How We Doth Quell Boredom [FxF] (Clearsight x Javorcek)

[ClearSight]

"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you." -Friedrich Nietzsche

Michelle never cared much for philosophy, but those words struck a chord with her from the first time she heard them. For she knew what it felt like to fight with monsters, and she found herself stained by the dark abyss at a young age. As such, her entire childhood and every memory of it oozed darkness and despair, and at some point, such things became commonplace.

Of course, Michelle escaped it for a time. She went away, attended college, learned that not everything in the world needed to be difficult and painful. Yet, after years abroad, she ended up returning, walking into the shadow she narrowly escaped of her own free will. She even colluded with the monster waiting in the abyss, laughed with it and acted obediently, trying to show it that she too understood how naive and unworthy all those who chose to stand in the bright light were.

Nothing Michelle did came from innocence, though. She accepted her darkness, that even if she hated the monster and wished for nothing but its death, that she needed to first cooperate. She needed to make it think they were the same so that she could fade from its sight and strike a fatal blow. Perhaps in the end, she might be just another monster trapped in a darkness of her own choosing, but at least the monster that caused her to take such an unfortunate path would be no more. At least the small part of her that started in the light, the part that got snuffed out early in her childhood, could smile one final time and breath a sigh of relief.

Yes, Michelle’s goal drove her forward, and she already knew what she needed to do. She needed to make the monster trust her. So, when her father gave her a mission to get her hands dirty, she accepted, even showing a rare, emotionless smile for the sake of appearing docile and obedient.

All of that was what led her to appearing in front of the massive Lykos building, a structure far larger than most others in a city full of powerhouses and gigantic structures. It made sense, considering just how innovative and ahead of its time Lykos was. And that was the reason she was there. It was the first day for all of the new hires, whose ranks were filled with talented and bright-eyed newbies ready to embark upon the adventure that was working for the most prominent company in a city full of magic and advanced technology. Though, Michelle wasn’t quite as bright-eyed as the rest. Her intentions were more sinister, with sneaking and spying her main objectives. After all, the dirty work her father gave her involved information, and if she wanted to make her own plans work, she needed to show results.

Fortunately, Michelle came prepared. She walked forward slowly and looked into the window, catching sight of her reflection. She barely recognized herself, with many key features of her appearance changing. Her hair was long and black, and her violet eyes stood out, even from behind the stylish glasses gracing her beautiful face. As for her smooth pale skin and ample curves, those were all the same. Even the muscle from years of effort and her tattoos remained, albeit all hidden beneath a sharp pantsuit.

Although Michelle planned to spy on the inner workings of Lykos, she still wanted to stand out. After all, her work would certainly get people’s attention, and even if she chose a dull style and changed her hair and eyes to something mundane, she was sure to draw attention. So, she leaned into it, relying on the changes and a bit of trustworthy magic to ensure that nobody would find out her true identity. In fact, she experimented with it before attending the interview for Lykos, appearing in front of people who knew her well and watching as none of them managed to figure out her disguise.

The woman in the window showed a smile, one that was rather cold but had a great deal of charm to it, which suited Michelle, especially in her current form. After taking a moment to reassure herself that everything was in order, she turned and walked through the front door of Lykos, heading straight towards the security desk. Since it was her first day, she needed to pick up her ID badge, though she didn’t expect it to take as long as it did.

Once again, Michelle found herself a bit nervous, watching as the security guards went through various methods of identification, asking for her relevant documents and even going as far as to ask for a fingerprint and retinal scan. She found it surprising that they didn’t ask for a drop of blood, considering their methods and the personality of their CEO. Luckily, they didn’t, and she knew enough insider information to avoid allowing such things to trip her up. Everything had been altered before she applied to Lykos, with magical contacts and fake fingerprints working alongside the amulet used to prevent people from noticing that anything was out of the ordinary.

It was only when the mini interrogation ended that Michelle received a freshly printed badge, one with her new, unfamiliar visage right on the front. There was more after that, though. With it being her first day, she needed to be assigned to a position, and to facilitate that, Michelle received her own guide.

“Did security get you settled, Miss Klein?” The high-pitched voice of a woman pierced her ear the moment she crossed the security line. It took her a moment to respond because she wasn’t used to the fake last name, but she quickly regained her composure and turned to the odd woman gazing at her with a friendly look.

Obviously she settled things with security. If not, she would still be standing on the other side of the security line, unable to get through. However, instead of pointing out the idiocy of the question, she gave a small smile and nodded. “Yes, I did. Thank you.”

The woman smiled in return, far brighter and more enthusiastic than Michelle. “Great! Then I’ll show you where you will be working from now on. Please, follow me.”

Michelle nodded again before following along, having to increase her pace as the other woman practically power walked to the elevator.

When they eventually arrived at her new workplace, her guide quickly approached the first person she saw from the department and handed her off, doing a quick introduction as if she had to get going as soon as possible. “Hi, this is Miss Klein, the new hire. Do you mind helping her get settled in?” the guide asked, though she quickly showed signs of leaving, not waiting for an answer at all.

In order to make things less awkward, Michelle let her leave and stepped forward, introducing herself to the person she hadn’t seen clearly before. Only, when she did, she practically froze, her voice stumbling as she introduced herself, “Hi, my name is Elle…”

Michelle wanted to say more, to act friendly since the person in front of her seemed to be doing basic work and should be of a similar rank as her, but she couldn’t. The familiar face disrupted her ability to think, and she ended up staring with her hand dangling in front of her, halfway to a handshake.

 

[Javorcek]

”They wouldn’t want you to work yourself to death, love.”

Arlann meant well, she was concerned, she loved her, she worried for her…but that didn’t stop Mara from going off the deep end at the mere allusion of what her late parents may or may not have wanted. “What do you know?!?!” The wolf snapped, so furious that her wife dared to bring talk of her parents into this. This wasn’t about them! This was her life’s work! This would change an entire medical system for werewolves for the better!

This… this could have saved them…

Mara crumpled into tears. The stress of sixteen hour days, of chasing this breakthrough was getting to her. To top it off, she wasn’t sleeping. She wanted to be there for her family, give Arlann breaks when their little one woke up in the middle of the night and fussed. She was burning the candle from both ends and now there wasn’t anything left but a sad, sobbing wolf. “I just…I miss them so much.” It was hard…this feeling of something being stolen from her. She didn’t like it, she actively ignored it. But every milestone felt a little incomplete without her parents. Her graduation, her takeover of the company, her wedding, the birth of her pup…things that she had envisioned her parents being a part of. Mara knew it was unhealthy to seek the approval of ghosts, but she couldn’t help it.

“I need to finish… what if Jocey doesn’t want the company? What if she has no interest in any of it? What if she wants to be a music major?!?!??!” Mara sniffled. As much as she loved to hear her wife play piano, she worried their baby would grow up wanting to emulate her mage mama. Part of her couldn’t blame the kid; Mara was well aware that her life was incredibly stressful….she still selfishly hoped Jocelyn would want to grow up to be like her.

“Mara, she’s a baby!” Arlann chuckled, wrapping up her poor broken Domme in a big hug. “She’ll grow up to be what she wants to be. And you’re only 31, you can’t go on about this-“

“I’m 31?!!!” Mara sputtered, having been under the impression she was still 30. But 31! A whole year less to work on her project!!

“Yes, you’re -only- 31 which means you have -plenty- of time to finish your nanobots, silly wolfy.”

