Red

Night Four

Allaire stared at Red silently before waving back slightly, rubbing his neck and looking down at the fur blankets.

"Allaire." He asserted, nodding his head slightly, as if he was agreeing with himself.

Red had to bite back a grin as Allaire looked up at him, "Red Ó Cochlán." He replied offering the bigger man a smile.

"Red." Allaire mumbles, humming to himself before he continues.

"Everyone has a mate; humans, animals, werewolves, everyone. You are mine."

Red just tilts his head, so basically it was a marriage? Mate was just another word for spouse?

"So we're married?"

"Our souls are connected. As I am the one who discovered you, we are to be mated. It was meant to be and the Gods willed it."

Gods? They had Gods? The wild, evil, beastly creatures had Gods? Still, they didn't seem so horrible, they were almost. . . civilized.

He shook his head, he was being ridiculous. Werewolves were not civilized, it wasn't possible, they were just being - what did his grandmother call it? - A wolf in sheep's clothing! That was it, they were acting as wolves in sheep's clothing, attempting to trick him and he wasn't going to fall for it!

"Um, so what does that mean? I mean do we have to do something?" Red asked quietly as a blush slowly consumed his face, steadily turning the color of his namesake.

Allaire just nodded thoughtfully, looking up slightly before looking back at Red. "There is a mating ceremony, ours will take place at the next new moon. I will be attending one later today as well, if you would like to join me I can further explain the ceremony to you."

Red nodded, it was awkward sitting around naked and if they were going to something as important as a marriage - or well mating ceremony they'd have to give him clothing. He could also learn more about this mating ceremony, the next new moon was next month, he would need to know what was going to happen.

Allaire returned the nod and for the first time since they had met, he smiled. A genuine, happy and if you looked closely an excited, smile.

It shocked him slightly, that something so simple brought out such a strong reaction in the bigger man. He was just going to a ceremony with him. Still he returned the smile easily, Allaire's joy was somehow contagious.

"Oh, before I forget!" Allaire started, startling a small yelp and jump from Red.

"You have a Pi assigned to you, to listen to any issues or concerns you have - I can too of course! But your Pi, Libra is there in case your not comfortable talking to me about something. Later on we'll have a meeting with the Alpha and he'll assign another human for you to talk to also, to help you adjust."

Once again Red was surprised by the civilized, considerate and even caring behavior of the creatures. He quickly disposed of those thoughts though. He was wrong, it was manipulative behavior, he was being fooled and once he was comfortable, they'd rip the rug; or well, fur in this case, out from under him.

They'd show their true colors, they would be everything he learned about as a child and worse. They would hurt him in unimaginable ways, and he could do nothing. The thoughts alone were sickening, as he began to tremble, hugging himself and unconsciously curling into himself in fear.

He couldn't do this, he thought he could, he really did. He though he could be strong and stay positive, to find the silver lining like his grandmother would tell him while the times got rough and it seemed to work, until it didn't. His first sob rang out, echoing in the room as the negative thoughts slowly seeped out from behind the wall he built. Slowly pushing themselves out from the back crevices of his mind, pushing themselves to the front and forcing him to take notice to them.

He really thought he could see a brighter side to the future, a bearable future. He knew it was just a twisted fantasy though, a image painted for a desperate soul. None of this could be trusted, nothing could be trusted.

Not the kind words or the bright smile. Not the comforting arms that caged him in, protecting him from the outside world. He could almost hear the twisted laughter that he swore was ringing in Allaire and all of the others minds. A laughter for another soul they had captured and deceived, the laugh of a monster ready to feast on its prey.

Oh how he wanted to believe they were civilized and caring, that they were misunderstood. He felt more tears fall down his face at that, he knew it was not so as his mind filled with ways this would end, none of them pleasant. They painted his mind, dying his imagination in a bloody red.

No, nothing good would come from this, just as nothing would come from leaving. Though maybe it would quicken the end to the torture, maybe they would just end it there. He was 'in between a rock and a hard place' as his grandmother would say.

And even through all of the uncertainty and fear he knew one thing. He would die and it would be painful.

Shivering at the thought his cries got louder, unaware of his surroundings and the panicked and saddened werewolf who hugged him to his chest, rocking him slowly. Unaware that this feared creatures heart pounded painfully at each heart wrenching sob.

Still, Red was unaware of all surrounding, mind still dwelling on the future pain, the impending torture. He wasn't good with pain, his grandmother was the one to help him through it, to make everything all better. What would he do without her? He never realized how much he relied on her, her strength, her smile, her love.

He tried to ignore it, the warm embrace and the muscular arms that were regretfully becoming more and more familiar. He tried to forget the the feeling of warmth seeping into him at the warm embrace that mimicked his grandmothers embrace, clinging to the one difference.

The warmth from his grandmother was filled with love and comfort. But Allaire's was purely body warmth, instead filled with terror.

He found no comfort in these arms. Arms of a stranger and a monster. Arms of the beast that would rip him open and feast on his insides. No there was no comfort here.

Still as he listened to the slightly panicked and rushed sweet nothings, whispered in the growl-like deep voice he couldn't help but remember the awkward, and cute reactions from the man. The beast like man, the man who was supposed to be a monster, an emotionless killer, had not been what was expected.

He had shown emotion and care, he had shown emotions so deep that he could practically feel them himself. They radiated off the man, they reflected in his eyes, expression and actions.

Could emotions like that truly be faked?

He found himself calming as his breathing slowed, and his heart beat unconsciously beginning to mimic the one beating in his ear. The tears also slowed as the exhaustion set in, allowing him to sag into the warmth of the body beside him.

He decided that emotions that strong could not be faked. Allaire's eyes always gave away his emotions and that was the window to the soul, that was the one thing that you could always trust. For one could not hide their true emotions from their eyes by disguising it with another. The eyes would never lie.

But whether or not that was just the hopes of a desperate man, grasping at straws, trying to comfort himself was unknown to him as he slowly lost consciousness, giving away to the impending sleep.

Leaving behind a worried werewolf, to carefully cuddle Red to himself, covering them up gently before pondering the events of that day, as Red begins his journey into the land of dreams.