Fit to be Tied [Moonie] [M]

[Zane]

She was content, and just barely starting to become aware of her surrounding again when she felt Raff rearrange them. She could feel his fur across her skin, caressing and teasing, tickling and soothing. She could also feel their physical bond making itself known within her. She couldn't help but stir, trying to draw her legs together only further accented the mass of his desire within her. It wasn't painful, but the feeling of being overfilled was something she could only endure for so long, even with as grand as it felt. Allowing her legs to part relieved this pressure somewhat, but it brought a restlessness to her lower limbs. Finally, she wrapped her legs around his own bent up legs, which eased both the pressure and her restlessness.

Her own comfort seen to, she looked up to gaze upon Raff's face, shivering in pleasure from both the echoes of her climax and the slow rubbing of the werewolf's hands. Or were they paws? It didn't matter, she was extremely aware of the claws at the end of each of the digits, though they didn't bother her. She ran her own fingers through the soft fur across his chest, two short to entangle her fingers in, but she was content with the feel of it all the same. "That was.. wow." She didn't know how to describe it, any of it, her feelings, what they did, how amazing she felt in that moment. So she didn't. Instead, she buried her face in his fur, almost like how a cat would nuzzle into something while her took hold of what fur she could with her hands.

[Zero]

Each movement of his mate sent that familiar becoming shock of pleasure-pain through Raff, but he managed to remain still while she settled. Not easy, since she made him want to squirm – or make love to her all over again. Ah, the spirit was willing, but the flesh was spent.

Raff was happy just to continue stroking his hands over her smooth, soft skin. He liked the feel of her lying on top of him. Her weight was nice. Not that she weighed much, but it still felt good. Sharp claws were gentle as a feather touch, although they rarely even made contact with her skin. Being extremely careful not to harm her was a given. It would have killed him to hurt Altira.

A deep, rumbling chuckle was given in response to her assessment of his performance.

"Agreed." His voice was lower, raspy, and near a growl. It was still recognizable to someone that was familiar with his voice. A happy, low rumbling growl was given as she nuzzled into his chest, her fingers felt good running through his fur, much as they had when they'd been tangled in his hair.

"I love you, Altira." Raff really did.

[Zane]

The head of hard blush warmed her face at his words. She could feel the truth of them down to her very core. And she became jealous of him, because she couldn't yet echo that sentiment. The part of her mind that wanted to commit itself to him was berated and assaulted by ideology that had been taught to her all her life. She couldn't love him, look what he'd done to her, she'd only just met him on the besides! Yes, she was quite jealous of him, to feel so purely, uninhibited by human ideology and expectation.

A memory crept into the forethought of her mind, a time when she and Amaya would discuss all manner of things, that particular conversation was about motivation. Amaya had told her something interesting, the actual phrase was just beyond her grasp but it was a very human statement, the defining trait of all human conflict. Why there were no truly evil things, only people with their own self interest at heart. And like that, it came to her. No one is truly against you, they are merely for themselves.

Even as she thought of the phrase, she knew that Raff wasn't like that. Some part of her was unshaking in the belief that Raff would live his entire life living for her. Protecting her, seeing to her needs, pleasing her. It was the resolute conviction of this small part of herself that silenced her human aspect. It was then that another phrase came to mind, 'The Past is a foreign country. They do things differently there.'.

She wasn't in the Courts anymore. If she did somehow come back to that life, it would not be the same. The was her present. She resolved to embrace it like it had her. Lifting her head Raff's chest, then further lifted her upper body onto her elbows, doing her best not to dig into his chest with them. She wanted to look into his eyes again. His marvelously beautiful eyes. They carried such ambiguous intensity. "I love you too, Raff."

[Zero]

Raff gave a soft grunt as his mate started moving again, her elbows lightly pressing into his muscled chest. At first he wasn't sure what she was doing. He looked down at his little mate bemusedly; his expression was one of utter adoration, even easily seen in this non-human form. Their eyes met, and Raff felt his heart melting and seizing at once.

It had been a spur of the moment thing, telling Altira that he loved her. Not that it wasn't true, it absolutely was true, but humans were funny about love. He certainly didn't expect her to say it back; which is why it surprised him so much when she did.

He kept thinking that he couldn't be happier since finding her, but Altira seemed determined to make his heart explode from sheer joy at every turn. Raff's eyes softened, full of love and elation as he studied her pretty face. Did she really mean it? Humans felt love differently than wolves. There had been expectation that it might take time for his mate to admit to that level of commitment on her heart.

