Eyes opened the moment I heard the sparrows chirping.

But all I could see the white cloth against my face.

Slowly, the whole of body awakened and twitched at places. I realized how my legs were locked, one hand of mine was against my chest while another was around the thick torso.

I pulled my face back slightly to feel the chest heaving up slowly.

I blinked and looked up at the scene only to raise my eyebrows at the unexpected scene. Usually, he would already be awake and doing the routines. But today, he was still deep in sleep.

His hair were spread over the pillows, seemed silky and dry as if he had washed them last night. He did come and changed clothes directly.

That sharp nose was glowing unlike his blushed forehead and cheeks. Observing from close, I could see his full and pink lips with that parted mouth.

He looked quite like a saint, sleeping so innocently.

A smirk curved my lips at the thought of secretly cutting his beard now.

Raising myself slightly on my elbow, I looked around the room. The light of the early dawn was starting to show up things. My lips puckered at not remembering if I had seen any kind of knife or scissor around here. A knife could be found for sure. But where was it?

We like it. I want to grow longer than brother Kingston and Robin.

I blinked, looking back at his face.

My hairy hand? The hair of this caveman might scratch your skin.

He loved his beard and hair. It suited him, though. But then. . .

I gulped hard while moving my eyes off his lips. Just look at that untrimmed moustache.

I squinted my eyes in thought.

I could imagine him giving me death threats if I even did a little prank about shaving his beard off. Death threats? He would kill me.

Seemed like this beard was his first love.

He cared about it since I could notice the healthy silky hair.

I remembered how Gilbert's stubble was so rough and thick, mostly untrimmed. Mom would waste no chances of stealing french kisses from him.

Cringe filled me hard when I remembered the scene from their bedroom. God, what a crazy morning it was.

I sighed slowly, shifting away from Karam slowly. But just as I did, he tightened his arm around my waist, making me bump in his chest immediately.

His chest rumbled in sleep, tightening our entangled legs more. While I gasped in fright.

"Karam, you are going to crush me like a tomato. Let me go." I shrieked in a whisper, forcing my arms against his chest to stop him from pushing me against him. "What the fuck!"

He moaned in sleep and his hand roamed against by back, almost reaching inside my top. "Sleep," he mumbled in his rough sleepy voice.

"Karam. It's morning. Get your hands off me!" I said while grabbing his big hand and trying to pull it back to him, to get myself free.

When he didn't wake up, I thought about pulling his strand hard. But no. That would be mean and disrespectful.

I bit my lip while thinking of something as now, I was almost being squeezed in his big muscular arms.

"Karam, wake up." I said, sighing at not being able to think of a way to wake him up. Last night, he seemed sad and upset with me. I didn't want to worsen it. So, the only way left was to pat his beared cheek and shake. "Karam. Let me go."

"No." He grumbled in sleep, making me look at him in wonder.

My lose hair was half in his hold and were now being pulled slightly.

How would a scream in his ear be like? That would wake him up.

Pull his beard harshly? Nah! Mean, again.

My eyes wandered over his hair.

Reaching for his hair, I pushed them away from above his ears. My eyebrows raised at seeing the pointy ones. They weren't as sharp as of the elves I used to see in fantasy tales books. But they weren't curved either to look normal like the wolves back at the pack and even humans. My finger caught the ring against his earlobe. It was metal.

It couldn't be silver. Then, must either be some mixture of metals like copper or nickel. I could see the lost shine on it. It seemed old.

Blinking slowly, I looked away from his ears over to his mouth. I moved my finger to his upper lip and raised it little in curiosity. It felt ticklish to do it and I even let out a giggle in embarrassment.

I just wanted to see his canines from close.

Using both of my hands, I raised his lips slightly to see the teeth.

All of a sudden, the white pearls started elongating along with his mouth parting slowly.

I jumped back as the sharp canines protruded from the jaws, long and shiny. Enough to rest against his lower lip.

The mouth opened wide, making me look up at the open red eyes.

I let out a scream of horror, writhing in his hold.

"My mate awoke the beast in me. Now, I won't rest without marking her!" He growled loudly, making my eyes squeezed shut.

I shrieked and pushed against his bearded chin, keeping my hand away from his dangerous mouth.

Wailing loudly, I turned on my back, beating my legs against the bed, trying to get myself free. When all of a sudden, the loud laughter filled the room.

My movements halted while breaths came out in harsh pants. I opened my eyes slowly to see an awake Karam smiling goofily at me. His teeth now looking normal.

"You had promised," I whined in annoyance, pretending to sniffle. "You scared the shit out of me. I nearly pissed my skirt."

