting. It was like he was finally at peace with everything around him, and that he could finally just relax for once in his long life.

Plans were already being made in his head of how he would like to spend their years together. He knew it was only natural for him to spoil her, get her involved in pack life. She seemed to be uncertain of her ability to be an alpha female. If she needed help, he would happily help teach her the way of interacting with the pack and helping lead it with him. While some males just seemed to underestimate her, he could see the potential and he could see the innate abilities within her.

Already she was a mother to her siblings and her father. It was sweet and made him wonder about how she would feel about raising the pups they could have together. Clayton’s wolf let out a happy yip at the thought of it, and he smiled widely at just the thought. Yes, he wanted her and knew she would be perfect for him in every single way. It was clear she was more an alpha female than what she came off as. Already, her shy exterior was cracking and he could see the strong woman within, ready to take charge and become the alpha female she was born to be.

Clayton calmly looked down at his mate when she pulled slightly away to be able to look up at him. His head nodded at her words, taking in the information very slowly. “I’m happy that you were not involved in that mess, Saffie. War is a bloody mess and it is beyond dangerous, nearly suicidal at times. It comforts me to know that you didn’t have to witness any of the violence and gore,” he explained with a solemn look in his eyes. He was even happier when she told him that her family trusted him for his word, knowing that it was more than he could ask as well. Clay did try to change, to become a less violent, angry man. It had been a complete one-eighty, but he had done it for the future of his pack and in respect of all those who fell for him, who fought for him not only because he was an alpha, but because he was someone they could follow.

“Thank you,” he whispered, finding his eyes had softened and his hand came up to brush through her hair again. He liked it down, more than what she had before, that he had quickly undone the rest of for her. Of course, her hair also felt so soft in his hand, making a content rumble leave his chest in an unconscious reaction.

“Now? Well, I suppose I will have to wait to do too very much for a bit now. I don’t want to worsen your father's condition, nor do I wish to push him into any actions while he is too weak. I know you are very connected to your family, that you wish to stay with them no matter what, and I respect that. It- I don’t know what I’ll honestly do in the time your father is recovering. I will have to go back to my pack. This sort of break isn’t something I can take, nor can I abandon them,” he explained with furrowed brows. “I know you cannot leave them, but I cannot abandon my pack for too much longer, Saffie.”

He leaned his head back and blew out another breath, his eyes closing for a moment. When they opened, they automatically refocused on his mate’s face. “When we get back to the pack, your family can live in my large manor, and we can take the slightly smaller house if that is okay with you? I own a few buildings, but I figure that despite the fact that you want them close you wouldn’t want them to surround us at all hours,” he commented with a wince at the thought of being interrupted and never being able to have a quiet moment alone to just touch his mate. “It is your choice, though, as I want you happy with me.”

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Saffie couldn't help biting her lip as Clayton mentioned he couldn't stay away from his Pack much longer. He would have to go back. The question was whether she got her family to go with her when he did or wait for her father to recover and for a decent period of time for courtship had passed.

She had been raised both as a Wolf and as a lady according to their generation. When her mother had passed all Saffie had to rely on as far as how a lady should be was the little she remembered from her mother and then books as well as observations on what she could see of others. Most of what she saw from females in the Pack was a reckless attitude which had no strings and no boundaries, leaving them with nothing but unwanted pregnancies and then the struggle of raising a baby when you were nothing more then a child yourself. Upon that she decided it would be best not to give anything away for free, to behave properly, conduct oneself the way you would like to be treated. She survived. She made her life the way it was by herself. She had worked for what little they had and she was proud of that. It might not have been the best situation or the best life but she had done it without being asked, and her siblings were still alive and thriving.

Yet... everything she had read and been taught, everything she had thought, said she should not just go on an impulse and go with Clayton to his Pack now. It was stupid. It was reckless. Even if the truth was that they would be Mates, which she did not doubt, that didn't mean it was the right thing to do right now. What if her father couldn't survive the journey? What would her siblings think of moving so suddenly? They had lives here. They probably had friends, maybe even best friends or others they had crushes on. Could she really take that all away from them? Could she take it away from them at all, let alone right now? It wouldn't be fair. It wouldn't. Still, maybe a new territory and new Pack would be good for their father. It could be good for everyone right?

What if Clayton didn't come back if he left and she didn't?

