Dogs of War: Howl at the Moon

With quick reflexes, Tor caught the glass before it hit him, but the contents that remained splashed on his borrowed clothing. Even as the remaining alcohol dripped from his shirt onto the dirty floor, even as he was being slowly surrounded by a small army of biker men and women, Tor did not relent. His eyes remained fixated on Teager until bodies blocked his view, but never once did they deviate. They remained locked on her seat.

"Not a single one of you has proven yourselves to be anything but cliche knockoffs of b-rated Patrick Swazye movies. So do yourselves a favor before this cliche follows the logical course and I kick all your collective asses until you run home defeated to lick your wounds?"

The answer he received was not the one he wanted. Tor's face became the target of a hairy set of knuckles hell-bent on breaking his nose. Thankfully the Were was not only prepared to dodge, he already had a counter-measure in mind. Simply turning his head was enough to evade the clumsy jab. He followed it, however, with a sharp punch to the man's gut, knocking the wind out of his lungs and forcing him to stumble backwards.

The bar brawl began, chaos consuming the patrons, all except for Teager of course. Fists came flying in from all angles, but Tor's supernatural speed and experienced combat prowess was enough to gain him the upper hand rather quickly. Even as they began to brandish knives and pool cues, Tor was certainly up for the challenge.

As the number of combatants began to dwindle, Tor once again stole a glance in Teager's direction, hoping to see some sign that she realized what he was doing to get her to just talk to him. If he could only apologize...
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Teager knew what was happening behind her, knew what he was doing, but she wanted no part of it. Why should she listen to anything he had to say, when he never listened to her? He never believed her, always making her feel like she wasn't worth listening to, and it always hurt.

The only reason she turned around to look at the bar scene was the bartender. He remarked, in an awestruck tone, that one man was taking everyone else out. With a sigh, she turned, her expression pained, but only for a second then it was gone. What replaced it was a disappointed, almost disgusted stare. Why didn't he get it? Why couldn't he understand her pain? Beating the shit out of everyone in the bar wasn't going to do anything. What was it going to prove? Tor was a tough SOB, who could take on a whole bar of angry, drunk people. She already knew that. There wasn't anything about him she didn't know.

Again pain flashed across her face, but she was unable to push it away this time, so Teager just turned her back on Tor and the bar fight. He would never understand how much he hurt her, or what he meant to her. Tor couldn't understand how heartbroken she felt, and the amount of control it took to keep her sorrow hidden. And fighting bar patrons to get her attention was not the way to go.

"Another." Teager said, taking a shot and setting to glass back on the bar top.

"Miss, I really-"

"I said, another." She growled.

Even as Tor pummeled the disgruntled barflies, there was a feeling welling in his stomach, a sickening sensation that told him that his efforts were, somehow, wasted. No matter how many men he beat down, it wasn't enough. Would it ever be enough? Was there any chance in proving how sorry he was? The look in her eyes told him no, but Tor refused to believe that it was hopeless.

The more he thought about it, the worse he felt. His words had cut her deeply, but his actions were much much worse. His drive to secure the success of the mission had cost him so much, but cost her much more. Her best friend (he hoped) had deserted her, telling her to leave when he really wanted her to stay.

Tor stopped fighting. He stopped defending himself. While he kept his eyes fixated on the girl, locking her eyes with his anytime she looked over in his direction, the brawlers closed in and took advantage of his lack of defense. They beat his mercilessly, bloodying his face, bruising him, cutting him and generally causing him just enough damage to regret fighting back, but not enough to kill him. He no longer cared how bad they hurt him for he had heart his love much worse.

Turning around again Teager saw that Tor had stopped defending himself, his eyes locked on her. He was letting the others kick his ass. That's not what she wanted. She turned around, completely, and slid out of her barstool, stumbling forward, and the whole bar spun. Pushing down the urge to vomit, she strode forward and stood in front of Tor, catching a fist aimed at his face.

"That's enough." She slurred.

She grabbed Tor by his arm and began to lead him away, and towards the exit. Though it wasn't much of a lead since she couldn't stand up straight. The whole world was spinning around her, and the urge to throw up was growing stronger with each step.

