Crosshairs (closed)

[Soliloquy]

The boy who instigated the fight seemed to be weighing his options. Him and his pose outnumbered the wolves by his count. He was less than pleased also with the smirk that now decorated Angel's pale face in the dim theater. His eyes narrowed at her as he gave the seat a final kick before standing up, his friends following his action and following him in standing.


"You better watch it, darling," he muttered as he did so, "One of these times Meat and Potato aren't gonna be around to protect your dumb ass."


A fire sparked in Angel, appalled they thought she needed to be protected. She jumped up from her seat, standing in front of him as he entered the aisle. She was a good head shorter than him but it didn't phase her at all. Pulling her arm back, she thrust her fist forward, smacking him in the stomach and catching him off guard. Her punch was weak and her stance was poor, but she had gotten his attention.


"I don't need anyone to protect me, dick," she snarled up at him. "I wouldn't have a problem beating your ass right here and now."


Clearly the two had drawn the attention of nearly everyone in the theater as the dark-haired young woman radiated petite rage. He was infuriated and raised his own hand, prepared to knock her out of his way.

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

"Oh good Lord..."


Marcus found himself muttering as soon as Angel hopped out of her seat. This could only end badly, and with them certainly not seeing the movie and not getting their money back. He didn't mind about the movie part so much, but tickets weren't cheap! He found himself standing, prepared to dispel any little verbal spats that might ensue. They were just children, after all. Adults only on paper. As the eldest of the group, and the pack, Marcus saw them as such. One could imagine his surprise when Angel reared back and punched the kid in the gut.


"Ahahahahah!!" Robert laughed, a full belly laugh, from his seat.


The amusement of the Kistler brothers seemed only to spurn the young men on more. Pissed and embarrassed, they didn't seem to be considering their options of just behaving any longer. When the young man raised a hand at Angel, everyone in the group would be shocked to find that it wasn't Robert or Anthony that stopped him... but Marcus. The Brit, with a perfectly composed face, intercepted the young man's hand by means of gripping his wrist. With a twist and a pull, he had bent the boy's arm into an inverted position and lifted it up in the air, causing the boy to bend forward and smack his head on the top of one of the aisle seats on the process. He yelped in pain as his bones were contorted.


"My friend," Marcus said in a calm voice that was surprisingly terrifying. "If I move your arm a fraction of an inch, it will be decidedly broken, which I believe will infringe upon the pigskins you and your inferior of intelligence friends throw around from time to time." To demonstrate his point, Marcus twisted the boy's arm a little more, causing him to yell out in pain again.


"Now, might I advise two things. One, you do not raise your hand to a lady. And two, you go home and stop making a complete ass of yourself."


By this time, the movie theater staff had been alerted and were heading in. Marcus, ever the businessman, released his grip on the young man while simultaneously kicking him in the back of the knee, causing him to fall and hit his head on the arm of the chair this time. He then put on a smile for the theater attendant and casually unbuttoned the cuff links of the suit he still wore from earlier in the day.


"I do apologize for the commotion," he said calmly. "This barbarian raised his hand to my niece here. As you can understand, I simply had to interfere. No worries, we'll be on our way."


He then gave a look to Angel and the brothers, indicating that they better be getting up and moving their asses before he lost his temper.

 

[Soliloquy]

Angel had been prepared to take the the hit she saw coming, eyes closed. When nothing struck her, she looked to see Marcus bending the boy like he was a pretzel. She was trying to decide if she was pleased he was getting in the middle or upset that he wouldn't let her fight on her own when he made it very clear what was going to happen from that point on. Looking up she saw that they were about to be removed, peacefully or not and she sulked behind Marcus, for once keeping her mouth shut.


Anthony and Robert followed suit, still highly entertained by all that had ensued, but also aware that it took a lot to get Marcus to this point. Neither of them were interested in the next stage of his anger, having seen it on rare occasions before. There was nothing more terrifying than a polite beat down.


Exiting the theater, Angel kicked a rock on the ground, grumbling. "Now we don't even get to see the movie."

