Rawr.

Heart catching in his throat when Kira spoke to him, Alexandre’s answering smile was both nervous and purely doting. She had become so much to him - so much more than he could have imagined at first - that he was terrified of messing this up. He followed her into the room with that same dazed smile, reaching out to touch his fingers to her cheek.

“I swear, some day that child is going to be the death of me.” Kira watched as a small boy began running at them full speed from the other end of the garden, she side stepped in time to avoid him crashing into her. “He gets it from you.” That was a joke, of course, kids weren’t something that were possible due to the whole... you know, Vampire thing, but many months of arguments, falling out and eventually coming to an agreement for the sake of her pack and family legacy, Kira had her first and only child. Luckily for them, he seemed to had taken his mothers likeness rather than the father, less questions asked. 

“Shouldn’t have given him that cookie.” She turned her attention to Alexandre now, hands on her hips and looked unimpressed. “What story did he give you this time?” 

“What do you mean ‘he wasn’t supposed to be your original Alpha’?” He snapped; still lacking in patience but holding back on the ‘violence’ part of the equation now that she’d smartened up enough to loosen her tongue. But he held his own when Kira mentioned seeing Pandora in chains; her eyes ‘scratched out’ as the beta put it. A chill ran through him; chased by the toxic trail of grief and anger that were quick to follow. “You saw her.” In a flash, he had Kira by the shoulders. His grip was fierce, but not altogether painful this time. “Did she speak? What do you remember?” Nicolas demanded. He noticed the single tear streaking down her cheek and wondered cynically whether it was real. Time would tell.

Kira let out a small yelp when he grabbed her by the shoulders but didn’t make any move to get him to let her go. “I was too shocked by the sight in front of me to listen to what she was saying. It was mostly her growling and trying to get loose but the chains were silver.” 

“Nah, I just tried to ditch school. My father found out and delivered me there personally. I hated him for that, really… But I was fourteen, you can’t really blame me for that.” They had made up, of course, but every time she saw that photo… It all seemed unimportant right now, but she remembered how bad she was feeling about that. “Right. The temper getting through as well. I didn’t dare to, my dad was already angry enough with me at that time.”

She smiled, looking down at her boobs. “Nope, not there yet. Still need a bra. And no, that’s not a challenge to give me even more exercises for that area!”

“I couldn’t help it, you know how it was when we’re those ages. The anger has nowhere to go unless you’re part of a contact sport.” Kira then looked at the last photo she had and gave it to Natalia to take a look. “This is Delia.” She pointed to the other girl in the photo of the pack taken recently, before she was killed by Pandora. “A few months ago she was dumped on Derek’s porch, dead, by Pandora. She killed one of us and that’s what sparked Marcus’s revenge spiral, well that, and the fact that she was the one who put him into the coma in the first place.”

“Hey, we all went through that. You don’t want to see photos from when I was that age. It was terrible! Especially the ones that broke through just before the school photographer arrived. One year I tried to hide for that man, I swear…”, she laughed, even when she would give anything to have those photos again right now. They were all lost to her. “We did alright in the end, I guess. We grew over it. And look at us now.”, she smiled. 

“I don’t think anyone can do it all by themselves. It’s good that he dares to admit that…. it’ll save him a lot of trouble later on.” She started to laugh out loud at Kira’s remark. “I blame you for that right now. You’re the one setting my training regime. But you’re right… they look awesome.”

“Oh I did that too!” Kira laughed with her. “I had a bad break out the morning of a year book photo and had to be smothered in make-up to hide it. My mother didn’t like it so much but you know, I was a teenaged girl I had to look my best. I think I punched someone that morning too...” She pondered for a second. “Oh well.” 

“See, the muscles there become nice and strengthened that most days I don’t even need to wear any support.” 

“Have you talked to Derek? Maybe the chain wasn’t as strong, and a stronger one is needed”

“I wasn’t in chains and it was Derek that found me.” She tried to get the knots out of her hair now. 

“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry Kira. Really.” Derek swat at her hand, laughing, “We will make you faster than anyone here. Or at least very close to that point.” 

“It isn’t your fault, I just thought that he might be more tactical about it. He’s supposed to be my friend too, you can be my alpha and my friend.” She hoped anyway, because that had been the one thing that had broken her heart the most with Marcus. “I’ll work at it.” 

“That was when Marcus was in charge. Though… We should train still.” Derek frowned and looked at Kira seriously, “You are fine just the way you are… You know that right? Yeah, you’re small. But we use that to your advantage, not make it a hinderance.” He grinned, “We will make you one of the fastest ones around.” 

“I know, but when someone says things like, it makes me doubt. I’m still a girl, you know? It still effects me.” Kira shrugged her shoulders. “I’m already pretty fast but yeah. Faster than you, fatty.” She poked his stomach in return.

His response was to laugh quietly, lips curling into a smile against her neck as her laughter was swallowed by a moan. Her scolding was surprisingly welcome, one of the many things that surprised him about why he was so crazy for her.

Not fighting her command, Alexandre allowed her to have her way with his coat and shirt, watching in an amused surprise as buttons went flying. His glance moved from the direction one went off in to her, eyebrows raised with barely concealed amusement, “I suppose it’s good that I wasn’t too attached to that shirt.” He commented, falling silent as she spoke, lips moving to a smirk, “Told you.” He teased, despite the amber in her eyes.

