Song : Massive Attack - Paradise Circus 

The car that came to pick me up was exactly on time. I took a last look around my apartment and closed the door. I was leaving a piece of myself inside those walls and as I walked down the stairs I felt like I was leaving also my freedom.

I didn't have time to duel on such thoughts. I left my keys to Helen, the gentle animal's doctor on the first floor so she could give them to the moving company later this week to get the rest of my stuff. My father had arranged everything with my landlord and the excuse for all of them, including friends was a family emergency. It always worked. People were too afraid to ask any more questions in case it was something they couldn't bear to hear.

I had called Ian and informed him that I would be leaving with him. The conversation was brief, he just asked at what time he should send a car to pick me up and told me that we would be staying at a hotel for the evening and then fly in the morning. I was surprized, I thought that we would meet tomorrow morning and then travel up north. He understood from my pause on the phone and promised that he would explain everything. This was not going to go well if he kept this up, asking me for things and then dictated the way they should be executed. I would give him the benefit of the doubt for now but my patience was not without its limits. I had already been a very good sport regarding this whole situation.

The driver was not alone. Another male wolf was with him and his scent was familiar. He must have been in the woods with him, he smelt of pine tree like Ian and something else which I didn't care to find out at the moment. He picked up my suitcases, loaded them and opened the door for me in the back. The car started and we were on our way. I didn't look back.

As the car took us to our destination, I thought about the questions I had asked my father before he left a couple of hours before. He wanted to stay but I urged him to drive back home, there was no need for him to delay any longer as I was sure my grandma would get suspicious and asked to speak to me on the phone. I would leave all the explaining for my dad to deal with, I would call her when I reached the North. I wanted my dad to explain to me the details of how exactly did Arcto Coniunx was performed. I had only heard about it and knew that it was for a period of time but the process escaped me. My father looked uncomfortable and told me that it would be best if I talked about it with Ian. He just assured me that the time frame was right.

We arrived in one of the city's most fancy hotels and I was escorted to the elevators by the same enforcer. He hit the button and I took a small breath, trying to ignore the sappy music that was filling the booth. The little bell informed us that we had reached our floor. He got out before me and pointed down the corridor. I followed him and we reached the room.

He opened the door with a card key and showed me in. He hadn't said a word to me the whole time so when he suddenly spoke, it startled me.

"Ms Hamilton, Alpha Barker will be here within the hour. He asked if you could please remain in the room. I will bring the suitcases right up."

"Thank you but I believe the hotel can send them up, no need to trouble yourself" I didn't want to inconvenience him any further, he already looked grumpy.

"The Alpha specifically asked that you are not to be disturbed by anyone. Another guard is already outside your door until I return" his tone didn't falter. I didn't want to argue about this any longer so I nodded and he left. I caught the figure of another man outside the door. There were being overly cautious, I would have to ask about that as well.

The room, suite was a better word for it, was beautiful. It had a large sitting room with a small dining table for two near the balcony doors. Two doors on each of my side revealed the bedrooms, one already had a suitcase on the bed so I went to other one. The colours were grey and beige, like the whole suite. Everything screamed expensive, the rugs, the sofa, the enormous beds. I looked outside the balcony doors and enjoyed the view. The door to the room opened and the other guard went straight to the vacant bedroom and left them there. Good, if they knew where to put them that meant that the Alpha didn't give any false assumptions about our staying together tonight.

I made myself comfortable on the sofa and turned the tv on to get distracted. I was beginning to feel all the excitement of the last two days wearing me down.

Just as I was getting lost in the images of travelers in exotic places, the door opened and Ian walked inside. He was wearing a black suit this time and his shirt was unbuttoned at the top. The room immediately filled by his presence and raw power emanated from him. My wolf immediately gave him her attention, she has been suspiciously quiet ever since I made the decision to follow him and now she was all eyes and ears opened.

"Why do you conceal yourself?" that was one of my questions and it just came to me.

He looked a little taken aback but he answered me.

"I find it best to not reveal my full potential to those who do not know me. It makes people feel more at ease with me and those who have bad intentions tend to underestimate me. It works to my advantage, both ways."

That made sense and it was actually quite clever.

"Was that one of your questions?" he asked while coming to sit in the sofa with me.

"Yes, that was one. I have others."

"I imagined you would. I do realize that all of this is done rather hasty but if I could, I would give you more time. You can ask me anything you want and I'll do my best to answer". He got up and went to a cupboard and brought out a whiskey bottle.

"Would you like one?" he asked me while pointing at the bottle "or do you prefer something else?"

"I would drink some white wine if you have some here." I couldn't hold strong drinks very well, one glass was more than enough, beer and wine were more agreeable. At least I could drink a few of those and I just wanted to take the edge off not get drunk. The fact that we were alone for the first time without anyone else to disturb us had just dawned upon me.

"I'll just order to bring us some. Have you eaten?" I shook my head.

"I'm not really hungry at the moment."

He frowned at me but went ahead and ordered from the phone in his bedroom. I waited and ten minutes later there was a knock at the door. He came out, without his jacket and let the room service in. The man carried his tray and let a bottle of white wine in a cooler and a large tray with different kinds of fruit and cheese. He wanted me to have something to nibble, I liked that. Ian ushered him from the room and from the smile in his eyes, he had gotten a big tip. He poured his drink and mine and took his previous place.

