Grey

Cat Fight

Celine's POV
   The warmth I felt was unbelievable and comforting to have as I awoke. I hadn't opened my eyes yet or moved as I lay here. I didn't want to spoil the moment.
   A strong arm was wrapped around my waist and the feeling of his skin on mine was giving me chills and goosebumps. My heart rate had remained even though, which surprised me. My wolf was calm and loving the feeling of her mate curled around her.
   I remember my mother telling me once that when her and dad were young, they took things slower than most mates and they still slept together, but it was always innocent. She said it was like they were connected to each other through the mind before they ever even thought about the physical aspect of the relationship. She said that's what love was all about. Though I'm pretty sure dad thought about it, because honestly my mom was and still is a babe.
I slowly turned my head to look at him. His blond hair was a golden mess around his face and his strong body was relaxed and limp. This would be the first time I've seen his face without worry lines gracing his forehead or his lips in a small smile, just naturally. He looked so much more calm and happy. I reached my hand up and ran my fingers through his hair. He leaned into my touch and pulled me closer. His head curling under my chin and resting his face on my chest. I lifted one of my legs and wrapped it around his hips. I felt so safe even though I was in the dominant position.
"I'm so comfortable..." I heard his groggy morning voice say lightly. It was music to my ears.
"I can honestly say the same, but I'm also hungry." I said with a small blush.
"Same. Food time." He said looking up a little. I looked down at him and kissed his forehead lightly. I could feel our wolves connecting and pulling the strings of the mate bond tighter together. We were becoming more comfortable with each other. We were intertwining our souls.
"How about one more hour of this and then some food?" I asked hopefully.
"I could live with that. That is if Lu doesn't wake us up." He said with a distant look in his eyes.
"Why is that so frightening?" I asked laughing.
"Wait patiently. You will understand one day. Maybe not today because it's a special occasion, but I'm doubtful." He rolled over onto his back and brought me with him to lay on his chest. I sat up a little and rested my hands on his chest.
"What do we have planned for today?" I asked with an worried look on my face.
"Well, I was thinking I would introduce you to the few people that do the house work around here and other people that get the special privilege of living in this house. We'll take meeting everyone slow okay. I won't make you rush into things." He said raising his hands and putting them behind his head. He looked like he was stretched out on the beach trying to get a tan.
"Thank you Greyson. I'm sorry I'm so nervous." I said looking down at his chest and moving my fingers in small circles here and there. He looked at me and chuckled.
"You don't have to be sorry. I get nervous when having to meet new people too, but it's something that I have grown used to with my own pack." He shrugged. I took some of my hair into my hands and started to braid it absentmindedly and nodded my head in understanding.
"What else are you afraid of?" My curiosity spoke before I could think. He gave me a thoughtful look and started to ponder the question.
"Well when I was younger I was scared of nothing. I was a fearless child, Lu told me. Now I have a few fears that no one knows." He said heavily.
"How about this? We will play a game." I said with a smile.
"A game? What kind of game?" He asked sitting up with me on his lap. His back was being supported by the head board and his knees supported my back.
"Well everyday we tell each other one thing we are afraid of and why. We each have to say one thing a day and if we don't the other person gets a point and whoever has the most points by the end of the week gets to choose one thing the loser has to do for them." I ended with a big smile.
"Okay you're on. Do you want to start or shall I?" He asked.
"I can go I guess." I shrugged.
"Okay." He turned his whole attention to me and then waited patiently.
   I had to think for a minute. There were a lot of things I am afraid of and they may seem like complete nonsense, but I might as well start from least to worst.
"Okay so one thing that I'm irrationally afraid of is lizards." I said with a blush.
"Why? They are so cute!" He said with a shocked look on his face.
"Well when I was little my brother had this cute little lizard named Tony. I know it's a weird name for a lizard, but my brother is weird. Anywho, he pranked me by putting it in my bed one night and when I laid down it's beaty little eyes were looking right at me. My room was dark and his eyes just seemed really big and creepy. I started screaming and crying and my dad shifted inside the house and ran up the stairs ready to kill." Greyson chuckled." You should have seen Collin's face. He went white as a sheet. Dad killed the lizard and Colin never pranked me again. But ever since that night I have had weird dreams about lizards every so often." Greyson chuckled one more time and then shook his head at me." Hey it is completely justifiable! Your turn, what are you afraid of?" I asked and leaned back on his knees a little more.
   He looked like he was taking a moment to ponder the question." Well one thing would have to be drowning." He said shyly.
"Explain?" I asked with a very confused look.
"I can swim, but when I was younger I was learning to swim with some of the other kids around here and the teenager the adults put in charge wasn't watching and a little boy went out too deep into the lake and couldn't make it back. I remember thinking that it was my fault because I could have gone back for him, I was just so tired and my arms were numb." My face went slack and I felt for him. Nobody should have to witness death at such a young age." I have nightmares about it every once and a while, but I always wake up before the water pulls me under." I reached my hand out and ran it through his hair. He looked up at me and smiled, trying to fake it.