"Tor, you're a fucking idiot.." Teager said as they exited the bar. The fresh air hit her in the face and her stomach clenched. With a groan, she let go of Tor, turned and heaved. Everything in her stomach came up, her muscles clenching. She moaned, her legs shaking, blackness outlining her vision. "Nng... fuck..."

The male, in his battered and broken state, could barely hear what Teager said to him. His ears were ringing loudly, and the world around him was hazy and doubled over itself. Tor only came to his senses when Teager about dropped him as she heaved the contents of her stomach all over the ground, the smell absolutely revolting, making him question, even in his deluded state, what exactly she had been ingesting.

Though he was half unconscious, Tor hooked the girl's arm over his neck and began to hobble back toward the car, which was parked about a mile away. His muscles and his bones cried out for him to stop, but he could not leave Teager by herself.

"Never again..." he whispered, out of breath and through his clenched jaw. "I'm never letting you go again." Tor didn't know if she could hear him or not, but it didn't matter. The promise was more for himself, as well as her. It no longer mattered if she loved him back or not. If he had to spend the rest of his years alone, then so be it. He wouldn't let Teager get away from him.

The car rolled back into the driveway at the cottage, Tor stepping out first, then working his way around to Teager's door, just as Julia appeared on the front porch, being clueless about what had just happened.

The second the car stopped, Teager sat up straight, her eyes wide. She was completely wasted. Leaping out of the car, she whirled on her feet facing Tor. "Holy shit, you look awful." She pulled him up to Julia who yanked him away from her and into the cabin.

"What the fuck did you do?" The female Were screeched at her.

"Oh, ouch, I didn't do anything." Teager scoffed and followed them inside.

"What did you do to him? He's fucking hurt!"

"I can't even scratch Tor when I'm sober, how the hell you expect me to do it when I'm drunk? If you weren't such a huge dickface I'd say you have a good sense of humor." She laughed, plopping down on the couch.

"Don't you even care? Is this a joke to you?" Julia was livid, looking over Tor and assessing his damage.

"Of course I care~ I've loved Tor since I was fourteen." She began to idly pick at her fingernails. "Seven years, I've loved him."

"Seven?" Julia was completely dumbfounded. "It's six from fourteen. You're twenty."

"Nope. It's my birthday~ since.. a couple hours ago, actually." Teager grinned.

Julia decided to change tactics.  "You love him like your brother. It's not-"

"Oh, no, no. I love Mason. But I don't want to have his babies. Ew. He's my brother. But him," Teager pointed at Tor, "I want to have his babies." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

A significant portion of the fight was lost on Tor, his brain far too addled to make any coherent sense in what was being said. He couldn't even remember how they got back to the cottage. The ringing in his ears had subsided quite a bit, but there were still plenty of other memories to haunt his waking consciousness. All he could think of was how hurt Teager looked, how much pain he saw in her eyes. It was more than he could have realized.

Slowly, however, the conversation began to clear up, and before long he felt himself trying to respond to their argument, or try to break it up. When she mentioned her birthday, the world became undeniably clear for a split second, long enough for the first dagger to drive itself deep into his heart. How could he have forgotten her birthday!?

Tor felt even worse then. He felt like throwing up. Dizziness overtook his sight, forcing his eyes shut, lest he vomit all over the place, which would not help the situation.

Before he could say anything, the final straw was drawn. Did Teager just admit to being in love with him? Did she just say she wanted to have his babies!? He did not know what to say. What could he say? What was one supposed to say to that?

Of course he was overjoyed, because it meant that she shared his feelings. But at the same time, it meant that he would have to send Julia away.

Julia...

"Are you a psycho?! You're drunk, you're young, and your stupid. What makes you think he even wants to be with you when he has me? I will have his children and he will be Alpha! And you," she continued, focusing on Tor. "What the hell were you thinking?! Why would you go back for her!? You sent her away!"

"Both of you," Tor said weakly. "... that's enough. It's been a long night..." Tor just wanted to sleep, though he had a strong feeling that he would not find any rest that night.