"I know its selfish and I know I shouldn't say it but... I don't want you to go."

Saffie whispered quietly, her fingertips finding a tight grip on the part of his shirt covering his abdominal muscles.

"We want to go."

Malachite and Jasper spoke up in unison. Saffie's head shot up in shock, eyes wide as she noticed all four of her siblings on the stairs.

"Mhm. You've done so much for us Saffie. We want to do this for you."

Ruby added with Emmie nodding alongside her.

"Thats really sweet of you all. Thankyou."

Saffie just didn't know how the actual moving would work. She only had one carriage. She couldn't take all her siblings, all their belongings (even if they were meagre), and their father as well as making sure there was someone beside him who could attend to his every need including medical in one carriage. Just how was this supposed to work?

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Saffie’s mind seemed to roll over the topic and she seemed to wonder what to do. He couldn’t stay, he knew that much. It wasn’t his pack and he had responsibilities with his pack. If he was to be gone very much longer, someone could challenge his pack while he was absent, which could lead to it being taken over by an unknown, power-hungry male and his beta weak or dead altogether. He gritted his teeth at the thought, knowing how hard he had worked for all of that territory that spanned a very large area. There were many wolves that were under his care, a lot of different, growing families. Their pack rose in numbers every week, gaining at least one new member through birth, a lone wolf finally settling down, or a mate joining their other half.

Clayton didn’t want to let any of those in his pack. It would haunt him if he were to leave them alone and something was to happen. However, it would also haunt him if he was to leave his mate and hear she changed her mind. It was a horrible situation for him and he felt the pressure of having to choose between the two as soon as she said that she didn’t want him to go. His eyes turned pained as she gripped onto his shirt, knowing he would stay if she asked him, though he grew worried for his pack. Her words were only a whisper, but it was clear as day to his ears.

His head turned up to look at the stairway when he heard the voices coming from it. It seemed that her family was willing to go to his pack, willing to leave for their sister. He found that he felt somehow very proud of their actions and the fact that they had such loyalty to their sister, wanting her to be happy.

“If you are all in agreeance about leaving, I can see to the details about getting the carriages needed to transport the things you need,” he explained. Yes, his pack did have carriages at their disposal, but he just preferred traveling on his own two feet. That, and the horses were still skittish around him, scenting the blood wolf in him and worried for their own safety because of it. Most animals acted that way with him, except for actual wolves or predators of the forest. They seemed to understand his position and they would part ways amicably.

He pulled Saffie more fully against him until her chest was pressed against him. A content rumble left his chest and his body relaxed at the feeling of her against him. “Shall I see about setting things up?” he asked calmly, his mouth right against Saffie’s ear and his warm breath brushing gently against her skin.

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"Really? You'd do that for us?"

Saffie asked. There were glimmers of gratefulness, happiness, and hope in her eyes. She liked Clayton. She really did and he was so good to her. She wanted to spend more time with him and see what it would be like to be his Mate proper. However she also wanted to get out of this territory and this Pack.

She wanted to be able to have help in looking after her family so she could then have some quality 'her' time where she could just be her age. Whilst she was at it she wanted to have moments of pure childishness. She wanted time to indulge in the moments that had been lost to her out of circumstance. She wanted to hold hands with Clayton in public, to swing their hands between them as they walked, and to share sweet kisses hello and goodbye. She wanted to experience what would later in many centures to come would be called as a first date.

She wanted to be able to introduce Clayton to her family proper, and she wanted to meet his too. She wanted the blessing of those close to him. She wanted to be accepted and liked in a Pack. She wanted to be able to be Alpha Female and not have to look over her shoulders waiting to be killed like her mother had been.

"Yay!"

Malachite and Jasper squealed excitedly before rushing up to their rooms. Saffie assumed they were going to pack their things up in a bag. Ruby and Emmie shook their heads fondly at the scampering twins before looking back at Saffie.

"We'll make sure they pack properly and don't break anything."

Emmie informed them before taking Ruby's hand to go upstairs. Saffie knew they would pack their things too along with father's. It seemed everyone wanted to leave as soon as possible rather then wait. Smiling softly she looked away from the stairs to turn her gaze back to Clayton.

