The Unwilling Queen

New Territory

Arctos huffed up the last steps sucking in the cool predawn air. Roedin's apartment had a fantastic view of the city, but it was decidedly inconvenient for those without wings. The Ursid leaned on the door for a moment to catch his breath, listening for any sound inside. He wasn't expecting any; Roedin had been living almost full-time at Ember Place for Arnica. The child worshipped him, and for good reason. He was the one who literally broke down the door and pulled her out of that hell-hole. Arctos still seethed at the memory of the hand-shaped bruises on Arnica's arms and her tear-stained face. But she saw the bat-wings and boldly asked if he was the River-Avery's friend, come to fly away. She didn't let go of him for three days.

Wiping the sweat from his face with his sleeve Arctos noticed a rank smell coming from his light armour. Perhaps it was his shirt, or maybe the leather? He supposed he could have left the armour down at the Spark for this particular errand, but he had learned to be on-call for trouble at all times. As a result, his equipment needed some care. He tried to breathe through his mouth to hide from his own stench.

With a sigh he pushed open the door and stepped inside. Roedin never bothered locking the front door. No one was stupid enough to steal from the Whisperer. Besides, it would take a desperate thief to climb all those stairs. He flicked on a light to speed up his search, needing to find the maps and get down to the Spark before dawn. Grumbling to himself about having to make the trip at all, he scanned the coffee table and sofa, checking the floor around the area where Roedin usually worked. He had no idea where his brother was or why he hadn't delivered the maps as promised. Hayden still hadn't received them last night so Arctos decided to collect the documents himself on this way to Ember Place. Roedin had probably picked up some whisper and went to investigate. The male was so distracted with his unclaimed mate in the house, it was hard to predict what he would do next. Arctos wished they could at least get that sorted out. They had enough problems right now.

He stomped over to the kitchen to check the counter and noticed a fresh pot of coffee sitting there, still hot. Ember Place was a bit crowded right now; Roedin must have spent the night here. And left in a hurry without his coffee. The apartment was dark and silent, with the lingering scent of... something. Whatever it was mixed with his own body odour. 

Growling in impatience Arctos crossed the living space and pushed open the door to the only bedroom in the apartment. All of his senses were assaulted at once and he froze in shock. The scent from the room was overwhelming. It smelled of Roedin interlaced with a female scent and sex. A naked female was lying face down on Roedin's bed, the crumbled sheets covering half her body. If the black and purple hair hadn't given away her identity, the horrific scars covering her back did.

"Holy Ancestors in hell," Arctos whispered. He should have been ecstatic for his brother, and in any other circumstance he would be. But not standing next to a faunid's sleeping, freshly claimed mate. Arctos needed to get out of there, fast.

Avery didn't move, her breathing remaining even in a deep sleep. Arctos had no idea where Roedin was but he wouldn't have left his mate alone for long. And he would go berserk to find another male near her. He probably wouldn't even recognise his own brother.

As Arctos pulled the door closed he heard a bottle break and the scent of fresh cream hit him just before the punch did. A hand grabbed his shoulder in a death grip and threw him across the room. He rolled to his feet and brought his hands up to shield himself.

"Get away from her!" Roedin screamed, lunging over the spilled cream and fresh pastries that littered the floor. He had been getting breakfast; providing food for his mate would be the only reason he left her so early.

"It was a mistake! I didn't know she was here!" Arctos tried to explain while blocking punches. Half got through but he couldn't retaliate lest it provoke the Myotes even further. "Roedin, I didn't touch her! I just came for the maps!"