Moonspear [m] Stolen Light

For @Alaric. Backdated to March 15th.

Elentari's world was crumbling around her. First, the horrific attack on her son. His wounds healed but she wondered of his spirit. Then the death of Talisman. Argent's return and finally, his departure. 

He no longer walked among the Moonspear wolves. He had chosen another life. A life without Elentari and Sialuk. 

At first, she was angry. Angry his disloyalty, for his affair in his absence. Angry that he was leaving behind Acrux, Maggak and Sialuk. How was she to explain to the children why Argent, their father, chose to leave? Chose to turn his back on his son.

Then, she accepted it, quietly. She could not blame the man entirely. Sialuk had lain with others this season, just as the one before. Her ways were not strictly monogamous. He couldn't be faulted. But Elentari...

She stayed true, despite the feelings growing inside her heart towards Alaric. As often as she had cast an admiring eye to the dark man, even when she hugged herself so tight the day he returned her son to them, she did not cross the forbidden boundary.

She felt betrayed. Now also free and so very alone.

As she skirted through the mountain pathways towards Alaric's ulaq, she recited the heartfelt talk she shared with Sialuk a while ago. Of her confessions. No longer tied down by fear of guilt, but weighted by a bruised heart, she sought the healer now. 

She could not deny her feelings any longer, or keep them from him. Even if she was rejected, at least he would know.

There were many changes coming to their world. Changes fueled by violence and chaos. Changes that unsettled the usual devil may care attitude of Alaric Willow. And with those changes and those unsettled feelings, nightmares swooped in on swift wings. Nightmares of the time he had been stuck with the man he would not name. The man who had destroyed him and Alaric had rebuilt himself over and over again, until he wasn't even sure how he had truly been upon first meeting.

So if anyone came searching they would find him. Seemingly fine on the outside, but working to calm his mind.

Today he worked in the garden.  Paws deep in the soil. It had begun to unfrost and though it was slow going after the frost melted and the day grew warmer, he could dig. Shoulders tight with each shuffle of the dirt from the ground to behind him. But he was careful, he would need the soil to cover up the plants again. He had gotten through three even rows starting on a fourth. That would be how Elentari would find him.

Covered in dirt, voice ringing out in old song. 

I feel the Earth move under my feet
I feel the sky tumbling down
I feel my heart start to trembling
Whenever you're around

Ooh, baby, when I see your face
Mellow as the month of May
Oh, darling, I can't stand it
When you look at me that way

Song is I feel the earth move by Carole King. And I absolutely see him in my head singing with the same sass as her and even dancing every now and then. Mostly his head, since his paws are occupied lol. But just imagine a big ole black wolf digging then stopping to bust out a dance move heh I am lookin gforward to this thread.

I'm looking forward to this too! I just love this guy! <3

In his garden, she would find him. And how very appropriate it was, to find a healer in their element. Surrounded by the earth and herbs they so loved. It was not the scent of freshly churned soil or his herbal tinted aroma that guided her to the black wolf. But his voice. His singing.

She had heard his songs from near and far countless times, just as many others had. Even Acrux and Maggak had the pleasure of hearing him sing. Alaric never fell short in providing delightful entertainment. But he wasn't just a singer and a weaver of stories.

As Elentari happened on him, approaching on silent paws from behind, she reclined on her haunches a few feet away. Watching, entrapped, while he sung, dug and wiggled. She saw an amazing healer. One of the most loyal wolves of the mountain. A friend who always seemed to be there at just the right time. A wolf who had been more of a constant in the lives of Maggak and Acrux than Argent ever had.

Acrux's biological father had been away for months on end, fulfilling his bride price. Up until the end. She and her son never had developed a truly established relationship with him, if she had to think back.

But Alaric...

He was always there.

Suddenly, the star wolf didn't feel so guilty as she had in the past. Before she had known Argent would leave them. Now it was but a dim flicker as she approached the site where Alaric was digging, standing on the opposite side, facing him. Kneeling down in a play bow pose with her rump hiked in the air, she pawed at the cold soil. But her eyes were rapt on him. A slight smile at her dark lips. She waited until the end of his first verse and then joined in, adding her own touch. A short little howl of a note, punctuating the end.

Thank you i love her too

There wasn't much that Alaric loved more than singing, stories and herbs. This was a perfect moment for himhonestly. And his mind quiet.

He had always entertained his siblings with song. Children in numerous villages. This was enjoyment at its peak.

