The Sentinels godspeed on the devil's thunder
i was born to the witch boleyn
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#1
All Welcome 
for anyone! inner territory discovery :)

his daughters slept warmly with their mother, and lasher took the moments of time allotted him to perform a brief patrol before he headed into the heart of donnelaith. he had not been given a chance to truly explore, and moved almost gleefully through the drifts. the wood thickened, growing darker, and lasher's step became more cautious.

the ground beneath his paws was damp with melted snow and frosted edges, and there came a white glow between the trees ahead. the glen-man chose his path carefully, skirting a large patch of ice, and presently stepped into a small clearing.

his breath hitched in his throat; the druid cast his stunned eyes about. roses, of many hues and varieties, grew up around his dark form, each one suspended slumbering in a casket of ice. he did not touch them, but merely marvelled at their cold beauty, basking in the ambiance of the silent glade.
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#2
meep! really wanted to partake in this but had trouble figuring out how to stick her in here! hope this is ok (:

Although Aria believed she had patrolled practically every inch of the territory, new things sprung up each day she explored. However, today she was more interested in practicing her tracking skills. She had caught no scents of prey, and had resorted to following close behind the daily routine of Lasher. She was far enough away not to be seen, and even if her scent was detected she was in the pack; it wasn't really suspicious for her scent to be nearby. 

The white girl hoped for the male to do something exciting. Lasher was of higher rank and she knew that he had important duties to tend to. She was, however, disappointed when it appeared he was doing nothing but exploring; a task she'd began to do every single day. Not that it was a boring action, or unimportant, by any means. She was just looking for something interesting. She'd only found different snow covered trees or beaches every time she moved out, and such things were tiresome on her eyes after a while. 

Shockingly, however, the female eventually found herself in territory she hadn't yet see. While disappointed in her lack of finding the area, she was quite curious. Her mind wandered, wondering if Lasher had any idea where they were. She picked up the pace, eventually catching up to her alpha. She saw that he was still, staring out over the area. She made her way down towards him, letting out a greeting bark to let him know she was there, hoping it didn't frighten him. As she did, she looked out over the newly discovered piece of land. Her heart soared. 

It was frozen over, as everything in Donnelaith was, but under the frozen sheet of ice grew roses. Perhaps they were no longer growing, but either way the girl felt lost in their beauty. She murmured something inaudible when she reached Lasher, standing slightly behind him (although practically side by side) and staring out into the distance. Despite her hypnosis into the area, she made sure she kept her posture correct in letting the alpha be, well, the alpha. Her tail was lowered and her head was slightly lower than his. Her tail wagged. "It's beautiful..." she murmured.
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#3
it's perfect!


he sensed aria before she arrived, belatedly so, given his preoccupation with the frozen roses. "indeed," he rejoined softly, turning his head to mark her progress beside him, silently appreciative of her deferential stance. awed too was the man by the way that the icy little glade complemented the white fur cloaking the girl, and how the blooms appeared as ripe splashes of blood in their tombs, heightening the contrast betwixt snow and red. she was lovely -- taltos allowed his eyes to linger upon aria for a moment before reorienting himself toward the roses.

"what would you call it, this place?" came the druid's murmur after a moment. many titles swam to his tongue; this glade reminded lasher of many things and many memories, but perhaps it was not his to name. she had come to his side almost at the time of his discovery -- aria perhaps was the rightful keeper of the ice palace.
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#4
Perhaps, if the girl was not so focused upon the glade, she would have noticed Lasher's gazing upon her. But she was, and so the comparison between the roses and her pelt went over her head. She would usually pride herself in being far more observant, but she was far too mesmerized. The male had responded to her comment and silently she thought of something, but did not speak it out loud, for it was childish and romantic. To the teenager of a wolf, such thoughts were only spoken to female friends with similar mindsets. Perhaps she would share it with Pearl later. The two were not extremely close, but were similar ages and she shared a den with her for the winter, so it was practical to tell her what Lasher had discovered.