"You make me so happy." Raff had moved one of his hands from her back to softly cup her face, his head moved forward to he could press his forehead against hers, eyes closing blissfully as he absorbed the moment greedily.

[Zane]

She closed her own eyes, her cheek pressed warmly into his hand while Raff pressed his forehead against hers. It was oddly cathartic for her, being so intimate with someone. The Ladies and Gentlemen of the Court kept all public displays of affection to a minimum. With the exception of newly married couples, it was rare to see anyone getting so close.

One arm went up along his neck, the fur was thicker here, longer, she couldn't help herself as her fingers combed through it. Savoring the lavish feeling of the soft fur and warm skin beneath. "I can tell." She briefly pulled her hips together, stoking the glow of pleasure that was ever present where the two were joined.

[Zero]

Raff remained as he was, unwilling to move in the slightest. Not that either of them could move very much just then! He relished the closeness, the tender sweet moment. Everything in him hoped to Luna that there would be many, many such moments.

This was a whole new world for them both. Never had he felt the need or desire to have a sweet, loving relationship with a female. Everything had been superficial and about pleasure – seeking a release for his natural urges and drives. It wasn't that he hadn't been good to other women, he had always given as much pleasure as he received, but there had never been love or true affection. Maybe fondness.

Raff didn't know about Altira's noble upbringing, about how little affection she was used to. Perhaps there was a reason for the cool, distant behavior some humans clung to.

For werewolves it was much, much different.

Now that he had found his mate, Raff held no care about if public displays of affection were proper or not. Unlike noble husbands and wives, werewolf mates were extremely open about their love for one another. Displays of affection were not something to be kept behind closed doors, but viewed with amusement and pleasure by those around the happily mated couple.

Love was never a bad thing, so neither was expressing that love.

Of course then Altira was teasing him. Raff let out a low, rumbling growl as the pressure increased on his knot, stimulating him and stirring the want in him. He truly wished that he could make love to her again, but it just wasn't going to happen for at least a couple hours. Even if he couldn't make love to her yet...

"Keep that up and it will take even longer for us to untie, love." Raff chuckled, pulling his head back and looking at her with sparkling, amused eyes.

[Zane]

She moaned lightly, her mind now focusing on his member deep within her thus making the feeling of overfullness hard to ignore. It was like she had just gorged herself on a very large meal, stopping just shy of being ill, but much lower south. "Speaking off, Does this happen every? And how long does it normally last? The.. um.. swelling will go down after a while, yes?"

She adjusted herself again, trying to relieve some of the pressure before adding, "That's not to say it's unpleasant!I'm curious and all of this, it's quite a bit to take in.." Realizing what it was she said, a sly grin parted her lips, "And I mean that in all it's clever little implications."

[Zero]

Raff let out something between a laugh and a groan. Luna, but his mate really needed to stop squirming, it was maddening! His knot was never going to go down if she didn't. At least she was able to find amusement in the situation. He'd heard stories about human mates that took time to come around to the idea of being tied.

"If you stop moving so much, yes, the swelling will go down. Last night it took close to an hour before we came undone." He didn't want to go into great details about size of knots and how the larger the knot the longer it took. Raff's sister Nerissa had told him once that Cortland took even longer than an hour to finally be able to remove himself. Then again, Cortland was practically a behemoth brute.

Grey wolves, tch.

"In this form, or as a wolf, yeah, it'll happen every time. As a man, no, it will almost never happen, unless your womb is ripe. That's what it's for. The knot holds my seed in so it doesn't leak out, giving your body more time to process it. Between that and the sheer quantity, much more than a human, it significantly increases my chances of impregnating you." Raff couldn't stop himself from giving a happy hum at the very idea of putting his puppy in his mate's belly.

Altira was already gorgeous, his wolfhood actually twitched inside her thinking of her flat belly swollen so enticingly with his offspring.

[Zane]

"I see.." Despite Raff's own happiness, Altira was far more thoughtful. She'd heard stories of when her mom had been pregnant. Each time was complicated for its own reasons. She'd been told a multitude of times that her job was to produce heirs for her lord husband. It seemed was also the case if she were to stay with Raff. Now that the emotions of just a short while ago had been burned away in a flash of lust, she found herself wondering what would come next.

Even though she had- rather swiftly -resolved to stay with Raff, there were two rather blaring problems with that plan. For one, Altira was of Noble Blood, sister to the High Lady. There would be no doubt that once news of her not arriving at her formally betrothed's estate, people would come, actively seeking to find her to gain the favor of a noble family. Secondly, what about her family? She didn't know what they would think if she brought a werewolf in tow. Well, that was only half true, her father would definitely object.