"Nope none of that." I said taking his face between my hands.
"None of what?" He chuckled.
"Don't ever fake anything around me. If you need to freak out, freak out around me, you need to scream, I'll scream with you, you feel like crying or being alone, you won't get to be alone, but I'll be sitting next to you until you want my touch. Don't fake it around me. You don't have to be tough for me. You be tough for your pack members, but not me. Okay?" I said in a rush. Even alphas needed a release sometimes. I will be his.
"Okay...I promise." He nudged me foreword and into his arms. I hugged him with all I had. I was starting to feel how intensely I loved him. Already. He was becoming essential to my life and my soul surviving.
   They say that when a mate dies and the other is left behind they slowly slip into madness. They start to surrender to their inner beast. That's where rouges come from. Wolves that can't belong to a pack. They were too violent, tried to steal another's mate, or killed someone in a rage. I would think that if he died right now I would become crazy. I've never known loss and I don't want to start with him.
   I pulled back from our hug a little and felt the strong urge to kiss him. His eyes were so green and the were pulling me in like there was an invisible rope attached to me. His hands ran up the length of my back and back down. Our breathing became mixed and my heartbeat became erratic. My heart wanted free so it could jump out and become one with his. That's what our bond is for, but we already feel it so strongly that it will become too strong for us to handle. Our lips were centimeters apart and I was afraid to move. Maybe he would vanish if I did.
    A sharp knock on the door pulled us out of our lust induced haze. Whoever they were better have a good reason for knocking.
"Who is it?" Greyson said with a growl.
"There is a fight going on outside that needs your assistance. Please hurry Alpha." Said a small voice on the other side of the door.
"Shit...where is Beta Jackson?" Greyson said lifting me quickly and then setting me down.
"He hasn't been seen since you arrived back, Alpha." The small voice spoke urgently.
"Okay we will be down in a few moments. Do you want to come down with me?" He asked as he was throwing pants on.
"Do you want me to?" I asked lifting myself off the bed and putting on a baggy shirt and some leggings. I didn't even care that he was right there. It was just my bra and underwear.
"You're trying to kill me aren't you?" He said. I turned around and saw him just gawking at me.
"Kill you? No. Tease you? Maybe." I giggled.
"Brat...anyway I would love it if you came with me. I wouldn't allow anyone to talk to you if that's what you want." I just nodded because I don't know if I'm ready to speak to pack members or how I would even address that situation.
He moved swiftly and I followed right behind him. I could feel the tension in his body like it was a wave. It hit me and I felt his anger and aggression. It was a force like no other that I had ever felt. Many Alphas have shown their dominance this way. By letting it leach out of them, but I don't think Grey was meaning to do this. His body was having another reaction. He was making his entire aura one of dominance. He was going to inflict pain.
As we reached the front doors I followed more closely to his side and found that everyone was trying not to get involved in the fight that was happening. To my surprise there were two women fighting in front of everyone and there was blood on the ground already. Grey was ready to deal with men, not women and I think he was just as shocked as me. I grabbed his wrist in an attempt to show him I was there to back him up. His body was flowing with tension and he was ready to strike at the drop of a hat. He obviously doesn't do well with controlling his wolf. I felt the need to take control of the situation and see what the reason for this fight was.
"BREAK IT UP!" Greyson yelled violently as he beat me to it. I watched the two women jump and break apart as they felt the force of the alpha command. "What is the meaning of this?" He looked between them both and then to the people surrounding the two females as they fought. Everyone kept their heads down and the area was so silent you couldn't hear the wind blowing around us.
  I could see both of the girls crying and had the strongest urge to talk to them both.
"Ladies, if you don't mind me asking, can we please go inside to the alphas office and have a chat just us four?" They looked at me quizzically and Greyson looked at me with a brow raised. I swatted his arm and he gestured to the ladies to follow us to his office.
"Yes Alpha." They both said in unison and followed submissively. We walked through the first level of the mansion and I took the time to look at my surroundings more thoroughly. The dark brown wood molding and white walls gave the house a rustic modern feel. The color of the flooring matched the color of the molding and made the entire first level feel complete.
  We suddenly reached a hallway with a set of dark oak doors at the end of it. The doors were intricately carved with images of wolves and gold for handles as accents. It was a sight to see. The main house at my old pack was much smaller and far less intricate than this. But then again it should be compared to the Alpha King's home. Greyson's guards moved to open the doors and we entered a very large office space with the back shelf as a full library. More books lined the walls and portraits of Alphas and Lunas that came before were placed in between bookshelves. Greyson moved behind the large dark oak desk and sat down gesturing the girls to sit across from him and me to sit on his lap. I didn't want to argue but I also didn't want to do such things in front of pack members just yet. So, I moved closer to him and put my arm around the back of his chair.