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

Marcus stuffed his hands into the pockets of his pressed pants and led the way out of the theater. He didn't think the college boys would be stupid enough to press charges. Judging by their behaviors, they probably got into trouble enough that no one would give them the time of day. Marcus thought that if he ever had kids-- which was highly unlikely at his age-- he would never let them grow to be such ignorant sods. Outside, as Angel pouted over a situation that she had greatly contributed to, Marcus paused, turned, and looked down at her.


"Uh oh..." Robert murmured. He knew that look.


"We don't get to see that movie," Marcus said in a calm but sharp voice, "because you could not sit quietly for more than thirty seconds at a time."


He didn't raise his voice to her, but instead clearly told her what he felt she needed to hear. The girl had no guidance. She'd been hanging out with Robert and Anthony all the time and was apparently learning how to be little more than a hard-headed buffoon.


"Those boys were tremendous asses, yes, but starting a fight in a movie theater, Angel? You are a young woman, and young women certainly do not need to act like that."


"Alright, Grandpa," Robert teased Marcus with an elbow. "We get it. Let's go find something to do."


Marcus sighed, a look of exhaustion on his face. Why did everyone result in acting like children and animals? Was he the only one that maintained normalcy while they ran around untamed all day? He had a feeling that might need to change. Regardless, he kept his mouth shut and wandered with the others in hopes of finding somewhere else to, quite possibly, get thrown out of.

 

[Soliloquy]

Angel winced at the proverbial slap in the face Marcus' words gave her. It was far from the first time she had been told, in one way or another, that she was speaking too much, but his words seemed to sink like rocks into the pool of her heart. She watched him with sad dark eyes.


The young girls internal struggle was an intense battle and she was getting exhausted trying to win it. When she found and was eventually accepted into the pack, she had thought this was supposed to be her place, where she belonged, just like her brothers had. Now, it felt like a whirlwind of emotions and she was ready to vomit from all the spinning.


First they wanted her to be a warrior wolf, preparing for a battle that comes out of folklore, ready to defend herself and if necessary kill. She stumbled often, trying with all her might to keep up with them and the brutal training exercises, but trudged on none the less. Now, in a situation where she was threatened, albeit of her own fault, she was scolded for not behaving like a lady? It was taking her painful amounts of self control not to point out that if Elise had done the same thing in a similar situation (which Angel strongly felt she would) Marcus would not have told her she wasn't being a lady.


But for the first time in the past months while with the packs, the little wolf was silent. Her face was blank, no sulk or pout, but she avoided eye contact with the others. If they wanted a quiet lady, that was just what she would be, although she highly doubted it would let her live if she was polite to a vampire ripping out her throat.


Surprised by her quietness, Anthony took it upon himself to walk in step with her. The group was eerily silent as they moved and it was unsettling. He tried to engage the young girl in discussion, but she acted as if he wasn't even there. With a disgruntled groan he gave up, turning his attention instead to his brother.


"Rob, we gotta do something. These kill joys have ruined a good night," he complained. The buzz from dinner was still barely present, but that didn't mean it should just go to waste.

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

There were ways to behave against the vampires, and there were ways to behave when trying to coexist with a human society. A time for the wolf, and a time for the human. Marcus very firmly believe that he and James were the only ones who were able to differentiate between such times. The others behaved like they were all wolf all the time, like they didn't have to operate by the human standards of the human dominated world. Perhaps it was because the others were born wolf, well except Elise, so never knew anything else. Regardless, Marcus was often appalled at their behavior.


Robert was scowling at the sudden shift in mood of the group. Marcus had really been one hell of a buzzkill, but he knew better than to push him. It was obvious that he had reached the limit of his patience, and that was such a rare thing that Robert didn't want to risk any further outbursts. When his brother proposed they do something to lift the spirits back up, Robert's mind ran through any and all options.


"What do you suggest?" He asked his brother. "We already got thrown out of two places. I don't know if I wanna try my luck with a third."

 

[Soliloquy]

The older brother rubbed his bare scalp with a meaty hand, trying to think. It seemed like they weren't going to be able to go anywhere with alcohol or where you were intended to be quiet. With it being later at night their options were diminishing. Not to mention, they had to pick something that would appeal to Marcus, who currently was quite less than happy with the stick wedged up his ass.