Alaric had been uncertain why he had been so afraid to settle. He was finding out that he was glad to be here. He loved the children of the spear. Felt at home.

A soft noise drew his attention. And Elentari stood there smiling at him. He returned the smile. Green eyes flashing. As he joined his voice with hers.

Heya sweet thing.

A bark of a laugh.

Only for a moment, her heart fluttered. Quivered in her chest.

Finding herself gazing deep into his sharp green eyes, alight with mischief while wearing that smile. The way he addressed her. Cheeky yet with what she perceived as affection.

Sweet Thing.

He had used it on her before, upon his return with her son. How she clung to him, overcome with emotion. She wanted so badly to cross this small distance between him now and embrace him the same.

Instead, she stayed. Her dark toes turned brown from the churned, muddy earth. "Oh Alaric, you never fail to delight with your voice!" She laughed.

Her eyes rose past him towards the distant, ridged line of their mountain home. Thinking. "It has been a tough winter for Moonspear. With all that has happened. First Acrux, then Talisman's death..." 

She dropped into silence, meeting his eyes again. Wondering, even asking wordlessly. Did he know that Argent had turned his back on them?

Blue eyes on his face. Soft fur and bright eyes. She was always pretty. They grew them different around here. Alaric knew this.

He called all sorts of wolves nicknames, but usually he tried to stick to one. Sialuk was always going to be Lady Sialuk, as the wolf in front of him would always be sweet thing. It fit her many facets. She was always sweet like caramel candy and yet she had a bit of a bite that was wild. Prideful even. And the spicy way that Sweet thing rolled off his tongue, just seemed to fit her. 

A chuckle a deep bow. Thank you.

He pulled his paws from the dirt as she spoke. Realizing this was going to be a more serious conversation. A frown curled around his maw at the mention of the attack, deepening when she spoke of Talisman. That was hard to take. he had liked the strange little coyote. And Kusuma had been horribly frightened.

Alaric studied her look. The way she seemed to want to know something, but he had no idea what. 

Has something else happened? Are you alright? He looked her over for any outside wounds. Not knowing that it was inside that was pained. Yet. 

Given that he probably wouldn't know unless he was told, since Argent has been away for so much. I'm going to go with he doesn't know yet.

The silence hung between them only for a few seconds. Then he caught on. Sensed something was amiss. Slowly, she met his eyes again, nodding mutely. Briefly she glanced back at the spot where she was helping him dig. Then to his ulaq. "Do you mind?" They could come back to his garden work later. She felt that this conversation they were about to have, was best suited somewhere more private. Where they could focus only on one another, with no distractions.

Provided he was willing to set aside the garden for now, Elentari rose and moved towards his ulaq. She left it up to him if they would go inside. Breaking her silence again, her head was turned down, ears flat back. "Argent has left us. Me. Acrux and Maggak. Sialuk and her unborn children." Her voice was hollow, where she thought it would have been thick with emotion. The pain was there, thinly veiled beneath the surface.

There was a silence of the times. The space charged with some unnamed emotion. It was tense, but not in a bad way. Tense for something heavy about to be unloaded.

A shake of his head. Not at all.

He moved around her, wiping his paws on a fur by the doorway and moving some firs around so she had a soft place to sit. Then he moved aside for her to enter first as was only polite. A mischievious smile.

Ladies first.

Though his smile quickly faded and a type of slow and rumbling anger lit up the green of his eyes. Though he said nothing at first. Chewing on his words carefully.

Even if the male was unahppy with the way of things. To leave his children behind.

He rubbed a paw along his muzzle and reached out to cover her paw.

I'm sorry Elentari. That was really not fair or kind and it makes me so very angry. Are you okay? Are the kids taking it okay? Sialuk?

He shifted a shoulder. Sorry that wasn't fair of me. I'm sure you're not okay.

Hanging by the entrance, she waited just long enough for him to shuffle around some furs and then stand aside for her. Her brows shot up slightly, her expression quickly replaced by a fleeting, coy grin and a peculiar glint in her blue eyes. 

He really was such a charmer. At least, that's how she saw him.

With a small, gracious nod the black and star dappled woman ducked inside. She would have bothered to take a thorough look around, having not been in Alaric's own den too often. But she was much too focused on the more pressing, immediate conversation.

Stretched out on a fine fur pelt with her front legs extended, she calmly observed how a flaming anger lit up his green eyes. Alaric was just as bothered by Argent's leave as she was. 