"No, this isn't over. When my father hears about this, he won't just banish you, Teager, he'll have your organs mailed out to all our enemies, one piece at a time!"

Tor's brow furrowed. It took a moment for him to realize what Julia had just said. "She's... banished? Since when?"

Julia's eyes narrowed as she hissed. Tor didn't know, and she wasn't supposed to tell him. "Since the day before you left."

The male had never glared at anyone so harshly. No matter how many times Teager messed up, no matter what her mistakes were, he never looked at her with the scorn in his eyes as they locked on Julia's. "Get the hell out of my sight."

His stare relented. His strength gave out. Darkness overtook him.

When Tor blacked out, Teager was under him, catching before he could hit the ground. Julia had completely frozen, her eyes wide as she stared at him. "Technically you're out of his sight now." The pup grinned, which only pissed off the woman even more, but before she could say anything, Teager interrupted. "There is literally nothing you can say to me that will hurt me in any way. I'm not going back across the sea, so you threat about organs or whatever, ew, by the way, is a waste of air. I can never go home, I'll never Mason again, and Tor chose you over me. You can't hurt someone who is already broken~"

Teager dragged Tor into the master bedroom and laid him on the bed. Returning to the livingeoom, she strode past Julia into the kitchen. "I'm fucking starving." See mumbled, fumbling through the fridge.

"By the way," Teager straightened and looked up at Julia. "Just because he's with you doesn't mean he loves you. You'll never have his children, you're fake mated. Anyone can see it. Can you not recall what we were taught? Only true Mates can conceive. You may love him, and want him, but he doesn't love you."

And then she went back to trying to locate something to eat. She hadn't eaten all day, only drank, and if she didn't eat soon, she was going to be throwing up a lot more that night. "Oh, one more thing." Facing the fuming woman one last time, she smiled. It was a dark, knowing smile. "It makes sense that Iorek is your father, you're a total cunt."

No longer able to tolerate the insults she'd just received, Julia shoved through the door and disappeared into the night, leaving a trail of angry tears behind her. It was bad enough that she was forced to subject herself to the whims of a wolf that did not love her, but to be trash-talked by a pup made it even worse. Her head pounded with rage, accompanying each wave of pain with dark thoughts born out of revenge and hatred.

Inside the cottage, Tor's own mind was quite active, though for much different reasons. The night's events had left him with fevered dreams so intense he swore they were real. The weight resting on his shoulders was nearly too much to withstand, and if it hadn't been for his unconscious state, he might have actually drank himself to death that night, if such a thing were even possible.

He cried out in his sleep, incomprehensible at first but each time became slightly more clear than the one before until it was clear what he wanted.

"Teager...!" he said, over and over. His body, still not healed from his injuries, screamed at him silently, begging for his mind to rest so they could recover, but finding no solace or comfort. His head swayed back and forth, his arms tried to reach out but were simply too weak to be lifted.

Happily munching away on a sandwich in the kitchen, Teager sat blissfully unaware of the damage she was causing. She hummed in content, not bothered by anything in the slightest. Until she heard Tor crying out in the next room. Dropping her food, she jumped over the table and skid around the wall, darting down the hallway to the room. Pushing open the door, she did not hesitate, and crawled into the bed with him, pulling his head into her lap.

"Sshhh..." Teager cooed softly. She cradled him close to her, shifting her body and letting his head rest against her chest. "I'm here, Tor, shhh, it's okay..."

The pup held him close, sitting there for most of the night, calming him as best as she could. She only moved once and that was to get a clean rag, and some water so she could clean the cuts and scrapes on her body. Still heavily intoxicated, she did not do as good as she could have when it came to cleaning him up. After he was as good as she could manage, she crawled back into bed with him, holding him to her chest for comfort.

Teager did not fall asleep until the sun started to peek over the horizon. It wasn't just her concern for Tor, but every time she started to fall asleep, she felt like she was falling and her body would jerk her back awake, the urge to vomit kept pulling her back up as well. She didn't want to puke on Tor,  and she knew the risks to falling asleep and puking. She could choke to death, and she definitely didn't want that.