Mara huffed and gave a half hearted growl, but didn’t fight her wife any further. She was too drained to do much of anything really. Sensing this, the mage scooped her up, showing off her strength as she carried her mate off for a bubble bath in the jacuzzi like she liked on hard days.

————————————-

If working in a clean room was a fate worse than death, doing so while having her mother observe her through the glass put Jocelyn somewhere near the 5th circle of hell.

Ever since she was 3, Jocelyn had shown an aptitude for taking things apart and putting them back together. She remembered spending summer vacations running around the engineering labs on the upper floors and playing with the old tech that was laying around. When she was older and in college, they had let her play with the prototypes, even given her a space to design her own things.

Now she was here. In an artificially lit basement. With her mother scrutinizing her every move.

Her mother was at a point in her career where she got to do all the theoretical stuff, rarely ever coming down into the labs where the little cleanroom gnomes would work. But today the CEO was watching her daughter operate the machines that would fabricate the semiconductors for their nanobots. This was Mara’s life’s work: creating tech that would treat silver poisoning. Sure, there were a lot of other medical advances that Lykos was spearheading (Mara’s father had been instrumental in getting several immuno and gene therapies into their Phase 2 clinical trials), but Mara’s white whale had always been electrical rather than biological. She sought to develop a treatment for a werewolf’s severe allergy to silver. Currently her kind relied upon nationwide bans on silver, and archaic treatments like transfusions or amputations to treat exposure….but she wanted to create something closer to an epi-pen that would inject the patient with nanobots who would in turn seek and capture silver particles.

It was an ambitious effort, one that the littlest Marrok had wanted to be a part of. After graduating college a few months ago, Mara had put Jocelyn through this arduous program of making her work nearly every position in the company. She barely had an understanding of the biotech side of things, did a little better with the magitech (only due to Arlann’s tutelage and her own ability to see mana…though she was a terrible magic user herself), and now was finally allowed to touch something she firmly grasped: nanotech.

Jocelyn was almost through her 12 hour shift of monitoring and making adjustments to a machine that was creating a wafer of microscopic semiconductors that were being built atom by atom. She was absolutely starving and somehow dehydrated and needed to pee at the same time. (Her hatred of the gowning area and the whole process of sterilizing herself to come into the cleanroom made her neglect food and water.) She had been doing this job for a week and still wasn’t getting used to it, despite doing an internship in another lab in college. Her mother just had such high standards…plus her tech was the most advanced of any lab in Armistice, one would have to fly halfway around the world to find anything comparable….so Jocelyn always stood on the edge of a very steep learning curve.

Finally finished with her shift and relieved by another tech, Jocelyn exited the clean room. She was glad to toss off all the stifling PPE in the exit room, though less excited to loop around and talk to her mother.

“Is my week of suffering doing tech work nearly complete?” Jocelyn asked with a slight yawn. She had her doctorate for fuck’s sake, she didn’t really want to be doing tech work.

“It is important you understand all aspects of the company. Be glad I don’t make you do janitorial.” Mara smirked. “One more week, when this wafer you have been working with is done and cut you can move up to engineering. But for now…Sammie!” Mara called, and from nowhere her trusty assistant appeared. “Make sure my daughter is changed and ready for orientation within the next half hour.”

———

“She does this shit on purpose!” Jocelyn grumpily huffed as she changed into the business attire that someone (probably Sammie) had picked out for her. She was tired, she was hungry, and now she had to get dressed up in this stupid skirt and satiny blouse (yeah, definitely Sammie’s pick). “I just worked a twelve and now she wants me to play guide dog.”

“Mmm…I’ve never known your m-m-muh-mother to -not- do something on p-purpose,” Sammie mumbled distractedly, her back to Jocelyn as she rearranged a few things in Mara’s schedule on her tablet. She sympathized with the girl, truly she did, but sympathy wouldn’t change the amount of pressure her longtime boss/friend would apply to her only daughter. At least she was in the position to make the girl’s life a little easier. Soon enough came the buzz from the office intercom signaling the delivery of Jocelyn’s usual coffee order and breakfast bagel. Sammie finally drew her eyes away from her tablet to answer the door.

“‘Thank you so much, Auntie, you’re a lifesaver,” Jocelyn perked up at the coffee and sandwich. Her aunt Sammie was infinitely better than the AI personal assistant her mother was testing out in the company. IVA was cool and all, but she didn’t have the same knack for knowing what people needed before they even asked that Sammie did.

Sammie smiled at the praise. Jocelyn and Arlann were so much more forthcoming with it than Mara (though Mara did show her appreciation in her own way with the quarterly bonuses and random gift baskets). “Y-you’re welcome. C-come along now. I’ll t-tuh-tell you about the new hire you’ll be showing ar-ruh-ruh-round.”

—————-

Jocelyn’s aunt only managed to give her a couple of tidbits of information before being called away to deal with whatever menial task Mara was incapable of doing herself (Jocelyn had the vague notion it was her parent’s wedding anniversary today - so Mara probably needed help remembering the favorite flower of her wife of 25+ years). It always amazed her how her mother could be so smart and yet so incompetent at the same time. The woman could design and program an AI but couldn’t remember what restaurant she had taken her wife to on their first date.

What her aunt had neglected to mention before being called away was that the new hire she would be orientating was absolutely gorgeous. Jocelyn was the prime example of professionalism though, a little clone of Mara, even right down to the business-like smile that never reached her eyes. “Yes, of course Claire, I’d be happy to.” Jocelyn couldn’t help but give a slight less-than-professional glare to Claire as she dumped off Elle and power walked away like she had something better to do. Zero deference in this company! Zero! Her mother had instructed all the secretaries to treat Jocelyn like an intern and she hated it!

“Nice to meet you Elle, I’m Jocelyn Marrok. Interesting to see a mage on this side of the building, hopefully you’ll feel right at home soon enough though.” Jocelyn had an odd trait where she could actually see the wisps of mana that floated around people. Usually she didn’t see any of that here - the wolves, dwarves, and humans who worked on the nanotech side didn’t attract mana. But who was she to judge what people’s interests were; if the mage was interested in engineering, then she was interested in engineering.

“Come on, I’ll give you a tour of the labs you’ll be working in. Oh and you have access to the building’s AI, her name is IVA and she’s incredibly nosy.”

“I do not mean to infringe upon anyone’s privacy Ms. Marrok and Ms. Klein,” a voice chimed in from one of the office speakers. “If it puts your mind at ease, no data is shared or sold to any third party entities. Also, you may modify my logs of our encounters to be wiped daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly, depending on your privacy preferences.”

“She’s more fun if you don’t wipe the logs. She calls me Jocey still because I haven’t reset her since I was a kid.” Jocelyn smiled. She liked IVA, she had always thought the AI was cool, and the more data the AI kept of her, the closer it was to talking to an actual human. “But, totally up to you. She’ll do food orders and make calls, also keep notes for you. There’s also a zillion secretaries here too if you would like to dictate to something other than a disembodied voice.”

“There are several laws that prohibit installing an AI into any body-“

“It’s a joke IVA!”

“I am joking too Ms. Marrok. Ha. Ha. I know you do not like it when I recite the penal code to you.”

Jocelyn signed and shook her head. “Very funny, IVA. Since you’re here, can you put in a lunch order for me from that Thai place downtown? And whatever Ms. Klein would like. By the time I show her all the facilities, it’ll probably be lunch time.”