"Well, maybe the third time's the charm?" he offered, "We just have to find somewhere it's nearly impossible to get thrown out of and we should be safe."


His eyes shifted temporarily to Angel who was still silent. As much as he consistent speaking could be annoying, he was beginning to miss her normally bubbly self. He shrugged his shoulders, unable to think of somewhere to go.


"But, I know we can't go home early," he stated, "If we do, Elise and James are going to know something happened." He doubted any of them would be wiling to share the stories of the eventful night so far.

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

The group continued their aimless trod through town. Most establishments were closed, given the hour. The only ones open that didn't require quiet definitely had alcohol. Their options were slim to none, heavily leaning toward none. Robert sighed as he thought all of this over. The qualifications: not quiet, no alcohol; Marcus has to like it, were virtually impossible to meet. The Enforcer stopped walking and stuffed his hands in his pockets.


"I got nothing." He admitted to his brother. "The only places that are open are bars and pool halls. Lots of alcohol in those places, clearly. Unless you can whip something up, we're aimlessly walking through town until it's acceptable to go home."

 

[Soliloquy]

The larger brother came to a halt at his side, shrugging his shoulders in defeat. It was apparent they were out of options. Looking to Angel and Marcus he chuckled a bit.


"Well, folks. It looks like we're calling it an early evening," he rubbed the side of his neck. "No point in just walking around look a poorly assembled gang. Let's go home, open a couple of beers, Marcus can go home and listen to classical music while hating us and-"


"No, no we can't go home," Angel snapped to attention, shaking her head. She fumbled a bit with a reasoning, caught off guard. "They both think we're gonna be gone for like three hours, we can't go home early."


Her eyes shifted about, both looking for an alternate option and also avoiding their questioning looks. "Doesn't this place have like laser tag or bowling or anything?"


Anthony peered at her closely. "We'll just go home. It's not like James is going to ground us or anything. I'm sure he expected the same. No harm in calling it a night."


The dark-haired girl tried her best to argue. "He can't ground us but he's gonna be so pissed. We have to stay like we went to the movie."

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

The sudden panic that Angel seemed to be in had drawn even Marcus's attention. The Brit had previously been very pointedly not looking at the others, but now he was peering down at the girl like she had some grand secret. All three males were looking at her, now. Her last statement about James being 'so pissed' over them coming home early was quite questionable. They'd never known James to get pissed over anything other than vampires and kitchen ware.


"Why would he be mad if we came home early?" Marcus raised a questioning brow at Angel.


"Yeah," Robert chimed in. He had his arms folded across his broad chest. "What are you up to, little wolf?"


They had her outnumbered and the pressure boring down on her was quite heavy. Three questioning gazes were unmoving on the girl. After a few seconds of no answer had passed, Robert spoke up again.


"Tell us, or we're going home early," Robert threatened in pure big brother fashion. "There are three of us and one of you. I think we have a pretty good chance of picking you up and dragging you home. Spill the beans."

 

[Soliloquy]

Angel shifted uncomfortably under the three pressing stares, dropping her eyes to the ground. Maybe if she held really, really still and looked thoughtfully enough at this rock they'd forget what they were asking? She held her breath, hopefully. Robert's bombing voice sounded for a second time, shattering her hopes.


"Angel..." Anthony pressed as well, mirroring the pose his brother had.


Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.


She bit her lower lip, trying to find a way out. Her inability to lie had been made apparent on multiple occasions. She had thought she'd finally managed one getting them out here, but it was now clear she wasn't getting out of it. Spitefully, she kicked the pebble she was previously staring at.


Finally she raised her head to look at her three pack mates, wincing under their gazes. Maybe they'd understand, she hoped. They were aware of the connection between the Alpha and the fierce she wolf, after all. Reluctantly, she caved in.


"I thought James and Elise...needed time alone," she muttered, her eyes quickly returning to the ground.

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

A moment of contemplative silence fell over the group. Each one of the three men seemed to be mulling this new found information over in their minds. Robert seemed the most confused. He furrowed his brow and kept his arms folded across his chest.