"It seems the boys are more excited about this then I thought they would be. When do you think we would be able to move? I understand it might take a few days to arrange the carriages and prepare accomodations for us. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Saffie asked gently. As she looked into his eyes she found herself running her hands up his chest, along both sides of his neck to cup his cheeks. She didn't know why but she just had this urge to cup his face. He really was exceptional beautiful in a primal, wild way. She didn't know why he was so certain she was his Mate but she did know she was very lucky. He was so considerate towards her. She didn't know what she could do to thank him. After all she didn't have much. Perhaps she could bake him a cake. Saffie was pretty sure cake could solve everything.

Her gaze looked around the front room taking in the items in the living room, dining room, kitchen, and washing room. Some would have to stay like the furniture but other items could come with. Of course there was no taking things that would end up being duplicates such as plates and cups.

"You'll have to let me know what we don't need to take. There is no point in filling up three carriages if we don't need to."

They would probably only need two. One for the belongings and perhaps the boys. The other one with her father as well as Ruby and Emmie to look after them. She could drive one of the carriages but someone else would need to drive the other one. Of course it would have to be someone who knew the way to Clayton's new territory. She didn't want to get lost after all.

"This... this won't be upsetting to anyone in your Pack or your family? I don't want to tread on anyone's toes. After all it isn't just me coming but five others too. Are you sure there is room?"

Saffie knew it was probably a bad time to suddenly become concerned about these things but she couldn't help it. She was so used to thinking of others that it was a habit or even second nature now. She didn't know if it was even possible for her to think of herself first rather then thinking of her family first. Of course it would now be Clayton, then her family, and then maybe herself if there was any time afterwards.

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Clayton nodded his head to her question, knowing he was willing to do anything for his mate. After all, she was everything to him, everything he had ever looked for, and the only woman he could possibly share his life with. If she wanted the moon, he would try his hardest to get it, despite the impossibility of it all.

Saffie’s siblings seemed to get very excited to move and he just chuckled with a shake of his head at their disappearance. His attention moved fully onto Saffie when she began to ask him questions and touched his face. He leaned into her hands, a rumble leaving his chest in pleasure at the affectionate movement. She had no idea how very much he enjoyed her touch or the fact that her showing him affection made his wolf the happiest it had been in its entire life.

“Yes, I suppose they are quite excited about the move. I’m happy they wish to move and are this ready to do so. Hmm… it will take about three days if I’m able to get in contact with one of my sub-betas. They will be to move anything you want to be taken into a carriage and direct you in the correct area and down the same roads. I will, of course, be there, but I cannot exactly get too close to the horses, as you know already. I’ll be running alongside your carriage or somewhere else nearby. Hmm… as for you helping, just pack up what you wish to take, though I have the money to handle financial expenses,” he explained with a nod of his head towards his mate.

She continued to ask him questions, and he hummed. “My houses come with everything you could need except for clothes and any personal effects you and your siblings wish to take,” he stated easily.

He nuzzled into her hand, and closed his eyes for a moment when she finally seemed to realize something important to her. He hummed lowly. “The pack will accept you with open arms, and quite happily. They have been waiting for me to find my mate and are probably quite eager to meet their alpha female. After all, they haven’t had one since their previous alpha. Of course, that hadn’t truly been a mate, but rather a fling at the time and she was perfectly fine with losing him after he seemed to lead her on for months on end, talking about possibly mating, but never committing to the act of it,” he explained and then opened his eyes.

“I don’t have any family you have to meet, unless you count my beta,” he muttered lowly, his eyes turning dark for a moment before he pressed his mouth against her lips, not wanting her to look at him with pity or to worry about him. Instead, he just kissed her fully on the mouth for a long moment before pulling away.

The back of his knuckles rubbed gently over her cheek as he stared deep into her eyes. “If you have any questions, please ask them. I enjoy answering your questions, my dear mate,” he commented with a wide smile on his face. If she asked, he would easily elaborate on anything she wished to know about. He was certain she had some questions involving his family, his pack, and so much more. Maybe she wondered about why he had given her father his blood in the first place and why his eyes grew to a ruby red whenever he was at the breaking point between being human and letting himself become his wolf.

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Saffie listened to every word Clayton had to say. He was so kind, so gentle, and he seemed to have the answers to everything. When he mentioned he had the money to handle the financial aspect of moving Saffie realised she had completely forgotten to factor money into moving. Not only that but she would have to find a job to earn her own money. There was also the factor she had nothing substancial finance wise to bring into their relationship. What money she earnt she often spent almost immediately for food and clothing.