Lasher's next comment was a question, and the girls ears perked curiously. Aria looked over the area before looking back to him, her head tilting. She did not expect the question, and maybe even expected him to have already thought of a name. But clearly, he hadn't, and had asked for her own opinion. The name came to her on a whim, and although she wished to make note of the beautiful winter scene, she knew that eventually warmer climates would melt it and leave the roses to bloom without the ice overtop. To name it similarly would make no sense. Her voice came as sort of a whisper, as if her breath was still taken away, but truthfully she was thinking too hard about the question and was more or less just trying to word it correctly. "It's rather plain," she murmured, "But, I like Sweetbriar Glade." 

feel free to change the name if you have something better! i learned the term sweetbriar recently and i thought i could apply it here. (: i can always go back and edit my post <3
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#5
no, i love it!

"sweetbriar glade," lasher murmured aloud, testing the name with his own tones. it was lovely, though he felt a shard of guilt strike him at the memory of her lithe body, and how his eyes had ambled slowly over it. while he and blue willow were in agreement over his own taking of lovers, he felt that his attentions should be upon the darkfurred healer, upon their children. aria was a distraction, if a greatly welcomed one. and yet, there was the notion that he must not be guilty, for to appreciate loveliness was a most natural reaction indeed.

"sweetbriar it shall be. what made you think of it, aria?" the leader inquired, inviting her to walk alongside him as they moved through the frozen glade. as he waited for her answer, a much larger bloom encased in thick frost caught his eye -- he stepped to inspect it. it hung like a drop of blood in its transparent crypt; lasher found himself quite smitten by the sight of such a thing.
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#6
lasher you dog ;)

The young girls tail wagged as de nodded to her name. She felt a strange sense of pride well up. It wasn't that she had done something worthwhile, more or less just done something satisfactory in the eyes of the alpha. 

Although she believed herself matured and far beyond naive, Aria did not see how he looked at her. She didn't share his view point, although she would admit she found Lasher to be quite handsome, especially for his age. If he were to ever admit his attraction, the young adult would probably have no idea how to respond, but perhaps would be smitten either way. When he gestured for her to follow, she did just so, her eyes falling along the glade with a strange kind of affection.

"Sweetbriar is a rose," she responded simply. "A wild rose, to be exact," she added matter-o-factly, waggling her eyebrows playfully at him. "I thought it sounded much more appealing than 'The Rose Clearing'," she continued teasingly, her tail wagging as she found herself quite hilarious, but in the most modest of ways. 
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#7
"i like the sound of both names," the druid admitted gently, "but sweetbriar has a lovely sound to it." how could he have overlooked this bloom in the very midst of donnelaith? though his heart sought still the sylph of the sea, but now he let his gaze twine with that of aria once more, a smile uplifting the edges of his lips in silent acknowledgement and approval. 

"what co-rank do you seek?" the alpha inquired, shifting their conversation as they meandered slowly through the small glen. he could see her suited to many things -- the silver of her tongue would be quite wasted upon naturalism or anything that took her far from the borders. aria, in his mind, was better meant for interactions, for diplomacy, and who better to carry the banner of donnelaith than a lovely girl with the dew of youth still fresh upon her withers?

he would not press the attraction -- he had communicated it as clearly as he would -- and his thoughts turned to blue willow, to emaleth, to deidre, and he found he missed them quite deeply.
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#8
The young wolfess was quite pleased with Lashers next question. She remembered joining the pack, and expressing to him her lack of knowledge of where she would go, or what she would do. But now, she knew. She had knowledge of herbs when she first joined the pack, although is quite out of practice. She still hoped to get Blue Willow's knowledge, one day, but for now settled with the basic knowledge of herb gathering and casual herb mixes. She looked to him with a white pair of excited eyes, her ambition glittering brightly in them both. 

"I was actually thinking about advisory," Aria informed him, looking forward once again as she walked. "Perhaps a therapist, as well," she added, remembering her somewhat speedy talk with the small, strange vixen who went by the name Tilki. Her heart was still stuck on medicine, but she wished to learn the ways of the top ranks. She loved feeling as though she played a part in things, and especially today, even just choosing a name, she felt as though she was on top of the world. It wasn't a big accomplishment, and she'd never admit it; but a pretty girl with a lack of experience was bound to find such a thing flattering. And she did, of course. She kept her pride hidden, however, apart from the original excitement she showed.