She scooted forward slightly, nosing the paw he laid over her own. 

"I was angry too. And I still am. Angry that he waited so long to tell us. He said...he has a jealous heart. He assured us he still loves the kids." Her brows furrowed as she dug deep to remember the details. "Like that...he wasn't completely okay with Sialuk having more than one lover. Sleeping with more than one man." She sighed. "But I cannot fault him for feeling that way. It is what it is and there is nothing that'll change that." 

"Sialuk...she has been more reclusive than usual. She knows Moonspear is there for her. I will be fine...eventually. Don't you worry about me. I'm...actually better than I thought I would be." She assured him. "It is Maggak and Acrux that I worry the most for." She huffed, in a dry humored, short laugh. "You know, come to think of it, Argent spent more time fulfilling that bride price and visiting his family than he did with the kids." 

You on the other hand...

She wanted to say it so badly. It went unsaid. But maybe he already knew.

Alaric saw the coy grin amd the glint in her eyes. In most cases he'd have given her a saucy wink, but being that there were things unsaid. He chose to err on the side of caution this time.

Alaric wouldn't have been upset had she been nosy. He tried to make his den comfortable and cozy. A safe space. Because to him it was. Furs laid haphazardly about some  stretched in the back drying. Herbs pressed in fur like the won he wore about his throat, drying. Shells and small logs of crushed herbs and poultices. A musky, herby scent on top of his own scemt filled the space. Though he always had lavender in the corners.

Alaric listened. An ear tilted forward. A grave nod. This is a price you must be sure of before entering a polygamous relationship. There must be innate trust, and love. And the knowledge that though they may lay with others,  even care about others. You are the ones they return too. Some can do this. Some cannot. And firm boundaries must be in place. What you and your lovers expect. And what they will accept.

Alaric frowned and then scowled. That is where the anger burns brightest for me. No matter how a parent feels about the other. Their children should not suffer.

A nod. He was more enraptured by having a mate than children it sounds too me. But children are lovely little gems and shouldn't be shirked.

She wanted to move closer and rest up against him. To feel his body heat and breathe in the herbal aroma woven into the fibers of his fur. Something held her back for now. "I think that as time passed, time spent away from the mountain, that Argent realized a polygamous relationship wasn't right for him."

"It isn't fair that the children are going through this, but it hurts a little less knowing that he does care. And without him, Acrux wouldn't even be here." Her chest heaved with what was a resigned sigh. "They are still taking this all in. I plan to give them some more time, then talk to them individually. But children are resilient. I hope with time that they will understand his choice, even if they may not agree with it."

She managed a small, determined smile. "We will move on and persevere without him."

Which brought her to the next stepping stone. Here, she tread in un-charted waters with Alaric. She didn't quite know how to go about it. In the end, she went with her gut. She'd be honest and sugarcoat nothing.

Gathering her paws under herself, she edged nearer on her belly just that little bit more. Looking into his green eyes in a soft, earnest way. 

"Alaric, if I am being truthful...you are more of a father to them than he is. Looking back, all the way until Seal and Orca were born...you are a natural with the children." She swallowed a lump that had grown in her throat. She hadn't even broken her real confession yet! 

"Argent was never really around. But you...you have always been there."

Alaric felt the shift in the air. He knew there was a tendril of something beneath the surface. Reflected in those sky eyes of hers. And yet he did nothing with his unspoken thought. Deciding to let this conversation curve naturally and he hoped he had the right things to say.

Alaric nodded his head in understanding. He could understand trying something and realizing it was not to your liking. And it had been respectful of Argent to speak his words aloud.

A smile at the mention of the children. A brighter one for Acrux who he spent the most time with.  He was glad to see the a stubborn tilt of her chin. The pride in her gaze. So Argent had not broken the Archer in front of him. He had simply bent.

A soft smile. A sheen of moisture in his eyes. But he shifted beneath her praise. Unsure of he wholly deserved it. He was good with children, because he loved them. They reminded him of innocence and light. Of what he used to be like, before his was stolen. And he was just childish underneath the black pelt of his.

An ear laid back and he met her gaze. It's because i love children. No matter who they belong too. I like to see their imaginations work in the stories they hear and see and tell. I like to watch the little baby steps on shaky legs and the noises they make. I like to watch them learn new things, see the light go on in their eyes when they learn something that interests them. And lets face it. I'm a kid at heart.

