Claudia looked at each of the wolf. She did not recognize any of them and from the way they were acting, they had not joined her as a friendly gesture. One of the wolves growled low and snapped at her. Knowing that she had no chance against nine wolves that looked like they were ready to tear her apart, she bolted straight between two of them, using the element of surprise and her speed to her advantage. It worked. The wolves were momentarily disoriented, robbed of their prey. Claudia ran at full speed, unconsciously heading towards Alex's house.

It only took her a few minutes to get to the house. She broke through the trees as she heard Alex call out to her. She immediately ran towards him and soon found herself enveloped in a blanket. She trembled but found solace and comfort in both her human form and his arms. Alex apparently misunderstood why the wolves were there. When he told her to send them away, all she could really do was to glance towards the wolves. Three were out in the open while the rest hung back in the shadows. The largest one that stood in front growled low and bared its teeth at them. But seeing Alex, the wolf seemed to hesitate and with a curt bark, he turned and fled back into the shadows, the other wolves following after him.

Claudia let out a sigh of relief and was about to explain her situation to Alex when he pulled her towards him and kissed her. Knowing that she was no longer in danger and back where she belonged, she relaxed and gave into the kiss. She was breathless when Alex pulled back. "I know. I heard the name in their thoughts."

---

Darric looked at Casey. He felt an undeniable pull towards her but he didn't think it was right. After all that he's done, he didn't deserve to be happy. After what he did to... No, he didn't want to think about all the again. "I want... No, it doesn't matter what I want. If you join the pack, then you'll be with me. I'll supervise you until you get used to your new body and your new abilities."

"Werent they from your pack?" He asked pulling her closer into his arms. His eyes went to the tree line and he scoured the line visually looking for more of these wolves. He would kill them gladly. He wondered if these were from the same pack that had led to Kitty getting killed. "Come on, let's get you into the house." Alex put her into the car and drove back to the house and took her inside.

Shade was on the couch with the girl laying beside him still out cold. He was watching tv. "I thought you were going to the bar? I guess the Mrs. sidetracked you huh?" He grinned knowingly. "She was being followed by wolves who wanted to kill us." Shade stood up and his face hardened. He gritted his teeth and he ran outside through the screendoor at high speed. Hitting the door at that speed broke the locking mechanism and Alex shook his head. "I told you."

---

"No, I'm not letting you throw me aside like I don't matter. I may not be perfect but I'm here and I ...whoa" Casey examined her feelings for Darric and when she realized how strong they were she was completely shocked. How could she love him so fast and so deeply? Was it the raging hormones from changing species? It didn't feel like it. Casey looked up at him and asked him. "This is going to sound stupid because we only met a few hours ago but...I love you and I'm not leaving you no matter what you do."

@kyrisse

Claudia shook her head. "No, I don't belong to any pack. At least not yet. But those wolves... I think the young ones that I killed earlier..." she paused, a pained look crossing her face. "I think maybe they were the newly turned from that pack. Their thoughts were in disarray and their anger made it difficult for me to make sense of what they were thinking. That and the fact that I don't belong in their pack...But they were planning on taking my head as revenge," she said as she let Alex lead her into the house. She clutched the blanket around herself and shook her head. "I really need to get myself some decent clothes. I can't walk around wrapped in blankets all the time," she grumbled under her breath. She looked towards Shade then at the unconscious girl. "Who's that?" she asked and then blinked when Shade ran to the door.

---

Darric sighed. So she really did imprint on him. He reached out to pat her head but when his eyes landed on hers, he felt a jolt run through him. No. It's not possible. Averting his eyes, he stood up and pulled on his clothes. He reached down and assisted her to stand, touching her making another jolt run through him. "No, I guess you're not leaving me. But come on. We can't just stay out here all night," he said.

