"He was about to kill mummy and daddy..." Juniper said, smiling up at Albion as she held out her bloody fist. "I saw him do it. He used the knife hidden up his sleeve..." Her claws turned back into her regular fingernails, her smile faltering when she spotted her eldest brother's expression. "Alby?" Her dark blue eyes stared up into his matching ones. "Alby, what's wrong?"

"June... What have you done?!"

A loud creak cut through her dream, her eyes snapping open – fixing on the blonde Alpha who was currently trying to creep towards the door. Her gaze fell on the rumpled sheets on the bed next to her, sitting up quickly, blinking as she felt cool air brush against her chest. Her white shirt was completely unbuttoned, revealing her animal patterned bra, but Juniper wasn't really that bothered. That was why she launched herself across the room, tackling the blonde-haired guy to the ground.

"What are you doing?!" He stared up at her.

"Why were we in the same bed...?" Her deep blue eyes bore into his brown ones.

The Alpha in question shrugged. "I was drunk last night..."

"And?"

"I can't remember whether or not we had sex, OK?" He scowled up at her. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a hangover to go and sleep off back in my room."

"This is your room, isn't it?" She leant back, staring around the unfamiliar room as he sat up.

"The others wouldn't have let me hook up in my own room." He folded his arms. "Now, sugar, last night was a one night thing, OK?"

"Sweetie, I'm fairly sure we didn't do anything last night... I mean, I don't go around shagging random people. I'm not a horny teenager like you." She said, tilting her head. "I'm just curious. I certainly didn't get into bed with you, so I don't really understand why I got out of bed with you. The last thing I remember was getting to the bar with some blonde... Which I'm guessing was you..."

"My, my..." A voice called, making the two of them face the two blondes and the one brunette staring at them. "Getting all hot and steamy at this early hour, are we?"

"That's my line, Thorn." The second blonde grumbled, smirking in the next second as Juniper stood, not caring at how the Alpha's eyes lingered on her chest. "Bunnies?"

"Blaze..." The brunette cautioned.

Green eyes continued to linger on her bra. "It's cute, considering the fact she looks like a seven-year-old..."

Juniper pulled out a gun. "Say that again. I dare you..."

Blaze looked at her curiously, examining her from head to toe. "Where were you hiding that?" He asked. "I was very thorough with my search for weapons earlier..." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Blaze, stop trying to flirt with her." Thorn hissed, watching as the gun disappeared into thin air. "You know she's Black's mate..."

Juniper blinked.

Black blinked.

"WHAT?!" Juniper was on the other side of the room in an instant. Her eyes fell to her hand, her gaze narrowing on the clear inky black swirling markings marring her tawny beige skin. "I can't be... I can't be the mate of that horny teenager! There's no way!"

Black's eyes narrowed on the Bond Mark on her hand, his gaze falling on the matching swirling black symbols on his pale skin. "Better get used to it, princess."

"Finally showing me the respect I deserve, are we?" Juniper folded her arms, smirking.

He strode towards her slowly, like a predator stalking its prey. "Pookie Bear, you're not the one who's in control here..."

"If I was meant to be controlled I would've come with a remote..."

Black grinned, wiggling his fingers. "I'm fairly sure I can find your button."

"Do you have an off button, by any chance?"

"No, but I do have an on switch." He said, grabbing her hand, placing it on his crotch. "It's right there..."

"Hmm." Juniper tightened her grip on his pants. "Are you sure it's not a button?"

"Very..." Black leant towards her.

"Well then..." Juniper said, slamming her knee up in between his legs. "I guess you're wrong, because I just turned you off..." She strode away, grabbing a set of clothing before she brushed past the three guys waiting by the door, smirking as she heard the high-pitched groan coming from the room behind her.

"Where are you going?" The red-eyed blonde questioned.

"Out." She said. "Something in here smells really old and musty..."

"Not without me." A half-naked Black emerged, pain still evident on his face. "And whoever puts their clothes on first loses..."

"You're on." Juniper smirked, striding down the corridor proudly in her pale pink bunny print underwear, completely ignoring all the looks she was getting.

"This way, if you wanna have breakfast..." Black said, leading her down the hallways and into a large dining room. "I'm sure you need it... after last night..."

"I keep telling you, horny teenager, we didn't do anything even mildly interesting last night." She sighed, taking a seat behind a plate of crispy bacon and eggs.

"Pookie." Black smiled at her.

"What?!"

"I'm glad to see you know your name." His grin widened. "Oh, and Pookie Bear, I'm not a horny teenager... Not anymore..."

"Could've fooled me." Juniper mumbled, watching as one by one more Alphas and Elders as well as their mates joined them at the breakfast table.

Purple eyes kept glancing towards them, and their state of undress. A faint blush rose in the brunette's cheeks, growing redder by the second. Alpha Blaine. Juniper noted, staring intently at the guy. She'd never been able to get much data about him, so she was slightly curious. Juniper had a habit of sticking her nose where it didn't belong. It was what'd kept her alive over the years.

"Would you two please put some bloody clothes on?!" Blaine scowled, interrupting her inner musings.

Juniper just stared right back at him. "I honestly prefer clean clothes... I'm surprised you don't."

"Huh?!" He spluttered, blinking furiously as Black snorted with laughter.

"I see Black has cheered up..." Elder Finar mumbled, watching as the Alpha in question wandered out of the room, his mate in tow.

"He couldn't have found his mate at a better time..." Blythe said, raising his glass slightly. "Now, maybe he'll manage to ween himself off the bottle and get his life back on track..."

"I take it we aren't throwing them back in the cells then..." Alpha Blake said, running a hand through his blonde hair.

"Only if they're naughty." Thorn said from behind his newspaper.

A green-eyed blonde glanced over at him. "And you'd know all about that, wouldn't you, Thorny?"

"They made front page headlines." Rylan sighed, pointing at the picture of the wrecked pub on the page.

"That's only because the Light God's Chosen attacked them." Blythe said. "Otherwise we'd probably have never found them again. Black's not as bad with fights as you make him out to be."

"But he can get a bit aggressive when he's drunk..." Rylan said. "I can only hope he won't get drunk around her and turn into his father..."

"So don't let me get drunk." Black folded his arms, having snuck back into the room. "Promise me, Ry. I don't want to end up like my father."

"I'll help as much as I can." Rylan nodded at the blonde. "But you're going to have to try too, and trust me, Black. Change isn't easy."

Deep brown eyes closed. "I know." He said. "But I have to try."

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ILLENIS HERE

Hope you're not too miffed about me skipping out the fight scene, because I'm terrible at writing them.

Don't worry, you'll get your dose of action and drama a little later, so hang tight until then.

Until the next chapter.

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