Wolf Moon (private rp)

"I have complete faith in him and his recovery." Melody replied quietly as relief flooded her. She felt deep down that there was no reason to worry. Valshar wouldn't allow himself to die on her lap like this despite how badly wounded he was. "If he as stubborn as you say then I really am worrying myself to death aren't I?"

No matter how hard she tried she couldn't sound as cheerful as she wanted to be. It had been a long night, spent worrying about him and feeling on edge. Now that it was all over Melody felt nothing but completely exhausted. Naya gave her a gentle smile, giving Valshar's wounds a quick glance over before moving away from them. Melody stared at her for a moment.

"I thank you, for everything. I'm sorry about not knowing much....the circumstances haven't given me much time to learn everything and I appreciate you offering to teach me."

Naya smiled warmly and handed Melody a cup of tea, “Here, this will help. I imagine your nerves are more than a little frayed after all this.”

Melody accepted the cup gratefully and took a sip. It had a strange spiciness to it, but the taste was pleasant and its warmth was soothing. “Thank you.”

“You’re quite welcome.” She frowned at Valshar. “I hate to do this, but I need to wake him up and get some medicine in him. If you need to get up for anything, now will be a good time, since he’s going to be awake anyways.”

Melody nodded, “I’m alright for now.”

Naya knelt down beside Valshar and gently tugged on one ear, “Valshar, wake up. I know you don’t want to, but you need to drink this. Come on.”

He stirred slightly but didn’t wake, and she tried again. After a few tries he finally opened his eyes, with a groan.

“Here, drink this.” She said as she held a bowl under his nose.

He grimaced. “Smell’s awful.”

“Tastes worse, wouldn’t work if it didn’t, now drink it.”

He shifted with a whimper and buried his nose against Melody. “Don’t want it.” He muttered, voice muffled by Melody’s skirts.

“Valshar, you need it to get better.” Melody tried, tenderly caressing his cheek.

He half shook his head and closed his eyes.

Melody looked over at Naya who smirked. “Valshar Nas’Falwyn you will drink this even if I have to sit on you and pour it down your throat.”

His ears twitched, and he slowly raised his head. “Is that my healer speaking or my grandmother?”

“Both, so you’re out numbered. Now do as you’re told.” She grinned, “Just remember, the longer you take to heal the more time I have to tell her all your secrets.”

“Hnngh, what?”

“We’ve been passing the time with me telling her all about you. All your heroic exploits, the sordid details of your many affairs…”

“Naya!” He growled, “Enough.”

“Drink it then.”

He sighed and lowered his head, lapping at the dark liquid, grimacing at the bitter taste the whole time. When the bowl was finally empty he glanced up and growled at Naya again.

“Shouldn’t be telling lies. Know damn well there haven’t been any affairs.”

She leaned over and kissed the top of his head, “My grandson shouldn’t be so stubborn, and I wouldn’t need to work so hard to get his attention. “

He muttered something else unintelligible as he snuggled his head closer to Melody as the medicine started to take effect.

She glanced over at Melody with a smile, “He’ll sleep through the night with that, or should. It’ll help combat any infection as well as keeping the worst edge off his pain.”

Melody nodded in thanks, sipping down the last of her tea with a smile. "Affairs?" She asked curiously. Valshar's firm words had her curiosity peaking greatly, as he had never spoken to her much about Alora or any other woman during the time that they spent together.

Naya let out a laugh. "If anything he used to be quite the shy boy when courting his dear Alora. Only kept his eyes on her. A lot of shewolves were disappointed to know that he wouldn't be sharing himself with them."

"Seeing him now, I never would have thought that. He is so bold with things..." Melody replied, running her fingers through the fur near his ears.

"Naya, I wouldn't have to worry about fending off anyone else from him would I?" She asked, chuckling to herself.

Naya laughed, “No, my dear. From what I know of my grandson and how I’ve seen him behaving around you, that is one thing you will never have to worry about. There may be a few disappointed or heartbroken she-wolves, but they’ll get over it.”

She settled down on Valshar’s other side, gently checking on some of his injuries, “Unlike most of his peers, even as a young wolf, Valshar was never inclined to casual dalliances. He doesn’t give his heart, or himself, lightly and made it very clear early on that he would wait until he found his life-mate.”

Melody gently rubbed one of his ears, smiling as she noticed that even in his sleep he leaned into her touch.

“Did you know her?”

Naya looked up at her, “You mean Alora? Yes, I knew her.”

“How did they meet?”

The old wolf smiled, “She saved his life. He had gone exploring, as young males often do, well beyond our borders. He got caught by hunters and was badly wounded, and though he finally managed to escape the hunters, he didn’t think he could make it back home. So he did the next best thing and found a place to shelter. Alora found him, near death from his wounds, and nursed him back to health. When he finally returned to the pack, it was with the announcement that he’d found his life-mate.”

She reached over and placed a hand on Melody’s arm. “You probably don’t realize this, but you saved his life as well.”

Melody blinked, “I did? How?”

“Valshar is one of those rare males who truly takes ‘mates for life’ seriously. When he does risk giving his heart to someone, he gives it completely and entirely. Losing Alora nearly destroyed him. As it was he went completely mad, insane with rage and grief when he killed his brother and part of the council responsible for Alora’s death.” She sighed sadly, remembering. “When Valshar disappeared afterwards, it was generally assumed he’d gone off to die alone of a broken heart as his mother had when his father was slain in the war.”

“If he hadn’t found you, I fear Valshar likely would have eventually succumbed, though he endured many years of being alone, I think it was starting to wear heavily on his heart and mind. He also in part blamed himself for her death which made it even worse for him. You’ve given him that reason he needed to keep going, a renewed sense of purpose and desire to live.”

Melody considered for a moment, "How...how long was he alone?"

The old shewolf thought, and finally said "Seventy-five years as I recall."

Valshar stirred in his sleep, muscles twitching and he whimpered. Melody ran her fingers along his furry cheek and lightly scratched around his ear and he sighed deeply and drifted further into sleep.