"I'm still going to learn the ways of the healer," she added, reminding him vaguely that she was set on it. "But I think that it would suit better as a secondary skill, ya know? I feel like I don't have the knack for it that I thought I did." She chuckled rather blandly, as she wasn't really amused. It was more or less a filler for the moment, showing that she wasn't unhappy with the trade, but had found something she would enjoy more.  
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#9
lasher likes beautiful things LOL

healing and advisory -- lasher was amused that she had chosen the professions of the alpha pair, and he did not miss the gleam of ambition in her pale eyes as she glanced cunningly toward him. such zeal was to be carefully guided, controlled -- it could engender in one great feelings of dissatisfaction and a frustrated air. however, lasher decided that aria would sense this in herself, and correct if necessary. the reins of donnelaith belonged by rights to his children, though neither casmir nor eilidh had shown the quality of leadership as of yet. that was not to say that one unrelated could not also lead his wolves with intellect and power.  

but there would be time enough to explore the idea at a later time; for now, taltos brought himself back the present, to the shimmer of the girl's pale fur in the icy glen. "your voice would be best suited to a role that brings you into contact with other creatures, aria," lasher opined, speaking his earlier thoughts. "you are eloquent. knowlegeable. a boon to donnelaith," he added with a small curve of his lips.

he found he could not help himself from providing a small bit of flattery in his subtle attempts at charm; as of yet, aria had not responded, but taltos rather enjoyed the time it would take to turn her eye, to catch it as one might glance to something unknown and yet intriguing.
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#10
omg he's the best

Although the girl could not hear the males inner thoughts, she knew inside that the place of alpha was far from reach. She was also well aware of the royalty kind of system that her old pack had had; the lower ranks were up for grab, but unless you were born to power you received none. She didn't think it was any different here. But she still longed for a sense of it, and would've loved to just learn how they acted and how they thought. It was the reason for her counselor trade- although her healing trade still stemmed from what she had learned as a pup.

And, while she didn't hear his thoughts on that, she did hear him loud and clear. The more than subtle hints to flattery sprinkled into his language. When she heard it, she looked at the man a different way; not with lust, but with a strange sort of affection. Her face grew hot and she looked gently down to her white paws, standing silently for a moment. The girl wasn't sure how to respond (odd for such a flirtatious teenager), so verbally she said nothing. She did, however, give the male an affectionate nudge on the cheek. It showed her gratitude and appreciation without taking it too far. She wasn't sure if the alpha's were an actual couple, or if they were only together due to rank. Aria, however, did not wish to intrude if they were.

She cleared her throat, looking forward. "Thank you, Lasher," she murmured, a small smile still lingering.
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#11
;)

while he loved blue willow undoubtedly, and would not leave her, or remove her from his side, lasher knew and acted upon the idea that love was not a finite resource, to be measured and guarded diligently, and kept from others. the girl blossomed with awareness, and not for the first time did lasher beam upon her, for now they were bonded in this knowingness. a virgin's blush heated her features; aria looked chastely upon the ground, and within his breast did the druid's heart wrench at the complete loveliness of the gesture. 

she lifted her angelic face to him the -- the silver-ice of her gaze met the murkwater level of his own -- and there followed a moment quite suspended in time, wherein lasher let the hot flush spread from the place of contact through his veins, and followed suit, pressing his lips against her own cheek in return. how he wished to dally! to pursue the motion with a kiss, or series of them, salacious little soldiers sent to scale the proud curve of her throat -- but he lingered only one moment longer than he should have, pulling away with a pointed look in her eyes before he faced ahead and willed his soul to calm itself as they continued to walk.
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#12
its getting saucy omg 
 

The warm breath of the larger male rested against her cheek, sending deep chills down her spine. It was true, a virgin always blushed the brightest, and had her pelt not been so thick she might've appeared more red than pink. The girl was unaware of what to do or say, as she was just a girl. Her experience was knowledge rather than hands on, and her playful teases had always ended while she had the upper-hand. They contained no contact and no warmth. It was childs play, but she excelled at it, and she'd be lying if she said she hadn't put some on the alpha's son, Casmir. 

