Darkest Night

[Skullblade]

Mentally kicking herself for failing so miserably at diffusing her hunger situation, Bella silently nodded to Ambrose's request and watched him leave. Her eyes quickly met another set, belonging to a younger man, possibly still in his teenage years. "Hi Linus, I'm Isabella. Very nice to meet you, and I'm assuming you are one of the neighbors Ambrose was talking about," she said smiling softly. "Would you mind if I changed quickly so I stop making puddles everywhere I stand?" She added wiggling her toes in the water that had accumulated from her dripping body and blanket.

The young wolf nodded, and enthusiastically accompanied her inside, showing her the guest bathroom through another set of double doors at the northeast section of the guestroom. Linus continued with small talk, mainly asking her everything she had already been asked. Bella diffused the conversation once the young wolf’s arousal was evident and softly touched his shoulder so he would stop talking.

“I’m sorry for being rude Linus, but this wet blanket is not very warm, and I really don’t want to keep Ambrose waiting at the dinner table. Would you mind giving me a few minutes of privacy so I could get ready?” Linus smiled and almost seemed as he was about to melt at her gentle touch. He excused himself and left the room, closing the main doors behind him. Bella chuckled, finding this new experience amusing and exiting, having now discovered that they were a pack of wolves thanks to Linus scent.

Since Bella could remember, she had been taught how to use the magic that resided in her being, and especially how to mask her scent and what she was. However, she always thought it to be extreme since the world didn’t even know her clan existed, in addition to being an exhausting spell. Even though she could have masked what she was, Bella thought it would be smarter to not be secretive in such an uptight environment. She had faintly felt Ambrose relax, once he realized she was not defensive and definitely not a threat.

Before beginning to think too much about the Alpha wolf, Isabella placed the dress on the bed and walked into the bathroom. She turned on the shower and dropped the wet blanket as she stepped into the cascading and glorious warmth. Her body shuddered in pleasure, temporarily washing away all her worries. Bella furthered cleansed her body with a vanilla scented body wash that was within reach, suddenly becoming anxious at how she must have smelled minutes ago while talking to everyone. On that note, she scrubbed viciously and thoroughly rinsed. Conscious of time, she quickly dried off and walked out into the bedroom, noticing that a pair of heels had appeared at the foot of the bed, right below where the dress was laying on the bed. Since her change of clothes were still residing in her drenched leather backpack, she slid into the silk dress without any undergarments, thankful that the dress was not necessarily revealing, and delighted in Ambrose’s choice of clothing. ‘He sure knows how to spoil a woman,’ she thought to herself, enjoying the texture of the silk against her bare skin. Bella put on the heels taking a few experimental steps since she had never used such shoes. She did not have a problem balancing and seemed as if she had used them her entire life; after all, she was a feline… balance and elegance coursed through her veins.

Bella took a quick look in the mirror feeling out of place and not quite recognizing the refection of the woman staring back at her. Placing her hair in a quick but somewhat intricate bun, she made her way across the guest bedroom and out the double doors, where Linus was waiting for her. She laughed softly as she literally heard Linus’ heart skip a beat when he saw her. “I feel ridiculous,” she said with a smile as they began to make their was toward the dinning hall.

[Ambrose]

Linus gasped at the sight of their home's new guest. She was by far the most attractive female residing with them. Very few of the females were allowed to live in the Alpha's residence. Ambrose preferred to keep as little distraction for his wolves, and he had only approved those females who were skilled in the art of masking their scent to the males. It wasn't a simple task, and so the house consisted mostly of mature males, with a few that were still maturing. Linus being one of these. He was thankful for having a few companions his age. As much as he respected his elder brother and Alpha, there were times when he wanted to interact with those who were at the same level as he was.

"You look hot as hell," he murmured. It was a good few seconds before he caught himself and realized what he'd said. "Uh.. I mean - ah - beautiful." His cheeks flushed, and he looked down before motioning before himself and showing her the way that lead to one of the smaller dining rooms. Ambrose was standing beside the table, his back to the pair. There were two formal settings placed on the table, with steaming covered plates surrounding the end of the table. As they turned the corner, Ambrose turned around and pulled the chair out for Isabella.

"Thank you, Linus, you may go." Linus nodded once to Ambrose, smirked to Bella and ducked out of the room. His light steps were heard as he quickly made his way back to the upstairs. As Isabella sat, Ambrose gently pushed the chair in, and as he did so her sweet scent enveloped him. It was something he had not expected, and was one of the few things that took him by surprise. His body stiffened slightly before he pulled back and cleared his throat. "I'm glad the clothing fit you well."