Naya smiled, “You could probably use some sleep yourself, and it has been a stressful time for you. Go ahead and get some rest. I’ll be keeping watch and I am pretty sure he’s over the worst of it anyways.”

"Laying down for sleep sounds like a good idea." Melody agreed whole-heartedly, slowly easing Valshar's head off of her lap and onto a small pillow. She could hear him let out a low growl and couldn't help but laugh lightly. Nayan moved to help her stand and led her to one of the nearby make-shift beds.

"What will happen to the North Pack now that Morlach is gone, Naya?"

The older wolf eased Melody down, helping her with her go before going to add a few more logs to the fire pit. After that was done she turned to look over the stitching on Valshar's shoulder. "Because of the sheer size of the pack, and the distance between territories, a new Alpha from our pack might be used, as I'm guessing that Valshar wouldn't want you to travel up there to live in such harsh conditions."

Melody shook her head. She had heard stories in the city from traveling merchants who had done their best to avoid heading north, taking the eastern roads completely around it. The extra week worth of traveling had been well worth it, they had said. "I would agree with that. Those conditions aren't really ideal for a human, let alone for a growing family." She added with a stifled yawn.

Valshar stirred as the sounds of morning drifted into the lair from outside. He growled through clenched jaws as he tried to move.

Naya heard him and quickly stepped over to him, “So you’re still alive?” She gently pushed him back down on the blanket, ignoring his growls.

“I’d better be. Hurt too damn bad to be dead.” He finally muttered.

“Good, you can start the day off with more medicine.”

He rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out. “You sure you’re a healer?”

She laughed and held the bowl for him as he drank between grumbled complaints. “Lucky for you, yes, I am.”

He sighed, “I have to get up. There are things I need to see to.”

“Kynar can handle watching our northern guests for a while longer, just relax.”

Melody sat up and yawned, hearing the voices. She smiled when she saw Valshar was awake and walked over to kneel down beside him.

“I’m just so glad you are alright, you need to listen to Naya and heal though. Stop being so stubborn.”

He chuckled, which led to a coughing fit. He whined and muttered a curse as he looked over at Naya. “So how are things with the northern wolves?”

“They’ve actually been rather calm and cooperative. That big red one seems to be… I don’t want to say taking charge, but the others appear to defer to him and he’s been quite civil from what Kynar’s told me.”

Valshar nuzzled Melody as she ran her hands through the fur around his neck, eyes half closing in pleasure.

“Zyran I think his name was, Morlach’s son, or one of them at least. Something odd about him, and I need to talk to them, but I suppose that can wait.” He tilted his head up at Melody with a wolfy grin. “I have other more important matters to attend to.”

“Oh?” Naya asked with a knowing smile, “What would that be?”

Valshar closed his eyes the rest of the way, absorbed in relishing the feel of Melody’s gentle touch. Finally he said, “We have a wedding to get planned and done. Someone send word to Sani.”

"I'll send someone immediately." Naya chuckled, bowing her head and turning to leave the lair. Melody blushed as Valshar put more weight onto her.

"Valshar, I had thought you wanted to wait until you were healed." She said while running her hands over her ears gently. He let out a low huff at the statement. Quite the opposite. I want to get the human ritual out of the way as soon as possible."

She couldn't hold back the giggles and wrapped her arms around the fur of his neck as best as she could, careful of the wounds on his shoulder. "Words can't describe how excited I am right now."

Valshar growled against the pain as he stubbornly forced himself to his feet. Naya scolded him but then just shook her head, knowing it was pointless to try stopping him.

He succeeded in not falling over, as long as he remembered not to put any weight on his still injured hind leg.

“See, told you. You worry too much.” He grinned at her, she politely ignored the pain she still saw in his eyes.

“Just don’t overdo it dear, or you’ll be in no shape for a wedding.”

***

Sani arrived that evening, and looked him over when she saw him.

“You look awful.” She teased him with a grin.

“Yeah, feel it too. But I’ve been in good hands, mostly, when Naya isn’t forcing some awful concoction down my throat.”

Sani chuckled, and hugged him and then Melody who stood beside him.

“I just need a few questions answered and then I can see to the final arrangements for the wedding. Melody who did you want invited? I know you have your brother, if you want him to attend, any other family that might not object to you marrying a wolf? Since Valshar’s still recovering, I was thinking we could hold the wedding here, I have a priest who’s not averse to doing it and is willing to travel.”

Valshar looked over at Melody, "It's all up to her, whatever she wants."

Melody thought for a moment, holding back the sigh she wished she could let out. "My brother is the only one I know who I want to come, but I don't think he would approve of the wedding." She said a little down-heartedly. "But Yes I would love to have the wedding here, just like this, even. I don't want anything fancy, really."

Sani scoffed. "I was hoping you would want Valshar in a suit."

"Sorry to dash your hopes. Maybe if byou were to hold us a party at your manor afterwards then I could see what can be done about that." She replied with a smile, seeing Valshar's look of disapproval.

"But other than that, I don't know what else should be done for a wedding. Once the ceremony is over I think Valshar should retire back to the lair to finish his healing."

Sani smiled, “Well then, we’ll plan it for tomorrow evening then.” She took Melody by the arm, glanced over at Valshar with a smile, “You don’t mind if I borrow your lovely lady for a while do you?”

Valshar tilted his head, “If it’s important.”

“Oh it is.”

He sighed, “I suppose I shall have to suffer along without her for a bit then.”

Sani rolled her eyes and nodded, “Yes, yes you will.” She led Melody off towards her carriage.

Valshar turned and caught Kynar’s eye and the beta moved over beside him. “Yes?”

Valshar took a couple limping steps toward the lair, “I need you to do me a favor.”

Kynar laughed, “A bit late for me to bail you out of this, don’t you think?”

He chuckled, “Lucky for you I don’t want out of it. I need you to go retrieve something.”

The old wolf nodded, “What do you need?”

“In my cabin, against the wall in the bedchamber, there is a leather valise. Bring it back, but keep it out of sight until tomorrow. It’s got my nicer clothing in it.”

Kynar frowned, “You sure you’re going to be able to shift and manage to make it through the whole thing before you fall over?”