"I don't have anything worthwhile to my name Clay. What money I earn I spend almost right away on food and clothing on the family as well as healthcare items. I sew when I can, I wash using water from the nearby stream and heat it myself. Any jewelry and such that did have worth to it that didn't have great sentimental value has been sold over the years to keep the family going. I don't want to be a burden to you. I don't want you to feel like you have to take care of me and my family in every way. I just... Maybe there is a job I can do at your territory to earn money. I could pupsit. Thats what I do here."

Saffie said, thinking out loud. She felt lost in the sea of unknown. She was leaving all that was familiar to somewhere she had never seen for a man she really liked. It was a huge deal and to lessen the butterflies in her stomach that were twisting and lurching, Saffie was trying to find the logic in the whole venture and arrange it so it worked out perfectly. It would be therapuetic to spend the next few days organising things to take and packing it up as well as making a list of what they would need when they got to their new home.

She didn't want to make Clayton move out of his manor to accomodate her family and yet it would be nice to spend some alone time with Clayton. The only problem with it was that she was used to being close to her family and looking after them all twenty four seven from the moment she woke up to the last thing before she fell asleep. She wasn't sure how it would feel to live seperately from them. Besides, who would look after them every day? Who would make sure all four of her siblings cleaned their teeth, washed up, brushed the hair, and had a suitable breakfast before they started the day? Who would be there to make sure they were entertained and they ate properly throughout the day? Perhaps she would have to find a purpose or job for them to do within the Pack to occupy their time. However with that idea came the problem of their father. Who would look after him? She could probably do it for a little bit but she was sure she would be expected to do Alpha Female duties first, and then that was before a time where she might be pregnant or have puppies of her own. What would happen to her father then?

Saffie knew she was probably worrying for nothing. She knew it would most likely work out. She and Clayton could probably have everything worked out easily between them. It was just knowing that soon they wouldn't need her, she wouldn't be needed to hold anyone's hands anymore that caused the worry. She was so used to being needed by them that she didn't know what to do or who she would be to them or even to herself without the position of mother for the family. Who was she if she wasn't the provider, carer, and parent? It was a scary thought.

She also had a lot of questions she wanted to ask about him too. Saffie just wasn't sure where to start. She didn't want to ask the wrong questions. She didn't want to upset Clayton in any way. It seemed that for now it would probably be best to avoid asking about family since he had said that his Beta was the closest he had to family. She wondered what his territory looked like and what his Pack was like. What made his Pack different to the one she was in right now? These were all neutral topics that she knew would be easily asked and answered. Family was an avoid topic.

The scary, or red, topics was about how he'd given her father his blood and said it would fix him, and the other was the way his eyes seemed to change colour sometimes - it was more then just the different light and dark of the environment he was in. They seemed to change from his usual eye colour to... well, she didn't want to admit it but they seemed red. It was strange and she had a feeling once she knew she would never be able to unknow it. Somehow she also got the feeling that the fact he was so sure she was his Mate and was shooting past every relationship milestone to reach the end point had something to do with those red topics too. If she asked a question about even one of them then she knew the rest would have to follow. There would be no choice. She knew she'd have to find it all out someday, as well as the strange uneasiness that she had a nagging thought of just how old - impossibly old - Clayton really was. He had known, fought, and killed her grandfather after all, and Clayton looked to be in his thirties. How could that possibly be?

"I do have a lot of questions."

Saffie admitted, her hands returning to play with the fabric of his white shirt that had once been tucked into his trousers as her gaze trailed down his face and then round the room shyly as she tried to summon up her courage.

"I just don't know where to begin, and some... some questions rather scare me, not because I'm scared of you or anything you can do its just... I know its going to be this big thing and I don't want to hurt you by reacting the wrong way or something. I mean once I know I could be forced to tell anyone and that could hurt you and I'd never want that. I just... Okay, without the excuses it scares me because I know the strange things will add up to one big thing and the biggest thing I've ever had to deal with in my life so far was looking after my family and that was logical. Plus I had books on how to do things if I didn't know, and I had a whole Pack to observe if I couldn't find it in the books. I just... I'm scared. I want to know everything about you, your Pack and your territory. I want to make a life with you. I do not regret meeting you, or having you meet the family, and I won't regret moving to your Pack. I promise. Its all just so big, and even though I know I have you, I still feel like I have to do everything on my own and this is a big thing to do - moving. I just don't want anything to go wrong."

