"You're insulting the woman I love."
"Love? I mean, look at her, Leo. Sure she's young and beautiful now, but by forty, she will be all wrinkly and will die by eighty. These humans don't live for thousands of years like you, and I do. After her, what will you do, Leo? Go feral?" Carl laughed again.
"Keep her while all the fun lasts, then lose her" He advised.
"CARL!" Leo roared. "Get out of here before I snap your head off."
"Oooh... did I touch a nerve?" Carl asked.
The two animals snarled and stared angrily at each other. Leon's Alpha demeanor strengthened and scared the other two wolves standing behind Carl, to step back.
"Let's go," Carl announced. He caved because he couldn't have defeated Leon. They simply ran away.
Leon shifted into his human form and looked down at his mate. "Dear god! Aries, baby, what are you doing here in the woods alone?" Leo spoke.
He saw her carefully and found Aries in an awful state—scared, shivering, and with clothes covered in dirt. It was crystal clear to Leo that she was suffering in that house, and that made him extra angry.
'Whoever did this to our Aries, he's going to be fucking dead.' Leo swore by it.
Leo picked up Aries from the ground and tuck her in close to his chest, lovingly. This little intimate moment, Leo could only enjoy it and wished never to let her go.
Leo was fighting an urge to take Aries to the packhouse, to his bedroom, and to keep her there so that he could protect her forever. But he realized that would only freak her out in the morning. He sulked with no choice left. He then took Aries to her house and set her on the bed.
Leo shifted to Leon so he can snuggle her in his soft fur since he never had a chance to be close to Aries. Leon licked her cheek and then the mark on her neck.
"When will you open the mind link with her?" Leon asked the question to Leo.
"I've already broken all the rules by marking her and that too without her consent. Now I don't want to breach her mind."
"I understand that Leo, but she's not safe here, we have to know what happens to her in this house." Leon took a long sigh. "You also need to tell her about me."
"I know, and I'll, soon."
"How soon?" Leon debated.
"I don't know."
"Coward," Leon teased.
"Shut up," Leo said.
Leon chuckled.
"I want Aries to see that I'm also a human, though I'm a werewolf. I want her to fall in love with a human in me before she knows the werewolf in me." Leo explained and he could feel his beings corresponding with him.
"Speaking of humans, don't let Carl's words get to you."
"He's right, though. She is after all only a human, and she'll... someday have to leave us." Leon could also feel Leo's unfounded heartache.
"Our heart has chosen Aries, and we should honor and give her all the love she deserves as long as she lives." Leon consoled.
Leo was grateful for having Leon. He appreciated how Leon comprehended their sorrow into hope with something and anything they can hold their love for her.
"She's going to love me more than you, Leo, mark my words." Leon purred. He could feel how relaxed the curled up Aries was against him.
"But I'm the one who gets to touch and kiss her. You'll be her snuggly-bear at night." Leo retorted by making fun of his being. That made Leon testy and defensive.
"I'll hunt for her."
"I'll protect her," Leo argued back.
"I'll fight for her, ha!" Leon huffed.
"I'll... I'll... Shit." Leo struggled to think, and Leon just laughed at him.
"I'll be the one she will come for comfort when you two fight." Leon continued and laughed.
"Yeah, you're right about that," Leo complimented Leon and continued - "Do you think she'll accept us when she finds out the truth?"
Leon felt Leo was scared of rejection. So he cheered, "She'll love us both." Leon was confident.
"We should leave now," Leo stated.
"I can't seem to let her go," Leon whined.
"I know it's always difficult... I hate to do this, but we gotta go, buddy. If she wakes up, she'll freak."
"All right." Leon licked her lips and slowly withdrew himself out of bed.
"Goodnight, Aries." Leon's gaze lingered on her for a moment, just before he finally jumped out of the window and ran away.
~*~
The next day at school, Aries was ignoring Leo—again.
He wanted Aries to be close to him because both Leo and Leon were feeling the pull, missing her touch, her scent, terribly. But he didn't force himself to find her because Leo knew last night's event must disorient her. He was indeed feeling her agitation and distress the whole day.
He also knew that not only him, but she too was feeling the pain of separation, like himself, but after that kiss. Leo was on cloud nine.
~*~
In the car, Leo gave Aries a pendant with three moon-stones. It was perfused with spells to suppress the pull and pain of missing each other, keeping it at bay. Aries accepting it made him happier. She needed it because they were not going to be living together, at least for now.
After dropping off Aries and that smooch, Leo wanted to cool off the heat, so he went for a run at a wild speed. He took a big leap and transformed into Leon effortlessly in mid-air and let his beast run amok. It gave him peace and cooled him off.
~xXx~
CHAPTER 8
On Saturday evening, I was sitting in front of the vanity mirror, staring back at the girl with blue eyes, in a corset with a fringed skirt, and black satin arm length gloves. Smokey eyes, red lips. I should feel beautiful, but I don't. 'I've never seen anything so beautiful as you, Aries.' Leo's