Valshar straightened himself up, “I’ll manage, for her. I want this to be as nice as possible for her. She’s already consented to having it here so I don’t have to travel or be around too many humans. The least I can do for her is be presentable.”

***

Sani grinned as she stopped by the carriage and one of her servants pulled several suitcases down.

“I took the liberty of bringing you a few things, since I was sure you’d enjoy a change of clothing by now. Also, there’s a new gown in there for your wedding but don’t let Valshar see it until tomorrow.”

“Also,” She hugged the girl, “Don’t worry about your brother, I’ll handle him and he’ll be here. I’ll see to everything else, and we’ll be back tomorrow for the celebration.”

Upon hearing those words, Melody could feel tears start to well up in her eyes. The biting words and disappointment in her brothers eyes the last time she had seen him still hurt more than sh wanted it to. "He doesn't approve of the marriage. Even if he comes he will be grumpy. He and Valshar don't exactly get along..."

"You leave him to me." Sani replied with a bit of mirth in her eyes. She gave Melody another tight hug. "Really now, tomorrow is your wedding! You should be smiling and blushing for your dear husband-to-be. Both of you deserve this!"

Melody turned to glance at Valshar, seeing him whisper with Kynar, who replied with a nod, and then they both burst out with wolfish grins.

She focused her attention back to Sani and nodded. "Tomorrow will be a day I never forget. Thank you, Sani....you don't know how much this means to me, to us."

"No, Melody." Sani replied as she made her way into the carriage. There was a lot of work that had to be done and the sooner she got started the sooner she could finish. "I should be thanking you."

***

It was almost midnight as Mathias went through the piles of paperwork that had been stacked around his study. He had been in business meeting back to back for a few days now, and was working on barely a few hours of sleep. When one of the servants knocked on the door, he set down his pen and let out a long tired sigh.

"Lord Alexander is here to see you with Lady Sani."

He leaned back in his chair to stretch out. "Let them in. And bring some tea."

After a few hushed whispers, the door swung open and a glum-looking Alexander strolled in, followed by Sani. Mathias didn't bother hiding the mess of his desk and stood up. "Good evening, you two. I didn't expect for you to be up this late." He told them, trying to hide the sound of exhaustion in his voice.

"I was just about to send a servant to you about some new foals that were born yesterday."

Sani waved Mathias to silence, and Alexander leaned against the wall, looking dangerously bored.

“I’m pleased to hear of the new foals, but have more important matters to discuss with you.”

***

Valshar grumbled under his breath as Naya’s nimble fingers felt along the injuries on his leg. She frowned slightly, and spread some ointment over the healing skin.

“You’re very lucky. It’s healing well, as long as you behave yourself.”

“Do you think I’ll be able to shift soon without tearing anything open again?”

She tilted her head, “I suppose there’s no changing your mind about shifting at all is there?”

He closed his eyes for a moment as the ointment began to work and the pain eased in his leg. “You know I can’t. I want things done as right as possible for Melody.”

She gave him an amused smile, “Alright. Well, I think if you do it carefully, you should be able to shift but you’re still going to be sore.”

Valshar nodded, “That I can deal with.”

“Where is Melody anyway?”

He chuckled, “Miram took her out gathering. I suppose she thought Melody needed an abundance of herbs and flowers.”

Melody let out a loud sneeze, startling one of the other shewolves and making Miriam chuckle as she continued to dig up a few herbs that they had found.

They were in a small clearing with a few other shes, and a lone male wolf stayed near the edge of the forest, laying there. If it hadn't been for the few occasional twitches of his ear, she would have thought he had fallen asleep. One of the shes had also brought her youngest pups and one was battling a dandilion, loudly barking at it nearby and it made Melody smile.

Every bit of nervousness that she had been feeling earlier that morning was gone as she and the other gathered flowers and other things that would be needed, joking about things here and there and filling the small clearing with laughter. It was a feeling she couldn't wait to experience more often.

"Hopefully with those herbs, Valshar won't be keeling over as he stands at the alter." She joked, knowing that despite the happy day, it was possible that he could overdo it and suddenly bleed out everywhere. It wasn't something she looked forward to.

One of the shewolves nearby let out a laugh. "Knowing that stubborn old wolf, Naya's teasing will carry him through the ceremony."

"Aye." The other she agreed. "She would never let him hear the end of it if he fainted during the big day!"

Melody giggled lightly. "Him faint? That is something that I do and don't wish to see!"

The day dawned clear and mild with just a hint of chill in the wind when it blew. Word of the Alpha's impending wedding had been spreading throughout the pack and was frequently the topic of conversation.

Valshar slowly rose, grumbling about the pain in his injured leg. He had allowed his duties to go undone for far too long and, as much as he still hurt, there were things that had to be seen to. There was still the matter of the northern wolves to consider. He left the lair and slowly made his way to the area where the northern wolves were being held. Kynar met him along the way and greeted him.

“Good morning, Valshar." He regarded the Alpha with a grin. "You still look pretty rough."
Valshar gave him a sidelong glance and smirked, “Yeah, I don't feel much better than I look, but things have to get done. How have things been with the northern wolves?"

Kynar gave him a nod." They've been rather civil actually. That big red one has been keeping them mostly in line.”

Valshar considered this and nodded. “You think we can use that to our advantage? There's no way we can manage both packs with just one Alpha. They're too far spread apart."

Kynar nodded in agreement. “It would be really helpful if you can convince one of them to take over, as long as they're willing to cooperate with us and not cause any more trouble."

They walked the rest of the way in silence. Valshar was moving far more slowly than he wanted to be, but with his injured leg he had to move carefully. As they approached the area where the northern wolves were being held Valshar studied the large red one, trying to remember the name.

The big red wolf rose as Valshar approached and he lowered his head and a bow.

“Greetings my Lord Alpha." His voice was calm and his face showed little expression. “I am pleased to see the injuries are healing well."

Valshar nodded, regarding him closely, “You were Morlach’s son, were you not?"