Alex looked out the window and far off towards the back of the property he saw Shade killing wolves but he was very outnumbered. "I'll be right back. Stay here and lock the door." Alex shut the door behind him and he sped to Shade and began breaking the wolves over his knee and the high pitched screams as they turned human in their deaths rang out across the land. Shade was all out fighting them the hard way. Alex had a lot more experience and made quicker work out of them. When the wolves were dead he told Shade to take care of the bodies and he sped back to the house. Unlocking the door with his key he went over to his lady and hugged her. "Those wolves won't be bothering you anymore. You can take anything you want from Kitty's room. I think Shade already took what he needed. You can have her clothes. She wore some cool stuff."

---

Casey nodded and she wondered if he was feeling it to. She stood up and began getting dressed. "Can you feel it too or is it just me? How does this imprinting thing work?" She handed him his shoes as she slipped her feet into hers. She followed him back to the apartment and when they went inside she waited for answers. Casey couldn't figure out how all of this happened to her so quickly. One minute she was a part time college student new to the area and on her own. The next minute she was bitten and the next she was wildly in love with another werewolf that she barely knew.

All Casey knew was that she felt incredibly insecure when it came to Darric. He seemed to want to push her away even though while they were intimate he did anything but push her away. Suddenly she realized something she had not thought of. What if he was already married? Casey looked at him as they entered his place. In low voice she asked him, "You aren't married are you?"

@kyrisse

Claudia shook her head. "Oh, I can't take any of her clothes. It won't feel right. Don't worry. I can pick up some clothes tomorrow...possibly with Caius. He may have gotten that nice condo unit for us but I doubt he has that much clothes yet. I'll also need other stuff to make my room feel like home," She draped her arms around Alex, burying her face in his chest and taking in his scent. She can't remember why she ever thought vampires stink. Well, they still do. Just not this one. This one is mine and no matter how bloody he smells like--- her train of thought was abruptly cut off when she realized that he smelled like blood, irony and cloying. She blinked then looked from Alex to the unconscious girl then back to Alex. "Were you... ordered to kill this girl's father?" she asked.

---

Darric deliberately ignored Casey's first question as he led her back up to his apartment. "To put it simply, imprinting is that phenomenon among wolves that lets us find our soulmates. It's involuntary and you can't control it." A dark and wary look crossed his face when asked about being married. Therese's face loomed in his mind. While he had not thought of her for years, her face was clear in his mind's eye as though he only saw her a minute ago. He immediately pushed thoughts of her out of his head. "No, I'm not," he answered and then to avoid any other questions regarding it, he gestured towards the bedroom. "You can have the bed tonight. I'll just sleep on the couch," he said.

Alex looked her in the eye. "Yes Shade and I killed an entire room of humans and yes her father was the target. The council wanted it to look like a human did it though. So when she walked in while we were still there we took her with us. She will be blamed for the murders and I'll turn her. She will be my new daughter. Hopefully she won't be as difficult as Kitty was." He rubbed his temple a little. "My hope is that she will help Shade heal." He went into the bedroom and pulled out a long shirt and a pair of sweat pants for her to put on. "Put these on I'll take you shopping now. No need to wait."



Casey noticed he never answered her. She walked right up to him and asked, "So I guess that means you are my soulmate. Am I your soulmate as well? Do you feel it too?" Casey decided not to ask him about the marriage that had made him hesitate when she asked him. There obviously had been one but he didn't want to talk to her about it right now. She shook her head. "We've already lain together, why should you sleep on the couch. That is ridiculous." She pulled him to the bed and pushed him down onto it and she pulled his shoes and pants off and tossed them aside. "If you can tell me that you think I'm revolting I'll stop." Once he was naked she stripped her clothes off and pulled the covers back for them to get under and she grabbed the remote for the tv. "Get in" Once he had gotten in she slid into the bed, handed him the remote and cuddled with him, her head on his shoulder. "I want to know everything about you." She said kissing his chest just a little.
@kyrisse