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Clayton waited for Saffie to ask him whatever she wanted to. She looked shyly downward and he watched her almost possessively as his wolf whined again in his mind. She began to speak up and his eyes widened at her words. He wasn’t used to people worried about how he would react to things. Of course, she quickly moved on and said something about being forced to say something and his wolf growled in his mind. The beast snarled at the mere idea that she would be forced by his enemies to tell them everything about him. His hand moved to caress her face as he thought about her words, and the real reasons she was so afraid.

“I know this is a lot to deal with and you haven’t had much time to really get used to things. I know you are probably worried about trying to do something when you get into my pack. I honestly don’t care if you sit at home and relax or go out to get a job. You don’t have to worry about anything, because I want to be able to take care of you, which you don’t seem to be very used to,” Clay explained carefully, knowing exactly how overwhelmed she must have been feeling.

His hand brushed into her hair, running through it in soft, soothing gestures. “Honestly, you can ask me anything, and give me any response you feel. You’ve already reacted so well to what has been said of me thus far, better than I ever imagined you reacting. However, you can start small if you want, asking about my pack and so on. I honestly don’t mind you getting to know me better and I would prefer you feeling comfortable with me before you make this move.” After he finished speaking, his mouth moved to her ear, pressing his lips against it gently. He kissed the earlobe and nipped at it possessively. His mouth moved to kiss her jawline and move to her lips. There, he took her in a long, slow kiss. His hands moved to keep her pressed fully against him, not wanting to lose any contact at all.

“Mine,” he panted out when he pulled away. His mouth descended again, taking her lips again, wishing they could be in their own home, wanting to be there. He wanted to have a private moment with her, though Clay doubted her siblings were snooping. They would probably be too busy packing and making sure nothing was destroyed while they packed. At that thought he tipped her slowly down so that her back was on the ground and she was laying there, her hair fanned out around her face. His eyes closed again after taking a quick glance at how beautiful she was, before focusing in on kissing her senseless. His body surrounded her, one leg slipping between her legs before she could realize what he did.

Still, he pulled away and pressed his mouth to her neck and panted out eager breaths. “Please… ask me questions to distract me,” he murmured against her skin. “You are driving me mad without even knowing it and I just need something, anything, to get my mind off of the fact that you look like a goddess right now,” he whispered the last part, his hands moved down her sides to her thighs and a bit lower to play with the edges of her dress, wishing he could touch her further, but knowing he couldn’t.

Clay had to wait, despite the fact that it was undoubtedly driving his wolf crazy, especially with the smell of her, the feel of her, and the taste of her consuming his mind.

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"I don't know how to let you take care of me. I may drive you crazy when you try."

Saffie confessed, blushing at the thought of being taken care of. She couldn't help it. It sounded rather like a dream to be taken care of. Especially if he spent most if not all of his time shirtless whilst doing so. What would it be like to have someone else in charge? She couldn't quite imagine it to be honest but she knew she'd like to experience it. What would it be like to have no worries and just have spare time to do frivolous things. She could find a bay window seat, cushioned by numerous cushions and blankets, and just read with the sun coming in through the window. She could see what all the fuss was about having pretty gardens, or even just spend time in her Werewolf form without having to hide it. She could make friends she supposed. She'd have time to bake and cook, things she did like to do for fun but had done so long because she had to that she'd forgotten what it felt like. She suppose that could get boring though and it would feel a bit unfair if she did nothing whilst Clayton ran his Pack on his own like usual. She would definitely have to help him run the Pack. She couldn't let him do it on his own.

"Oh!"

Saffie gasped as she felt his lips touch her ear. Her mind promptly stopped thinking as his lips and teeth travelled from her ears, down her jaw and to her lips. This time when he kissed her it was completely different to the other heated, fiery and primal ones. This one was deep, slow, and she was pretty sure if souls exsisted then she felt the kiss all the way down to her soul. She surrendered herself completely without any thought or hesitation, her hands gripping at his biceps tightly as if to hold him tight against her so he could never go away.

"Yours."