The red Wolf nodded without any hint of expression on his face. “Yes, my Lord Alpha, although I can assure you that means little beyond the unfortunate statement of who sired me. I'm quite pleased that my father is dead now and will gladly swear my loyalty to you as my new Alpha, as will the rest of the pack I am sure."

The Alpha considered for a moment. “As you're well aware, the pack territories are quite far apart. That will make it difficult to manage the entirety of both packs, especially considering that my first duty is to this pack. Do you have any suggestions as to who could serve as Alpha to the IceClaw pack that would be trustworthy in regards to relationships with this pack?"

He bowed his head, “By the by, I am Zyran, if it pleases my lord Alpha.”

Valshar wrinkled his nose briefly, “Please, just Alpha is fine. You were the one who delivered the challenge message, right?”

“I was, my Alpha. As to your other question, if you should do me the honor of allowing me that position, I would do my best to prove myself worthy of it. I know the pack and territory well, having served as Morlach’s beta.”

Valshar nodded, “I am curious, if you’ll permit me the question. Why do you harbor such hatred for your father?”

Zyran’s facial muscles twitched only slightly but he kept his face expressionless. “I have many reasons, my Alpha. He killed my mother in front of me, forced me to watch as he killed my own mate and the unborn cubs she carried, and he killed two of my brothers.” He nodded to the other red wolf who stood off to one side, staring blankly into the distance. “There were four of us, only we two remain, and him only barely.”

Valshar winced; he’d suffered losing a mate, and could only imagine the rest of what Zyran had gone through. “I am sorry.”

Zyran shrugged, his voice staying remarkably steady, although a bit lower than usual, “Your question was not unexpected, nor unreasonable. I only beg that you do not require details.”

Valshar shook his head, “No… no, that won’t be necessary. Would you object to me sending a couple wolves north with you to act as liaisons between the packs?”

Zyran shook his head, “I have no objection, and in fact that would be helpful I think, as it would provide someone capable of answering questions about your pack.”

Valshar nodded, “Also, as I’m sure Morlach had found out, my pack is rather under strength at the moment. If there are any wolves among your pack that would care for a change of scenery they would be welcome, as long as they’re able to settle in and follow our rules.”

Zyran nodded, “I have no doubt that there would be many who would find such an arrangement amenable.”

Valshar nodded, “Very well then, I see no reason to keep holding you and your group. You’re free to go, as you please.”

Zyran bowed, “Would it be permitted for us to stay until this evening?” He smiled slightly for the first time, “We have heard mention of your wedding. I would consider it an honor if we would be allowed to attend, to show solidarity between the packs, as well as to simply offer our best wishes.”

He smiled, “You’re welcome to stay.”

***

Naya was on hand, keeping an eye on Valshar as he paced the lair’s floor.

“Don’t overdo it; you’re going to wear yourself out before you even get started. If you’re going to insist on shifting for the wedding, you best get to it so I can fix anything that needs it.”

He chuckled and shifted, doing so as slowly as possible to reduce the strain on his injuries. She nodded approvingly and her keen eyes began evaluating him.

“Alright, off with the clothes. You want to change anyway, and I need to rebind that side wound and check your leg.”

He obliged and undressed, wincing at the movements required of his leg. She glanced at him and he simply set his jaws firmly and nodded. She redid the bandaging of the worst injury along his side, and then his leg, and stepped back.

“Alright, that’s as good as I can do. I’ll give you some tea to help with the pain, one that won’t make you sleepy.” She laughed, “Wouldn’t do to have you falling asleep in the middle of it.”

“Yeah, I’d never hear the end of it.” He muttered.

He opened the valise he had Kynar retrieve for him and pulled out a pair of black leather breeches, which he pulled on. They were well cut but fit loosely enough to be comfortable with his injured leg. A formal tunic in a rich shade of emerald green was next, followed by a black vest with silver embroidered trim. Black and silver belt with a simple dagger hanging from it came after that. Sitting down carefully, in an attempt not to put too much pressure on his side, he saw to polishing the leather of his boots before pulling them on. He gave himself a once over in the small mirror, and then ran his fingers through his shaggy mane of hair. With a quick, remarkably smooth motion, he pulled it back and tied it into a ponytail with a simple black piece of ribbon.

He stood and turned, presenting himself to his grandmother with a smile, “Well, what do you think?”

She smiled and walked over to hug him, “You look fantastic. But then, you always have, my dear boy. I’m sure she’ll approve.”

His smile grew, “Thank you, for everything.” He drank the cup of tea she offered him and then took a deep breath, “Well, I suppose it’s nearly time. Shall we go?”

"Hold still, would you?" Miriam huffed for the upteenth time, lightly smacking Melody's fidgeting hands when they had wrung themselves into some of the skirts. "You will put creases into those! I can't tighten this if you don't. Hold. Still." She repeated in a more firm tone, smacking her hands again.

"I can't help it, I'm nervous!" Came the shaky reply, followed by a squeal when one of the lacings was tightened a little too tightly.

Sani had arrived early that morning, practically shoving the smaller brunette into the temporary lair with Edward carrying a large and heavy looking box. Melody swore she could have seen Alexander dragging someone else out of the carriage but hadn't gotten a glimpse before being completely stripped down, washed, and put into the dress. It almost felt like it was made completely from chiffon and Sani was starting to add a few flower decorations to the hems as Mariam worked on altering the top to fit better. It was strapless, leaving her back almost completely bare if her curled hair hadn't covered most of it; her gowns skirts stopped just above her ankles and were layered for a slight ruffle effect.

When she had first seen it she had almost swooned, as she had never had anything nicer than an evening gown she wore to parties.

Another slap returned her focus back on trying to keep her hands still. Sani was pulling her hair to loosely braid the soft curls back, and was chuckling the whole time.

Another agonizingly slow hour lair, she felt as if her chest would burst in both anxiety and happiness when a ring of flowers was wrapped our her forehead gently. Both Miriam and Sani took a step back, giving nods of approval, before Sani called out for Alexander to bring someone in. Not even a second later did she hear a pair of footsteps and a gasp, and she turned to see Alexander smiling as he held Mathias in place by his collar.