 

[ClearSight]

During her youth, Michelle lived a very reactionary life, adapting as things came and never thinking too much about her future. Even when it came to everyday occurrences, she preferred to act in the moment. However, as she grew up, she became more meticulous, prone to planning things out, along with contingencies for the worst-case scenarios. Moreover, as an avid pessimist, she believed herself exceptionally talented at preparing for the worst. Though, apparently, life still knew how to surprise her.

In Michelle’s life, few people had a significant impact. Her father was the obvious one, with his treatment of her and expectations shadowing over her formative years like noxious smoke that filled her lungs to this day. Meanwhile, her mother took the role of onlooker and abandoner. The third spot from those dark days, however, belonged to the woman standing before her.

Michelle tried her best to remain composed as snippets of a past she preferred to keep locked away rose to the surface, but as Jocelyn introduced herself, she thought back to the first time they met.

They met in elementary school, but the rivalry started before that, at least for Michelle. Her father’s obsession with the Marrok family did not simply border on the insane but crossed the line into madness, and he pushed it onto Michelle before she knew any better. So, their first meeting became one between a bully and an innocent, and Michelle took the role of aggressor. Of course, childish fights meant little, but that meeting set the tone for their relationship going forward.

Bad blood wasn’t what caused Michelle to flinch, though. Instead, it was the fact that no matter how long they fought or how badly she treated Jocelyn, the other woman never retaliated past a certain point. Her childhood rival refused to be bullied and showed a significant amount of strength, both physically and as a person. Moreover, Jocelyn never took it too far, even when Michelle did things that made her feel nauseous as an adult. Instead, she became one of the only people to ever notice that something was happening beneath the surface and show a degree of concern. She cared, even for her tormentor, and that genuine side of the young woman landed a devastating blow that she still found difficult to think about.

What the hell! Michelle, who did that to you?

Michelle practically shuddered as the voice filled with worry reappeared in her mind. She even remembered the look in Jocelyn's eyes when she saw the bruises and signs of abuse.

Resisting the urge to shake her head in an attempt to rid herself of those thoughts, she gave Jocelyn a forced smile, though one would be hard-pressed to tell the turmoil tearing her apart from the inside.

“Nice to meet you, Jocelyn. I’m actually a wolf with an affinity for magic, but my mana is quite pitiful, thus engineering,” she corrected with a polite smile. Michelle felt there was no point in hiding the truth since silently allowing Jocelyn or anyone else to think she was a mage might make them suspicious when they discovered otherwise. After all, no matter how well she acted, she had her own ticks and habits, with some distinctively wolfish in nature.

Immediately after, as if unphased by Jocelyn and the fact that she noticed that she could use magic, she followed for the tour. She even pretended to be surprised when the building started speaking to them. Of course, she wasn’t surprised since she did her research, but any normal person probably would be, especially when it started having a rather spirited conversation with jokes, albeit dry ones.

Fortunately, she didn’t get phased out of the conversation entirely, though she did listen for a bit as the two went back and forth. When the strange conversation finally ended, Michelle found her chance, though what came out of her mouth caused her brain to freeze for a moment, “Jocey? How cute.”

It was as if all those years poking fun at the other woman appeared out of nowhere, and she couldn’t stop herself. Only, since she was trying to sound friendly - something she never was all that good at - it came off in a much different way. Even the smile frozen on her face seemed less warm and more… playful.

Quickly getting control of herself, Michelle cleared her throat and tried to regain some degree of decorum. “As for food, Thai sounds great. And you can pick for me. I’m an adventurous eater.” Another smile appeared on her face, but inside she was cursing. It was going to be a long tour.

---

How cute. Those two words rang in Michelle’s ears for the rest of the day, and while she managed to forget about them during the rest of the tour and make pleasant conversation with her childhood rival, she never escaped them entirely. In fact, once she returned home, she plopped down on the couch and started pulling at her hair.

“Way to go, idiot. Really good under-the-radar stuff right there.” Michelle groaned after the words escaped her mouth. She even tried to convince herself that it wasn’t that bad, but she knew how stupid it was to sound flirty in front of the heiress of Lykos during her orientation.

“She did grow up beautiful, though.” With a sigh, Michelle laid her head back on the armrest of the couch and closed her eyes, already feeling a migraine coming on. They didn’t happen often, but when she felt stressed, she tended to suffer.

“Forget it, I’ll do better next time…” she promised herself. Then, without another thought, she kicked off her heels and took a much-needed nap.

---

Michelle managed to keep her foot out of her mouth for about ten minutes the next time she saw Jocelyn, which just happened to be the next day. For a time, she talked with her like a normal person. However, as soon as the opportunity presented itself, Michelle’s instincts took over, and her usual cold smile - the one she showed to everyone else - turned charming and playful. Even her tone shifted to something flirty. Yet again, she realized that she wasn’t born to be an actress.

Although Michelle got control of herself quickly enough, she started growing stiff around Jocelyn. She tried her best to hide it, but her intentions to behave herself were far too obvious. She even had a small moment of panic when Jocelyn asked her if she was free Friday after work. At first, it sounded like a date, but once her brain caught up with her imagination, she realized it was for something completely different and less ridiculous: a company picnic.

Right, a company picnic. Good. I can make some useful connections with other departments.

After calming herself down, Michelle thanked Jocelyn for the invite and said she would "definitely~" be there. Fortunately, the work she needed to do and her new goal kept her occupied, enough to ignore the near purr she responded to the invitation with. She even managed to loosen up again. So, while things weren’t going all that smoothly, they could have been worse.

 

[Javorcek]

Lykos Industries pumped millions of dollars in donations into green spaces all around the city of Armistice, and had done so for nearly 100 years. It was important for werewolves to have places to run free; even though Jocelyn may be a city wolf through and through, she would be hard pressed to deny the wild spark inside of her. So corporate events like these, the spring and summer barbecues, were her favorite perks of the job. These events were a lot less uptight than the fall banquet and winter ball - probably because her mom had gotten soft after having a kid herself. Mara had started the tradition where employees were invited to bring their families and friends for a day at the park.

Jocelyn remembered running around on the bouncey inflatables and eating her weight in watermelon and ice cream as a little pup. Now she partook of the free beer, delicious food, and outdoor adult games games. The blazer, button down, and shoes had come off sometime during the afternoon, after her required schmoozing. Now that she was done with the networking loops her mother always made her jump through, she was free to wreck the faces of her friends in a game of KanJam…and was only a tiny bit drunk while doing it.

—————-

“I hope you’re happy, look what you’ve raised!” Mara grumped to her wife as she watched Jocelyn play with her friends. Of course she was happy that her daughter was happy, but look at her! Barefoot and in her undershirt at a company function. How was -that- supposed to lead a Fortune 500 company?!?!?

The girl couldn’t compartmentalize portions of herself, not the way Mara did anyways. There was Mara the CEO, Mara the mother, wife, and friend, and Mara the Domme. Right now Mara the CEO was incredibly irritated that her only daughter and heir to Lykos Industries was running around and fraternizing with her coworkers in a less than professional way. How would she repel hostile takeovers. How would she fire employees? How would she harden her heart to do what was best for the company - even if it might not be what was best for herself or her family?

In many aspects, Jocelyn had grown up to be like her: ambitious, focused, passionate. But her personality…this ‘if they don’t like the real me they can fuck off’ attitude - that was all Arlann’s doing. Jocelyn was authentic, not a bad trait, but definitely not one befitting of a CEO, at least not in Mara’s opinion.