"Ladies what are your names?" I asked gently. They looked up at me quickly.
"My name is Laurain Rostrick." The brown haired girl to the left said quietly. Her eyes were blue and her face was full of mud and some blood. I nodded and then looked to the blonde with light blue tips in her hair. She seemed awfully nervous compared to Laurain.
"Your name?" I asked gesturing to her. She gave me a glare.
"Why do you need to know?" Her attitude was showing through and Greyson's wolf growled low in his chest. Her head shot down to her lap and Greyson's eyes changed to the color black. His wolf was close to coming out.
"Show some fucking respect or you will be taught a harsh lesson in how to talk to your superiors." His voice was that of his wolf's and she whined in response. I placed a hand gently on his shoulder and felt his muscles loosen and relax.
"Yes Alpha, my name is Mary West." The blonde spoke quickly.
"I just wanted to know who I was talking to Mary." I said with a small smile. "Now why were you two fighting just now?" I asked. Mary and Laurain both glared at each other and looked away just as fast. "Fine, Laurain, why were you fighting. I only want Laurain to speak please." I asked once again. She lowered her head and then began to speak.
"We were fighting because of a male wolf named Lewis Arden." She spoke angrily. She didn't seem to want to offer more information.
"Why, specifically, that male?" Greyson asked before I could. He seemed agitated and he wanted the discussion to end as swiftly as it started.
"Because he is Mary's mate and he was hitting on me." She said sadly.
"So, Mary saw this and attacked you?" I asked wanting to know more about the odd altercation.
"She attacked me after she accused me of being a slut and I told her she was just mad because her mate obviously doesn't care about their bond." Laurain was truly upset by what happened and I could see Mary shrinking in her chair and crying with pain. I gestured to Grey to take Laurain out of the office and he escorted her out. This wasn't her issue anymore.
"Mary, I know you probably don't want to talk about this and I could see why, but this is impacting pack life and we need to make sure you and everyone in the pack is okay. What can I do to help you or support you in this?" I asked her hoping she wouldn't snap on me or go silent. This is an embarrassing thing for a female and it doesn't happen often in our world. Having a mate disrespect the bond like that is something I only heard about at other packs. She looked up at me suddenly and you could see the pain in her eyes and she was emitting it through her wolf's aura. It was like my heart was breaking too.
"I don't know how anyo-ne could help me. I have tried everything to get him to see our bond and me, but I-I think the Moon got it wrong this time." Her voice was broken and she was sputtering through an endless flood of tears. How do you mend a bond that a goddess created?
"Have you mated?" I asked the hardest question first.
"Yes, it was o-one of the first things we did together. But he refused to Mark me!" She wrapped her arms around herself as if to hold onto a wound in her gut.
"Have you thought of rejecting him?" Her eyes grew huge at my words.
"Are you crazy!? What if I didn't get a second chance? Not everyone does and what if I'm not worthy of such redemption?" She was right. It was rare, but it does happen.
"The way I see it Mary, is that you have two choices in this matter. You can go on living the way things are. Constantly worried about what your mate is doing and if you are good enough for him." I said placing my elbows on my knees so I was closer to her. "Or, you could reject him and see what life has to offer. You could be one of the few who has to become who they are meant to be to find their real mate. You could have a lost soul waiting out their for you right now. Someone who will cherish your loyalty and love your bond the way it should have been in the first place. You could be happy and content." I said with real hope in my voice. A part of me just felt like she would be chosen for such a thing. She didn't seem like she was who she is meant to be and this shouldn't be her life.
"Do you really think that?" She asked calming down slightly.
"I really do Mary. I think your story has only just begun and the moon is waiting for you to make your choice. It's scary, unknown, and full of fear, but you're already facing the unknown and you're already scared. What do you have to lose?" Her knee started bouncing slightly and her hands racked through her hair. She got up and paced.
"Luna?" She asked suddenly turning around.
"It's just Celine for now. I'm not Luna yet, but what is it?" I smiled at her.
"Can I reject him in the presence of the alpha for protection?" She asked playing with her fingers.
"Has he hurt you?" Anger filled my body and my wolf was coming toward the surface.
"Yes, but only once. He lost control when I confronted him with another female." She started pacing again slightly.
"Yes you may." Greyson answered for me as he came back into the room. "We don't tolerate violence to females from their mates. When would you like to do this?" He asked Mary who seemed relieved that he agreed.
"As soon as possible, Alpha."
"I will have him sent to our location and have guards on standby."  Greyson moved to his chair and sat down. This time when he gestured for me to sit in his lap, I did.

