(Big octopus from the Atlanta Aquarium.) 

"Ruoka!" 

Jolting upright in bed, Seba looked around the room in a panic. His vision was blurry, refusing to clear as the disease in his body reared its head. Before he could try to get up and look for his pup, he felt weight settle in his lap as a cold, soft nose nuzzled into his hand. 

Seba immediately gathered Ruoka into his arms, squeezing him a little too-tightly as he buried his face in his thick fur. 

I thought you'd left. 

He took in several deep breaths, the scent of his pup relaxing his nerves and allowing him to calm down as the illness's effects passed. When he finally leaned back and opened his eyes again, Ruoka was staring up at him, panting quietly with his big tongue lolling out the left side of his mouth. 

The image immediately made him give a quiet laugh before Seba reached up and gave Ruoka a gentle pat on the head, then wiped the tears from his own eyes. 

"Thank you for staying with me," he said before gesturing for Ruoka to hop off the bed. The pup did as told right away, allowing Seba to scoot to the edge. 

He took his time getting ready, making sure that he was presentable before tugging on his boots and looking down at Ruoka. His pup gave him his normal curious head-tilt, the action drawing a grin to his face right away. 

"Let's go pay a visit to alpha Rain. He wanted me to free you, and while I can't quite make myself do that yet, I'm sure he'll be quite happy with your collar having been removed... and I do owe him an answer from his previous offer," Seba said, trying to keep the nervousness he felt from his words. 

He still wasn't very comfortable around werewolves, but he was doing his best to take things one step at a time. It definitely helped that Ruoka hadn't left him after he'd removed his collar. He'd been right there for him the moment he'd woken up. 

Heading downstairs, he noticed that he didn't hear his master in the sitting room, nor his study or the little kitchen. Curious, he followed the sounds of humans bustling about and found his master standing in a huge entertaining room in the back portion of the house. It wasn't exactly large enough to be considered a ballroom, but it was definitely big enough to hold slightly smaller events. 

"Good morning, Sebastian," Preto said as he walked over with a grin on his face. 

Seba knew that look. 

"Judging me so early in the morning isn't good for your health," Preto said with a quiet hint of laughter as he tugged Seba into a quick hug, then reached down to pat Ruoka's soft head. 

Seba looked around the room as people rushed about setting up this and that. 

"You received quite a few calling cards yesterday, and again early this morning, so I decided to have a little get-together here, instead of trying to send you off to all of those places all week." 

He... couldn't argue that his master's plan was the better idea, but still. 

"We're going to go out for a little bit," he said abruptly as he began to turn. 

Pretennon grabbed his hand before he could sneak away, making him slowly turn back to face him. He was pulled into another hug before his master leaned down and pressed a kiss to his curly hair. 

"I will not let anyone harm you, ever. You know that you can call on me at any time, day or night, and I will come to you without fail," he said, making Sebastian tuck his head against his master's chest and nod. 

"I know... I'm just overwhelmed here," Seba whispered quietly against his master's beautifully-adorned black and blue coat. 

Preto gave him an extra gentle squeeze before releasing him so that he could settle his hands on his shoulders. 

"I know it's a huge change, and you are doing phenomenally well. Go enjoy your day with your pup," he said as he reached up and rustled his hair, then nudged him back toward the front of the house. 

Seba gladly dismissed himself, even running toward the front door when he was just-barely out of his master's sight. The man knew, of course, because he heard his faint laughter in the back of his mind, but he knew that he didn't mind. Of all of the vampires that had offered to change him, Pretennon had been the most honest. 

As he walked out the door and began heading north with Ruoka at his side, Seba smiled as he remembered how he'd chosen Pretennon as his master. Normally, humans vied for a vampire's attention in order to be the lucky one who got to be changed and have their life drastically extended. 

Except, he'd had no interest in extending his suffering. It was his parents that had sent out invitations for an extremely lavish ball to every single vampire in the city. Everyone had come, but he knew that every single one of them had had ulterior motives. Heck, most of them had already had their heir, too, and it was illegal to take more than one. 

He'd watched the events from where his parents had made him sit at a beautifully decorated table next to the intricately designed banister railing overlooking the festivities. As the evening dragged on more vampires than he could remember had come up to speak with him, but after the tenth or so, he'd just begun to give boring answers on purpose. None of them cared, and neither had he. 

Ruoka nudged his hand, clearly sensing his growing upset. The simple tap drew a smile to his face as he patted his pup's head and turned, noticing a food stall nearby. He knew that Pretennon was sneaking his pup more than double what he'd normally feed him, but he couldn't help stopping at the stall and pointing to a thick piece of fatty pork. 