—————-

“Goddamnit Jocelyn!” Sasha huffed at her stupid friend with her stupid long arms that kept redirecting shots that shouldn’t even be possible. Ugh. Her and her sister were getting crushed because they were short. And their other opponent, Alice, wasn’t even good! It was just that Jocelyn was carrying her teammate so hard that her and Haley couldn’t keep up.

“Jocey, why don’t you go drink another beer to fuck with your depth perception, and while you’re doing that, why don’t you bring us another beer?” Haley chirped after another defeat.

“That…sounds like…a great idea…” Alice panted as she plopped into the grass, glad for a break. She wasn’t in the worst shape ever…but the poor dragon wasn’t a hyper athletic wolf either. “Lena! Take my spot. Gonna die.”

Lena laughed from her place on the sidelines and shook her head. “No way. I’ve been up since 4am doing the prep work for this shindig, I’m not going to kill myself running around now.”

“Alright, alright. Alice, you'll get a little break. I’ll grab us some drinks.” Jocelyn laughed and then trotted off to get them some more drinks.

On her way to the bar, she ran into Elle. Wild as she was right now (Sasha and Haley were always a bad influence on her), her professional persona was totally out the window. She offered a smile, a real, friendly one rather than the business-like one she perfected, “Hey Elle! Nice to see you out. Enjoying the festivities?”

Noticing that Elle didn’t seem to have anyone she had brought to the park with her, Jocelyn got the bright idea to offer her to come hang out with her friends. “Feel up for a game of KanJam? Just with some of my friends, non-Lykos employees. My buddy Alice is dying for a break so I could use a new partner.”

 

[ClearSight]

Michelle’s life experiences gave her certain expectations when it came to corporate functions, even if they had labels like “barbecue” attached to them. She looked forward to decent food, dull conversation, and a lot of networking. Instead, she found herself staring at something that looked more like a joyous festival than an official event thrown by one of the most influential companies in the world. It baffled her, and it didn’t stop with the atmosphere, either. Not only were people running around and having fun, but the food was fantastic, and nothing around her felt stuffy or pretentious at all.

The first thing Michelle did was compare the scene in front of her to similar functions she had attended as a young adult. As the heiress to her father’s company, she often participated in such events by his side back then, showing her face and doing her best to impress her father’s friends like the dancing monkey he so wanted her to be. However, those events were dull and full of people pretending to enjoy themselves. None of that was present in front of her now.

The festive event was not exactly a good thing for Michelle, though. Her original purpose for showing up was to speak with different people and form connections, which became challenging when families and friends gathered together for intimate conversations. There would be exceptions, but she didn’t have the patience to skulk around for such uncertain gains.

Without a goal to guide her actions, Michelle fell back on what she would typically do: remain isolated. Michelle knew nobody there, at least not in her current form, and she needed to pay close attention to the movements of those with a chance to see through her, such as Arlann Marrok. After all, even if the artifact keeping her identity safe was powerful, the famous mage had made a name for herself as a genius mage and artificer. It didn’t even matter that many of her prized works were sex toys. Michelle just needed to stay inconspicuous.

---

Arlann smiled at her beautiful wife as she complained about their daughter. While Mara found the way Jocelyn acted unacceptable for a CEO, Arlann disagreed. She believed that someone like their daughter would be more than capable, even outdoing Mara.

“You only look at the negatives of it, dear,” Arlann reached over and grabbed her wife’s hand, giving it a good squeeze in an attempt to calm her enough to make her listen to reason.

“While you see her attitude and personality as a detriment, it makes me happy. Think about it. Jocey has the best parts of you, but she is also capable of using people she trusts to relieve some of her burdens. She might stumble here or there, but our strong daughter will succeed, and perhaps she’ll even do it without working herself into exhaustion.”

After she finished speaking, Arlann shot Mara a knowing look, blaming her for working so many long nights and driving herself to the brink of collapsing. She still remembered how often they used to argue about Mara’s inability to compromise and take care of herself. Even now, that single concern kept her up at night, though she grew to accept her wife’s greatest flaw. Now, instead of growing angry, she just forcefully fed her good food and made magic potions to keep her from ruining herself.

“I love you to death, Mara, but truly, I’m glad our daughter will not walk the exact same path as you. Even if I am happy that she takes after you almost everywhere else.” Arlann smiled and leaned against her wife. Jocelyn was the best of both of them.

---

While everyone else was enjoying themselves, Sylvia was working herself to the bone. She already finished cooking the food ages ago, so that wasn’t the problem. Instead, her obsessive need for everything to be perfect served her a more devastating blow. She wanted it to all flow without a problem, for everyone to eat and have everything they want without a single hiccup.

Fortunately, Sammie’s calming influence allowed her to relax eventually. Though, even that only happened because her adorable wife put her even more adorable foot down. Sylvia really never could say no to her wife, hence her life as part of a powerhouse harem and the eternal caterer for the pickiest CEO on the planet.

---

Everything went smoothly for Michelle. After managing to stay out of everyone’s sight for long enough to enjoy some food and alcohol, she reached the end of her stay. Finally, she could go home and rest. After all, while her first week at Lykos wasn’t the most tiresome of her life, the constant hiding and deceit took a toll on her. Though, as she finally made the decision to leave — already thinking of the soft couch waiting back at home — a familiar face popped up by her side, startling her.

The brilliant smile on Jocelyn’s face made it a bit more difficult for Michelle to reset herself after the sudden appearance, but she did so quickly enough to not make things awkward. “Yes, everything is wonderful.”

Michelle’s answer didn’t sound very convincing. It was the truth, with the food being delicious and the atmosphere lively, but she didn’t find much enjoyment in it since she purposefully kept out of it all. Even then, she didn’t expect Jocelyn to take things further, inviting her to… play a game.

Michelle wanted to go home, she really did, but instantly, the competitive spirit that dimmed down after years apart started to ignite. So, although her brain planned to reject Jocelyn, her mouth accepted the invitation with the eagerness of a puppy looking at a treat. “I’d be delighted to.” Or so she thought. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to be going her way since she started at Lykos, and even during the barbecue, something had to go wrong.

While Michelle thought that playing a game with Jocelyn and a bunch of her friends would be fine, she quickly found out otherwise. Halfway there, she noticed another person walk up, Syri. The other wolf was someone she knew well and someone she was pretty sure would see through her disguise if given a chance. After all, wolves rarely forgot the scent of a sexual partner, and it hadn't even been that long for them!

Jocelyn didn’t notice the panic in Michelle's eyes, which was a good thing, but it also meant that as she froze up, Jocelyn kept tugging her along. The clash of forces resulted in one thing, one that quickly became Michelle’s saving grace, the spilling of the drink she had so desperately clung to.

Realistically, a white shirt was a bad idea for a barbecue, but it felt as if the stars had lined up to show her the way to salvation. So, when it all happened, instead of looking shocked or mad, she gave a barely believable “Oh darn” and stopped in her tracks. She had a way out!

 

[Javorcek]

Sylvia would feel a gentle hand on her back to alert her of her wife’s presence, before a more insistent tug for her attention. Sammie didn’t like to startle her mate when she was working, knowing that she was a perfectionist and would be upset if her plating was off, even for a laid back event such as this. “C-come on you workah-aholic. You p-puh-promised that you would only be working for a l-little bit.” By now it was far past ‘a little bit’. Sammie didn’t begrudge her wife of her passion, but right now she wanted some attention too! It was a beautiful day with a lot of fun things to do - she didn’t want to spend all of it separated from her mate.