Sometime later Lewis was brought through the office doors and he looked confused and dazed. He was a tall man with straight brown hair and a leaner build. His eyes were a deep brown and he wore swim shorts with a tank top. He looked like a douche so I wasn't surprised he was doing the things he was doing to his mate.
"Mary, what is going on?" He asked as soon as his eyes landed on her. She was standing to the side of the desk were Greyson and I were perched and couldn't stop shifting her weight from leg to leg.
"Come and sit down please." Greyson said sternly. Lewis made us way through the room to the chair across the desk and sat waiting for an answer from someone.
"I asked the Alpha to bring you hear to reject our mated bond." Mary said quickly. Lewis's eyes bugged out if his head and you could see his anger getting the better of him.
"Calm yourself boy!" Grey yelled sensing his wolf emerging.
"Yes alpha!" He struggled to get the words out. "Why Mary?" He questioned with his fists clenched and his teeth gritted together.
"You know why, Lewis. I can't do this anymore. I can't be your mate. So, I Mary West hereby reject you Lewis Arden with the future Alpha and Luna as my witnesses." There was a sudden surge of energy in the room and you could feel the bond between the two sever. They both looked in pain, but Maureen less so. I'm assuming she had been feeling this pain for a long time.
"Aaahh! Mary!" Lewis screamed in agony. His wolf whined and grimaced. Mary let a few tears slip out and she swiped them away immediately. Lewis stood up from his chair and I could see the malice in his eyes, his terrible pain. But knowing that Mary needed out and seeing her so strong made me feel nothing for him.
Just then the door came open and Laurain peaked her head in. She looked right at Mary and said "Let's go Mary. You and I can have a girls night." Mary looked so grateful. She looked back at me and Greyson as if asking permission to leave the office.
"Go have fun Maureen." Greyson said with and even tone.
"Thank you, Alpha..Luna. Thank you for everything." She moved past Lewis and to the door. She turned and looked at me as she grabbed Laurain's hand. "Luna?"
"Yes Mary?" I asked confused.
"I am happy you're here." Then she walked out without another word. I looked down at Greyson and he gave me a small smile. I looked back up and noticed Lewis was seething in his chair. I grabbed Greyson's shoulder and nodded towards Lewis.
"Lewis you may leave, but I want you to understand that if you give Mary, or any other female in this pack for that matter, any trouble you will be confined and charged. We take our mate bonds seriously and I'm sorry that you didn't. Please take time to cool off and if you need any support from your superiors please come and talk to my gamma or Beta. You're dismissed." Greyson motioned to the door and Lewis basically ran out of the office with his wolf giving off all of his anger and hurt.
"Grey, don't you think he might cause some trouble in the state he is in?" I asked walking around to the front of the desk.
"Great minds think alike. I already have two guards keeping an eye on him. Any issues and I'll know right away." He said getting up and moving out of the office with me in tow. We walked through the halls and people were starting to stare. I didn't realize that there were so many pack members in the house. They littered the main hall and were starting to whisper to each other.
I don't know if Greyson could feel my discomfort but he looked around as we made our way to the stairs. As he stepped up he moved me passed him and up the flight of stairs. I only moved a few steps because he had stopped on the third step. He looked back sharply at everyone in the hall whispering and his curly hair swayed down into his eyes making him look rather menacing.
"This woman is my mate, your future Luna, her name is Celine Crandon." I smiled to them slightly, trying to lighten the mood. "Please show some respect and go about your way. You will all get to know her in time, but until then give her some space. Thank you." He finished and swiftly moved up the stairs and his hand rested on the small of my back as we went to our room.
   As we got to our room I was starting to feel very connected to Grey and wanted very badly to be as close to him as possible. My wolf was upset for some reason.
"What is it?" I asked her as I walked through the doorway.
"There were so many females posturing and trying to gain our mate's attention." Her growl in my head caused me to get mad at myself. I wasn't showing the strength I needed to, to keep these girls in their place.
"Why get mad? Grey doesn't seem effected by them." I crinkled my forehead because communicating with my wolf was still fairly new and I could feel a small headache start to surface.
"His wolf felt their gaze and was proud to be desirable, but yes you're right, your male doesn't seem effected at all by their presence." She said frustrated.
"Hey, is everything alright?" Greyson's hand on my cheek pulled me out of my communication. His callused hand felt nice against my cheek and made my face feel like it had been set ablaze with tingles. I nodded lightly and looked at his beautiful eyes. I held his gaze as he walked closer to me, keeping his hand in my face. I stayed still and brought my hand up to his face. He jumped slightly at the contact but embraced it non the less.
"Celine?" Greyson hinted at his question.
"Yes?" I didn't give him an inch. He would have to ask me.
"Can I kiss you?" His eyes scanned my face and stayed on my lips for a while. I inhaled quickly and nodded yes.