Then, of course, there was also the problem of her "duty". She couldn't get pregnant now! She was only nineteen! It would be different if she were wed to a lord. An army of servants to wait on her every want and need, a wet nurse to care of the child while she recovered from giving birth. More servants to care for the child if she didn't feel well. As far as she could tell, it was just Raff and his mom out here.

Worst yet, she was completely unable to see and appreciate the irony of allowing her mind to fret of becoming pregnant while they were quite literally joined at the sex while the viscous mixture of their pleasure was processed within her.

[Zero]

I see.

What Raff wouldn't give to be privy to his mate's thoughts just then!

His happy enthusiasm died away swiftly at the less than thrilled reception of that information. What had he done wrong? A small well of panic rose in him. Altira wasn't happy. Why wasn't she happy? Was it the idea of having his pups? How could that be unhappy? Raff was raised in an entirely different atmosphere and culture than her, of course. Pups were always reason to be happy.

Humans were different.

What if Altira never wanted to have his babies? Raff couldn't even comprehend the lack of desire to have children with one's mate. Humans were different, but they had babies all the time. Indeed, humans seemed to breed like rabbits. At least to him. Not that a werewolf wouldn't gladly have as many pups as they possibly could, but there weren't even a fraction as many werewolves as there were humans, between being hunted and generally small numbers of werewolf children born...

He had to say something. Surely his mate would want his pups.

"Is something wrong?" It was probably comically for a werewolf to sound timid, and his expression was no longer happy, more crestfallen. "Is it about me wanting to impregnate you? I can't help it. I will always want to do that. I love you, and I want to give all that love to our children too. You're not going to get pregnant now. It is the wrong time; you're not in a fertile state right now. If you did get pregnant you know I would take care of you and our baby, right? I'm not like a human male that would abandon you or expect you to do all the child-rearing."

Raff was rambling, and he forced himself to stop with a low whine. Blue eyes were studying her face anxiously, obviously seeking and needing some kind of reassurance.

[Zane]

She felt horrible watching his happiness bleed away into worry. Worse still knowing she caused it. Damn it! Why could she not cut off her stream of thoughts? "It's nothing, Raff. I'm just being pensive. I don't know about werewolves, but humans have a bad habit of worrying about things without reason." She reached a hand up to rub the side of his head, showing that she was trying to be sincere. Of course he would help, wolves were pack animals after all. But eventual pregnancy was just one side of the die, there was still the fact that people would eventually be coming to look for her. When they did, what would happen? She didn't think Raff would just let them take her, nor did she think those who sought her out would be too keen on letting a werewolf come with them! What would ha-

She forced herself to stop following that train of thought. It had been less than a day since her caravan was set upon, and other three days before they would be expected to arrive. Further, it would take a runner a little less than a week to get work of the missed arrival. Even longer to organize a search. She could take some time to get more used to her surroundings. More used to the events of the past day.

Her other hand rose to entangle itself in the fur at the base of his neck while she laid the side of her head against his chest, listening to his heart, the steady cycle of his breathing. Both of these were powerful. If she wasn't so awake, she might've fallen back asleep. That wasn't to say she wasn't worn out, the frenzy of sensation had left her quite drained for energy, but she wasn't tired. She had no desire for sleep.

[Zero]

Raff didn't like worrying about things he couldn't do anything about, he'd never been a dweller. Still, it pained him to know that his mate was unhappy and ill-content. He couldn't help but wonder what it was she was worried about. Maybe there was something that he could do to put her at ease? What if there wasn't anything he could do? Just the thought of being helpless to help his mate unsettled him.

Thankfully Altira began to soothe him simply by resting her head on his chest and tangling her hand in the fur of his neck. His large paws stroked her back gently, loving the feel of her under his furred hands and the light weight of her resting against his body.

Altira might not have had any desire to sleep, but unlike her, Raff had not spent the night blissfully asleep and his brief napping had not left him feeling duly rested. So she would find that the large beast beneath her easily returned to a dozing slumber as he held her lovingly in his arms.

At least until their bodies finally became untied. The knot finally shrank to the point that it was able to slip out of her, unleashing a torrent of no longer trapped seed with it. Blue eyes snapped open at the loss of the sensation and warmth of his mate's body surrounding his wolfhood. Given that he was beneath Altira more of the mess dribbled onto him than her. He didn't seem too bothered by the substance itself.

Raff let out a low groan before his body shifted and shrank back into that of a man. His voice was a little gruff with sleep, but his tone was fairly pleased and playful. "I seem to have made a mess."