When her wife began to insist whatever unnecessary thing she was doing was necessary, Sammie frowned and huffed disapprovingly. “Y-you promised you’d t-t-take the day easy. You gave Lena the rest of the day off. You sh-should take the rest off t-t-too. I know you have e-enough va-very capable staff scheduled.” Of course she knew all about who was scheduled and for when, Sammie always knew! The personal assistant’s mind was always buzzing with information: dates, numbers, names, faces. On top of all the things in her own life, she remembered everything for Mara’s and now everything for her wife and daughter. It was one of the allures to being in Mara’s harem - the quietness that came with submission.

Her push over of a mate didn’t quite have it in her to dominate, not really anyways. And that was perfectly fine! Sammie loved her switchy Sylvia. After dealing with the difficulties of her boss all day, it was wonderful to come home to a more agreeable alpha. Even now, Sylvia caved to her demands. She stopped working without much of a fight; an act that made Sammie smile brightly and happily kiss her lovely chef.

“As much as I l-love you in this…t-t-take it off. No more w-wuh-work for t-today.” Sammie’s fingers trailed over the chef’s jacket her wife wore. Sylvia had always looked so sexy in it. But for now Sammie would put her kink for a woman in uniform aside for her wife to just be with her and be present.

————

“Sissssyyy!!!!” Haley squealed as a familiar figure approached from the distance. She sprinted over to close the gap, jumping on top of her big sister and trusting the older girl to catch her in a bear hug.

“You’re back!” Sasha ran over and pounced excitedly too. While her beta sister may not have been able to knock over Syri on her own, the addition of a happy half wolf created a dog pile on the ground. “Ew. You smell like airport.”

They growled and wrestled like little kids, drawing the ire of a few of the more refined Lykos wolves…but they didn’t care! Their sister was back! And the trio of them were wild wolves at heart, showing their love and affection through the physical means of beating the crap out of one another.

“Alice, Lena, and Jocey are here too!” Haley chirped after her and Sasha had managed to gang up on the oldest Reigns, enough to pin her. Now both girls sat atop a supine Syri, recounting all the things their big sister had missed in her time spent abroad. Jocelyn was finishing her doctorate and starting to work for her mother at Lykos. Lena had finished culinary school and had made some amaaaaazing food that Syri absolutely needed to try now that she was home. And Alice was still in college, finishing her creative writing degree.

Alice had physically changed the most in Syri’s time away….personality wise, she was still a giant book nerd. Her dragon characteristics had come out now that she had reached adulthood; short horns now sprouted out from her head, black, slicked back, and wavy. Her elbows and knees sported opalescent scales that were hard as diamond - a reminder that she was genetically part killing machine. She had grown into her magic as well, now sporting a few protective bending wards tattooed to her shoulders and back, marks that would help her slight frame bear the physical burden of Bending. As powerful with magic as she was, Alice didn’t actually practice it that often, not like her mothers did anyways. The daughter of former Champions was content to curl up with a book and something warm like a stereotypical dragon. Right now she was perfectly happy laying half naked in the grass, relaxing and soaking up the sun.

If Alice wanted to, she could call a lightning storm here and terraform the rolling hills of this park into a mountainscape….but she had no desire to flex her powers ever, and her parents had allowed her to pursue her own passions. No one made her do experiments. No one made her practice experimental bending. Alice had gotten the luxury to grow into a clumsy bookworm rather than an athletic powerhouse.

—————-

Jocelyn could not do more than one thing at a time when she was drunk. She was supposed to be getting drinks for her friends, but now her new mission was to bring a brand new partner back to her buddies so that she could continue to rain frisbee death down upon them!!!

Because it was so crowded by the pop up bar, Jocelyn looped her arm through Elle’s, chivalrously guiding the other girl through the throng of people and towards her friends. Elle must have gotten caught on someone because she suddenly stopped while Jocelyn kept going forward, knocking the drink in her hand.

“Aw…yeah, white was a bad choice.” Jocelyn chuckled as she looked at the stain on Elle’s clothes. “I’ve got my shirt if you want it. Or just the blazer? They’re over in my car.” Very single minded when she was drunk, Jocelyn changed direction, arm still looped in Elle’s in order to lead the taller girl towards the parking lot and her vehicle.

 

[ClearSight]

Only one thing ever managed to get Sylvia to drag herself away from work: Sammie. Her beautiful wife meant everything to her, to the point that despite having the desire to open up a culinary empire, she stuck to her single restaurant. Sammie’s importance simply towered over everything else. So, when the love of her life walked over and started to complain, she smiled and nuzzled at her. Sure, she felt somewhat reluctant to let others take over, but she did have a talented staff.

“Okay, I’m sorry. I know I promised to control myself today.” Sylvia admitted her mistake easily enough, though she did take another minute to delegate things to her employees. She even huffed and glared at them when they made it obvious how thankful they were to Sammie for dragging her away.

After that, everything took a turn for the better, or at least the more relaxing. Without food all around her and her chef’s jacket, Sylvia managed to let go, and that meant all of her attention shifted to the beautiful beta by her side.

“I love you,” she said, her voice carrying even more affection than it did the first time she said those words. More confidence, too, since the first time came with the nervousness of her thinking Sammie might flee at the words. Her jumpy bunny. So cute.

---

A bright smile bloomed on Syri’s face when she heard her youngest sister’s shrill voice. While it might have disturbed some of the people around her, she didn’t care, because it meant she was finally home. She had really missed being home. She always acted stoic, and she distanced herself from others, but there were a group of people who had a special place in her heart, and Haley stood at the forefront. Followed by… “Sasha, still a squirt, huh.”

Although her sisters worked together to take her down, Syri only looked happier, hugging the both of them. Even Sasha couldn’t escape her grasp as she pulled her up. At the same time, Haley squeezed her with all the strength she could muster, causing Syri to chuckle. It wasn’t much, but the affection came through, from both of them.

After indulging the both of them for a moment, she gave a playful growl and rose to her feet. It displayed a great deal of strength as well, since she did so with the two troublemakers still in her arms. She had to show off her dominance as the oldest!

When she let them down, Haley immediately started talking, proving that her chattiness hadn’t tempered with age. Still, it was as cute as ever to the doting alpha.

“I noticed,” she said before turning and nodding to Lena. In Jocelyn’s absence, her gaze went to Alice next, and for a moment, it stayed there. Alice? That was little Alice?

Syri and Alice were quite close, or at least close compared to most of the relationships in Syri’s life. However, the little girl she remembered and the woman standing before her were completely different people. It caused Syri’s mind to freeze for a second, her thoughts jumbled as she tried to figure out when the hell that happened. Fortunately, Syri rarely allowed herself to stay out of sorts for long.

“Alice. It’s been a while.” Syri felt tempted to talk about the topic they both loved immediately: books. After all, over the years, she often sent Alice rare books from abroad. However, Haley stopped the conversation before it started. She even seemed to read Syri’s mind.

“Noooo, don’t start talking about boooooks.” The youngest of the trio of sisters could see the sparkle in Syri’s eyes, and while someone else might have assumed it was attraction, she knew her sister too well.

“You’re back for good now, so that can wait. Play with us instead!” Haley barely gave Syri a choice, practically dragging her over to fill in for the missing Jocelyn. Moreover, she wore quite the grin, one that Syri knew to mean nothing good. She seemed to be plotting things, and Syri soon figured out what. Alice’s skill at the game left much to be desired.