Throughout the night, Tor would toss or turn, though it was significantly reduced as soon as Teager rested with him. Though he still said her name many times, it no longer sounded desperate or panicked. Calmly he would speak for her, almost always followed by a content coo, as if he were being nestled against her skin in his dream as well.

As dawn began to break, its light filtering in through the drapes so that one could see the dust in the air, Tor's eyes began to open. Much to his dismay, the room was empty. While the argument seemed to be very real, the rest of the night must have been merely a dream, a wish for things that could have been, rather than the things that were.

His body felt heavy and drained, but he seemed to have healed for the most part. Many of his cuts had been cleaned and treated, leaving him wondering just how much of the night he had imagined. Rubbing his face carefully, Tor decided to ponder on those thoughts while he got dressed. He then left the bedroom, slowly stumbling down the hallway until he reached the common room.

That was when his heart sank.

Teager did not sleep long. The poor girl was shaken aeake, and then pulled out from underneath Tor, whom she had been holding onto tightly. Her intoxicated state made her groggy and slow, and she didn't fully register what was happening until her skin started to burn. Eyes opening wide, she inhaled sharply, and jerked backward. Much to her aurprise, she did not fall, but landed against someone else.

It took her a moment to recognize the smell that filled the cabin. The Walkers had found them! She opened her mouth to call out for Tor, but a gag was shoved into her mouth, silencing her cries. The Weres pulled her into the living room, but even drunk she was a rough girl. She fought hard, growling, struggling to get free, but she was disoriented and her body felt like it was made of lead.

They knocked over a good bit of furniture before they got the best of her. Frustrated with her, the biggest one grabbed some chain links coated in silver nitrate. Not gently he coiled them around her wrists and ankles tightly, burning her skin, causing her to cry out, the sound muffled through the gag. Thrown unceremoniously onto the couch, a few Weres hidden in the room lying in wait for Tor, Teager began to feel a burning pain.

She discovered that the Were was dragging a silver nitrate covered knife across her skin. Not one to cry, she gritted her teeth, and growled against the pain, though it brought a nauseous feeling sweeping through her, making her head spin.

Stopped dead in his tracks, Tor stood with his mouth agape, his eyes deadlocked on a tied of a tearful Teager. His blood began to boil. His mouth salivated for revenge. But there was more to his anger. He was not a raging bull. He was not a a rampaging lunatic. He was calm and collected.

"It seems we have some guests. You've already made yourselves comfortable I see... but unfortunately you can't stay." Walking slowly into the room, the first wolf came at him from the side, only to find its throat held by Tor's powerful hand. A quick twist snapped the creature's neck, a feat none of them had ever witnessed.

Something in him was changing. Something deep and powerful and dormant. It gave him strength that he did not know he had. Two of the three remaining wolves rushed him only to meet with similarly quick ends. The last Were tried to hold Teager as his hostage, even as the silver burned her flesh.

"You can let her go, or I can take her from you, and you won't like that. Make your decision." Tor's voice was oddly deep and gritty.

"It's going to be okay Teager."

"Tough dog, eh?" The Were smirked, not at all afraid of Tor, or his actions. "You know, it's a real shame you got rid of them so quickly. I wanted them to see your reaction to this little ones newest mark."

He grabbed Teager and hauled her into his lap, holding her chin and making her look directly at Tor. Her eyes were shining with tears not shed due to her own pride, but the pain that she felt was clearly written there. She didnt want Tor to see it. That ugly brand on her skin that was never going to heal. The others were just cuts that would heal with no scar, but this one...

The man threw her over his lap, and yanked up her shirt which had blood stained on the lower left section. Teager pulled back against him, whimpering, shaking her head rapidly.

"Don't want him to see? But it's a beautiful mark. Tor! What do you know about branding? It never goes away, right? Well, this one..." He laughed. "This one is a mark that will ignite fury in my pack. It's an instant kill mark. Whosoever sees this will know she is an enemy to my family, and they won't stop until she's dead." He yanked up her shirt to reveal a branded mark dug into her skin and coated in silver nitrate, hardened inside the open wound.