"M-Melody?" Her brother stuttered before being cut off by a rough shake of his jacket and being pushed forward into the small area. Relief swam through her and she all but launched herself into a hug. "I thought you wouldn't come to see me."

"Even better!" Alexander chimed in. "He will be walking you down the aisle."

"Is that true?" She asked excitedly, ignoring the hesitant look that Mathias had given before nodding and returning her hug.

"Yes, it's true. I would be more than happy to see you off properly." Mathias managed to get out with a smile.

"Lets get going. Everyone is waiting for you."

***

"Stop fidgeting. you're making me nervous." Kynar all but growled silently as he stood next to Valshar who kept picking at the edge of a sleeve. Occasionally he would glance around the area, smiling at the many happy murmurs echoing through the crowd and even waving lightly when he spotted Zyran and his company. "I haven't seen this much excitement in the pack since the last litters were born. You had better not pass out on me."

The whole pack had been gathered at the base of The Rock, many eager to witness the event and welcome their Alpha's chosen mate. Few had chosen to shift into their human forms, chatting away with their neighbors about the event.

Valshar also glanced over the crowd, feeling a bit uneasy as a small twinge of pain rain up his leg. He ignored it fully before turning back to face the minister.

He hadn't gotten a chance to respond with his witty remark when he heard the suddenly loud and chatty crowd. He could practically feel the excitement flowing off of his friend. Valshar turned a little too quickly but didn't regret it the moment he met with Melody's eyes.

It was almost as if everything was going into slow motion as Mathias led her through the parting crowd. She had looked so stunning and couldn't take his eyes off of her. It wasn't until her brother handed her off somewhat reluctantly and she was standing in front of him that he actually remembered to breath. This was happening now, in front of everyone.

They both stared at each other quietly, not really hearing the minister's words as the ceremony started.

Melody's nervousness had completely disappeared by now, and the moment in which they exchanged their vos and Valshar leaned in to kiss her, she smiled so brightly her cheeks hurt.

"I love you, Vlashar."

Valshar wrapped his arms around her and kissed her again, smiling as he looked up at her. “I love you too, Melody.”

Sani came over and hugged them both, grinning. “Congratulations to both of you.” She looked at Melody, “See, I told you Mathias would be here. Alexander does have his uses at times, he’s rather convincing when he needs to be.”

Melody chuckled, “Yes, it was good to have him here, even if he didn’t really mean it.”

Sani laughed and with another hug for both, headed off to where Alexander and the carriage waited.

Valshar smiled, “I have no doubt we’ll never know just how much fun they had convincing your brother to show up and behave himself.”

Kynar was one of the many wolves who had shifted to their human forms for the celebration, and he walked up catching both Valshar and Melody in a hug. He grinned at Valshar. “About time you make her an honest woman.”

Melody blushed a little and Valshar growled at him and glared. Kynar just laughed, “Don’t growl at me, lad. I’m your uncle. It’s my job to tease you.”

“His uncle?” Melody asked, regarding the two of them.

“Aye, that I am, though in all honesty, I’m his Beta first, uncle second. Friend shows up in there somewhere if he’s in the mood.” He smirked.

“Not if you keep this up.” Valshar muttered.

Kynar chuckled and leaned over to give Melody a light kiss on the cheek, “Have fun keeping that one in line. If you need help just ask Miriam to borrow her broom.”

“The very one I’m going to be using on you, you old rascal.” Miriam chimed in from behind as she came up carrying a basket. She looked at Melody, “Brought the rest of your things you left at our place.”

Melody thanked her and hugged her and chuckled as Miriam led Kynar off with a stern fussing. She looked over at Valshar.

He sighed with relief as they left, and then looked at Melody and smiled. “Shall we head back to the lair before the rest of the pack decides they want to chat?”

She nodded and followed him. When they got in, she sat the basket down and went through it. “Oh something’s missing; I’m going to go back over to Miriam’s to get it.”

Valshar tilted his head, “Alright. I’ll get some more wood and get the fire going.”

***

She knocked and waited a moment and then Miriam’s head popped out the door, “Melody?”

“Sorry to bother you, Miriam, but I think I’ve left my other hair brush here, it wasn’t in the basket.”

“Oh dear, I thought I’d gotten everything, come on in.”

Naya smiled when they entered, sipping a cup of tea. “Hello my dear.” She gave Melody a look and then winked, “Almost surprised that you’re still in your gown. Guess my grandson has better self control than I thought.”

Melody blushed deeply, and Miriam noticed, “Naya, for shame. You know better, he’s not like that.”

Naya chuckled, then noticing Melody’s blush got up to hug the girl, “I’m sorry, Melody, I sometimes forget humans aren’t usually as open about such things as we are.”

She grinned, “But, I will say this, as much as he takes after his grandfather, it’ll be worth the wait.”

Miriam scolded her, “Naya, it’s not polite to say such things; you’re going to make the poor girl faint.”

“Hmph, well it’s true. Don’t forget, I am his grandmother, and his healer. It’s not like I haven’t seen everything. She won’t be disappointed.”

Miriam shook her head, and sighed.

Melody blushed even more and cleared her throat as she tried to hide it.

“So he resembles his grandfather?”

“Almost identical really, so close in fact that when I first saw him as a cub I nearly cried.” She smiled as she remembered, “That pure black pelt really isn’t as common as people sometimes think it is. Sure the northern pack, which is where his grandfather was from, has darker wolves on average. But generally most black wolves still have some lighter markings or brindling in their pelts. His grandfather was a bit heavier in build though. Valshar favors his mother in that respect, the leaner build, which actually suits him well in fights. He also has her eyes. His grandfather’s eyes were ice blue, seeing him in wolf form was like looking at twin full moons in a midnight sky.”

Miriam chuckled, “Don’t pay her any mind, Melody. Have you got what you came for?”

Melody nodded, having retrieved her brush. “Yes, thank you. I should go.”

***

Valshar was kneeling by the fire when Melody came back into the lair. He looked up, noticed her still very flushed face, and tilted his head.

“What’s wrong?”

