Bound by Pride Ch. 06

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"Lupa can't go to the manor, it's forbidden until the Alpha's allow him. Ghan is also waiting for an audience so we should put them together." Electra told Rhiannon.

Rhiannon nodded and focused on Ghan as she had met him once in her past travels. They appeared before him in his room. He didn't even pause before reacting; he just smiled and hugged his friend. "I have us a meeting with the Alphas."

Lupa chuckled, "I'm related to one of them."

Ghan gave him a startled look, as far as he knew Lupa had no living family. "You're kidding me." Ghan exclaimed and Lupa shook his head.

"I'll explain over dinner." Lupa explained.

Rhiannon grinned and took them home. They appeared in the entrance hall, Bastion as if sensing they were coming was waiting. His eyes scanned over the group and stopped on Maddie. "Dinner is ready. Leave the bags and get going." He told them then turned and went to make a supplement smoothie for Maddie.

Electra smiled and took Maddie's hand and walked her into the large dinning room. It was in its normal reassuring chaos that Electra had come to love. Maddie stepped to be behind Electra and shielded from the madness, taking it in, in small increments as she peered around Electra. Electra walked down the table until she found a couple of empty spots next to Mayhem. Mayhem jumped to her feet and hugged Electra tightly, rubbing her face against Electra's shoulder, letting her scent fill her nose.

I've missed you.She confessed silently although she would never admit just how much, she had spent a chunk of her time in Electra's room wrapped in her clothes and blankets, with her scent all around her. Her body, her mind, her soul, needed that scent to remain calm although she knew she had never been left alone she had needed Electra's scent to keep from going mad.

Electra smiled. "You need to meet my fosterling."

Mayhem nodded and released her reluctantly.

"Maddie this is Mayhem, Mayhem this is Maddie." Electra glanced back to see Maddie peering around her body. Mayhem held out her hand for Maddie to shake, Maddie decided however to be shy and hide behind Electra.

Don't take it personally.Electra said silently.

I won't, I was there when Amy told Rufus. I know her past.Mayhem answered.

Electra smiled,I told you so... I told you that you would be safe here and look at you.

Mayhem chuckled and sat, refusing to tell her that it was only recently that she had started to involve herself into this strange family and that it was mainly down to Serenity and Thais that she was here. She was almost sure those two cubs could worm their way into even the most troubled minds and bring them peace. Electra sat and started to serve Maddie before serving herself. Bastion put a novelty cup with a crazy straw in front of Maddie then walked further down the table where he sat and started to serve himself. Dinner quickly became a lively affair as people talked and laughed.

Towards the end of the meal, Keira approached and smiled at Maddie. "Hi, I'm Keira."

Maddie blinked in shock as the scent of a human washed over her.

Keira glanced enquiringly at Electra who touched her lips saying silently that she didn't talk. Keira glanced back to Maddie, "I know... shock... yeah I'm human in a house full of Were." She said flippantly. "Want to go have a look at your room?" She asked excited, she had seen people working on the room across from Electra's and saw items similar to her own room only with a different colour scheme being moved in, but had yet to see the finished product.

Maddie turned to Electra wanting to hear her say it was allowed.

"Are you finished?" Electra asked.

Maddie nodded.

"Then you are free to leave the table, Keira can show you around." Electra told her.

Maddie got up and followed Keira out of the room.

"She handled that well." Amy commented.

"I've been leaving her with other people while I work, Lupa has been taking her out for runs and playing, Rhiannon started teaching her to read. There were other youngsters so she spent time with them as well, she's not really sociable but that might just be because she's not used to it or because she is a snow leopard and isn't that way inclined." Electra explained.

Amy nodded thoughtfully. "Still not talking?" She asked.

Electra nodded, "yeah but I'm not going to force her, good food and a warm happy environment will help." Electra turned to Alanna, "So when does it become official."

"Five days." She said with a smile as Tarval leant in and kissed her.

Electra looked on wistfully; she wanted that, she wanted to know that there was going to be someone there for her when she got home from work. Someone she could go to sleep and wake up next to.