Claudia looked down at the still unconscious girl, her chest rising up and down as she breathed. Right now, she was sleeping soundly, unaware of what was waiting for her when she woke up. A dead father, a suspicion for his murder along with a handful of others, two vampires and a werewolf who was having mixed feelings about whether to whisk her off to safety or just let her mate do what he wanted with her. A part of her needed to protect her as a human. She didn't sign up for this voluntarily. Claudia guessed that she was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Collateral damage. The other part of her was jealous. Strangely enough, it was the larger part. Would having a new daughter meant that she had to share Alex's attention? But his intention was to help Shade move on from Kitty's death. Did she have any right to get in the way of that? Everybody needed to be happy... the notion of which led her train of thought back to the girl's right to choose whether to stay human or not. Should she help her escape?

But her thoughts were interrupted by Alex handing her a shirt and a pair of sweat pants. She blinked. She took the clothes but shook her head. "Oh, no, no, it's okay. Really. I can take care of it tomorrow. There's really no need to hurry."

---

Am I your soulmate as well? That's the question wasn't it? One that Darric knew the answer to but didn't really wanna acknowledge. It was impossible. A wolf can only imprint once their whole lives. Unless... No...It can't be possible. She-- his thoughts were interrupted when Casey pulled him into the bedroom and started removing his clothes. He raised an eyebrow but let her do as she pleased. A few minutes later, she was naked, pressed against him and handing him the control for the TV. But it was impossible to actually watch TV, much less talk about himself when he was again starting to feel hot by her kisses. He strained to hold himself back, the effort making his voice gruff when he spoke. "There's nothing important to know about me."

Alex looked deeply into her eyes and told her in a tired voice. "My love, I must turn the girl tonight. She is the last of her family. Her sister was killed the other day by a vampire and I killed him by order of the council. Today her father and she has been framed. The only life she would have would be one where she were to go to prison. I will turn her and we'll give her a new life. I, her father and you, her mother and hopefully she will like Shade." He could tell she wasn't too keen on this idea. "I can't let her go, the council doesn't want anymore trouble because of this family. I can turn her or I can kill her outright. I would prefer to turn her. Her presence though likely to be fraught with irritation as she learns to be vampire would be preferable to her just being dead would it not?"

Alex began kissing Claudia up her arm over her shoulder and up her neck til he was nibbling on her ears. In between kisses he said "I'll drain her" he kisses her, "Then I'll bury her in the ground with me overnight" More kisses "then tomorrow afternoon" kisses "When she is vampire I'll let her feed on my blood." Kisses reach her lips and he stays there for a moment before deepening the kiss. "The only problem is I hate the thought of leaving you here alone for even one night." he said.

---

"I'm not buying that for a second Darric." Casey said huskily while kissing him in desperate need to be one with him again. "I can be happy with my new life if it is full of you and me. Have you ever imprinted on anyone? Who was she and have you imprinted on anyone else?" Casey disappeared under the covers and began to tease him until he couldn't take anymore.

@kyrisse

Claudia thought about Alex's words. If it were her in his position, would she turn the girl into a werewolf? The answer was plain and simple. No, she wouldn't. She didn't want her 'curse' being passed onto someone who was not willing. Not all people would choose being turned to being dead. But who was she to decide for the girl? She may actually want to be one of them... She was about to argue about giving the girl a chance to decide when Alex began kissing her. She automatically clung to him, relishing the feel of his lips on her. She grumbled when he told her of his plans. All thoughts of giving the girl a chance replaced by jealousy. She hated the idea of sharing Alex with anyone. Even if it was only for a night.

The conflicting thoughts and the pangs of jealousy was making her feel irritable. Her thoughts were momentarily interrupted by Alex's lips on hers and she lost herself in his kiss. When he pulled back, she frowned. "Fine. I'm not gonna stay around here while you're doing all that though."

---

All her questions about imprinting was making him confused. Before she came along, he had been sure of himself. While he tried his best to let go and forget the past, he never questioned it. But now... Did he really imprint on Therese all those years ago? If he did, why did he now doubt it and what was he feeling now? When she began teasing him, all thoughts of the past, the present and the future flew out of his head. Nothing mattered. There was only him, Casey and the heat that was building between them. He began returning her kisses as he ran his hands all over her.