She blushed all over again and looked down, before going over to the basket of her things to put the brush away. “Nothing, Naya was over at Miriam’s, we got talking is all.”

He sighed, “Oh. Do I even want to know?”

“It’s nothing.”

He studied her for a moment and shrugged. “There’s stew and tea if you want any.”

Valshar stood up and crossed the room, pulling the vest off he dropped it over a low chair. He slipped out of his shirt but as he did the injury on his side hurt and his hissed.

“Are you alright?” She asked, concern in her voice.

“I’m fine, just moved in a way I shouldn’t have.”

Melody glanced over at him, realizing that the only other time she’d seen him without a shirt was when he’d been injured and she’d gone to see him at Sani’s. She noticed the scars scattered across his back and shoulders.

Valshar smiled as he kept his back to her, pretending not to notice her watching him. He slowly, carefully slid his pants off, stifling a curse at the pain in his leg before pulling his more comfortable pair of pants back on.  He sat down on the bed with a sigh, “Does feel good to be able to relax again.”

She smiled, busying herself with sorting the things in her basket, “I’m sure, how are you holding up?”

“Still sore, but healing well all considered.” He chuckled, “I don’t suppose, in the midst of spinning tales of who knows what, that my grandmother bothered to mention the laws of the pack?”

Melody blinked, blushed slightly and shook her head. “What laws do you mean?”

He lay back, letting his muscles relax slowly as he stretched out on the bed, putting his hands behind his head. “One of the primary laws of this pack, though my brother and his son neglected to adhere to them as well as they should have. By the laws of the pack no female shall be taken in by any means or in any fashion that she does not expressly consent to.”  He glanced over at her, “That includes mates as well; the law was put in place to protect the females. So, my love, it is entirely up to you, when, if, or what, in regards to anything between us.”

Valshar let his eyes close, “Being Alpha I’m just as accountable to the laws as anyone else, more so in fact if I expect others to respect the rules, I have to follow them. I were incapable of controlling basic urges, desires, and emotions, then I would have no business being Alpha.”   He smiled again, “Anyway, if you wish to change, since I’m sure that gown is getting rather uncomfortable by now, despite how stunning you look in it, then I shall keep my eyes closed and promise I won’t even peek.”

"You truly are a gentleman." Melody replied, blushing lightly when he gave her a smile and turned his back to her. In all truth, the dress was starting to feel a little tight and she quickly grabbed her nightgown from the basket. It didn't take her but a few minutes to slip the wedding gown off. "You know, love..." she started as she pulled the nightgown over her shoulders. "While I do respect your pack's rules, why should it entirely be up to me? We are married now. You would be far better at initiating...things than I am."

She could practically feel the mischievous smile from Valshar as he let out a chuckle. "If I didn't know any better, I would say that you are giving me permission to?" he asked in a curious tone and turned once she had finished putting the gown on. She was now busying herself with pulling the braiding from her hair.

After a few moments of struggling he stepped froward, pulling one of the twines out with a light laugh, helping her pull out the others she had been having trouble with.

"Yes I am." Came the meek and embarrassed reply.

"And you're sure that you aren't allowing this because of my grandmother's teasing?"

The response was Melody turning to face him with a raised eyebrow. "I may be young but I'm not childish. I'm an adult now, and we are married. I won't let teasing get to me so easily."

Again he laughed. "Are you sure?"

"I'm very sure." came the huff. "Don't tell me that you are going to start teasing me as well!"

"I just want to make sure that this is the right decision you're making is all. I meant no offense." Valshar told her sincerely, kissing her cheek. Melody blushed again and nodded. She wasn't so sure herself about it in truth, but she would never tell Valshar or let him know. If she was going to be firm on getting over the nervousness of sharing his bed now that they were married, then something would have to happen sooner rather than later.

So instead of putting it off because of her shyness, Melody would leave it in Valshar's hands. Otherwise she felt it would never happen despite how much she wanted it to.

With a happy sigh she returned his kiss with her own and smiled. "I have yet to make a decision I regret, especially when my wolf is involved."

And that was all he needed to hear before embracing her.

***

Melody awoke the next morning when she felt Valshar moving off of the bed with a curse under his breath. With a delighted and groggy smile she stretched out over the bed. "Good morning." She cooed cheerfully, burying herself further into the pillow and blankets. "What's wrong?"

She heard him let out another curse and move more quickly off of the bed. "I need to go see speak to Kynar. I hadn't meant to sleep in." Came the hasty and pained reply, and she turned to watch as he quickly threw on some clothing and was heading for the door. "I'll send Miriam in later with some food."

Melody hadn't even had the chance to reply, a hint of worry on her face when he all but dashed out of the lair.

Valshar felt terrible to rush out of the room so quickly, even lying to Melody, but the last thing he wanted was for her to worry about the huge surge of pain he had felt in his leg. Even worse, as he had marched to the lair his grandmother had been in, he discovered that the pain had worsened ten-fold.

Naya had been mixing herbs for tea when he rushed in, looking absolutely mortified. "Naya. I think I've torn some stitching."

“I thought you were a healer.” Valshar growled through clenched teeth.

Naya smoothly slapped his shoulder and kept working without slowing down. “I am when my patients do as they’re told, now sit still.”

He sighed and winced again as she poked and prodded and repaired torn stitches in his side and leg.

“And just what rubbish were you telling Melody last night? She came in completely flushed and looking more nervous than a cat in a dog kennel.”

“I don’t remember. Does it really matter if you both enjoyed yourselves, or did you just pretend to fall asleep on the poor girl?” She gave him a smile as she tilted her head to look at him.

He glared at her. “Firstly, what we do or when isn’t any of your business. Secondly, no, just because you’re my grandmother doesn’t mean it’s any of your business.”

“ I just don’t want her feeling like she needs to rush doing anything just for my benefit. That and I can’t help but worry about hurting her if I truly lose myself in the moment and I’m not holding back.”

Naya laughed, “Lad, I think you need to worry more about hurting yourself.”

He snorted, “That had nothing to do with this. This happened when I woke up and tried to move the wrong way because I forgot about it for a bit. I’m not healing nearly fast enough, damnit.”