She was dumbfounded, but slowly falling to the males whim. He held it perhaps longer than he should have, but maybe it only drew her closer. Aria felt stranger than normal. Her whole body was hot and her body tingled with adrenaline. She leaned towards him, but out of an awkward lack of knowledge had nothing more to offer than a nuzzle. She breathed gently into his cheek, moving her muzzle down his neck and under his chin. Had Lasher ever felt like this towards the cat-dog that used to dwell in Donnelaith she probably would've reacted the same way. She let out another breathe, this time inhaling his scent forever into her mind. Her first thought should've been how foreign and strange this was, but it was her second. Right now she thought nothing but of the new sense of warmth she felt at the brutes touch. 
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#13
omg yessss

but not a few steps had been taken before aria returned to the welcoming warmth of his embrace, giving her consent in an eloquent silence. lasher did not pause to ponder the great age between the two of them, merely that their pelts meshed, merely that she breathed against his breast in a contented and wondering sort of way. he lay his muzzle over her shoulders then, holding the girl gently against him; she was delicate, and yet a definite strength beat beneath the softness of her pelt, her fine-grained bones.

at length, reveling in the way she did not draw from him, in the beauty of this moment held in the ethereal glen, taltos shifted his weight, moving his mouth to the base of one velveteen ear, and here the earthen servant lay the first kiss, closing his eyes at the honeyed sensation of her silken pelt against his lips.
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#14
A shiver as he moved towards her again. And another as his breathe warmed her ear. One more as they met, allowing a gentle kiss. She was overwhelmed with emotion and excitement. Her senses were shot and she was beyond her wildest dreams. Had this been what the young girl dreamed of ever since she was a pup? This connection between two that led to such a fiery sensation? Boy, was she right. It was electrifying. She would have admitted being cold 5 minutes prior, but right now she was heated. Warmth satisfied every fiber of her body, and she loved it.

Still unaware of how to react, she mimicked his response. He was well experienced (two litters attaboy) and appeared to know what he was doing. Should she be doing the same? She assumed so. She twisted her head towards his, nibbling gentle at his ears, moving down his jawline and towards his cheek. How had this sparked so quickly? How had she not seen signs? She was far more observant than this, she thought. But maybe not... And maybe it didn't matter. 
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#15
indeed, it mattered not -- they were but two souls sharing in the revelry of physical touch and mutual attraction. the same heat that warmed aria's body quickened lasher's blood; his heartbeat sang in his ears, as did her own. they became paced, cadenced. he worshipped the sensation of her lips following suit, her body moving in his embrace to touch and to explore the body of the man who stood at her side. when she paused, he continued their slow dance; lasher circled 'round aria, his muzzle dipping below her chin -- his tongue slipped between his teeth to touch the tender flesh there, and a low sound of pleasure vibrated in his throat.

but he drew back the wanting of his body; here was merely an exploration, one that stoked the flames that had leapt up in a small inferno between the pair, and he did not in any way wish to rush such a lovely thing. and so taltos drew his kiss slowly from her chin to the hollow of her throat, placing a tracery of hunger that traveled toward her shoulder before meandering back to her ears, her lovely cheek.
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#16
i sorry aria is gonna start using the brain

All in one moment, the heat disappeared. It was replaced by fear of common sense and logic. His touch was mystifying but it worked too well. The girl was as she is described, a girl. This was a man. Perhaps thats why she was so drawn to him. Her maturity was far beyond her age, and the childish ways of most males her age was aggravating. But no... Lasher knew his way around. He knew how to act and he knew how to treat her, and she knew this. But even without thinking about the age, even without the knowledge that he could easily take advantage of such an inexperienced fae... It just felt wrong. It felt so right, but... somehow wrong.