Unfortunately for Haley, Syri decided not to make things so easy. She never played the game, but when it came to athletics, she picked things up quickly. Plus, her competitive side appeared against her sisters, so she went as far as shedding the constricting parts of her outfit. Soon enough, the powerful, sculpted form beneath her jacket revealed itself, and she started making her move.

The only thing holding her back was Alice, but she always wore a patient smile on her face, and even when Alice made a mistake, she would do her best to make it work, which often meant stretching her form out and revealing the defined abs beneath her shirt.

“We got this, Alice. It’s almost over,” Syri reassured the other girl as they approached the end of the game, which was much closer than it should have been. And, after saying that with a soft smile, she wiped her sweaty face with her shirt, showing off far more than the small peak she had shown before.

---

Michelle figured out that Jocelyn was drunk quite quickly. It would have been easier if she wasn’t so mortified by the idea of being found out, but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to notice the signs. In fact, it would have taken an idiot not to notice once they were alone. Jocelyn had been all smiles and chatty since they met at the barbecue, but her actions once they made it to her car drove it home.

“Jocelyn?” she asked in surprise as the drunken girl moved to actually help her take off the shirt, and she did so with practiced ease. The action was enough to fully distract Michelle, to the point that Syri slipped her mind.

“I think I can do it myself,” she said, gulping as the gorgeous woman currently holding her clothes looked up at her with a trace of confusion. She seemed so innocent. Even when they were in high school, Michelle thought of her as a classic “good girl” type. But the fact that undressing another woman seemed to be second nature to the drunken her said otherwise.

When Jocelyn’s mind finally caught up to her actions, she appeared startled, though she only gave a soft “oh” before letting go. Then, seeming kind of reluctant, she took a step back and said, “I’ll body block for you.” Yet she didn’t turn around, looking at Michelle in a way that made it hard to figure out whether she was that drunk or just brazen.

However, Michelle didn’t dwell on it, feeling quite brazen herself. “Thanks,” she purred before reaching down and pulling her shirt off.

Michelle experienced a lot in her life, and the difficulties she faced left a lot of physical reminders. Most of them were covered with intricate tattoos, but one remained untouched, mainly because it was too large to hide. So, aside from tattoos and a muscular body that spoke to the hard work she put in, there was also a large scar that ran up the left side of her stomach.

“Like the view?” Michelle asked as Jocelyn’s eyes betrayed her, the two sparkling orbs roaming her exposed form. Jocelyn always had beautiful eyes.

“Well?” she pushed for an answer when Jocelyn didn’t respond, but even then, the other girl seemed distracted. So, without even thinking, and with a grin on her face, she leaned forward and lifted Jocelyn’s chin, making it easy to capture her sultry, tempting lips.

Mistake. Huge, amazing mistake. One she would definitely make again but that was still a massive mistake.

Although a bit of panic appeared in Michelle’s mind, she still found a victorious smirk on her lips, as if after years and years, she had finally got one over on her childhood rival. Jocelyn didn’t know it, but she finally lost one. Her positive outlook on the situation only soared further when she noticed Jocelyn’s surprised look.

“Thanks for blocking for me, Jocey~” she said, calling Jocelyn’s nickname before licking her lips playfully and pulling on the new shirt. “And for the shirt, of course.”

Yep. Mistake. But at least she could now go home a winner, having accomplished something fantastic during the otherwise disappointing barbecue.

 

[Javorcek]

Is it almost over?! IS IT?! Alice liked to play games like this, really she did, but her wolfish friends cranked up the intensity of what should normally be a laid back, backyard drinking game into a full contact sport. Right now she was stuck on the same side as Sasha; and while Sasha may be shorter than her, she was exceedingly good at getting in Alice’s way. Every time Syri threw the frisbee down the lane, Alice had to fight for position just so that she could try to tap the frisbee into the can.

It could have been worse. Despite not having played the game, Syri managed to keep their heads above water and they only lost 19 - 21. After sinking the last point for the win, Sasha handed the frisbee off for the dragon’s rebuttal shot. Theoretically, Alice could tie up the win if she could just hit the can without Syri helping her. “Alright, Alice. No pressure,” Sasha teased, knowing that if anyone would choke under pressure, it would be Alice.

“Hah! Finally - ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!?!” Haley cried out as whatever patron saint of clumsy dragons sent a breeze that pushed the thrown frisbee up and into the little slot at the front of the can.

They won.

What the fuck.

We won? Alice blinked, stunned that not only had they won, but they won because of her and her dumb luck.

While the dragon stood stock still in disbelief, Syri sprinted over, hands on the dragon’s hips and lifting her into the air, “Syri!” Alice squeaked as the Alpha picked her up and ran her in a victory lap around her two younger sisters.

“You jinxed us!” Haley huffed and punched Sasha in the arm.

“Ow! Hey!” Sasha growled, then proceeded to launch herself at Haley to tackle her into the soft grass. “I’m not a jinx!”

“You are the jinxyest jinx in existence!” Haley crowed as the two of them rolled in the grass, trying to pin one another.

 

[ClearSight]

Syri often busied herself with responsibilities, standing firm as the reliable older sister and great role model for Sasha and Haley. However, her time away seemed to cause them to forget the other side of her, the competitive side that wanted nothing more than to win and display her dominance. Really, after experiencing her reigning over them for so many years during their excursions with Alex, one would think it hard to forget, but they did. Of course, it was only natural since Syri had changed as she grew up, losing her rebellious nature and striving to remain calm and focused. But that didn’t mean her nature had dulled. In fact, she soon made them remember, pushing herself to keep her and Alice afloat in a game she knew little about.

Although Syri put all of her energy into winning, she still made sure to keep a smile on her face for Alice. Reassuring the younger girl simply seemed more important than trouncing her troublemaking sisters. So, before Alice made the decisive throw, Syri mouthed a few words of comfort, just for her. I believe in you. Four words and a smile, and it seemed to work.

The adorable dragon across from her threw the frisbee, and as if willed into existence, a miracle occurred. It went in. They won.

Syri didn’t think about anything else as she ran over to Alice and grabbed her by the hips, lifting her into the air.

“I knew you could do it, Alice!” she said as she spun the dragon around. She even took her for a victory lap around Sasha and Haley, though her eyes stayed on Alice the entire time. Even with a prime opportunity to lord something over her sisters, she refrained and paid them no mind, solely focused on the light girl in her arms. Why was she so light?

By the time Syri’s excitement died down a little, Sasha and Haley were rolling around, going at it like they always did. She chose not to get involved. Instead, she let Alice back down to the ground with a light cough.

“Sorry, I got a little excited,” she said with an awkward smile on her face when she realized how long she had held onto her.

In an attempt to distract the both of them as soon as possible, she turned to look at the idiots she called siblings and shook her head. “I don’t think they are going to calm down anytime soon.” With how often they turned small scuffles into bigger competitions, she was probably right.

Syri turned back to Alice after a moment, her face returned to normal, including the pleasant smile that had appeared every time she looked at Alice since their reunion. “How about we celebrate with a cold drink?” she asked, quickly adding, “And don’t worry, you’re the hero, so you can just relax while I go get it.”

Syri refused to take no for an answer, her eyes quite firm as she made the offer. Then, once she caused Alice to relent, she told the girl to relax and said that she would be right back.