It was with protest that he let her draw away from him, watching with impatience as she disappeared from his view - though, he gave her longer than the requested five seconds as he listened to her move about upstairs. When, finally, he pushed himself from the wall, Alexandre followed the scent of soil and flowers to her, pausing in the doorway with a tentative expression on his vulnerable features.

The few more moments that Alexandre gave caused her to quickly go around her room, throwing things in the closest like dirty clothes, things she didn’t want him to see just yet, even hid a couple of photos of her family all while muttering to herself and listening out for him. First impressions and all, that and she didn’t want to come across as some teenager while she was trying to turn him on, the thought of that caused her to pause for a second, what the hell turned him on? 

Guess she’ll find out because she could hear him moving on the other side of the door right now. Her heart beat sped up a little out of excitement before tugging the door open and leaned on the frame, “hey handsome.” Kira reached out and trailed her fingers lightly against the flesh of his torso, they continued to move further down before hooking onto a belt loop and tugged him into the room with a small chuckle. 

Derek just poked her stomach, “Huh. Doesn’t seem to have as much muscle as you keep saying.” He laughed, shaking his head, “No couch potato. Training is going to be mandatory. I am going to need help with getting our pack in shape and on the same page.” 

“Oh shut up.” She tutted and swatted his hand. “I thought it was mandatory in the first place? Marcus was always unhappy with how small I am when I’m a wolf that’s why he made me train. I can’t grow any more. I wasted couch potato time for nothing.”

“I know. Can’t be easy… finding his place and telling everyone what happened. Especially because Marcus isn’t there to help him out.” She took the photo from Kira and started to smile. They looked so… young, so without worries. “It seems so long ago, this one… even when it can be at least… what? Then years or something like that? I wish I knew you guys back then…” She was pretty sure they could have gotten along fine. “But Marcus isn’t here and Derek will need someone by his side… you should do that. Not take the status, I mean, but help him. I don’t think he can’t do it all by himself.” She laughed. “Sorry Derek.”

“Yeah, something like that. The boys are a couple of years older than me, so I was about thirteen in this picture. Ha, look how awful my skin was then.” Kira took the photo and held it closer so she could have a look at herself. “Thank god for the werewolf gene. I really grew into my body.” 

She handed it back to Natalia. “He can’t, he’s even admitted that himself. He’s going to need some help and that’s what I’m gonna do.” Then she laughed a little to herself. “If one good thing comes out of being a girl and a werewolf, it’s the boobs. They give us good posture.” 

Derek moved his forehead against hers, feeling more relaxed than he has in awhile. When Kira moved away, he grinned in thanks before shaking his head. “Now I just need to figure out a game plan from here…” He smirked, “Maybe throw in some more training.” 

“Ohh no! NO!” Kira whined then smacked him again. “Haven’t I done enough training? I have muscles I didn’t even know I had now. Look!” Then she pulled her top up and pointed to one near her stomach. “That didn’t exist until recently. I wanna be a couch potato!” She was whining on purpose, to see what he’d do about it. 

“Oh, do you remember anything that happened on that night?” he asked, he never remembered, but maybe she did?

“No. Of course I don’t remember what happened. I just woke up a couple of miles from the place we changed.”

“i’m recovering.  i’m not incapacitated.  i can move.  but when a little hoodoo comes offerin’ a little caffeine, then i can at least make the effort to be vertical… ish.”

he just smirks as she brushes off his explanation.  obviously a rather stupid and transparent lie - but the truth isn’t just his truth to tell… it involves someone else, someone he wants to protect.  so if the real story is gonna come from anyone, then amber can tell it.

“i do say so.  south east pogo champ right here.  goes down a storm in kentucky.”

he does look at her with a little skepticism then, curious and a slight morbid fascination…

“…you come and hang around the hospital – to socialise?  wow, hoodoo… your social life sounds about as thrilling as mine.”

Kira laughed. “What can I say? People on their death beds do something for me.” She rolled her eyes playfully at Jace. “I hardly get to see Tatiana, that’s why I try to catch her here. As for Alexandre, that’s me being selfish, he’s a doctor, he’s hot. That’s enough of an excuse for me.”

“Good. It’s not just me then. But I know there are a few people who don’t think like that. Apparently he’s one of them.” Amber being one of them and despite the fact that Natalia didn’t understand it, she wanted to support her friend in what she wanted. “Yeah, you’re right in that. He’s the alpha now. He’s the one who should arrange all that.” She glanced downstairs where she knew the other wolf was walking around and possibly listening in. “I was just curious.”

“He’s got a lot to do and a lot to straighten out after what Marcus did.” Kira looked through the photos and showed Natalia one of the three of them as teenagers, laughing at the camera and stood outside the house they were currently sitting inside of. “I will be helping Derek out some, a little like a beta but not official. Marcus has lost too much for me to take that status from him as well when he gets back. No, it’s his.” 

“Well, doing what you want is kind of fun… although I prefer the safety of a pack.” She laughed. “Maybe I’m just not cut out to be too much of a rebel then.” Or suddenly ending up without the protection of a pack felt completely different than stepping out of it out of your own free will. “No, I can imagine. And I can imagine they don’t like you stuck in here, that’s what mums are for. I think, at least. Do they know what happened? With Derek and Marcus, I mean?”

“Believe me, so do I.” But Pack was all Kira knew, she couldn’t even begin to think how awful it would be without her own as that crutch and security. “No, it’s not my thing to tell our parents. It’s up to Derek from here on.”