Teager whimpered, turning her face away from Tor, having a difficult time from keeping her tears from falling. She didn't have a pack to protect her,  she didn't have anyone to have her back. Tor didn't want her, he tried to send her away, and now he knew that she was in love with him and was banished, never going home again. He was going to hate her even more. It didn't help that he believed she let the Were escape; all in all Tor was going to believe that all of this was her fault. She whimpered again, this time because she was unable to hold back her tears.

"Oh, don't cry, pup. As the man said, 'It's going to be okay, Teager.'" He mocked with a laugh.

Teager's anguished whimpers were like nails being driven into Tor's very soul. He felt as if he were being ripped apart, fiber by precious fiber. The fire inside him turned into a raging inferno, the heat from which could be felt in the air around him. His muscles grew larger and tighter. His eyes changed color. His skin began to turn gray. If the opposing Walker wasn't afraid yet, Tor would make sure he soon would be.

"Then I will just have to kill every single one of you," he said, his voice dark and raspy. That's when he launched forward, flinging himself toward the dangerous man with fury and death in his eyes. Tor didn't care how much damage his body had already suffered, or how much more he would sustain in that brawl. It didn't matter. The only thing he cared about was saving Teager, his love, his mate.

The two collided, tumbling backwards and away from the bound pup. Tor landed with the advantage, pressing his opponent against the wall with his forearm pushing against his throat. Tor could tell that the Walker was surprised, but he was no slouch, especially compared to the ones they'd fought the previous day. They traded blows back and forth, neither one giving the other a single inch without a fight. A powerful slash opened Tor's shoulder, slinging blood across Teager's face.

Another slash came at him, but this time Tor was prepared. He ducked under the massive paw, then hooked his arms as he spun around. With a knee on the Walker's back, Tor pulled hard, dislocating both its shoulder. Tor wrapped his hands around the Were's neck, squeezing tightly as it tried in vain to escape using only its legs.

It's final moments were spent looking at Teager, a contemptuous glare on its face before the life left its eyes. Tor dropped it to the floor, stomping its neck under his heel to make sure it was dead, then dropped down to Teager's lap, laying his bleeding head on her legs as he worked to undo her bindings.

Teager sat wide eyed as Tor took care of the last Were, tears slowly rolling down her face, mixing with the blood that had been splattered over her. As she was freed from the silver chains, and the gag, she coughed and whimpered, biting hard on her lip to keep herself quiet.

"Tor..." She choked. "I'm sorry... please... don't hate me.." Teager was not one to cry, even if she was in excruciating pain; it was the thought of Tor hating her, or blaming her, for what had happened that was tearing her apart inside. The pain in her voice was not from the burns, or even the fresh and bloody brand in her back, but from the fear that he would cast her out again. "Please..." She sobbed, her whole body shaking from her cries.

It didn't help that she was still partially intoxicated, and had about an hour of sleep before her torture began. Her mind and body had been taken and pushed over the limit she could handle, and she was breaking down.

Finally freeing her of her bonds, Tor lifted the injured girl into his arms and laid her on the table. What had they done to her? As he began to inspect her injuries, tears began to form in his eyes. This was all his fault. If he hadn't sent her away, she wouldn't have been at the bar, he wouldn't have gotten beat up, she wouldn't have stayed up with him so late, and they would have taken the ambushers easily.

"I'm sorry Teager. It's my fault. All this is my fault. It'll never happen again I swear it." Despite the searing pain, Tor began to dig away at the silver-lined injuries adorning Teager's body. Not once did he stop to wave his hands, even as the metal seared his fingertips and his palms. He didn't notice the door suddenly burst open, or the pair of vampires that flew inside like a dark and terrible wind.

"Teager!" Delphi cried, her voice filled with panic. "Teager my darling what did they do to you!?"

Tor ignored her. He ignored the entire world, except for Teager. "Please be okay... please don't leave. I love you and I don't want you to leave. I love you Teager..."

With every piece of silver removed from her skin, the pain began to lessen, but she became more exhausted. Trying not to squirm, Teager bit her lip hard, muscles flexing with her attempts to stay still. When Delphi burst in, her eyes drifted towards the door, and she tried to offer a smile, but it was weak.