"Then... why would you guys make up some story at the house?" He wondered aloud. "If you just felt they needed some time alone, why didn't you just say-" He paused. "Ooooh!"


The realization dawned on him. It wasn't that they needed time alone. They needed alone time. A whole different story, and as soon as he realized it, he found himself laughing. At his reaction, his brother seemed to catch on, too. The two of them stood there with their deep belly laughs resonating across the sidewalk. They were going to give James so much shit for this.


"You left them alone..." Robert said in between laughs. "So they could-" but his sentence ended in a fit of laughter.


It was Marcus who had to break up the circus side show. He hadn't shown much of a reaction to the news. Whether that meant he wasn't surprised or he just didn't think it a laughable matter was a mystery. He cleared his throat and placed a hand on each of the Kistler brother's back. Looking between them each, he had an expression that quieted them down at least a little.


"I believe cosmic bowling is still allowing new games," he said calmly. "If we go now we can bowl one, perhaps two, before close."

 

[Soliloquy]

Angels face collapsed as the two realized what was happening back at the manor and seemed to think it was funny. Great, well at least maybe the physical activity they were receiving might make the reaction when James and Elise caught hell at home.


When Marcus diverted their attention to the idea of bowling, she have him a grateful look. He was being her savior tonight over and over, and Angel knew she didn't deserve it. He was a kind, protective soul and it felt like they all took him for granted.


"Bowling sounds like fun," she offered weakly. "You two can even maybe get another beer in?"

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

Both brothers clearly held appreciation for the act of sex, and via guy code alone would not want to lessen James's chances of "getting any". They, of course, agreed to go bowling for the time being, but it wasn't without plenty of laughter and ribbing. As they were walking in the direction of the bowling alley, Robert nudged Tony in the rib's.


"Two games?" He said in regards to bowling. "That prude's been dry the entire time I've known him, I doubt he'll need more than five frames!"


Robert let out a loud laugh, actually doubling over as he walked. This warranted more than a few glances, especially seeing as this behavior was coming from a completely sober person. While he was doubled over, Marcus gave a swift smack to the back of the Enforcer's bald head.


"Will you shut up?" He glared. "You haven't exactly been getting much yourself. You act like too big of an ass to actually get any."


This got a hearty laugh from Tony, and a glare from Robert as he stood up. Marcus only smirked in that same calm, condescending manner that he was so well known for. For the time being, though, Robert shut his trap. They were able to walk the majority of the way to the bowling alley without him saying anything more about James and Elise. Nobody was naive enough to think that the jokes were over for the night, though. Just temporarily suspended.

 

[Soliloquy]

While she may have been the clear youngest of the group, Angel was well aware of the reference to stamina Robert made and her cheeks flushed. Despite her encouragement to Elise, she hadn't had much for sexual discussion in her life. When Marcus interceded she was both glad and also amused. To see the polite and proper Brit use the phrase "get any" was more than a treat.


Entering the bowling alley, she was surprised to see it was still relatively full and the lights were out. In place of the overhead lights, various colored strobing lights and disco balls illuminating the alley. Glow bowl, she was told when she questioned it. After what felt like forever trying to find shoes to fit the brothers' feet, they found themselves in the middle of the room, surrounded by mostly younger adults.


Lifting up a light pink ball from a side rack, she carried it incorrectly to the others, nestled in the crook of her arm. "Alright, how do we do this?"

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

After the quartet had been fitted with their shoes, the brothers set to explaining bowling to Angel. Right off the bat, they had made comments about putting your fingers in the holes of the ball and Robert had immediately said they should try to FaceTime James in; he might learn something. Marcus had promptly interjected by explaining the rest of the fundamentals to Angel without lewd commentary. He also made it a point to calmly explain some other ground rules.


"As you have noticed, there are several shining stars of the male youth around," he had told the others but mainly Angel. "They will undoubtedly spew idiocy from their mouths, so please try to refrain from starting any fights here. I am not about to get thrown out of another place that refuses refunds."