When he couldn't take it anymore, he shifted her under him and took her. He was so overwhelmed with the sensation and the feeling that everything became a blur. He belonged to her and she belonged to him. There was no denying that fact. When she threw back her head in ecstasy, he leaned forward so that his lips were mere inches away from her ear. "Casey, you're mine," his voice was raw with the need to claim her and with a moan of pleasure, he buried himself into her and shuddered as he released.

@Kyrisse



Alex knew she was jealous. It was written all over her face and in her voice. He pushed her hair back and kissed her neck so tenderly and he pulled her blanket off exposing her to him completely as he kicked the bedroom door shut. "I want you to stay here. Shade would keep you safe." Alex somehow was naked so fast she couldn't have seen how he did it. He was upset at having to leave her for one night and he couldn't imagine her sleeping without him there. It literally was weighing on his mind heavily. "I don't know how I'll get through it if I'm worrying about you. I suppose if you are with your brother that would be okay too." Alex pulled her to him and he shuddered as he held her. "I can't bare to be without you." Alex kissed her so deeply it would make her toes curl.



Casey had loved teasing Darric and when he flipped her over and took her passionately the sudden rush of him kissing and touching her all over and inside her sent her sense soaring and she cried out in ecstasy as her body stiffened up and everything exploded inside her. "Oh, God!" Casey couldn't help it. When he whispered that she was his her responses seemed to be wilder and more vivid and she shuddered in release when he did. When he collapsed on top of her she held him tightly and kissed him lovingly. "I'll gladly be yours, forever." She whispered into his ear.

"I don't wanna stay with Shade or Caius. I just wanna be with you," Claudia declared. She sighed when she felt her naked body touch Alex's. "But it'll be difficult for me to stay here and wait fo you to...turn her. I might end up digging you out of the ground and dragging you back out," she wrinkled her nose in distaste.

She giggled a litte when Alex pulled back from the kiss, a naughty glint coming over her eyes. "The only thing you can really do to make me stay here is to completely tire me out that I'd just sleep until you came back," she chuckled.

---

But Darric was far from spent. As soon as Casey whispered in his ear, he began stoking her fire again. He trailed kisses over her body, his hands sensually stroking her. He can feel her lust build up as he continued teasing her to the point that she was begging him to take her. And when he, himself, couldn't hold back anymore, he took her over and over until the sun was peeking through the windows. Utterly spent, he collapsed on the bed beside her, his skin glistening with sweat and his breath rapid. With his eyes half closed, he reached out and took Casey's hand. He laid it on his chest over his heart. "I was married once. To a human. Her name was Therese. And she was the whole world to me. Even when I turned into a werewolf, she accepted me. Even when I lashed out at her, she forgave me. I always thought that that was it. That in my wolf form I had imprinted on her. But...Now that I'm with you, I realize that I didn't. I love her all the same...even now. But it was nothing compared to this."

Alex laughed at Claudia's suggestion. "Well I can certainly do that." Alex began kissing every part of her and when she was so lusty that he couldn't hold himself from her any longer he took her over and over until she was exhausted and he was sated. Repairing the bite to her neck as always, he whispered into her ear. "I love you Claudia, more than I ever have any other." He lay with her until she fell asleep. As soon as he was certain she was out for the night he snuck out of bed and covered her up. After he dressed he locked and then closed the bedroom door. He didn't want anyone to bother her while he was gone.

Alex walked into the living room to find Shade looking a little oddly at the now awake girl on the couch. She had been crying. When she saw Alex her expression became one of hope. Alex nodded at Shade who went outside. Alex sat down and explained to her what her choices were death or death with a life afterwards. He also explained that she would also belong to his family as his daughter. Once he had explained to her he took her outside and she didn't come willingly but she didn't fight that hard either.