Ambrose sat across from her, facing the swinging doors that lead to the smaller kitchen in the south corridor of the house. He nodded subtly and two well dressed men entered. In both of their hands were vintage bottles of Chteau Margaux, which they poured for the pair before unveiling the plates of food. Upon each of their plates they served something from each of the dishes, which had been prepared explicitly by one of the most celebrated chefs in the northern region of the United States.

Once the two were alone in the room once more, Ambrose looked up to her. "I hope this is satisfactory. It has been quite some time since I have dined with anyone, and I was unsure what would suit you." He could tell from the way that her eyes moved from plate to plate that she was pleased with what he had provided for her. Deep inside of him, a part of the wolf, felt almost proud to have provided for the female. "Isabella," he started, as he took a sip of the wine. "I do not know how much loyalty you still hold to your clan. But if it is not too much to ask... would you be willing to tell me some military information? I am not planning an attack," he assured her. "But rather, searching for allies." It had been such a long time that Ambrose had simply asked for information from someone, it was slightly relieving not to have to torture it out of her.

[Skullblade]

Everything in front of her looked scrumptious, even the things she did not recognize. Unsuccessful from subduing her stomach from grumbling once again, Bella shifted her full attention to the wolf before her. She bit her lower lip with apprehension, fully knowing he would not like her answer, and therefore debating whether she should take a mouthful of the delicious heaven sitting on the table before he banished her.

Sighing and straightening her posture, she looked into his eyes. “Unfortunately, Ambrose, I left because I could not stand the way they ran things, and always chose to avoid circumstances pertaining to ‘necessary’ choices they had to make. My clan is not per say, uh, diplomatic when it comes the anyone or anything that was not conceived or created within our territory”. Bella looked away, recalling her introduction to the slaughter they referred to as a ‘sacrifice for the clan’, as they killed a bear cub that had lost her way from her mother.

“They are savages Ambrose… we do not have genetic diversity as it is since they refuse to even make contact with other snow leopard clans. I was supposed to breed with my third cousin,” she said with eerily calm anger. “If I was to go back there, my fate would be no different than any outsider stepping foot into their grounds.”

[Ambrose]

As Isabella spoke, Ambrose could envision the type of animals that built up her clan. They were the same kind of savages his own pack had been before he'd left to make his own. But certain evils and traditions were necessary in battle, in war, to survive, to protect. It was the military genius of his father that commanded Ambrose's respect, and that was all. His mind had already began working to determine in which way he would be able to utilize the stranger that had appeared at his door. In battle, one would have to learn how to use every advantage possible. If her clan did not interact with others, they would be a good secret weapon to use, if they agreed to be his ally against the southern Bears.

"I understand," he said softly. Much softer than he had anticipated. While half of his brain was occupied with plans of battles and getting the upper-hand, the other was attentively listening to Isabella. It had appeared she shared a similar view to his. Ambrose felt the urge to explain to her that he too had abandoned his pack, and was surprised. He was not one to share. He had never been one to want to speak to anyone about himself. He was a private man, and yet, he felt the need to explain to her that she was not alone in her sentiment. That he had too experienced something similar. He pushed the thought away and his eyes hardened, "There is little I can tell you, bu-" Ambose was interrupted as Troy rushed into the dining room.

Troy was out of breath, and his eyes shone with concern as his eyes drifted from Isabella to Ambrose. There was no time to wait for the woman to leave their presence. "Jackals," he breathed. "Ten of them, headed this way, fast from the northwest."

Now was the worst possible time for an attack. Earlier that night Ambrose had sent a group of five of his best wolves to gain information from the neighboring borders. It left them him with Troy, Linus, and two others. One of which had recently been injured. They were vastly outnumbered. Ambrose stood, his demeanor completely different than it had been a few seconds before. "Linus will stay behind with Isabella and Axel. Bane will flank the house. You and I will meet them at the valley before they get close enough to know our position." His words were crisp, short, and speedy. Troy vanished and Ambrose looked to Isabella once more. "You chose a difficult time to visit," he stated. "Stay with Linus, he will meet you here."

[Skullblade]

“Ambrose, wait!” she said quickly getting up and softly grabbing his arm, “I can help,” she heard herself saying before realizing what she was doing. “I can set up a barrier around your grounds. Whoever is heading this way will not be able to find your home and if they make contact with the shield, they will forget why they came here to begin with.” It was a spell she had created herself to prevent anyone from becoming a trespasser, yet unfortunately it was not something she could keep up at all times since it was physically exhausting. She remembered how the majority of her days would be spent at the borderlines, hoping to pick up a scent before her clan did so she could cast the barrier and cause no harm to anyone. Unfortunately, the days she was forced to stay in town, someone would always be slaughtered.

“Please let me help,” she pleaded softly, trying to read his expression.