****

Rhiannon, Lupa and Ghan appeared outside of Amy and Wolfgang's home, she had offered to go and pick the two men up for their interview two days after Electra's return home, Amy had wanted the house to settle a little before bringing in Ghan and Lupa. Ghan staggered a little not used to the Ancient way of travel, he was also shocked by the sudden change, he had expected lights or a feeling of nothingness instead he had gone from his hotel room to a lush green garden in the blink of an eye.

"Where are we?" Lupa asked in surprise, his silver eyes darted around trying to take everything in. In two days, he had been transformed, with a fresh hair cut to take away the split ends and make his hair appear more tamed, and including that, he was beginning to put weight on so he didn't look so gaunt, people could see how Vivian had fallen in love so quickly with him.

"The Manor where the central pack is located." She took Lupa's arm and dragged him into the house through one of the many doors that lead outside leaving Ghan to follow up behind them. She had decided against appearing in the entrance hall as Bastion was madly trying to get crayon off the hard wood floors and would probably order them from the entrance hall anyway. The culprit of the large doodle was safely out from underfoot in the naughty spot. Serenity was sitting quietly at a piano with Anna practising her scales, she had a great love for music and had pestered Anna to help her learn, they walked quietly by as not to disrupt the little girl.

"Amy's daughter Serenity..." She said by way of introduction as she took them towards the entrance hall.

"Come here you little brat." Keira ran out of a room following Temperance. Rhiannon frowned wondering how Temperance had managed to escape the naughty spot this time. Temperance dodged instinctively to avoid Rhiannon, Lupa and Ghan as she kept her eyes on her pursuer. Keira wasn't as graceful and bumped into Lupa as she tried to dodge around him. She came to a stop. "Fine... but I'm telling Aunt Amy you were in my room again." She turned and ran the other away.

Lupa turned to Rhiannon, "Is it always a mad house."

She nodded, "Isn't that the best kind of house, besides Temperance knows better than to fool around with Keira's things."

She grabbed both men's hands and continued down the hall. Bastion walked out of a room. "Where isshe?" He asked clearly displaying rage in his body language, he didn't need to mention names, the bane of his existence was known to everyone who frequented either house, the devil child, Temperance.

"What has she done?" Rhiannon asked in a resigned tone.

"I get the crayon off the floor only to have it on the walls in the second story grand hall." He said starting to go red.

"Ran that way with one of Keira's books." She answered as she pointed the direction Temperance had run not wanting to tick him off further by vainly attempting to protect the wayward mischief-maker she called her granddaughter.

He growled and stormed off to find Amy.

Rhiannon winced, "and she definitely knows better then to piss off Bastion."

Thais approached unseen, he grabbed his grandmother's hand and tugged on it, when she turned to him he tilted his head asking silently what was going on. Rhiannon wondered for how much longer Thais would remain silent, he spoke rarely, only when it was absolutely necessary, and he was perhaps one of the people Maddie liked the most after Electra and Lupa.

"Your sister just pissed off Keira and Bastion."

He sighed with an aged look that made him seem hundreds of years older then his four years of life.

"She is not your responsibility Thais, you and your sisters all know what is right and wrong, her actions are her own." She told him firmly

He nodded and peered around her to see Lupa and Ghan.

"This is Lupa and Ghan; do you know where granny is?" Rhiannon asked knowing that they could search the house for a good hour before finding her, Thais for some reason could sense other Ancients where others like herself couldn't.

He glanced off, extending his senses searching for his great grandmother; he nodded when he sensed her presence, "Forge." He said softly.

"Thais, also Amy's," Rhiannon explained. "Serenity and Thais are calm cubs, Temperance, Serenity's identical sister is the complete opposite of her other siblings." Rhiannon then turned back to the small boy, "Can you tell me when she moves from the forge."

Thais nodded and walked off.

"Okay let's get to Amy before she goes mental at Temperance." Rhiannon said and willed them to her daughter.

Amy jerked up from doing paper work, Wolfgang was perched on her desk playing with a loose lock of straight black hair; he turned to focus his attention on the two men. Electra was seated with Mayhem helping her with some paper work as Maddie played at Electra's feet.

Maddie turned and smiled, "Lupa." She said as she jumped to her feet and raced to give him a hug. He hugged her tight and lifted her to sit her on his hip. Her arms went around his neck and she pressed her face to his neck taking a deep breath. He smiled and stroked her face. Amy smiled at him and Maddie.