Once Syri made it out of sight, she turned and walked towards the parking lot, picking up the pace as she moved towards her car. While she planned on getting the exhausted dragon a cold drink as promised, she had another agenda as well, which was the delivery of a gift. After all, with Alice clutching the victory of their game, it was the perfect time to present her with a prize!

Syri opened the trunk when she reached the car and immediately opened up the duffle bag inside. Within a few seconds, she found what she was looking for and pulled out a book. After opening it up and making sure the most important part was still inside, she closed it and zipped the bag. Having everything she needed, Syri closed the trunk and turned back towards the BBQ, taking off in a sprint to make up for some lost time.

Although Syri slowed down once she got close, she still moved quickly, grabbing some cold beverages and some fruit before making her way back to Alex. She could barely wait to show Alice what she had.

 

[Javorcek]

After the initial shock of being so effortlessly picked up by a strong alpha wolf wore off, Alice managed a soft laugh. Syri’s excitement was contagious and she was feeling pretty good about a victory over her competitive friends, however accidental it may have been.

“Umm…should you stop them?” Alice nodded over to Haley and Sasha once she was put back onto the ground. She knew wolves, especially these wilder ones, tended to be very physical. Usually she enjoyed it, Sasha and Haley weren’t shy about platonically cuddling her and keeping her warm…but this wrestling at a public venue did worry her a bit. Mara would probably find out about it and yell at them, like she always did every year (but it didn’t stop the grumpy CEO from inviting them because she secretly saw the lot of wild barbarians as extended family). Syri didn’t seem too perturbed about it, it wasn’t like Haley or Sasha would really hurt each other. So the older girl casually mentioned grabbing them a drink so they could relax, an offer that Alice didn’t put up much fight against considering Jocelyn had never come back with beverages.

While the wolf trotted away, Alice made herself comfortable on one of the blankets the girls had set out in their little base camp. Lena and her chatted for awhile….though when Syri approached again, the chef excused herself, seeming to sense that Syri had a present for Alice and it would probably be something boring and nerdy that she didn’t want to hear them chatter on about.

Alice, on the other hand, grew excited when Syri approached with a novel. The older girl had been sending her rare books from her travels. So of course Alice thought it would be an interesting new find! But then it turned out that the book wasn’t new to her at all; in fact she was -very- familiar with it.

Ah…crap.

In her hands was her newest novel, “The Tethered Mage,” one of the few copies she had signed under her pseudonym. Alice had been writing short stories and posting them since she was 15, had gotten her first book picked up and published by 17, and now at 21 had a novel on the Armistice Times Best Seller list.

But all of her stories had adult themes…sooooo…she’d published everything under a pen name because people would undoubtedly get weirded out reading erotica written by a minor.

…and it would be weird if her friends knew what she wrote about…so she just kept the pen name rather than publishing her most recent work under her real name….

…but now Syri had her book.

Her book with like 2 bondage scenes.

Well, double crap.

“Just sign a few, Alice. Just do this -one- author reading, Alice. This book could really take off and become a movie, Alice.”

Damn her publicist.

“Syri…this is so thoughtful,” Alice managed a bright, genuine smile because it was indeed thoughtful. The novel was a well researched, alternate history (a genre that the dragon really enjoyed and apparently Syri remembered that fact). The title was a play on Benders who some scholars refererred to as ‘tethered mages’ because their magic was tied to this plane…and a nod to some of the sex scenes in the book. Even without the sex scenes the novel was fantastic! But sex definitely did sell so she hadn’t cut those out of the book. If readers weren’t interested in the alternate history of a Bending and Dragon society that hadn’t gotten obliterated during the Tacu Wars, they might at least like the love story that was featured.

“I can’t wait to check it out! Oh! What-?” Alice went to flip through the book and out fell two tickets. Tickets that seemed to be for the very limited seating event: the Armistice Author Showcase. Usually those tickets were for librarians, critics, and book store owners only! Of course there were some for bibliophiles but how on earth had Syri managed to grab a pair?! “These are…wow.”

 

[ClearSight]

Syri’s excitement turned into a gentle smile when she finally made her way to Alice’s side. The fact that Alice looked relaxed and relieved to no longer be playing the game caused part of it. The rest came from the excitement in Alice’s expression that mirrored her own excitement. Seeing another book lover just made her happy. And perhaps the fact that it was her gift that made Alice excited played a small part.

Everything else became unimportant in the face of a good book, and Syri quickly found a place beside Alice, getting close as she handed her a cold drink and the book. She found herself so excited that she barely noticed Alice’s expression, simply assuming it lit up as she talked about how she found a signed copy and immediately thought of her. She even absentmindedly mentioned how much she liked some of the scenes, so eager to talk about a beloved book that her sense of reason vanished.

Yes, tell her how much you like the book, as well as the sexy bondage scenes. Great idea, Syri. Or so her mind would have told her at any other moment. Unfortunately, it drowned in her energetic chatter.

Fortunately for Syri, she managed to rein it in after a moment, not wanting to drone on too much before Alice managed to react. She really wanted to see the look in her eyes when she got a rare book. After all, it was the first time in years that she had a chance to see her receive something in person. It ended up being completely worth it.

The moment Syri saw Alice’s bright smile, her heart skipped a beat, and she found herself smiling brightly in return. Although such a smile was rare for the stoic woman, she barely even noticed. Instead, her eyes darted away, and her mind sobered due to a flood of embarrassment.

Little Alice. Little Alice. Little Alice. She chanted before looking back up, regaining her composure.

“I’m really glad that you like it,” Syri said, her voice calm and almost doting. However, her eyes looked towards the book again now that she had calmed down. The surprise wasn’t over.

Luckily, Alice found a good book irresistible, so she only ended up waiting for a moment before the adorable dragon cracked it open and found the tickets inside.

“Right? A friend I made abroad got them for me as a thank you, and I immediately thought of you.” Nobody else loved books as much as Syri aside from Alice, making her the obvious choice. And after seeing her again, it felt even more right.

“I know it’s kind of short notice, but I really hope you can find the time and go with me,” Syri added, a glimmer in her eyes as she practically begged Alice without so many words. Of course, if the other girl already had plans, then she would understand. However, “disappointed” wouldn’t begin to cover how she would feel, especially after reuniting with her literature loving companion.

Before Alice could answer, Haley’s whining appeared in front of them, forcing Syri to turn her head and look at her younger sister’s pouting face.

“I can’t believe you, Syri!” she started, practically glaring at her older sister. While she seemed to be trying to look intimidating, the grass stains and dirt from her scuffle with Sasha only made her look like an adorable grump.

“I’m fighting for my life with one sister, and I find the other one cuddling up with someone else instead of helping me. Then I find out that instead of spending time with her adorable younger sister, she would rather ask someone else on a date! What happened to loyalty and blood being thicker than water?” Haley asked, being as overdramatic as possible.

“Is it because she’s cuter than me? Have we been betrayed for beauty?” Haley asked, displaying her cuteness in the brattiest way possible.

Syri’s first instinct was to put a little distance between her and Alice, lest the other girl get the wrong idea. In fact, she only noticed how close they were after Haley started going on, realizing that her body was pressing gently against Alice. She didn’t do that, though, not after Haley’s nonsense finally ended. She chose to act natural instead.

“Her beauty has nothing to do with it,” Syri sighed, shooing Haley away immediately after. “If you keep acting silly, I’ll drag you to all of the literature events I go to in the future. And you won’t be allowed to leave early from any of them.”