"I'm okay.. just some silver flesh wounds." She played it off like it was nothing, but the removal of a particularly deep piece of silver made her jump and yelp. She would have asked why Delphi was even there, but Tors next words made her heart stop.

What did he just say? Her gaze moved to Tor, eyes wide, heart pounding furiously. Did he just say he loved her? There's no way it was real. He didn't love her, he couldn't. She was just Masons little sister, an annoying pup that he had to bail out of trouble over and over again. Teagers only logical explanation was that she had passed out, and was dreaming. In her dreams he told her he loved her all the time, but this dream felt too real.

"This.. is a dream, right? There's no way.." She whimpered, her eyes filling with tears again. "It's not fair.. I.. I don't want to wake up... I want you to love me.. it hurts to be awake.. so much.." Her heart felt like it was breaking all over again. Why did her life have to be so cruel to her? Why couldn't Tor love her, chose her?

A very concerned Delphi approached slowly, placing her hand on Teager's face gently to cool her while Tor worked to get the remaining silver off her body. "Tor," she said without looking at him. "I can take those out. Silver doesn't affect me like it does you." It was very obvious that she just wanted to help, and that her intentions were good, but Tor shook his head vigorously.

The last piece to be removed was the largest. He was sure it would hurt the worst, so he tried to do it as quickly as possible, like ripping off a bandaid. Now finished with his work, his hands blistered, feeling as though they were burning in fire, he rest his head against her skin. Tor watched as her natural healing began to kick in, albeit much more slowly than a normal wound. The brand on her back would never heal; she would care that burden forever.

"It's not a dream, Teager. I mean it... and it's real. I'm sorry... I'm so sorry for sending you away. I don't want you to leave. I love you."

With Delphis cool hand against her face, and the silver completely removed, Teagers whole body relaxed. Her eyes closed as she breathed deeply, biting back tears. Tor said it wasn't a dream. He said he loved her. It was alright for her to believe him, wasn't it? If it was real, and she wasn't dreaming, it meant that he returned her feelings and she didn't have to feel so lonely all the time.

"I'm so happy.." She opened her eyes, and smiled, though it was weak. Her body begged her to rest, to sleep, but she couldn't.

As if a cold water splashed over her, she looked up at delphi, concern on her face. "You.. is everything alright? You came here in such a rush.." Teager rested her hand on Tors head as he laid it against her; it was a comforting gesture, she hoped, and a way for her to thank him. Not only for protecting her, but also for making her the happiest pup in existence. She only saw one problem. Teager was banished. He wasn't. Would he choose to leave the pack to be with her, or would she lose him forever?

Tor's brow beaded with sweat as his adrenaline began to subside, leaving him feeling feverish. He wanted to throw up over the whole ordeal, but he forced his stomach to hold its contents until that, too, subsided. He did not speak; he couldn't. In his moment of vulnerability, it was difficult to keep himself from sobbing. But such a spectacle would not benefit anyone at that moment, so rather than risk speaking, he nuzzled into her hand, kissing her palm softly before he closed his eyes to enjoy the moment.

The look of Delphi's face was one of relief. She had risked much by coming out during the daylight hours, but if one's determination is strong enough, they will find a way. "The guards discovered the trail that the wolves had made. When they told me where it lead I became terribly afraid for you, so I rushed over as soon as I could, in case you needed help. I'm just happy that you're both still alive."

Delphi leaned forward and placed her cold lips on Teager's cheek, kissing her softly and with a smile. She truly had become fond of the pup. "It sounds like you're in good hands," Delphi said softly, smiling as her eyes motioned toward Tor.

Slowly the pup pushed herself into a sitting position, grunting against her pain. She cradled Tor against her body and offered a smile to Delphi. "You risked a lot to come here today, we appreciate your concern and are thankful for it." Even though she was still intoxicated, she maintained her respect for Delphi, fond of her, despite her chilling fear of the species. It was dangerous for her to come during daylight hours, more so because the Walker pack had their scent and now knew where they stayed. Plus they werent restricted by the night, and Delphis scent was there as well.