He laughed loudly, vibrating the whole of me as he had my whole form locked in his arms.

"I didn't scare you!" He squealed while calming his laughter down. His face had turned scarlet. "I startled you. Weren't you the one asking me to tell you my past?"

"How the fuck someone tells past by turning into a beast?" I whined, still feeling my fast heartbeats.

His hair were falling like curtains around his laughing face. Blinking warmly, he breathed softly. "This is how, I can show you past easily. With a bite."

"Wi-With a bi-bite?" I repeated while remembering how Keira had once mentioned it to me. "Woah! Right," I said while relaxing slightly. "But that would be marking—" I stopped to observe his humorous smile.

He nodded while observing my face. His smile fading slowly and serious expressions  appeared. "That will be your marking, my mate. The proof of my claim on you for the Universe to see."

My stomach flipped. I scrunched my nose slowly. "Just because we spooned, doesn't mean you can mark me."

The serious face turned into blank one.

My heart jolted in fright. "I mean, the bite might kill me. As I am a human. . ." I whispered quietly.

He looked up in my eyes and shook his head. "Goddess matched you with a Lycan thoughtfully. You are very well capable of handling my mark. It is not painful."

I chuckled sarcastically. "Right. The joke of this morning. Let me go, Karam. I have to brush my teeth. Oh my. . . How do you brush yours? The canines."

His eyebrows furrowed. "Like I wash other teeth. The first lick of the dawn, makes them clean too."

"Just like you licked my palm and cleaned the cut," I explained while looking in his light amber orbs. "Though, thank you. It's completely healed."

He blinked in acknowledgement. "The spit heals the wounds and scars. Are there anymore cuts or injuries?" He asked, narrowing his eyes. "Oh wait! There are your dry lips. I can heal them," he said while lowering his mouth closer to my mine.

I shrieked, pulling my hands up somehow from between our chests and cupped his mouth. Pushing him away, he rolled off from over me and laughed lightly. While I was already crawling over the bed, getting off and staggering away from him.

"You are such a. . ." I breathed through heavy pants, feeling my heart aching from the way it had flattered crazily. ". . . flirt."

His eyebrows furrowed. "What is a flirt?"

"A person who does all that," I said, pointing at him while holding my waist. "Like you just did. All the flirting. The teasing. I get you. Okay? I am going to get you back on this. I will avenge this. You had me suffering panic attacks early morning."

"You are such a whiner," he said, mimicking the straight tone that I had used.

I gasped silently, looking at him. "No, I am not."

He yawned sleepily and laid back on the bed. "You wish, my mate." He chuckled and closed his eyes, going back to sleep.

I looked back at the window and observed the dark blue sky turning light slowly.

.

.

.

____

.

.

.

I forgot that there were no matchsticks here.

Before me getting awake, Karam would already lit the candles using God-knows the torch that Amelia would keep lit through the whole night. Or maybe, he just knew to lit fire and would bring back the lit candle in the room. I didn't know.

Eventually, I was blank in the dark bathroom. With the faint light barely managing to see anything, I ended up taking the pot of charcoal and the metal mug of water outside Karam's room. 

Faint chilled winds slapped me softly when I closed the thick wooden door after me.

Looking around, I could see no one but a Lycan lighting a fire outside his porch to heat something in the utensil, far away in the street. Must be making tea, I thought.

Turning my head to the left, I observed the dry muddy pathway, the iron buckets put on the sides, the empty wooden chairs, the dried bushes, the wood sticks lying away at the places in the street.

Even though, all other houses were conjoined by the thick walls of bricks. Karam's flat was conjoining a narrow street. The same from which I had tried to escape to the forests the first night.

Walking through the street, I heard some noises of doing chores and moving the carts from all around. Some were awake and some were letting me know it.

At the end of the street, I looked straight at the dark forests.

Pouting in blankness, I bent my legs at the wall at the back of Karam's room. Putting the pot, I was about to wet my palm with water when I heard a loud gargle from my right side.

Staring far at the almost fifteen metres away, I observed a broad man squatting and gargling loudly. He spat the water, making far target, sprinkling it all and nodding in satisfaction.

Walking on my right side, behind Nysa's house, I placed the pots and looked at the man brushing his teeth with the charcoal. Reaching closer, I realized it was none other than Kingston.

Rolling my eyes, I squatted and wet my palm again. 

Glancing at Kingston, I saw him looking at me. Watching his swollen face from the deep sleep and all that flossing cheeks, beard moving along—I looked back at the sand in front of me.