She nodded, “You need to go hunt, something more than a rabbit.”

“I know, but I can’t hunt properly in this condition.”

She tightened the last bandages and he hissed sharply and growled at her. “Go take Kynar with you, he’s capable enough. Besides, it’s not like the pack doesn’t know you’re hurt, so I think anyone would be happy to go with you.”

“Alright. Have to do something; I need to get this healed. I need to speak to Miriam anyways, so I’ll see if Kynar’s around.”

***

Valshar finally returned to the lair several hours later, and Melody looked up with a worried glance. He was soaking wet, and she grew puzzled, since she hadn’t thought it was raining.

“What’s wrong, Valshar?”

He looked over at her and smiled, “Nothing, feeling much better now. When hunting, then took a swim in the lake. I figured you'd prefer a clean, wet wolf, to a dirty, bloody one.”

He dripped his way across the floor and shifted back to human form. He began peeling off the wet clothing and rummaged around for a towel. Finding one, he ruffled it over his shaggy hair, then gave the rest of himself a once over with it. He settled down on the bed and stretched himself out with a contented sigh.

“Aye, that feels so much better. Nearly fully healed now, the last bit should finish healing over the next day now that I’m able to properly hunt again.”

He glanced over at her, noticing the slight blush as she tried to pretend that she didn’t notice he wasn’t wearing anything.

“Have more good news, but that’s a surprise.” He grinned mischievously. “You’ll have to work at it if you want to know what it is.”

"You're not very subtle on how you wish for me to work at it." Melody almost squeaked as she rekindled the fire and started to pick up the wet clothing. After setting it near the fire to dry she turned to face the bed and crossed her arms. Valshar still had the smirk on his face, staring at her.

"I didn't know wolves were supposed to be subtle in human terms." He chuckled with his response, making her blush even more. "You weren't too keen on being subtle yourself, last night."

Melody could feel her face almost burn dark red when he winked at her and she quickly turned to put her attention back onto the fire. "Miriam was right. I may be asking her for that broom sooner than I thought." She didn't want to admit that she was tempted to practically throw herself into bed with him, knowing he would continue to tease her until she finally gave in. Valshar wasn't the gentleman to not tell her what the surprise was in the end, that much she also knew.

She also knew he would never let her live down how bright he could get her face with his teasing.

"You could always be the amazing husband you are and tell me what it is~" Melody tried to say in a steady voice. He 'tsked', turning on the bed to face her as she tried to pretend and act distracted by looking for something in one of the baskets. "Or you could be my lovely wife and come join me." He countered with that mischievous smile again, and Melody would have most likely choked on her tea had she been drinking any.

:Or I could be patient and wait to find out what it is." She countered before grabbing some clothing and passing the bed, her blush deepening. "I will be back after I've had a bath, myself."

Valshar just smiled and rolled over on his belly while he waited for her. When Melody finally came back in she was wrapped in a robe. She sat down near the fire with a towel and worked on drying her hair. She glanced over at him, he pretended to be asleep, and she just shook her head.

“I know you’re not sleeping. Can’t you just tell me what the surprise is?”

He chuckled. “Wouldn’t be as much fun.”

She sighed and went back to drying her hair. Melody hadn’t noticed Valshar moving, so when she started to stand up and found herself caught in his arms, she gasped in surprise. He grinned as his hands slid down to her belly, one finding bare skin where her robe had come open. He held her close against him, and lightly nipped at her earlobe before trailing kisses down the side of her neck.

Melody felt the heat burning through body her at his touch, and the brush slipped from her hand as it forgot it was supposed to be holding something. Her breath caught in her chest as he turned her around in his arms to face him, and kissed her. She looked up and she felt herself getting lost in the smoldering, passionate gold of his eyes as they met hers.

“Valshar…” She managed, barely able to breathe as she felt the warmth of his bare chest against her.

He smiled softly and kissed her again before letting go of her and stepping back. “I’ll give you three guesses. If you still can’t figure out the surprise, then I’ll show you.”

The sudden light chill when he backed away from her had her opening her eyes widely. It had aken a few moments for Melody to clear her head and register what Valshar had just done and said.

Not even a second after realization hit her, she blushed so red she would ave sworn her face would stay like that.

"V-valshar!" She stuttered in an embarrassed voice, and he let out a howl of laughter. Melody swore her face couldn't have gotten anymore red and wished that she had something to hit him with. Instead she pushed him.

Though it was like trying to push a wall.

"That is not funny!" She said over his laughter and crossed her arms.

"It had better be something I can use to chase you around for such a tease!"

Valshar’s grin grew as much as her frustration and he just laughed even harder.

“You’ll just have to settle for borrowing Miriam’s broom.” He said as he stepped past her, spun and caught her up in his arms before she could figure out what he was up to.

She gave an irritated squeak and swatted at him, “Put me down!”

He ignored her demands and walked over to the bed, settling down on the edge of it with her in his lap. Valshar leaned in and kissed her, silencing her protests for a moment.

She finally broke the kiss, “Valshar, you are impossible.”

He smirked as he nuzzled and kissed her neck. “Entirely.” He chuckled and let go of her enough so that she could stand up but still held one of her hands in his. “So do you give up?”

She sighed, “I have no idea what you’d come up with for a surprise, so yes, I give up, now will you tell me?”

Valshar shrugged, and then nodded, “Alright, I suppose I can tell you.”

He let go of her hand and shifted as he moved off the bed. He put his cold wet wolf nose in the middle of her chest and licked her before sitting down, a wolfish grin spread over his face.

“Valshar!” She swatted at him again, before pulling the robe back around herself.

“Get some clothes on, we’ll go see the surprise.”

She glared at him for a moment, but went and pulled on one of her simpler dresses. She muttered and fussed as she tried to manage tying up her still damp hair, working at it for several minutes before she was satisfied.

“Alright, I guess I’m ready.” She couldn’t help but feel a lingering flush in her cheeks though as she looked at him.

He led the way out of the den and motioned for her to climb up on his back. “Faster if you ride. Hold on tight.”

She settled herself against the furry back and held tight to the thick ruff around his neck, “I am.”