She let out a whimper, her head ducking from her. It was not a whine of pleasure or of longing, it was one of fear. She looked to him with wide eyes, mistakingly meeting his gaze. She couldn't shake them though, her white iris' were locked upon his teal ones, and she wished to explore them further. But it frightened her. It was strange, foreign, perhaps even unlawful. In the natural world, all goes, but to this modernized female the natural world was too uncivilized for her. She longed for a family and for a lover, Lasher would never be allowed to be such. He was the alpha with a mate and family of his own, regardless of their status. He was old and would have too many children to tend to. She didn't feel that this was right. On top of that, her fear shook her. He had the largest advantage that anyone could see; experience and a gentle touch. She swooned over him, but it was too much of an advantage, and she was unsure of what sinful things she may be swayed to do. 

Her gaze finally broke, and she lowered her whole body in response. She felt awful, and was unsure if he would attempt to continue. She didn't feel violated by any means, she had welcomed it, but she felt so exposed. Her body tightened and she wrapped her tail tightly around her body, sitting quietly in the circle that his tracks had created around her.
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#17
in a whirl of snowy fur and fear she did pull away from him, and lasher was left bereft with the sudden emptiness of his arms. had he known the thoughts of her mind, he would have been hurt indeed, wounded. a traditional monogamous mate was something that the druid would never be, and he was approaching his twilit years, yes, but love and children were things, wondrous things, with which he could provide aria. however, he knew not these thoughts, only that she feared, and had gathered himself away from him.

perhaps the growing level of the heat between them had frightened the girl; it was no matter. taltos stepped a respectful distance away, smiling at the sylph to tell her that she need not fear him, nor apologize for her drawing aside. the fault was his. "i am sorry. i should have ... not," the man murmured, turning himself away from her. the tightening of his body was relaxed; a brief guilt now flooded his form and he silently chastised himself for using his influence to charm aria. it had been a wicked thing to do.
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#18
"I did not stop you," Aria murmured in reply, the gaze of the girl still floating uneasily on her feet and the paw prints littered around them. "You.. you don't need to apologize," she added, swallowing a lump of something that made her eyes well. She attempted to clear it, but found nothing more than an awkward cough and loud wheeze of anxiety. She was not herself in this moment, but a newly touched product of fear. She hadn't been afraid of much since she was a pup, not in this sense, and she was unaware of how to control it despite her attempts. She sucked in a a long breath, hoping it would calm her nerves. It did a little bit, but she found more comfort, surprisingly, in Lasher. She pulled herself near him and rested her head under his chin, the warmth of his body relaxing her nerves. 

She was not afraid of him, this proved that, was was afraid of what she would do because of him. She did not like that side of her. 

She breathed out into his murky fur, closing her eyes into it. Would she say something stupid? Doubtful, she usually spoke so well. It must've been the moment that worked her up so much. The beautiful environment in which they stood, the spark that they both helped to ignite. It appeared to perfect, and she ended it so quickly. She felt somewhat better, the shock ebbing away and leaving her within her right mind again. "I think..." she began softly, eyes still closed as she inhaled his scent once again, "we would make more sense... in another life..."

It was vague, and perhaps hurtful, but that was not her intention. She wished to show him her attraction was mutual, but it was too foreign for her to grasp correctly. She was not like the male, and if she and Lasher were to become lovers, it was not likely she would have agreed so politely with the thought of sharing him. It was petty and childlike, but she wouldn't change her opinions. She still believed he had too much going on, regardless of how he thought he would handle it. Two lovers (plus a third she was unaware of), an abundance of pups... she was keen on the thought of responsibility, but it just seemed like too much.
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#19
"ah, but it was not your responsibility to end things," lasher murmured as she curled into his embrace, gently reminding the youngling that he was the older here, the more experienced. and though the innocent warmth of her was welcome; though he was pleased to be a comfort to her, even as she feared the budding hungers of her own body, which he had awoken, her words did cut him rather deeply. 

taltos was unused to rejection, but he was also rarely the pursuant in these instances. his romances had been built of himself as a willing quarry, or a mutual attraction -- all at once he felt the grief of it keenly, and following upon its heels came the greyness of age to dog his steps. lasher felt old, unwanted, devoid of his previous charm.