Wolfgang stood and looked at the two men who wanted to join his pack, both were strong Were but he could sense that they wished no harm on his pack by trying to disrupt it. "Welcome," He told them both, "Lupa you have a kin claim in my pack so you have no need to plead your case, you will always be a welcomed member of my pack." He turned to Ghan, "Amy has already pled your case Ghan, and I trust her judgement. You are welcome here but on a condition, you will serve as a body guard until your charge no longer needs you, if you can do this without serious mishap your loyalty will have been proven and a place will be guaranteed in the pack for as long as you want."

Ghan bowed accepting the temporary condition of approval, even glad to be able to prove just how much he wanted this; he would be the best bodyguard they had on the payroll. He had heard of some Alphas who would take a new member on condition, and not even offer a permanent position if they completed that trial, that person would stay on trial for the rest of their lives and their position would always be in doubt.

Keira ran into the room, "Aunt Amy, Temperance has one of my books and won't give it back."

Amy sighed, "Okay, I'll get it for you in a moment." Amy turned to Ghan, "Ghan this is Keira, Keira this is Ghan. He is your body guard."

Keira turned to Ghan as he turned to her. She held out her hand for him to shake. He took it and frowned as his senses said human. She smiled, "Sienna and Gillian are my foster parents... they are also Amy and Wolfgang's seconds."

He grinned, "Just curious as to why a human needed a Were body guard."

Keira frowned and turned to Amy, "Just one?" She knew the body guards worked in pairs.

"Ghan is immortal, it was decided that one immortal body guard is equal to two mortal ones." Wolfgang explained. He turned to Ghan, "When we are at the manor or town estate you don't have to watch her as much unless there are strangers present, when you are out and about it is your duty to keep her safe." He said explaining Ghan's duties.

"The hotel will bring your things here. Keira show Ghan around, I'll get your book." Amy said addressing the room. Rhiannon grabbed Lupa and followed Keira and Ghan out as Bastion stormed into the room.

Lupa followed Rhiannon through the house and out the back to several work areas, one the forge.

"TEMPERANCE." Amy's yell reached them from across the manor as they got to the forge.

Vivian chuckled as she pulled out a twisted piece of metal she was going to turn into a new practise sword. She turned to her daughter and the man with her. Her breath hitched when her eyes focused on Lupa. Rhiannon backed away leaving them to it.

Lupa shifted his weight to another foot, he didn't know how to precede, his basic instincts, the ones he had developed when he lived completely as a wolf, wanted to grab her, tear her clothes from her body and mate her. His higher instincts, those that reasoned and were learnt when he was taught how to be human, wanted to understand what had happened, his previous life memories were hazy, he wanted to make sure that he hadn't hurt Vivian back then. "We..." he hesitated.

She put what she was doing down, the triplets' adult practise swords were not important yet. She was tense, she had felt strange when she saw him in that cell, it had been so long since she had last gazed into his eyes and ever since all she had wanted to do was, close the gap between them and wrap her body around his. However, at the same time she was afraid to do so, afraid he would vanish on her again leaving her a broken woman.

He rubbed the back of his neck, "I remember you... from before... when I was a warrior."

She waited, "You have a beautiful birthmark under your left breast that kind of looks like a dagger." He watched her reaction, he had thought long and hard about what he remembered of that previous life, he hoped that by saying what he had just said she would realise just how much he remembered. "I just want you to know that I remember and I'll do what ever you want." He held his breath and waited.

"Did Rhiannon tell you?" She asked hesitantly.

He nodded, "I'm her father." He approached slowly but she didn't back away, when he was close, enough he wrapped his arms around her. She melted into his body, she took a deep breath but even his earthy scent hadn't changed. "She's amazing." He told her before he pressed his face to her hair.

She dug her head into his shoulder and started to cry, he held her gently against him as she opened up the vault of emotions she had always kept under tight lock and key. He moved and sat on an anvil arranging her on his lap to hold her more comfortably. After his death she had gone a little off the rails, she hadn't even had a chance to come to terms with the love she felt for him before he was suddenly torn from her life. It was only later when she learnt of her pregnancy that she pulled herself out of her depression to be there for the child, it had not been easy on her, to go through a pregnancy without help. When she gave birth to Rhiannon all that depression and anguish had come back as her daughter looked so much like her father. It was Cleopatra who had pulled her back to reality, back to her daughter and she swore that she would never cry for him again, would never let that depression come back. But here he was and she was crying.