She absorbed his words. Listened closely. All with a slight smile and a peculiar shine in her eyes. There was still something that she withheld from him. And Alaric was sharp. He may figure it out. "I see that. All of it. And more." As she went deeper into uncharted territory, the more nervous she became. Hiding it well.

"I see the way Acrux looks up to you. How he is interested in what you have to share with him." She crossed one leg over the other, soothed by the scent of various herbs filtering into her nose. "I see not just a fellow kid at heart. But a teacher, a guide. A guardian. Even a father."

Uncrossing her legs, she closed the last bit of space between them. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, loosely, so in case Alaric may object to the closeness. Her eyes refused to let his go. Mimicking nearly the same hold she had taken on him when he returned with her son.

"Alaric...it took me so long to realize. I only did when you brought my son home to me that day. Alive. You were there when he...we needed you...a father, most." Her eyes had fallen from his, afraid of what she might see. "Not Argent. You."

Alaric at the moment. Wasn't paying attention to her expression. He was thinking of how proud he was of the kids. But he did pop back into reality as she spoke.

A certain soft vulnerability in her words. He was unsure where this was going. And he didn't know what to do yet.

Alaric chuckled at the statement of father. Him?

Perhaps an uncle or a big brother. I'm a little to reckless and shameless to be father.

There was a change in his words. A sense of guardeness now. Punctuated by the tensing of his shoulders. Then Elentari was in his space. Smelling of Acrux, and Maggak, herbs and Sialuk. And a soft flowery scent that was all her own. She stared into his green eyes with those blue blue ones and it finally clicked. But he was stubborn and he was scared. And his heart was hidden.

His head hurt and suddenly he felt a little sick. Not that he didn't like her attention or her closeness, but because he didn't know if he could give it back. He cared about her in his own way. As he did with all the wolves of the spear. But he would be lying if he said that Elentari and her young son were not his favorites.

He blinked and a guarded looked came into his face. But he didn't remove her from his shoulders. He shifted and caged her in with his own paws and legs.

A cleared throat and a soft husky laugh as he shook his head and looked to the Cieling.
He was still a man with a beautiful woman wrapped around him.

I... 

He took a deep breath and another. You must listen and listen closely, because there are things you need to know.

He curled his head around hers talking softly. Fearful of being heard by any except her. And even he doubted he'd share it all.

I guard my heart very tightly Elentari. Very. Tightly.

He sighed. When i was barely 1 year old i met a wolf who, who fast became my everything. Amalia my sister, and I had left home. But he was not a kind wolf, but I didn't know it at first. It was small things at first. A nip to a body part, a smack, perhaps just a very cool insult. It grew and grew. Then it was assaulting and if you are imagining really bad things, make it ten times worse and you still won't be close. I was shared among his friends even.

A soft shudder. i was broken over and over again until i had no sense of who i had been. But i got away rebuilt the wolf you see before you.

He curled his muzzle along her ear. I can't promise you anything beside a physical relationship. You are welcome to try, but know and it is rather unfair to say. That if you want to try and break my stone heart. You have to be absolutely sure it's what you want. And I cannot gurantee that you will. You are beautiful and kind and loving. And you deserve the world, but I don't know if I can give it to you.

Perhaps a big brother. Perhaps an Uncle. She let out a soft little chuckle at that. Not in a condescending way. Alaric just didn't know the light in which she saw him. The dark Archer saw him for more than what he was. 

There was a shift. It started from her then washed over him. Took him over, like a wave and it hit. Crashing down. Now he knew. Her sweet words and compliments were not meant to skim the surface. They went much deeper than that. 

If a wolf were capable of blushing, then her inky cheeks would have been tinted a rosy pink as he caught and shifted her into his arms. She so badly wanted to lean in and nuzzle the midnight of his neck, to get drunk on the scent of his musky, herbal aroma.

But she would not cross that boundary. He had something to say. Something deeply serious and personal. She leaned back, wrapped in his arms. Ears slightly pricked, mouth closed to show he had her complete and un-divided attention. Only when he brought his head to hers, did she dare press her cheek tenderly against his. A show of affection, but more so meant for understanding. That these words, no matter what they said, that his secret would be safe with her, under lock and key.

With her voice lost in her throat, she could only nod softly in acceptance of his truth. A tightly guarded heart, sealed well beyond the reach of another.