[Zane]

Altira sat, a haughty expression across her face, "The common Riff-Raff are always making a mess." She couldn't keep up the act for long, as the cool air reminded her of the late autumn season. With a shiver, she grabbed a blanket from the ground- which had quite the pile -and draped it over them as she laid back down. This time settling into his side, which she had to admit was quite comfortable. It almost made up for the vacancy she felt at the removal of something she has just adjusted to.

Part of her itched with the desire to find out as much as she could, she told that part to shut up, she was enjoying herself. She didn't want to talk, she didn't want to think, she was content as she was. Nestled into his side, forehead pressed to the muscles of his chest.

[Zero]

"Yeah, well I am going to really enjoy making this particular kind of mess with you as often as I can get away with." Raff countered as his mate grabbed a blanket from the floor to cover them with. As a werewolf his body generated a lot of heat, so he often didn't even notice the cold, but felt a slight kick in the gut as he realized he'd let his mate get cold. It made him slightly angry at himself. As her mate he should be taking care of her better than that!

Raff let Altira get settled against his side before grabbing another blanket and tucking that one around her as well. He adjusted himself slightly until he could comfortably rest with his head nuzzled against his mate's hair, inhaling deeply to let her scent swamp his brain with soothing chemicals.

"My beautiful Altira," He murmured softly, "Are you comfortable? Do you need anything? Food? Drink?"

[Zane]

"I'm fine, Raff. I want for nothing at this moment." She didn't move from her comfy spot, her body flush against his, arms folded against her chest between them. Perhaps the second blanket was a bit much as Raff did produce quite a bit of heat, but she wasn't complaining. For the most part, she wanted nothing but to lie there with him, like a pile of dirty laundry that someone has been meaning to clean for the large part of a long while. Like she didn't have to deal with the pressing issues at the back of her head as long as she could lay there and be content. She wouldn't have to face the question tickling the back of her throat, 'What happens next?'.

What would happen in an hour from now? Would they be having sex again? Not that she would mind, the scare tactics the priests used to scare women into maintaining their virginity had twice been proven wrong. What would happen in a day? What would she learn of this life being laid out before her, or would it just be more sex? What about a week from now? Eventually a search party would go out for her, and if they found Raff and his mother... there mere thought sent bile to the back of her throat. She didn't want to think.

Thinking would eventually lead her to recall the events of last night. Those who had traveled with her were dead because they were brave enough to guard a noblewoman into a strange land. That particular thought hung like a stone around her neck.

Altira nuzzled herself closer to him. She just wanted to lay there and be content. Damn the world around her, let her have this.

[Zero]

Not that his mate could see it, but a content and sleepy smile curved Raff's lips before he gave a soft kiss to the top of her head. What more could a werewolf want out of life? His beautiful mate was curled up against him, both their bodies temporarily sated, and while not perfectly happy, his mate seemed content. Greater happiness would come with time - Altira still had a great deal to adjust to now that she was a werewolf's mate and not a lord's wife, as she'd expected to be.

Raff frowned softly, recalling that the beautiful woman beside him was supposed to be with another man according to her human life plans. She'd seemed relieved to no longer have to go to him, though. And she had professed that she loved Raff, although he felt insecure in that. Humans didn't love quite like werewolves did, and he knew enough that humans could be strange about falling in love. It had all happened so quickly, could his human mate really love him already? Luna he hoped so. He wanted nothing in the world than for Altira to love him.

Not even pups! And he really wanted those.

Putting heavy thoughts from his mind for later, Raff gave a content sigh and closed his eyes. He could have fallen asleep, but instead allowed his mind to simply wander over thoughts of the future. His mate would need a proper den - house - of her own. They could not stay with his mother forever. Altira deserved a home that was hers. Maybe that was one reason his mate had seemed less than enthusiastic earlier when he'd mentioned getting her pregnant - Raff hadn't even provided her a proper den to raise pups in, how could he foolishly expect her to be excited for them?

"You should talk to mother later. I know it has been a bit of a wild day for us, but she can help you begin planning our den. Mother designed this one. Do you like it? I hope you'll love ours even more when it is finished." Raff was speaking quietly, and perhaps rambling just a little in a sleepy voice.

Both his arms were loosely around the beautiful woman sharing his bed, fingers lightly stroking over her flesh. The touches weren't at all sexually charged as before, but loving and affectionate. he just liked touching her. Wolves were social creatures - touch and smell were very important to him. Both strengthened bonds and connections.

[Zane]

She wasn't really listening to him, her finger silently traced over the bandage on her shoulder. She was snuggling against the creature that caused this. But she didn't feel any animosity because of it. She slowly traced over the the parts of the bandage where the various puncture wounds were wrapped underneath. She was amazed at how much it didn't hurt. She could tell by when she examined it while bathing that it was going to be an impressive scar. Eyes glancing up at Raff, she suddenly had an idea.