Teager ran her fingers through Tors hair, still unbelieving that he felt the same about her as she did for him. It really was a dream come true.

"You're welcome to stay here until it gets dark, I just.. have to clean up first." Taking a look around the room, she finally noticed that most of the furniture was upside down, and there were bodies and blood everywhere. "Neither of us are in much condition to go anywhere today.. mostly my fault." At least they had a stronger scent to follow when they were both more aware. Not only that, but they could follow it back to where ever they had come from. And she counted that as a win.

'Best yet worst birthday ever.' Teager thought with a small smile.

Delphi smiled a toothy grin as she chuckled. "Oh no, my dear. You won't be lifting a finger, and if you don't believe me, ask your new mate." It was exactly at that moment that Tor squeezed the girl just a little more than he was, silently telling her that Delphi was correct and that he didn't plan on letting go of her any time soon. "In fact, you will be staying in my home for a few days while you both recover, because no offense, but you both look terrible."

The casual way in which Delphi spoke was always surprising to Tor, for she was the leader of a coven, and a prominent one at that. He always expected their leaders to be prim and proper, even around the wolves. She had no problem cutting loose with them. She'd have made a good Were, if the fates had chosen her future differently.

"And don't you worry about me. I may be up at an ungodly hour, but there are passages that we use to navigate the premises during the day. You two scurry along. The staff will take care of you."

As much as he wanted to protest, Tor could not disagree with Delphi. They were pretty banged up, and without any protection, they would be easy prey if the Walkers decided to return in greater force. "You're right Delphi. Come Teager... lets get you to bed."

When Delphi called Tor her mate, Teager felt her heart jump in her chest. It was still like a dream to her, an impossible dream that had come true. "Thank you." She said, looking at Tor who held her tightly. Pushing herself up, she shifted so that Tor could still hold her, her eyes closing as pain swept through her, adding to her growing dizziness. "C'mon... you need to rest too."

Pulling Tor up, she leaned against him and started for the door, every step making her body ache. "Be safe." She said to Delphi, before exiting the trashed cabin. Teager felt bad. Delphi had allowed them to stay in that cabin while they tried to find the Envoy, and thanks to her actions it had ended up nearly destroyed.

The walk to Delphis home seemed to take eons, her body numb by the time they reached the porch, her entire body trembling. Her breaths came in heaving gasps, but she didn't stop, knowing that if she did, she would not be able to go again. "Tor," Teager looked up at him. "You're really choosing me?" It's not that she didn't believe him, she was just afraid that in his weakened state, he was confused, and would regret picking her over Jasmine.

Tor smiled his appreciation to Delphi, then lead Teager out the door and up the way to the porch of the large manor. The whole walk was peaceful and quiet, a stark contrasts to the chaos and commotion they'd just been involved with. So much had happened during their brief stay in the United States, there had hardly been any silence. But as the birds chirped nearby and the soft breeze blew through the trees, Tor found his spirits elevated.

Teager's question cause him to pause just short of the front door. Turning his gaze to her, he gently brushed her hair behind her ear and smiled. "Choosing implies that I had options. I would have told you a long time ago, but I thought you didn't feel the same way. I didn't choose you, just... i'm finally able to come home."

Their uniting had been a long time coming. Despite their 8-year age difference, they had found a deep love for each other, something most mortals never truly experienced. Tor smiled and kissed the side of Teager's head, then opened the door and took them inside, where Bries was waiting for him.

"Delphi called to tell me you'd be staying here for a bit. I've prepared a room for you to rest. Please, come this way." Down the hall a bit Bries led the pair of wolves, rounding two corners before setting on one. It was a large room, almost the same size as the cottage, by its appearance, though even Tor in his weakened state knew otherwise.

"Thank you Bries. If you could have someone send up something to eat, that would be great." Tor carried his injured mate to the bed, setting her down softly before collapsing on it himself, his whole body screaming at him. Despite his exhaustion and pain, he reached out and took Teager's hand, squeezing it so she knew he was still awake.