Ruoka was immediately wiggling with excitement at his side, his front paws dancing eagerly. 

"Allow me," came a deep voice to his right as Seba was about to pull out a few coins from his leather purse. 

The deep sound sent a nervous shiver down his spine as Seba took the proffered package of meat once the Rain alpha had paid for it. He turned to face the larger man with a forced, but appreciative smile before bowing his head the slightest bit in respect. 

"Thank you, alpha Rain," he said as Ruoka inched himself closer against his leg. 

The man before them was impeccably dressed in a tailored dark blue and white outfit that looked like it had cost quite a pretty penny. 

"I'm glad that I found you two again," the man said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. 

Seba swallowed down his nerves and nodded. 

"I was actually just on my way to your estate," he said, only partially lying. 

He'd intended to go there today, but at the same time, that was before his master had told him about the gathering later, and he also had completely and totally intended on stopping at as many places as he could along the way so that he eventually ran out of time to actually seek out the werewolf's attention before evening came. 

Ruoka might have gained quite a few more pounds that day if the Rain alpha hadn't found him so early on. 

"Would you care to take a ride with me?" the man asked, making Seba tilt his head just like Ruoka normally did. "And please, call me Silas." 

Silas...

Seba watched as the man turned toward a carriage and walked over to it, then looked over his shoulder. He knew that he should have gone with him out of courtesy alone, but nerves kept his boots firmly where they were. 

His hesitance had the calm expression on the man's face darkening slightly, but the displeased look disappeared as fast as it had appeared as he walked back over, waving a hand at his driver. The gesture, evidently, dismissed the man, sending him off and leaving the alpha... with him. 

"Let's take a walk then, shall we?" Silas said as he nonchalantly moved past Seba, clearly expecting him to follow. 

I suppose this situation could work. It is much less stressful to walk in public than to go to the alpha's home.

With that thought settling his worries, Seba fell into step beside the man. Ruoka took his normal spot at his side, lifting his head a little higher so that his fur would brush against Seba's fingers as he walked. 

"I had wanted to ask what you thought of my previous offer," Silas said as they turned down a cobblestone street that was shaded with quite a few lopsided trees. 

He looked down at Ruoka as he spoke, an honest smile finding its way onto his lips as he nodded toward the pup. 

"I see that you have removed his silver collar. I thank you for that." 

Seba hesitantly glanced up at the taller man, but couldn't find any words to say, so he simply nodded. 

They walked in silence for a few moments as they made their way down to one of the large lakes in the area. This one was more shaded than the one he'd previously been to, which Seba greatly appreciated since he'd forgotten to put on a hat... or feed before he left, again. 

"This location looks quite nice to sit and chat," Silas said as he walked off the path and settled himself right at the water's edge. 

Seba hesitated, still on the path, but when Silas looked over at him briefly, then fell back into the soft, thick grass, Seba forced himself to walk over. He took a seat two feet away, needing a little bit of distance to feel secure enough that he could respond if the man tried to harm him, or his pup. 

To his surprise, Ruoka didn't settle where he usually would next to his leg. Instead, he walked right between them both and lied down before settling his head on his paws in the grass. Seba didn't doubt that Silas noticed the slight rise in his pup's hackles, too. 

Are you okay, Ruoka? 

It was such an odd move for his normally-scared wolf. 

"I see that he's already shifted, as well," Silas said with curious interest to his words. 

Seba's eyes widened as he stared down at Ruoka, then looked up at the alpha. 

"He has?" 

A quiet growl emanated from Ruoka's mouth, drawing Seba's brows together in confusion. 

"You've already shifted? You understand him?" he asked, honestly a little upset... though he knew he had no right to be. He'd taken the collar off so that Ruoka could shift whenever he wished. 

When Ruoka glanced at him, hiding his nose in between his paws, Seba's mouth opened slightly, but no more words came out. 

He really has shifted already. 

"It's quite interesting that he has, though, since it normally requires the presence of an alpha to do so," Silas said, drawing Seba's attention back up to him. 

The werewolf's eyes darkened as a cloud passed overhead, casting a shadow over their already-shaded area. 

"I know that Marquise wouldn't force a wolf to shift in such a situation..." he said, clearly thinking through possible ways Ruoka had somehow shifted before ever meeting an alpha for the transformation. 

Seba licked his lips and turned a little so that he could face the lying down man a bit better. 

"I haven't met the Moon alpha yet." 

Silas gave a quiet grunt in response as he returned his attention to Ruoka, who had repositioned himself better between the two to act as a barrier. 