yet he spoke none of this to aria; he kissed gently, platonically, her forehead. "perhaps," he managed, smiling warmly down at the girl, though in the wild places of his spirit there came a scream for luke, for caiaphas, for those he loved but had not possessed, even the fleeting touch of a stranger to restore to him what this lovely and saddening interlude had stolen.
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#20
): bby

Aria could not see the males expression, and she could not read his mind. But she heard his voice and the hidden pain that disguised itself so well. It was gentle, but it screamed to be heard. She did not, however, know how to address it, and felt it was to be left unheard. Her tail remained curled tightly to her body, around her legs and rump. She was unsure of what to do with it, to wag it or let it go limp, so she kept it stiff and around her, hoping maybe to find some sort of words to ebb the slowly growing awkward silence that she felt. Perhaps it was only awkward for her, she could not tell. She gave his cheek a gentle, and somewhat hesitant, lick. It was genuine, honest, and reassuring. She hadn't meant to hurt him, and she wished for him to realize she had wanted it. But she let out a soft sigh and moved back, standing and staring at him.

She was reminded of Casmir, the male who she'd so friskily played with not too long ago, and let her head tilt slightly. Though she thought nothing of the situation currently, their encounter remained in the back of her mind- it was a good first impression, she had believed. 

The thought fell back once again. 

Her gaze fell to the territory around them, her tail stiff and low. It was a beautiful place. But now it'd only be remembered for the acts in which she partook in. The sins she almost committed. Perhaps they were not even sins, but such a naive mind had no way of telling. She glanced back to him, standing stiffly. She swallowed. She wanted to ask him if they should head back, but had no way of knowing if the comment would hurt him. She didn't want to hurt him. She had no way of communication as of right now, so she just let her head tilt to the other side and let out a gentle whine of confusion. What had they done? Had they tainted such a innocent relationship?
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#21
oh he will get over himself lol <3

he was balmed somewhat by the salve of her gentle kisses, her quiet apologies. "there is no need for such," he told the girl gently, for she had done nothing wrong. 'twas he who had overstepped; she had merely been protecting herself against the desire of one much older, who may have led her astray, or perhaps even into offering up her virtue on some misplaced altar. then again, lasher was clear with his intentions -- he would never have deceived the pale child, promised her things he could or would not give. 

yet it was clear that they would not continue unless aria initiated such a series of events again, and even then lasher was not sure if he would follow suit. he wished for her, wanted her, desired the curves of her lovely form and to see pleasure cloud her eyes until they grew dreamy as a river in a spring deluge, but more than that he wished to share the ultimate expression of affection and love with aria, based upon the attraction betwixt them. there was room in his world for her, but yet he did not think it was so in hers.

taltos held not an iota of this against the girl; he licked her cheek, embraced her again, and nestled her at his side for the trek back to the core of donnelaith, if she wished to go. "you need not fear me, nor believe that you have harmed us," he assured, unknowingly speaking to her fears. "it shall be as it was before. always."
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#22
Lasher's words were indeed reassuring, and while still oddly attracted to the male, Aria felt herself fall back into the father-figure opinion that she had originally planted on him. It was an odd thing now, considering their previous actions, but she accepted it once again nonetheless, finding the innocence in it even further reassuring. Her past was not necessarily a hard one, but it was an empty one, and the dark alpha filled a section of it that she pined so deeply for. He filled multiple at once, perhaps. That of a lover and a father, and although she'd placed him back to his original stance, part of him will always linger. This, she knew.

"Lasher?" she began, glancing up at him as they began side by side. She only wished to offer one more thought. Whether or not it would hurt or heal, she was unsure, but she felt the need to speak it.

"Thank you," her murmur finished, and she gazed forward once again. He did not harm her, he only helped her. She understood a bit more about herself, and about him. She would use this now in her own life. She appreciated his affectionate touches, and how they made her feel. She wanted him to know this, regardless of how she had treated them in the end.