She shifted, only slightly to curl in a loose ball, pressed up close against his dark fur. Resting her chin around his neck in a mirror embrace of his own. 

The tale he told was dark. No, downright twisted and heartbreaking was more like it. Horror crept into her eyes, then pain, and anger. The velvet fur on the bridge of her nose began to crinkle but she caught herself before her teeth flashed. When that hot flood of anger subsided, she wore a look of grateful but sad relief. 

The silence hung heavy in the air.

"Oh Alaric... I never realized. I am so, so sorry he did that to you. That you suffered so badly, and at that young age too. No wolf deserves to ever be treated like that...I can't even imagine..." She shook her head, her voice slightly choked up.

She coaxed his head close to her muzzle. Soothingly, she stroked his cheekbone. "But you made it out alive. Changed, but alive." Her voice was low, but gentle. "And no one, especially not me, will blame you for keeping your heart locked away like this. I still adore you for the wolf you are, who I see before me and have grown to know all this time. It means a lot to me that you trust me enough to share that."

Now, she contemplated what he laid out before her. A physical relationship was entirely possible. A romantic one was hardly guaranteed. Could she break the ice that covered his heart so thickly? She didn't know. But that did not deter the tenacious Archer.

She smiled. "Alaric... You have already given me and my family so much by just being you. But, if I don't try then I will never know for sure. And I don't, you may never know if you can give it to me. I think we both deserve that chance to find out. If you will let me." The Star Queen grew bold. Confident. Intense eyes burning like two distant blue stars. In the most tender of gestures, she kissed up along his muzzle to the space between his eyes. "Please, let me try and prove to you that it is okay to be open."

At least she found it amusing. But a part of him truly did feel that way. He wasn't one that felt as if he would make a good father. He was too flighty. Too Reckless. Too much everything.

Alaric just held her there as he spoke. Partly to give her comfort to the blow he was about to give or thought he was giving. Partly to seek his own comfort. And also to keep her in place until he was done talking. He didn't wish her to storm off without hearing everything he had to say in its entirety.

He could feel with each word he spoke she grew tense and agitated. And he didn't blame her. It happened to him and he still felt a raw ugliness when he thought of it. So he tried not too. It had been truly a dark time for him, but he had gotten out of it. Hadn't he. Had healed, was still healing. 

Alaric smoothed his muzzle down her shoulder. NO need to apologize. You didn't do it to me and you wouldn't have realized. I have not told anyone except you and Sialuk knows a bit of it, but not to the extent of what you now know. Well, though I wouldn't wish it on another. It did make me who I am. Which is both unfortunate and unfair. But no use regretting those things you cannot change. I don't make light of it. I just don't know how to voice exactly how it makes me feel.

A soft tick in his jaw when she touched his cheek. Her words scraping over scar tissue in his chest. He remembered that mantra so well. He was alive. I'm alive. I'm alive. He had repeated it to himself for days, for hours as he healed, as his broken bones and split wounds healed. As the soft tissue lost it's bruised feel. As he let other's take what they needed. As he gave his body over and over again to those that wanted it. TO keep himself alive, and how he had come to enjoy that slight power. How it made other's happy for a time. How he had realized his significance as a trader of all things. 

There was silence, but it was comfortable. As she spoke now. And said what she needed to say.

His brow drew together as she kissed it. A small smile as it slightly tickled. He mulled over her words. You can try.

That was all he was willing to give right now, a chance for her to try.

But he wondered if she knew he was true trader. That women and men came to him for his body. That one had just recently. How would she take that. He had already passed along that he would help women this season if they needed it for trade for the village.

He took a deep shuddering breath. And then slowly began to hum a quiet gentle song. His way of dealing with everything she had said, but he didn't move or push her away.

In his embrace, held close, Elentari almost felt content. Almost. For she knew that Alaric did not return the affection as fully as she had given it. Had expressed it, or if he were capable of showing it in return at all. The only other wolf who he had told about his horrid past was Sialuk.

She was a little surprised, but not in a bad way. "She is a trustworthy woman. I love her dearly. This will stay between the three of us." It was his story to disclose, not theirs. She would not speak for him when it was not her place.

She mulled over his simple invite. He said she could try. That made her brows scrunch thoughtfully. Her mind shifted. In order for her to judge whether or not pursuing Alaric would be worth it in the end, or in vain, there were some things she needed to know.