[Ambrose]

Ambrose looked her over. He knew she was still weak, and possibly wouldn't be able to hold her magic for very long without help. He debated allowing the stranger to come to his aid. Not only was he a prideful man, but his animal instincts didn't want to accept help from someone who had no ties to his pack. The humanity and logic Ambrose had superseded the animalistic instincts however, and he realized he was about to commit an error he would have berated his father for. Accepting Isabella's help would be the safest decision.

"You will stay by my side," he said quickly. It was not only a means to keep an eye on her, but also to make sure her strength didn't die out. Ambrose's eyes hardened as he began planning for the battle. He placed an arm around Isabella's lower back. "Forgive me, but we have little time," he said before vanishing the pair to the gates where Troy was waiting.

Troy's eyebrows shot up as he saw Ambrose and Isabella together. No one had ever been allowed to battle with them before. This was definitely a first. He shrugged off the news and looked over the surrounding forest. "I'll flank from the left?"

Ambrose nodded before transforming into his animal form. The large wolf stood at a height of four feet, and a length of eight. He was massive. His eyes met Isabella's and he communicated to her mentally; a power all of their people had. "Sit on my back, it'll be the fastest way. Remain in your human form to save up your energy. Focus purely on the borders." His commands were short and curt, but not dominating.

[Skullblade]

Before realizing he had accepted her request, they were already at the forest borders almost soaked to the bone from the ongoing storm. Once he transformed she couldn’t help taking in the image of the massive wolf beside her. She could feel the heat from his beastly body, and hear the beat of his strong heart; yet it was his deep voice in her head that that allowed her to break the admiration of the wolf in front of her.

“As much as I would love an excuse to feel your soft fur against my flesh, I’m afraid I need to feel the ground,” she said while focused in the task of removing her heels, “and I can do much better than just this area,” she added sinking her tows into the cold, muddy ground. Inhaling deeply and closing her eyes, she parted her legs aligning them to her shoulder width, and extended her arms out with her hands open. Within seconds, a translucent essence began to pour out from her palms, and remained suspended in mid air as if gaining momentum. As quickly as it took form, the substance acquired a life of its own and began to expand out and connect with itself forming a dome around his entire territory; the mansion being the center of all.

Bella frowned, as six males ran into the shield, instantly allowing her to enter their minds. “Only ten of them are running in our direction,” she informed out loud already feeling weakened from the amount of minds she had captured, “Six other males have already ran into the shield from all directions… four bears and two pumas…planning to retrieve…” It was at that moment the jackals hit her transparent wall a mile out straight ahead of them, “Argh… jackals are decoys…” was all she could say with great strain in her voice as she synced her mind with all sixteen animals.

Isabella was not able to hold on to the bears and pumas' subconscious since the jackals alone had exceeded her limit. Not wasting any more time she wiped their memory clean and desire to pursue the direction they were heading to, making them turn around and go back to where they came from. Once loosing connection with their mind, Bella lost connection of her own, feeling her knees touch the wet soil before slipping into darkness.

[Ambrose]

Ambrose leaned against her so that her body would not fall to the muddy ground. It had turned out she had been more useful than he had anticipated. The few second she had bought for them by informing them that there were others had done well. Gently, which was strange since he had never before been gentle, he bit into the soft cloth of her dress and pulled her upon his fur. His eyes met Troy's, who had now also completed his transformation.

"Take care of the Jackals. I will intercept the others." Before awaiting his Beta's response, Ambrose bounded away, the soft pads of his paws beating against the ground with almost no sound.

Involuntary excitement freely flowed through him, it was this that he loved. The thrill of the battle, the feeling of the wind hitting his face, the taste of the wild as he pushed his body faster, until his muscles screamed and his lungs felt sore. To the human eye, he would be barely visible. The speed and super human strength that his kind had were above that of ten men. They were what the earlier civilization of men had called gods, and worshiped. Ambrose was thankful those times were not the present. He did not like the idea of being adored.

His mind was razor sharp as the scent of the bears and pair of pumas entered his senses. They had been trying to mask themselves, and had been doing a formidable job of it. These animals were no younglings, or weak. He would have to use all of his abilities to get out of this battle alive. He stopped a few hundred feet from where they were hiding, knowing that they had already detected his presence. Ambrose transformed once more to his human form, Isabella in his arms. He placed her sitting against a tree. She looked weak, and he knew she would not be able to hold up much longer, but the growls behind him demanded his attention more than she did.

"Oh look," one of the men said. A puma. "We were lucky enough to snag the Alpha. We didn't even need to have worked out this plan." He laughed loudly, boastful and unafraid. Ambrose doubted the man would have had the same reaction had the fight been between just them two.