Filling my palm with the pot, I scrunched my nose and gritted my teeth.

God! I missed the brush and the toothpaste. Never underestimate the value of these two little things.

Sighing, I took the pinch full of ash and leaned my face ahead to not dirty my clothes.

Kingston grunted and I looked at him.

He shook his head while showing me the hand full of ash more than I had taken. I only had to wash my teeth, not the whole society.

He showed me the suggestive eyes and I reluctantly put the more ash on my palm. Looking back at him, he nodded and pinched the powder, taking his hand to the mouth, rubbing the teeth.

I blinked and looked down at my palm. Taking the pinch full of ash, I started brushing my teeth slowly.

Another grunt came and I looked at him.

He leaned his head ahead towards my way and showed me how roughly he was doing it. Gritting his teeth, he rubbed the powder against them, making weird 'eeeeeeeeeeiiii" sounds.

I clenched my jaws and opened my lips. Taking the excess ash, I showed my teeth as much as I could.

He took another pinch of ash and pointed at his jaw. Taking the fingers inside his mouth, he massaged his molars and premolars.

Following his steps, I washed my molars too while the spit started trailing down the corner of my lips.

He grunted and signed me to copy him until I was done massaging whole of teeth from top to bottom, from left to right.

He flossed and sprinkled the water out ahead of him. He was making a lot of the noise.

I filled my mouth with the water, ready to floss when he said, "Hey! Robin! With no ass! You ain't waking up with ny one yell! Are you? Your sister-in-law asks for more dry bushes!"

The no-ass part got me and I nearly choked on the water. But controlling hard, I spat it out slowly, breathing to keep myself calm.

The ash was still very much on my teeth. Filing up my mouth with water again, I flossed when the voice came, "Dry bushes? Lit a spark against that bush on your face!"

It was Robin, peeking out from some tall window and going back inside.

Kingston grunted while gargling again. He spat the water and yelled, "Get up! Or I come there spanking your ass, flattening it."

"Unlike your sagging tits, King?"

I snickered while the mixture of the ash and water came out forcefully through my mouth and nose, like a shower tap.

My nose was peeled and chest felt like someone had punched it. Throat was burning but the snicker still escaped my mouth completely.

Robin was gone already but Kingston was watching me.

His blank face made me more crazy, I let out a loud laughter.

"Ah! How funny to know about the tits of a Lycan Alpha? They lie," Kingston roared in the loud voice, pointing at the window. "I an more in shape than him."

I calmed myself down and breathed hard.

The sudden footsteps occurred and I saw two girls coming from the behind Kingston's house.

"Greetings, Alpha."

Both bowed while he grunted in acknowledgement. "What are you females doing here early morning?" He asked with narrowed eyes.

Both had braided their hairs and were wearing skirts like me. One was taller, one was of my height.

"We caught Emily's ear rings lying in front of our house. She must have lost them while leaving for the mountains. My father found it and asked me to return them to Luna."

Kingston nodded while observing their faces keenly.

Both the girls bowed and started walking towards me. Both eyed me with knowing faces and giggled at the way I was sitting. I observed myself and shrugged as I had properly covered my legs and was only flossing now.

Still they giggled and passed me, walking ahead behind the conjoined houses.

"Amelia! Is the tea ready!" Kingston asked while washing the trails of charcoal from his beard.

I looked away in cringe when Amelia's loud voice. "Calm your tits! It's almost ready."

I spat the drink before it could reach my nose again.

Snickering to myself, I observed Kingston giving me an irritated look. "So, the human laughs too." He commented, giving me a humorous look. "Laughs at me. Too funny for you! Aren't I?"

I shook my head, grabbing the pot and controlling the snicker that was about to come again. His face seemed so funny with all the wet beard that he was cleaning to remove the ash trails.

I was about to enter the street when one of the girls who were leaving dropped the wooden stick, she must be holding in her hand.

"You dropped the stick, Chelsea."

My smile faded immediately.

The girl lowered down and grabbed the twig. Straightening up, she kept walking, not even glancing back for once. Her hair were black and waistlength.

Both went inside the street while I entered mine, away from Kingston's sight and dropped my jaw at the moment.

That was Chelsea.

She didn't even look back because of Kingston being present too.

Did she know who I was? Her successor to cross the border here. Oh God! I had seen in the crowd yesterday when Lucine came.

Maybe, she came here just to let me know that she is none other than Chelsea and very much alive.

______

"What do you think?"

Please vote and comment.

___

It was more of a filler chapter.

Chelsea enters the scene. Plot thickens.