Once Sara saw her grave she started to pull her away. "Can't I just change my identity? I could hide and never tell anyone who I am." Alex, expecting this pulled her back towards him he covered her mouth to stifle her screams and he bit into her neck and drained her. Carefully he jumped into the grave with her and lay down next to her body. "Shade, watch over Claudia. She is sleeping. Stay with her if she leaves the house and protect her." Shade nodded and said something in his native tongue. Then he buried the two into the ground.

Shade went back inside the house and put his ear to he door to Alex's room. He could hear her soft breathing on the other side. He planted a chair in front of the door and stared at the tv from there. She couldn't get out of that room without falling over him.

---

Casey smiled tearfully and turned over so that she was on her side. She kissed him tenderly. "I'm glad you knew love before loving me. I'd hate to think that you wouldn't recognize love when it found you, or in this case, when it attacked you." Casey snuggled into him and asked, "Tell me about pack life. Will I ever have any thoughts at all that are my own? Is it automatic that we would all hear each other's thoughts? How does it work? Now that I'm your mate how does that fit into the pack, me being the new wolf and all?" They talked until the fell asleep and woke up in the morning.

@Kyrisse

Claudia laughed when Alex took her suggestion seriously. But soon her laughter turned to moans of ecstasy as the vampire took her over and over. Tired from their lovemaking, her lids fluttered close and she slowly fell into a comfortable sleep with Alex's voice telling her he loved her in her ear. "I love you, Alex..." she murmured in her sleep.

She woke up several hours later with the sun shining on her face. She stretched and yawned. And then blinked when she realized that she was alone in the room. "Alex?" she called out, expecting him to walk out of the bathroom. When he didn't she frowned and then finally remembered what he had said the night before. She grumbled as she automatically felt the need to go out and dig him out. She huffed as she tried not to barrel out of the room to get him.

---

Darric took a deep breath. He still felt guilty about being with Casey now. In his mind, he should still be loyal to Therese even though she was gone. And even if every fiber of his being said that this is where he belonged. But when Casey snuggled against him, all doubts flew out of his head and finally, he let himself relax. "All of your thoughts will be heard by each member of the pack. No exceptions. It's not bad when you get used to it," he chuckled. "Yeah, if you think about making love to me while you're in your wolf form, everyone will be privvy to your thoughts but I'll probably take the brunt of their jokes," he continued talking a bit more about life in the pack until he eventually tired out and fell asleep with his arms around his mate.

Shade heard Claudia called out for Alex. "He is not here Claudia." When the door opened he said, "He said I'm to accompany you today til he gets back. I hope that you are okay with that." He stood up and asked her. "So what do you want to do today?"

---

Casey awoke and kissed Darric then jumped out of bed and got dressed. "Come on I want to go meet the pack!" She pulled on his hand and then she whipped the covers off of him and she brought his clothes to him. "I of course would love nothing more than to keep you naked and in bed with me all day but I want to go meet the pack." Casey leaned down and kissed him again. Then she looked at him and frowned and sat on the edge of the bed. "What if they don't like me?"

@kyrisse

Claudia frowned at Shade, tempted to tell him to get Alex of whatever grave he was in. But all she could really do was sigh as she remembered how what Alex was doing sounded so important to him. So instead of being grumbly in the morning, he gave the vampire a half smile. "I suppose getting some breakfast would be a good start."

---

Darric laughed when he was woken up by a very hyperactive Casey. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes and got dressed as she requested. "I'm sure they will. I don't think you have to worry about that," he leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss on her forehead. He looked thoughtful for a moment. "I suppose this is as good as anytime to collect Caius' twin sister into the pack as well."

"Sounds great there is an IHOP or DENNY'S or a Waffle House all just inside the city. Do any of those sound good?" Shade smiled and he went outside to the car and opened the door for her. Shade's car was opposite of Alex's. He drove an old Olds 98 It was huge on the inside and a grown person could lay down comfortably across the back seat. "After you my lady." He smiled as he held the door open for her.