With that, he let the others fill Angel in on anything else she needed to know. Tony made a point of telling her to try and tone it down on her strength. If they went full wolf, their bowling bowls would definitely end up flying through the back stop and nobody wanted to pay for those damages. Afterwards, they were set to begin. Robert and Tony were good if only because of strength alone, and Marcus was of course calculated and logical in his approach. Seemed there wasn't any physical game that these men weren't good at.

 

[Soliloquy]

Angel listened to the lecturing of her pack. She wasn't the least bit surprised when Robert started up the dirty comments and tormenting of the Alpha, who wasn't even present to defend herself. Rolling her eyes, she turned her attention to Marcus.He was much more informative, but of course had to leave her with a lecture. She nodded, looking like a scolded child.


Folding herself into the seat by the electronic dashboard that displayed the score, she watched the other three as they threw, mentally taking notes. When it was her turn she timidly stood up, taking the pink bowling ball as she had been instructed to do. The shift of weight caught her off guard and she nearly dropped the ball. Even with the popular music that filled the alley, she could hear snickers from the lanes beside them. The young girl blushed, deciding they would not be returning if this was a failure.


Recomposing herself, she stepped toward the lane, reversing what she was told in her head. Aim for the middle pin. Take three steps. Draw your arm back and let it go near the ground. She could do this. She exhaled slowly. With her first step she pulled her arm back with the ball, stepping forward with it. On the third step she let go, her hands glued to the center pin. Letting go of the ball, her thumb caught on the hole, diverting its course not only away from the middle pin, but from her lane all together. Instead, the ball bounced into the lane to their right, spinning down the gutter.


"Whoops..." she muttered, trying to hide from the glares she got from the young girl who was clearly about to take her turn. "Sorry!"


Thankfully, Anthony rose, grabbing a second ball and offering the girl a toothy smile with a wink. "Sorry about that, it's her first time," he offered, dousing his words with as much charm as the brute could muster. The girl seemed to accept his apology and left them be. Turning his attention to Angel he chuckled, shaking his head. "Oh, little wolf."


He handed her the new ball, nudging her back to the lane. "And remember, not too hard," he said before returning to a safe distance. She nodded, grateful that he was not making her feel like a complete ass. The second ball was much heavier, one she thought Robert had been using, but she was determine to get this done and over with.


She let out another breath, dropping her shoulders and taking another shot at it. Backing up, she threw again, this time consciously aware of Tony's reminder to be careful of her strength. The ball left her hands and started down the alley perfectly aligned...but moving at a painfully slow speed. If you didn't look close enough, you would think it wasn't moving. Angel groaned in disbelief and she sulked back to the chairs, using her hand to try to cover her face.


"I'll watch you guys," she offered, severely embarrassed.

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

Not one of the three men were content with Angel's decision to just watch them. They all badgered her until she gave up her pouting stance and joined them. Robert offered to put the bumpers up on the lane, but Marcus insisted that would be unnecessary coddling. She needed to learn, and the only way to do that was to do it the same as everyone else. It was no different than how they threw her to the wolves-- no pun intended-- with her training at home. So, it was decided... no bumpers.


Three quarters of the way through the first game, Robert disappeared for a lengthy number of minutes to clean out concessions before they closed for the night. Apparently dinner had already worked its way through him, and he was ready for round two. Nachos, soft pretzels, pizza; whatever he could get his hands on, he got his hands on. When he arrived back to find that a couple of frames had been bowled for him, he got indignant


"We weren't waiting for your dumb ass," Tony said as he stole a piece of pizza. "Besides, Angel needed the practice."


Robert's grumbling was mostly muffled by the soft pretzel he was shoving into his mouth, but his disapproval was still evident. He had been in pretty close running with Marcus up until now. Now, the cocky Brit had pulled away in a pretty guaranteed win.

 

[Soliloquy]

While their insistence on her trying again was unwanted initially, after time Angel was glad they had been stubborn asses. Her throws were still rather horrible, but she was getting less gutter balls, not to mention she was enjoying herself. The brothers were entertaining, as always, and it was interesting to see the competitive side of Marcus just barely showing.


"Let's be fair, Robert," Angel added, munching on a cheese-lathered nacho chip, "I'm pretty sure Marcus had you beat long ago. He's just too nice of a guy and was going easy on you."