Ambrose's face was hard, but calm. He controlled the raging anger inside of him. "You knew most of my pack would be away today," he said in a low voice. "One of my own has betrayed me." The shock that he knew this knowledge was obvious on the faces of the intruders. They did not expect him to discover their secret. "No matter. What will be done to you now will look like play after I get through with him."

In a blur, Ambrose jumped into the group, transforming in mid air and able to catch one of the intruder's legs inside of his large jaws. After a satisfying crunch, he let go and licked the blood from his muzzle. The other puma grabbed him from behind as one of the bears swiped his massive claws at his stomach. It was but for a few centimeters that his insides were not displayed against the floor. Ambrose transformed again, and a midst the transformation, he was able to get free from the puma's hold. A large sword appeared in his hand and flames surrounded the edges.

It was a difficult battle, and Ambrose did not leave unscathed. A large wound against his side bled freely. He was weak from the battle to worry about stopping it with magic alone. Ambrose had yet to care for the girl, who had perhaps saved him from further injury. The knowledge that this had been an ambush had many more consequences than he had first realized. The war with the clans from the south were going to be more serious than he had first anticipated.

He reached Isabella to find that she was still very much unconscious. He was thankful for that. Ambrose did not want her to see the gratitude he felt for her in that moment. He had never had reason to be grateful to anyone before. He lowered himself close to her, and placed his lips against her neck. His sharp fangs easily cut into her soft skin and he infused some of his own blood into hers. With his essence flowing inside of her, Isabella's pale skin fluttered back to life, and he could see her begin to stir back into consciousness. Sharing your life force was something very rare. Ambrose however, was never one to look lightly on the help of others.

Troy appeared a few feet from their location. "Holy shit. I should've come sooner," he said.

"Unnecessary. I am fine."

"Bullshit, especially after what you just did for her," he motioned to Isabella, still sitting against the tree. "I called for the others to return. They should be here within the hour." He smirked, "You kicked some ass! I mean, yeah this kind of sucks, but it's better than just sitting in the goddamn house all day planning. Finally, we have some action!"

Ambrose bent down and picked Isabella up in his arms. The feel of her smaller body against his did something unexpected to him, but he pushed that thought aside at Troy's words. Anger contorted his features as he growled at the younger wolf. "We have a traitor. Is that the action you were looking for? Rally everyone in the meeting room once they get to the house." He motioned to the bodies of the two bears that had been unable to escape. "Dump these two in the dungeons. Leave the puma, he's dead." With that, he vanished back to the house.

[Skullblade]

Regaining consciousness came at a steep price since her head throbbed painfully, not even allowing her to open her eyes. “Ambrose,” she whispered, strangely feeling the Alpha’s presence within her, “I’m sorry, I could not maintain a hold on the bears and pumas… they still know of your whereabouts.”

It was strange, since something within her was soothing her and feeding her strength; making her feel safe. She realized she was being carried, now fully aware that it was by Ambrose himself, as his scent overwhelmed her senses and entire being. She could now hear his footsteps against marble… where they back at the mansion? How long had she been unconscious? Bella mentally kicked herself for thinking she was strong enough to take on so many by herself, when the only experience she had been on the occasional lost soul that stumbled onto her clan’s territory.

She chuckled softly, embarrassed at her self, “See? You should be less skeptical and cautious around me… I’m clearly a weak,” she said, something her father never failed to tell her.

[Ambrose]

Ambrose took her to a different room than the one he had previously assigned to her. It was smaller than the previous room, with less furniture. A lounge chair sat in the corner, facing a fire place which adorned small burning embers that warmed the ambiance comfortably. At the other end of the room, a small desk was placed with a large screen atop it, and above the fire place sat a massive flat screen television.

He sat her on the lounge chair, careful not to get any of the blood that was still flowing freely from his side onto the furniture. "You saved my life," he said in a low voice. "That doesn't display weakness." Ambrose made the split second decision to trust Isabella. It might be the biggest mistake he had made so far an an Alpha, or perhaps he would be starting the foundation for one of the strongest alliances. It was a risk he decided he was willing to take. "I was betrayed by one of my own. I no longer trust you in their care. You will stay here while I meet with them. Through those doors are my quarters. I'll have someone bring you something to eat while I am away so that you can build up your strength."

A light knock on the door reverberated through the room and Troy entered. "They're all in the meeting room, Am."

"Keep all the entrances monitored. None of them will be leaving until I deem appropriate."

Troy nodded and ducked back out of the room. Ambrose's attention shifted back to Isabella, and a strange calm fell over him. He had never before shared his life force as a means of saving a life. It was something that was intricate and unknown in their culture, which could perhaps have consequences that they had yet to discover. "Do you need anything else before I go?"