Unnesting herself from his side, she crawled back over him. Resting on his chest she stared into his eyes, and without saying a word, she reached leaned up an sunk her teeth into his left shoulder. At the thick of the skin where the shoulder started to meet the neck. Altira clamped down hard, hard enough to taste the warm metallic flavor of blood. Her jaw then relaxed while her tongue ran along the bite mark, ebbing the light flow of the crimson liquid.

She may have just crossed a boundary, definitely would have if he had been human, but as Raff was a werewolf, for some reason, it felt right. She licked the bite mark again before leaning back and looking at him. Her purple eyes daring him to find fault with what she had just done. Her own bite mark tingled and the small hairs on the back of her neck stood erect.

[Zero]

Almost asleep, his mate's movements brought forth a soft grumble from Raff as he opened his eyes to watch her curiously. A soft smile curved his lips as Altira settled herself on his chest. Any irritation at her moving and disturbing his comfort vanished as he looked into her purple eyes. His mate had such gorgeous eyes. All of her was gorgeous.

Raff had thought she was just changing positions, so was taken completely by surprise when suddenly his mate was no longer staring into his eyes, but had her teeth sunk into the flesh of his shoulder and neck. He gave a soft yelp, but it quickly turned into a low rumbling growl.

He was completely taken aback. When a werewolf mated to a human it usually took a while for the bond to be completed. Humans usually got squeamish about what it took to bring the bond full circle. It had taken weeks for his father to convince his mother to return his mating bite. Raff had heard stories of wolves that had taken much longer than that - months to get their human mates to bite them.

Altira hadn't even been told to bite him. As far as he knew he'd mentioned nothing about her marking him as he had marked her. It pleased him that his mate had instinctively known what he needed and hadn't hesitated to give it to him.

Raff looked up at her, blue eyes sparkling as the blood stopped flowing. The bite was already healing, but unlike other wounds, it would scar. He gave a low chuckle, hands moving to Altira's hips and stroking her gently. His pleasure with her was more than obvious, Raff was definitely not unhappy with what she'd done. "You'll have to do that again once I've turned you, then you can really sink your teeth in, love."

[Zane]

"What did you just say?" Her voice was quiet, scarcely did she even breath. This morning had been a torrent of conflicting emotions but this revelation- after previously being told that she hadn't been turned -it sunk into her gut like a dagger. Perhaps she was overreacting, surely there was nothing wrong with being a werewolf. After all, Raff and his mother seemed well put together. And, sure, maybe he was a little strange in the fact that he delighted in being bitten, but there were worse outcomes. And, sure, there were people who hunted werewolves, but the largest organized group was the Order of the Moon, and they were leagues away. And, sure, they regularly sent out hunting parties for the sole purpose of killing werewolves and vampires... parties that... her older brothers were typically on...

This revelation twisted the aforementioned dagger.

She would never be able to return home. She would never again get to see her sisters. Or her brothers. Or get to meet the niece or nephew that Amaya was about to bring into the world. It was too much.

She was across the room and pulling the door free before she even knew her feet had hit the floor, how had she gotten out of Raff's gentle and loving grasp? She couldn't answer that. Despite her nakedness, she fleet-footed her way to the only place she knew of with a lock. The bathroom door slammed shut, and a heavy bolt slid into place. Sitting on the ground with the door against her back, Altira hugged her knees to her chest, shaking with a silent sob that hadn't quite crested into the realm of audible noise.

[Zero]

Funny how such quietly spoken words could shattered Raff's contentment. He hadn't thought about what he'd said before he said it. Of course his mate had seemed a bit concerned when she'd asked what it would be like to turn into a werewolf earlier. Who could blame her? Her relief at being told she wasn't turning should have warned him to keep his big mouth shut. It was a huge commitment, changing her very species for a man she had only just met - far too big of a commitment considering the other commitment to him she'd agreed to at least attempt to make.

His chest tightened as he frantically fumbled for something reassuring to say, but Raff didn't get a chance to try to comfort her after his stupid comment. Altira was out of his arms and running naked through the house before he could so much as open his mouth to apologize or explain.

"Altira!" He jumped out of bed and followed her rather helplessly as she found the bathroom and locked herself inside. Raff stood naked outside the door, heart quaking as he felt her churning emotions. Sobs weren't needed to be heard, he could feel her tears. "Sweetheart, I'm sorry. I didn't think. Please let me in."