She enjoyed an opportunity to tease him, but knew in honesty the two were pretty even with the other. Although she wasn't foolish enough to say it out loud, she was glad they didn't stick around for the movie. This was much more fun than watching yet another piece of a drawn out, overdone franchise.

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

The first game ended, and a second began. Robert and Tony had fun playing a couple of games they had made up. One they called "is she, isn't she?" in which they tried to determine is a girl was legal or not. And then another game in which they tried to determine which girl in a group was the "easiest". Not for their own purposes, but to weave fun little stories for themselves. Marcus only let this go on for so long before telling them that he would throw a bowling ball at their heads if they didn't stop.


The second game passed well enough. Everyone actually ended up having a decent time, but all of the men were more than happy to get out of their ridiculous bowling shoes by the end of it. It was late, nearing two in the morning, when they turned their shoes.


"Alright, it's been more than enough time!" Robert exclaimed dramatically. "If they're not done, then I'll give the guy a fucking medal!"


The brothers laughed while Marcus shook his head, too tired to deal with their antics any longer.

 

[Soliloquy]

Although Angel was the youngest by far and had the most stamina, she had to agree with them. It was late, even by her standards. Piling back into the truck with Robert and Tony, she curled up in a ball in the back seat. Bowling, it turns out, really wore her out and she was passed out before they even pulled onto the highway.


Back at the manor, the night alone had not gone to waste. There were clear signs of what had transpired, but also less common side effects. A journey up the stairs resulted with a part of the railing busted and in the den area a lamp had been displaced from it's normal resting place and covered the ground in shattered shards.


Finally at a rest, James held his ferocious she wolf close to his chest, their sweat-coated bodies a tangled mess under the sheets. His wolf lie just as exhausted, panting heavily but pleased and curled up with hers as well. He sighed, eyes closed, basking in the hot aura that remained around him, smile plastered on his face.


"Well, that was..." he began but couldn't even find the words. Giving up, he settled with tilting Elise's chin upward and giving her the softest of kisses.

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

"Thousands of dollars worth of property damage?" Elise finished James's sentence for him with a lazy smile. After he rained kisses down upon her, she released a content sigh. "Or incredible. Incredible works, too."


It was a wonder more things hadn't been broken. Their untamed desires for one another had resulted in the pursuit of... activities... from room to room until they had finally made it upstairs and to the Alpha's room. It really was a good thing that Angel had cleared the house. There would have been no way of containing the storm that had erupted between the two of them once it'd finally been allowed to. Elise made a mental note to take the girl on a shopping spree or something. She was a genius.


Elise wrapped her arm tightly around James's strong torso, feeding off of his strength and presence. She nuzzled into the side of his neck and kissed him there. She tasted the salt of his skin and smiled sleepily. Unable to let him go, she'd drifted off into a deep sleep.


When the quartet approached the house, they were able to hear and sense stillness. Robert gave the signal that it was safe to go in, and he held the door open for Anthony, who carried the sleeping Angel carefully in his large arms. Inside, once their eyes had adjusted to the darkness, Robert saw the damage to the house.


"No... fucking... way." He exclaimed quietly. It was all he could do not to run upstairs, wake James up, and give him a high five.


"Oh dear..." Marcus was even surprised by the sight.


The couch in the den had been pushed askew with some degree of force, resulting in the knocking of the lamp off an end table and onto the floor. Part of the banister at the stairs had been broken and teetered, barely hanging on, over the edge. Marcus was almost certain he saw a bra hanging from one of the high beams, but he hoped severely that it was just his imagination.


"Well," he whispered with his hands on his hips. But he had nothing else to say after that. There were no words.


Robert was trying hard to contain his laughter, and he realized his brother was too. When Tony took Angel up to her room, he looked around for any more damage, but everything seemed to be fine. After laying the young wolf on her mattress and covering her up, he headed to bed himself. Everyone else did the same. The night, it seemed, had taken its toll on the entire pack.

 

[Soliloquy]

The following morning came all too fast and the first asleep was quick to rise, energy back to it's normal level. Showered and dressed for the day, Angel went bouncing down the stairs, freezing midway as she saw the busted railing. Did something happen the night before and she missed it?