He gently stroked her hair waiting for her to calm down; when her tears and sobs finally stopped, he noticed that she had cried herself to sleep in his arms. Wolfgang approached quietly, he had gone for a walk to get out of Amy's way and had seen what was happening and he had waited to make sure that everything was okay as Vivian was an important member of his family.

Is everything all right?Wolfgang asked silently.

Yes.He answered.

Come on I'll show you to her room.Wolfgang offered.

Lupa nodded and scooped her up into his arms before standing; Wolfgang quickly smothered the coals and walked them back to the house. The part of the house he walked Lupa to was quiet except for a faint murmur of the voices of other Ancients who had permanent rooms here. Wolfgang opened the door to her room and closed it when Lupa had gone through.

Lupa walked her to the bed and laid her down. He slipped from her arms and quickly took off her shoes and leather apron. He then kicked off his own shoes and joined her, wrapping her back up in his arms. He sighed as he breathed in her scent, it was the most delightful of scents to him, coal, metal, sweat and under it water, sweet mountain water and rain mixed together. He remembered the name he knew her by,the Lady of the lake... Vivian suits her better,he said to himself.

He gently ran his lips against her hair, his heart started to beat faster, his blood singing through his body, racing to pool in his loins. He felt himself start to stiffen. She mumbled and rolled over to hold him, rubbing her face into his chest, she shifted pulling herself up so that her head could nuzzle against his throat. He groaned and squirmed a little beneath her.

"Behave..." She told him gently and pulled away, his squirming had woken her. "I've missed you... but we've both changed since then."

"Not much." He argued his other half, his true half was tense in his mind, he had his wants and he wanted her NOW.

"It's been fifteen hundred years since that time when we were together... I have changed, you have changed." She tried to get out of his arms.

He tightened his grip not letting her get away. "Okay... yes we've changed, but what is between us, what drew us together will never change." He used one hand to capture her chin; he leant forward and gently skimmed his lips against hers. She moaned, it had been so long since he had kissed her, had held her in his arms, she leant in to deepen the kiss. He broke the kiss after thoroughly tasting her, her taste was just as he remembered from his previous life. He panted gently.

"I don't know how long I will have before my instincts take over, they are urging me to take you now, claim you. I am willing to wait but I already think of you as mine."

She nodded as she appreciated that.

"Can you tell me about our daughter?" He asked.

"What do you want to know?" She asked as she rested her cheek against his chest, the strong beat of his heart was the most comforting thing that she had ever heard.

"Everything." He demanded as his hand gently stroking her other cheek.

She smiled, "Rhiannon Rae Wild-heart born..."

****

Lupa smiled when he found Thais the next day. "Just the little man I was looking for." He said pleased, he knelt before Thais. Thais smiled at Lupa and waited, he was dressed in a pair of shorts, which were maybe a size too big for him and clinched to fit with a belt. A batman shirt was tucked into his shorts and little converse all stars covered his feet. His short black hair stood on end in spikes and his blue eyes danced.

"So... I need your help." Lupa begun, "can you find Vivian for me?" He asked.

Thais nodded and took Lupa's hand walking off to show him the way.

"Do you ever talk?" Lupa asked amused.

Thais paused and turned to him, "Sometimes." He answered before he started to move again. "I just don't see much of a point in it; it covers the music of life all around me." He told him seriously before taking a turn and pausing at a door. "Take an umbrella." He warned before he left.

Lupa watched the little boy go with a perplexed look on his face; he shook it off and knocked before popping his head in. He smiled when he saw Vivian glance up from a sketchpad. "Hi." He said gently as he walked in.

Vivian smiled, she was still a little uncomfortable around him but she was quickly beginning to trust Lupa. "Hello."

He thrust his hands into the pockets of his form hugging jeans. "I went running last night after I left you and I found this beautiful secluded little place and I was wondering if you would like to go have a picnic lunch with me." He asked slightly nervous as she could say no and tell him to fuck off after all they had been apart for hundreds of years, and she had a new life now.