"Alaric...I want to have children again this year. Being a mother...it feels so natural. What would you say if I asked you, when my time comes?" She shook her head then, adding in quickly. "More to the point, could you, or would you be a father to them? What matters to me the most is that any more children I bring into this world, is that what happened to Maggak and Acrux doesn't happen to them."

She didn't move away in horror or disgust. She had taken his story and held it for him. He couldn't give her all that she wanted. He couldn't love her as she loved him right now, if ever. And that hurt a little only because he didn't wish to cause her pain.

Alaric chuckled. She doesn't know half of what you know, Ele. But she is trustworthy.

She was quiet in her thoughts. And he wondered if she were already regretting her sharing. Had she decided already it was not worth it to try. And could he blame her. No.

She surprised him again amd he blinked. Could he be father of course he could and he wouldn't leave them. But how would Acruk and Maggak take that. They may hate him for it.

Alaric knew his answer becore she even finished. But he let her speak.

I would never do that. If you wanted me in their life I wouldn't leave them. No matter what happens with you and I.  And yes I can do that for you.

Even if he did not feel the same affection for her, Elentari could not help how she felt towards him. Especially given his answer to her weighted question.

The corners of her mouth curved up in a slow, small smile. "Of course I would. And even if nothing more grows between us, then you will always be a part of our lives. You are a good man, Alaric." Her admiration, trust and respect for him couldn't have been more clear.

There was just one other little thing. It crept into her thoughts, in knowing that this year, they would share only a physical relationship. "When my time comes, I am not sure what my desires will be. Last year, I restrained myself so as to stay true to Argent." The silvered man was no longer around. Elentari was not tied down, this time. But out of respect for Alaric, she spoke. Wanting his feelings on exclusivity, or lack thereof. "Others may draw me during my season." 

A question held in her eye. This year the freedom that Sialuk enjoyed was tempting. At least the prospect of it. But she still held Alaric in favor. Tentative, yet unware she was held in the arms of a man who offered his body so freely as well. 

She was just a little insecure. Because to her Alaric's opinion mattered.

Alaric hoped that in some small way Elentari could prove him wrong. But he had held hope before and it had broken him. So this was not something he would repeat to her. 

A quiet almost embarrassed chuff at her praise. Thank you. I try.

He did try to be good most of the time. He didn't always fall into it. But he tried. That counted for something.

Alaric shifted. I am a true trader. That means that I have shared my body with many in exchang for items, food, rest etc. I am not against it, but I also can restrain myself if asked. I would not ask  you to restrain yourself. I just ask for honesty. And clear boundaries that you want for both of us.

Alaric smiled down at her. He could share his body or he could keep it to himself. He just asked that she be honest with what she wanted from him and for herself.

She laughed quietly. "Well, it shows, you know." Yes, Elentari hoped for a closer relationship with Alaric in time. But she also adored him just the way he was already. 

Any insecurity she had been feeling up until was washed away by what he said next. In surprise, she blinked up at him. A trader at heart. Of both material items and his own body. He was more like Sialuk than she thought. She wondered if the Star woman had slept with him this season. 

He was not against her want to be free, which made her relax in his arms. His request of honesty and any boundaries were reasonable. "I have always been honest with you, Alaric. That won't change. No matter who fathers my children this year, I am content knowing that we will always have you to be beside." Were it possible, she shifted closer. Planting a true kiss, though not expecting it to be returned. "As for boundaries, let's not set any. I think it is a little too late to worry about those." She wouldn't mind if he indulged himself with other women beside her.

Her mood changed. Her eyes lit up, her smile growing coy. It was just the two of them, alone. Close and intimate. Brushing her cheek along his, her voice held a suggestive edge. "I would love to experience what it is like, when you share your body..." She nibbled the brown tip of his ear, gently. "Show me."

A grin then. Quick like lightning. Lighting up his mischievous green eyes. He was glad that it showed. Because he did try.  There was no doubt that he could be a total jerk.
 
Alaric had never slept with Sialuk. He wasn't even sure if she was one he would have entertained a thought for. Unless asked. Not that she wasn't pretty or kind. She just didn't peak his interest like others. 

Well if you change your mind and you want boundaries let me know.

A kiss along his face. Tongue darted out to lick the spot. Green eyes cut down to her, a sly almost predatory gleam in his gaze then. Gladly willing to indulge her. He returned it with ease. 

A soft huff. He shifted her and dipped his head down to the sensitive spot between ear and jaw and followed a trail downward. A guttural agreement leaving his maw.