Moving slower as she investigated, she found the kitchen empty but also in disarray. Stools were tipped over and the counters were empty, their normal contents scattered on the floor and even some in the sink. The most concerning element though, was the uncleaned pans and dishes in the sink. She had never seen a dirty dish last more than an hour in the house. A relatively empty bottle of wine caught her attention and she remembered what was to have happened last night.


"In the kitchen!" she groaned, now worried it wouldn't be safe to eat anywhere without envisioning what happened on the surfaces the night prior. Stepping over the mess she moved to the den. Glass shards still littered the floor and nothing seemed to be in it's normal place. She was quite certain there was a bite mark on an armchair, but shook the thought away.


"Did...did they dent the floor?" she bent down to examine the apparent concave wood only to be hit with an overpowering smell. Her wolf senses picked up on the obvious residue of the activities of the alpha and his now official mate. Groaning, Angel straightened up, and quickly moved to prop open the windows and back door.


"I am not cleaning this up..." she grumbled, trying to find a safe place to sit down.

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

Marcus had stayed at the manor that night, and in the morning he had awoken to the stress of a messy house. He knew that they would likely be expecting visitors sometime that evening, and it wouldn't do to have the house looking like this. But he also knew there were certain boundaries that had to be drawn. He could only do so much to help clean without feeling completely and totally squirmy about it.


"No... definitely don't touch anything," he said to Angel as he entered the room after her statement. "This is... this is something else."


There were little things he could do to tidy up. Rearrange the furniture, pick up the stools, clean the glass from the lamp, etc. But his generosity only extended so far. Standing there with his hands on his hips, he looked at Angel.


"By all means, feel free to occupy yourself elsewhere" He couldn't blame her for feeling off put by all of this. "I'd be happy to give you money if you'd like to go into town for breakfast."


Upstairs, Elise's tired body squirmed to wakefulness next to James. She let out a tired groan as he eyes opened. Her body was delightfully sore, her muscles tender. She was still wrapped up with her Alpha, their skin and limbs intertwining. The memories of the night prior still fresh in her mind, she felt a smile form on her lips. Her wolf was excitable, just by the thoughts alone, and Elise had to push down the desires as they started to form again. She was surprised she still had anything left, but it seemed her reserves were far from depleted.


Taking a moment, she let her senses pour in around her. Past the obvious smell of their bodies and their combined pheromones, the she wolf could smell the others. They were back... and the house was a wreck. Another quiet groan left her.


"James..." she elongated his name a bit, stirring him awake with a squeeze. "The house..."


She whispered, her lips against his ear. They had left everything in shambles for obvious reasons, and now everyone was seeing it still in that state. Her cheeks grew hot and flushed, and she squeezed her eyes as if to will them all back into town.


"We did... so much." She said, chuckling quietly to herself.

 

[Soliloquy]

He didn't have to offer twice, Angel took him up on any opportunity to escape the destroyed house. She contemplating asking if he was going to come with, but then realized it was probably going to take all of them to even scrape the top layer of damage away. Accepting the money, she gladly disappeared down the gravel driveway, toward the nearby town.


The Alpha awoke with a smile on his face, eyes still closed as he listened to his stirring mate. Her brief descriptions brought back vivid images of the night prior and a stiffness in his shoulders was a painful reminder of a few daring decisions. Most ended fairly well. Despite the roughness he was now feeling, he hadn't felt as relaxed as he was now, listening to her soft happy voice.


"The house will recover," his voice was gruff. One hand moved through her tangled mess of blonde hair, fighting the urge to comment on how she looked like she had really enjoyed herself. He choose to leave it, like a silent trophy of his job well done.


Clearing his throat he nodded. "It's fine, I'm sure insurance covers for things like this, right? Fire, tornado, undoubtedly the best sex." He gave her a wink, sitting up and tugging her along with him.


"We did quite a bit," he agreed, watching her with soft eyes, "But it was completely worth every broken lamp and every comment that we're going to hear. Besides, if Robert saw what you did to that poor railing, I think he'll no better than to invoke that strength." He chuckled, releasing her only to stretch his arms, pulling muscles that were grateful.