Blacktail Deer Plateau You can't take me, I'm free

Osprey wanted to know how he'd wound up with Hawkeye. Peregrine thought back on his first encounter with the Alpha female, just outside the plateau, and actually winced. "Funny story: my first words to her were 'fuck off." He winced again, grinning sheepishly at Osprey. Likely, this didn't surprise her much. To explain himself, Peregrine added, "It wasn't long after, you know, the stuff with Tyrannus... and I was so bitter..."

He trailed off for a moment, then resumed the story on a lighter note. "Well, I got into a fight with an intruder and Hawkeye seemed a little worried, so I took her aside and explained what'd happened. Then we started to flirt. I offered myself to her if she wanted to have a litter in the spring. It was kind of off-the-cuff... I wasn't thinking of becoming her mate or the Alpha. I guess I said it in a moment of lust.

Well, she declined but told me we could court. So that's what we did. It wasn't long before I wooed her, of course," he continued with a grin. Although it didn't fade, his face seemed to freeze when he added, "She called a meeting one day and I was the first to show up. We actually bickered a bit, then she surprised me by asking me to make it official right then and there. And, just like that, I was her mate and the Alpha.

That's why Atti's so mad at me..." Peregrine revealed after a long beat, staring at his toes. "Not only did the promotion shock and anger them—him and Crete, I mean—Atti also had a crush on Hawkeye. We'd talked about it beforehand and he said it was cool. But, considering everything, I'm not sure Atticus is ever going to be okay with me again." His voice died in his throat and he continued to stare at his forepaws for a long time.

"But," the swarthy male exclaimed after blinking himself back to focus and turning his dusky jade eyes to Osprey's face, "let's not dwell on that right now. Back to Hawkeye: she's become the center of my life. I mean, you'll always be my girl too, though," he was sure to add, nudging her cheek.