The word left her lips, all thought turned off as she stayed limp in his arms. Saffie curled and uncurled her toes beneath her socks, the pleasant buzz still coursing through her body. Her mind stayed thought-free as her body was lowered to the floor. Her eyes were still closed, as they had been since the kiss had begun, and her hands ran down his back to his waist whilst she was oblivious to the position they were in. His words began to spark thought within her mind, brushing the fog away as she tried to make sense of what he was saying. Her mind was almost completely clear when she felt his hands brushing over her thighs and playing with the end of her dress. Her eyes shot wide open as she looked down at her body and his so close together.

"Clay!"

Saffie gasped, clearly shocked they had ended up like this so quickly.

"This is... this is... this is... we should not be laying on the floor like this unless we've taken part in the Mating ceremony and... and... have our own bed and our own den!"

She paused briefly as she realised another thing.

"Clay, if that isn't your leg between mine I'm going to hit you hard. Really, really hard. Oh, and you need to move it."

What scared her the most however was that she really, really liked what had happened and she would be quite happy to lay with him like this a bit longer.

"This is crazy..."

She murmurred to herself, her gaze drifting over his physique before looking him up in the eye.

"Tell me more about your Pack and your Beta. What are they like?"

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At her submission, his wolf had howled happily, his tail wagging, and the damn animal ready to take here then and there. It drove him up a wall, her murmuring that she was his, admitting to it. His breath was hot against her neck as he listened to her surprise at finding they had moved so far, so quickly. A chuckle left him as he continued to play with the edges of her dress, fingers moving them up a bit before letting them down in a repeating pattern that mimicked his fight for control around her. “Mmm, a bed would be nice right now. A nice, quiet, house around us, and a bed by a warm fire,” he whispered huskily against her skin, his hand begging to go under her dress at the very thought.

“Hmm, it is my leg, though I wouldn’t mind it being something else if you wouldn’t get so violent,” he added on with a deep chuckle, his voice having turned darker and more alluring than before. “Good, a question,” he murmured, trying to focus his brain on that instead of all of the very inappropriate things that were buzzing in his head, like how much she would honestly miss her dress if he was to rip it off her.

Clay swallowed down a groan at the thought, which tried to lead into others that were far more sexual and making his eager reaction far worse. “My beta? He is a calm, reasonable man, which is why I’m glad to have him. He honestly isn’t frightened of me, or of very much in that matter. Rather, he is a very intelligent man who is honestly quite good of taking care of the pack, though he lacks the title alpha and the nature to handle such a responsibility. He rather likes to leave me to do the alpha male part of things, content to his role as beta, which is a relief. I wouldn’t like to have my beta challenging me because he has gone power hungry,” Clayton explained. “His name is Verneer, and I honestly think he is the best man I could have for a beta, the best I’ve had yet as well!”

“My pack is large. It used to have more werewolves, but after the war it was harder for the males to find mates and it made it so that there were less births. However, our numbers are rising again, quickly heading above seventy or so. We have the capacity in our lands for at least triple the number, if not more. After all, I conquered a lot of land back when I was younger and happy to fight alphas for their territory again and again. Now, I am a bit more sedated, though I’d honestly like to be able to have that energy back. It was the kind that seemed to be fueled by just living and acting. Now, I need sleep and more common things, like a nice breakfast,” he explained with a chuckle, his fingers brushing against the skin at the edge of her dress absentmindedly.

Clayton hummed, thinking about his pack before nipping at her neck lightly. “Oh, the pack is a very nice bunch, though they are very expressive with themselves. Public affection is seen often, and they are quite happy. Most likely they are partying at the mention of the news of me meeting my mate. Dorian saw us, and is likely to have told his friends, and much more. He was the man at the fence the other day, when we were at Nationals. He is my sub-beta and was probably sent by Verneer to make sure I was not going crazy at the thought of leaving the pack for a few days.”

Once he was finished talking his mouth moved to press hot kisses to her neck and shoulder, a rolling growl coming from his chest. He couldn’t help but feel very possessive of his mate, wanting to show it in any way possible. He nipped at her collarbone, nuzzling against her skin for a long moment. “Ask me something else,” he ground out, his fingers playing with the skin right under the edge of her dress, wanting to trail upwards very badly, so badly that he wanted to whine just as his wolf had been doing ever since he had forced himself not to have her the first time.

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