***

The run took nearly an hour, and Melody was completely lost by now with all the twists and turns in the paths he had taken. She marveled at how easily he moved, never slowing his pace, completely sure of the path he needed to take.

Finally he slowed down to a walk, and she could hear the sound of rushing water. They moved through another line of trees and she gasped in surprise at what she saw once the clearing opened up.

A small waterfall bounced and splashed down the side of a hill, leading into a stream that meandered around the edge of the clearing. On the other side, thick grass and mosses covered the forest floor, beyond, the other side of the clearing, she could just make out what looked like a cluster of berry bushes.

“What do you think?” he asked, smiling.

“It’s beautiful.” She slid off his back and walked to the edge of the stream.

“I thought it would make a nice place for our new home, a proper home.” He fluffed his fur proudly and walked over beside her, “There’s enough space for a comfortable cabin, without needing to take down many trees, and the ground is rich here, so a garden would do well. We can dig a temporary lair into the side of the hill there, and then use it for storage after the cabin’s finished.”

“Are those berry bushes over there?”

He nodded, “A lot of them, and beyond that a shady place where the edible mushrooms grow along with several herb and medicinal plants thriving in the area. It’s close enough to the Rock so that I’m easily within reach of the pack when I’m needed, but far enough that we could enjoy our privacy.”

The appreciative silence that passed between them as Melody silently looked over the area in awe made Valshar a bit uneasy, until Melody turned and wrapped her arms around his thickly furred neck. "Valshar, it's perfect!" She told him excitedly. With a wag of his tail he leaned into the embrace as she prattled on about her plans with the area he had picked out.

He would really have to thank Kynar for his help in finding the area.

"Look at this amazing view, too!" Came out another excited squeal as Melody moved away from him and walked around the area. "I would put the garden over here. We would also have a small greenhouse for the winter..." She said pointing to one spot and then moving towards the waterfall. "I could probably have some of the water flow from here...."

Melody went on almost endlessly, moving to the center of the clearing and giving Valshar her biggest smile. "And the cabin can go here! How many rooms do you think that we could fit here?"

Valshar smiled; tail wagging happily as he walked with her. “I think we could comfortably fit a four room cabin here, maybe 5 if we put in a loft as we’re building. I was planning to start work on the lair tomorrow, after I round up some helpers. Given the type of soil and what we’re likely to run into once we start digging, we should be able to manage a one or two room lair in the hillside. We can move into that while we start work on the cabin, and we can always use it for extra space if we need it or just storage until we do.”

The moon was rising full over head and stars shone through a few wispy clouds. He lay down, enjoying the thick soft grass. Rolling over on his back, he watched her. “There’ll be plenty of space for a family here.”

Melody felt her cheeks flush as she looked over at him. “I suppose you’re eager to get busy on that, hm?”

He grinned, “Only when you’re ready.”

She considered what they’d already shared and blushed a bit more. “Do you think there’s a chance it might already be too late for the when I’m ready part?”

Valshar laughed, and rolled back over to his feet.

“Are you laughing at me?”

“No love, of course not. I’m just amused. I think you sometimes forget I’m a wolf. I am absolutely completely positive there’s no chance of it yet.”

She put her hands on her hips and studied him, “Absolutely completely positive are you? Mind explaining how you can be so certain?”

He walked over to her, shifting as he did so and causing her to blush even more, being reminded he wasn’t wearing anything. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “Because I’m a wolf. I know these things.”

Smiling as he caught the look in her eyes, he continued, “Firstly, you haven’t said you’re ready yet. Secondly, you’re not in heat so your body isn’t ready, and thirdly, I’ve been holding back because you haven’t told me you’re ready. So until you and your body are ready, it’s not going to happen.”

She blinked and then flushed bright red as she thought about what he’d said. “Wait, you mean to say, even if I was ready, you can control if it happens or not?”

He nodded, nuzzling her neck and across her collar bone. “Wolves have always been able to control when it happens, was a matter of survival in our early history when the packs were more nomadic.” He tilted his head and gave her a roguish grin, “We could stay here tonight. I could build a fire if you need one.”

"I bet you can't wait to have all of this privacy to ourselves." Melody cooed, rubbing a spot behind one of his ears that had him growling lightly in approval. "So if you can control when it happens, does this mean that it will be a surprise when we decide to start a family?"

"Trust me, love. There will be enough surprises as it is." Valshar replied, making her laugh and hug him tightly.

"I do like surprises. But I would also like a fire before we continue with this chat...it's getting a bit chilly."

***

Somewhere around midday, the small clearing was bustling with activity of wolves. Members from the Northern pack that had decided to make the area their new permanent home were helping Valshar with digging the temporary lair. Kynar and a few others were chopping down a tree not too far off while Miriam and Melody mapped out where some of the rooms would be going for the cabin.

Melody couldn't help but already feel at home with the bustle of activity; it felt as if almost everyone in the pack had dropped by to provide company and help for the task at hand. At this rate, she felt the cabin would be built in less than a week.

"Well, it will need a lot more wood than what we have chopped down. I could borrow a wagon from Sani and take the mare into town." Melody offered when one of the other male wolves had mentioned supplies. "It would only take a day to travel."

"If you do that, you be sure to let Alpha know." A shewolf who was drawing water from the small stream in the distance called over, and Miriam agreed.

Just as Melody was about to respond, a few of the northern pack wolves came dashing out of the lair entrance, and then there was a yell from inside followed bust a sudden cloud of gravel and dirt blowing out. Everyone stopped for a second before rushing over to see what had happened.

Valshar in his human form stumbled out, completely covered in dark soil, roots, and his shirt was soaked.

"It's okay, I'm fine!" He called out, and Melody let out a sigh of relief and moved to stand near him while Naya fussed over to see if he had been injured. "We just hit a pocket of water...."

Then she giggled.

"I can imagine you showing up for dinner one night looking like that." Melody teased lightly, wiping off some of the dirt from his face. Naya let out a laugh when he pulled her into a hug and Melody let out a squeal.

"Valshar no! You're all grubby!!"