---

Casey had no idea who Caius or his sister were so she said, "Okay, hey can the pack hear my thoughts in both forms or just wolf?" She was going to have to be careful not to think anything offensive to anyone if it was a 24/7 thing. "I take it that Caius is a pack member and his sister is nearby?"

@Kyrisse

Claudia stared at Shade for a few minutes before she finally sighed and nodded. "Waffle House sounds nice," she said. "Thank you," she mumbled as she got into the car. As Shade closed the car door after she got in, her eyes fell on Alex's car and once again, she felt frustrated at not being able to be with him. Why the heck do vampires need to bury themselves underground like friggin' zombies just to turn someone? She wondered how she'd tolerate feeling this frustrated everytime he needed to do it. As soon as Shade got into the driver's seat, she looked at him. "How long will Alex... be gone for?" she asked.

---

Darric shook his head. "Your thoughts are yours when you're in your human form. Even I, as your mate, won't be able to read your mind," she explained. He draped an arm on her shoulders. "Caius is my right hand man. If I pass on, he will take my position as pack leader. And Claudia... she's Caius' twin and is currently a lone wolf. I plan to welcome her into the pack as well."

After getting into the car Shade started it and answered her. "He will be gone til sunset today. The new vampire girl will then feed on him." He sighed looking a little tired and sad, "Then I get to teach the her because Alex has you to keep him busy." He looked at her and smiled. "I'm not complaining, I just hope that she is easier to teach than Kitty was. For the longest time Kitty wouldn't listen to anything or anyone. She once got Alex tossed into jail even."

Shade had no problem opening up to Claudia. He liked her and she was his best friend/maker's lady and he would protect her at all costs. Why not make her a friend and what better way than telling her about some of their escapades over the years.

---

Casey intertwined her fingers with the hand draped over her shoulder. She just felt the constant need to touch him in one way or another. She wondered if this feeling would always be this strong or if it would fade over time. She hoped it would stay this strong always. "Does she know you want her to join?" Casey watched as he lead her to his car.

@Kyrisse

As Claudia listened to what Shade said, she felt sorry for him. Losing Kitty must have taken a great toll on him. She reached out and laid a hand on his arm, her own frustrations temporarily forgotten. "For what it's worth, Shade. I'm sorry. We, werewolves, can get carried away with the rage that comes with the transformation. It's not a secret that we hate vampires... you have no idea how I thought the same way before I met Alex... and I killed my fair share of your kind. But... there's really no excuse for what happened to Kitty. And if only I could have done something, I would have. I'm sorry," she kept her hand on the vampire's arm for a few more minutes before dropping it and laying it across her lap.

---

As if Darric was able to read what Casey was thinking, he leaned down and pressed a quick kiss on her lips. He looked into her eyes. "What we have will never fade away. I will be loyal to no one but you," he said before turning his attention back to their original topic. "Well, Claudia will need to decide if she wants to join us. I'm sure Caius wants her to. But we can't do anything about it if she decides to stay a lone wolf. She has, after all, imprinted on a vampire. And a dangerous one at that."

Shade listened and nodded. "It wasn't your fault. It was mine. She was supposed to be with me. We had a fight and I yelled at her and she came back and laid in the grass to look at the stars like she did almost every night. I just wish she wouldn't have ignored the dog." He looked sullen and he was barely holding back the tears. He managed but his voice was shaky.

"The Waffle house huh?" He drove them to the restaurant and he said, "I see why Alex loves you so much. You are a good person Claudia. You can always count on me as your friend to help you if you need it." He turned and smiled at her. "Okay we are here."

---

Casey's eyes got wide. "She imprinted on a Vampire? I didn't know you could do that. I thought it was only on other wolves. He is more dangerous than a normal vampire? How so?" She climbed in and waited for him to get in. After he got in she looked at him and said, "So does this mean that there are all kinds of creatures out there that we always thought were just myth, like fairies and trolls too?"

@Kyrisse