"Marquise is not one to randomly wander about, or deal with situations personally. He'll usually send out his beta or another high ranking pack member to take care of things," he said, earning a silent nod from Seba before Silas sat up, his hair falling into his eyes a little with the movement. 

"Ah, I forgot that my beta had mentioned a little black wolf from the Ghost pack sniffing around you. I dismissed him at first, because his wolf was a tiny little thing that just seemed to want easy meals..."

The alpha's attention now focused solely on Seba, making him fidget with some of the grass near his left hand. 

"I should have figured it out sooner. The ghost pack isn't very large, and their alpha is known to be able to change his form..." Silas said as his expression turned to a scowl. 

Something's off here. He wants me to free Ruoka, yet he's getting angry about another alpha possibly making him shift. Wouldn't that help eventually release him from me? 

"You seem quite confused, my sick little friend," Silas said, his tone of voice making Seba want to scoot back a few more feet... even if it would seem rude. 

The werewolf leaned forward as his eyes flashed with some sort light, making Seba question just how far his wolf really was beneath his human skin. 

"You have very few options, should you stay in this town. I am not one whom makes blood deals lightly. I have never offered a blood contract, either, so you best consider it very carefully before you decline it. I am sure that your sire has informed you what happens when a vampire drinks an alpha's blood. I am not going to pretend that I won't be able to control, to a point."

You just decided to leave out that little part when making the original offer. 

"Choose wisely, and quickly, Sebastian. While my offer will remain open for the time being, just be warned," Silas said as he slowly stood, making Seba hurry to his feet in response. 

"The Ghost alpha is extremely new to living amongst humans. The two times I've met him face to face, he wasn't easy to deal with. That day that I first met you, when my wolf was covered in blood, was one of those times."

He definitely remembered that day. He'd needed to feed, so the alpha's blood had been extremely tempting. 

That reminds me, though. 

"Did you send Kandza to watch us?" Seba asked, putting some of the pieces together as the alpha's lips tilted up into a smirk. 

"Yes, but it seems like he already had some ulterior motives of his own."

Ulterior motives?

Seba unintentionally let himself get lost in his thoughts as he considered the amount of times he'd seen the wolf around his master. He'd never heard Pretennon ever mention a significant other, or any interest in pursuing one. For as long as he'd known the man, he'd preferred to live without someone on his arm. 

A warning growl from Ruoka snapped him out of his daze as a very warm hand settled against the side of his face. 

He did lean away this time as the alpha leaned forward, but was forced to stop when he felt sharp claws threaten to pierce the skin around his left ear. 

"I have an engagement to attend to shortly, so I will take my leave now. Please, do consider my words carefully. I will hope to hear a favorable answer from you come this evening's gathering," Silas said as his serious expression suddenly changed into a calm, relaxed one with a beautiful smile and soft, lying eyes. 

Seba made himself take a deep, steadying breath through his nose before opening his mouth to respond, except, he didn't get the chance to say anything before Silas slipped the tip of his thumb between his lips and nicked it on an anticipating fang. 

The strong, shockingly-sweet scent of blood immediately flooded his senses as Seba tried, but pathetically failed, to not lick the tiny droplet Silas's cut thumb had left on his fang.  

His head immediately began pounding as he dropped to his knees in the soft grass. Everything in him started burning as his body yearned for more of the alpha's blood. He would have lunged for the man without a second thought if he hadn't felt familiar, soft fur press up against his face. 

Unable to help himself, Seba snarled as he wrapped his arms tightly around Ruoka and nuzzled his face deeper into the thick fur. A moment later and he was biting down, hard. He felt Ruoka tense in response, but couldn't make his jaws relax at all as he began to drink hungrily. 

I'm so sorry, Ruoka. 

He knew that it was too early to feed from him again, but he couldn't make himself pull away until he'd managed to sate his hunger. When he finally lifted his head, panting hard and still a little dazed from bloodlust, he realized that the Rain alpha was nowhere to be seen. 

Quite a few people had also been staring at him, but they quickly hurried on their way when he noticed them looking. 

Dammit. 

Shakily getting to his feet with an exhausted Ruoka in his arms, Seba slowly began his walk back toward his master's home. It was rare that he got angry at someone, but the Rain alpha hadn't needed to trigger his bloodlust for him to take his words seriously. And honestly, it made him hesitate to consider them as anything more than just an open threat, veiled in fake kindness. 

He also hadn't mentioned why he was still willing to offer the blood contract when it was clear that Ruoka was likely to gain his freedom at some point during their stay in London. 

Why are you trying to tie me to you so badly?

(Edited)