"Now I' m all yours" his eyes shined and he smirked.

He really shouldn't say things like that out of the blue, it made my wolf purr with the double meaning and my cheeks were getting red, I could feel it.

"I only know the basics of the Arcto Coniunx, I would like more details"

"You are familiar that there are four times a year in which we as werewolves give tribute to the Moon and Mother Nature. Two Equinoxes, one in March and the other in September in which the day equals the night and the two Solstices of June and December. We honour them for the gifts they gave us and one of those gifts is a mate. "

He took a large portion of his drink and I followed suit with mine.

"On those specific dates, no bonding or claiming of a mate is allowed. We celebrate the gifts we already have, we cannot take a new one. In the case of potential mates our claiming is annulled and in order to make it valid again, we have to repeat the process or make it official in which case the forthcoming changes of the moon and the sun will not influence it. Even if we mate in the duration of the contract, it will hold no power over us, we'll have to wait until after the celebration and do the claiming and the mating together in order for the bond to remain permanent. The power of the whole process really lies within our wolves, they are the ones who bind us together and recognize the differences between the real thing and a temporary agreement. They are the real children of the moon and we are the hosts that serve and guide them. One cannot exist without the other so the final say has to be agreed by both."

I was listening to him and I now realized why my father was reluctant to give me the exact details. No male wolf wants to talk to his female pup about mating.

A new question came to my mind and although I was mortified that it might seem like I was contemplating on the chance of it happening, now was as any of a good time to ask.

"What happens if we do mate and claim each other during the contract?' It was a valid question.

"Then we will be permanently bonded. If we can't control ourselves and our wolves, we will spend our lives together, whether we're ready or not." His demeanor didn't change and that relaxed me. He was calm. He seemed to be expecting this and didn't smile or joke to make me feel uncomfortable.

My glass was empty and I reached to refill it. This talk about intimacy was getting me thirsty, real fast. He took my glass from my hands and poured me some wine, He picked a piece of cheese and while he handed my wine his fingers came close to my lips.

"Eat. It's not good to drink on an empty stomach."

I opened my mouth and accepted the salty treat. His eyes and fingers lingered and the green specks filled his eyes. I'm sure mine also shined as my wolf enjoyed his close proximity to my lips.

I lowered my gaze and drunk a healthy dose of my wine. It was really good, dry and fruity, easy on the throat.

I decided to ask about the others. Curiosity and awareness were my motives, not jealousy. As long as they remained in his past, they were no concern of mine.

"You said that you have met two others before me. Did you form a temporary bond with them as well?" Now that I said it out loud, the fact that he might go around shopping for the experience, bothered me.

He smiled knowingly. "No I haven't. I was very young when I met my first one and she was a few years older than me so we couldn't work at all together. She mated not very long after we met but she remained my friend. The second was at the right age I suppose but while seemingly compatible, certain aspects of her character made it impossible for me to accept her."

Sounded reasonable enough. Age and sex, given you had reached maturity, didn't play any part in our world although the closer contact we had with humans in the last decades proved that sometimes difficult. Generally mates with a great age gap didn't happen because either the older wolf was already mated so the feelings weren't sexual but of a protective nature or they simply were on another level of consciousness. You would always have feelings for a possible mate but once mated to another they were similar to that one has for a friend, for both sides.

I picked some grapes from the tray and their flavour exploded in my mouth. I gave a little sound of approval that sounded like a moan and I was rewarded with a dominant growl. My wolf loved it, I loved it.

Back to the practical side of things.

"Does the exchange of blood happen as in the Alpha acceptance rituals or is it an actual claim?" The Alpha's mixed the blood from their hands with those that came in from another pack or the children that were born into his own.

"It's a mate's claim. I will bite you and seal my being onto your skin, giving you access to me and you will borrow some of my individual scent. Then you will return in kind."

Frost. Frost or snow would be added to my scent.

"This is the reason I insisted on staying here with me tonight. I was staying at the pack house but I want to finalize the contract before we reach my home so I opted on choosing privacy for us. I don't want or need the interference of others in personal matters. I want you to meet my pack as my mate not a match."

So that explained the sudden hurry and secrecy. Once again, everything was moving fast. My wolf sent her warmth and trust to relax me and remind me that the truth was that whether it was tonight or next week, I had made my choice. We wouldn't love each other instantly, there was no such thing as a lover's oath that could be given with the claim, no this would just open the door to the possibilities of future love and companionship.

The two glasses of wine seemed to bring my mischievous self to the surface and with an innocent smile I asked him "Why can't we bite each other at the same time?"

The effects were immediate. Green filled brown and a growl more dominant escaped him.

"I don't think my wolf can tolerate that. He is driven to be first in everything and so am I." his voice had gotten a lot huskier due to both a challenge and the mention of his teeth and mine into our flesh.

I took the last sip of my drink and with a cheeky smile this time I answered .

"You never know. You might both like it"

His eyes reflected his desires. He clearly wanted to grab me and sink his teeth right this minute and assert his authority over me while satisfying his need to feel and touch my skin.

This was going to be a long night.