Syri’s words weakened Haley’s resolve in an instant. While she did want to give her older sister a hard time for acting like a gushing doof, she definitely didn’t want to go to all those boring events! So, knowing that Syri meant what she said, Haley gave up, turning around with a soft whimper and slinking her way over to Sasha.

“We’ve been betrayed, sister. Syri said Alice is beautiful and has asked her out on a date. Can you believe it? We’re just extras, receiving the leftover attention from our heartless older sister. Console me!” she cried out, letting the entirety of her body weight fall against Sasha, who quickly grabbed her while gritting her teeth.

“Stop it, Haley!” she barked, moments away from letting her fall to the ground and likely starting another scuffle.

Meanwhile, Syri sighed and looked at Alice. “Sorry, Haley’s… Well, you know… A handful.” Of course, she didn’t really deny what her infuriating little sister said, even if she quickly admonished the person in question.

 

[Javorcek]

Alice’s pale skin turned the brightest shade of red as Haley accused Syri of being interested in her. That was absolutely ridiculous of course! Just -look- at Syri! She was older and had her life together and was gorgeous and athletic and an alpha wolf to a good family and- and- surely she’d have werewolf suitors fighting one another just for a chance at a date with her!!!!! Syri would have no time for a silly young dragon that -could- have been a lot of things but just settled for peddling smutty romance novels. Usually Alice felt pretty good about her accomplishments but when she sized herself up to her friends, her achievements were miniscule. She had more room to grow, she knew that, but she was certain a girl like Syri would want a fully blossomed flower as opposed to a questionable seed.

After deescalating Haley’s dramatics and pawning her off on Sasha, Alice was left to still give an answer to the question that hung between them, “Of course. I’d love to go with you,”

You idiot!! Why would you say ‘yes’?!?!!?

Well, how was she supposed to say ‘no’ to those adorable puppy eyes?

It’s not like saying ‘no’ would have put her in any less of a terrible position. These tickets were amazing! She couldn’t keep them and not go. Her conscience wouldn’t let her deprive a book lover the majesty of being privy to an author reading (followed by a Q&A)! This was almost as huge a deal as Biblio-con! If she said ‘no’, she’d absolutely have to give the tickets back and Syri would inevitably go with someone else and then -still- end up seeing Alice on stage, revealing the elusive author’s identity. No matter what she did, she was going to be forced to let Syri know…or risk having her conscience haunt her.

As Haley and Sasha continued to cause a commotion and draw irritated glances from some of the snobbier Lykos employees, a new intern to the company just happened to look over as well. “Oh my god, Syri?!?!” the girl did a double take, not able to believe her eyes. But yes! That was indeed the woman she had spent several incredible nights with during her time abroad.

“You told me you were leaving!!!” Amanda growled as she stomped up to them. Technically, Syri hadn’t lied, they both had left Buyan…but Syri had conveniently left out that they would be ending up in the EXACT same city afterwards. They could have continued their relationship here!! But instead, Syri was a coward!! In her fury, Amanda slapped her old flame straight across the face as she tried to lay on whatever silver tongued nonsense she thought would get her out of trouble. “I can’t believe you! And you blow me off for -her-?!?!” Amanda turned her attention, sneering at the little pipsqueek. The alpha growled, rounding on the scrawny dragon temptress.

“Whoa! Hey!” Alice instinctively raised her arm to block as a punch was thrown, bringing a wall of soil up with her as a shield. That move only served to piss this wolf off more and she easily burst through it. Alice skipped backwards, this time when the wolf came at her, she planted her feet and called up the earth like she meant it. The wolf punched through the wall, and then Alice hardened the soil, trapping the wolf’s fist there.

“Um, look. This has really been a huge misunderstanding,” leave it to Alice to try to politely talk to an enraged alpha wolf that was flailing around with her fist trapped in a wall of dirt. “Syri and I are just friends, really,” the dragon tried to soothe. If the other girl just stopped fighting and calmed down, her hand would break free - Alice wasn’t looking to fight at all, merely restrain the wolf until she came to her senses. Such silly territorial creatures these wolves were!

 

[ClearSight]

Syri’s self-awareness remained strong, even if it never succeeded in trumping her insecurities. She knew how people saw her, knew her value, and even often used it when she found someone she wanted to charm. However, despite what she knew and how other people saw her, she often doubted herself. To her, happiness seemed like an illusion, and instead of pursuing something vague and incorporeal, she cut herself short and accepted short-term pleasure. Perhaps she did so a little too often.

If someone asked whether she believed in karma, Syri’s answer would come in the form of a firm and confident “no”. The idea made no sense to someone who suffered in her early childhood and yet found out years later that the scummy bastards who caused her to grow up in hell were still fine. It took everything she had to move on, knowing but not acting, and so, she held zero confidence in the idea that people got what they deserved. Instead, she stuck to the belief that people got what they wanted through hard work and determination. However, for a brief moment, when she saw the furious woman walking towards her during a rare moment of joy, the word “karma” bounced around in her mind.

Alice agreed to go with her, and Syri’s mood soared, but the instant high made the rapid crash much harder, as if the resounding slap that echoed amongst the group as Amanda’s hand met her cheek was the sound of her plummeting to the earth and pancaking against the ground.

Things didn’t end with a simple slap, though. Amanda’s voice rang out, revealing something Syri took no pride in without hesitation. No, she cared little about most people, but for some reason, when such a thing occurred in front of Alice, she found herself devoid of warmth, even trembling, not with rage but in shame. It hit her so hard that she reacted slowly to what happened next, only turning to try and stop Amanda when she lunged towards Alice.

“Stop!” Syri shouted in a voice that contained more panic than anger. The entire thing was her fault, and while she really disliked what the other alpha was doing, she knew a great deal of the fault lay with her.

Fortunately, Alice proved capable enough to protect herself, and while that caused Syri to sigh in relief, it also made her a bit regretful. Her image was tarnished the moment they met again, and she didn’t even have the chance to protect her. In fact, the words spoken by the gorgeous dragon boxed her into a corner, sending her to the place referred to as the “friend zone” without a second thought.

Hearing the statement brought the alpha some irrational displeasure, but she ignored it, turning to Amanda instead.

“Amanda, stop,” she said, walking over to the other alpha with a resigned look on her face. “You knew what you were getting into with me, didn’t you?” she asked, a serious expression on her face. She felt bad, but it wasn’t because Amanda was mad at her. Every woman she slept with knew what she wanted. She made sure of it. However, sometimes it didn’t matter. So, she didn’t feel bad for Amanda. Instead, she felt bad that her private life spilled into the public and affected those around her.

Amanda looked over at her, suddenly angrier than before. “I knew what I was getting into?” she asked, gritting her teeth as she repeated the question. “Sure, maybe I did. But that doesn’t make you any less of a heartless bitch for cutting it off like it didn’t mean anything!” she shouted, then turned and glared at Alice again.

“Plus, seeing your bad taste makes it feel like I’ve lost value,” she added, showing off a venomous tongue that hadn’t appeared during their blissful encounter back in Buyan. In fact, none of the things her tongue did before were unpleasant.

“Hey! How dare you speak about Alice that way!” Suddenly, Haley’s voice cut through the air, preventing Syri from saying any more, which was a good thing, because Syri seemed to grow angry after hearing what the other alpha said about Alice. Others might not have noticed, especially with how rarely Syri got angry, but Haley picked up on it instantly.

Deciding to play the hero, Haley stumbled forward, still a bit tired and drunk enough to throw caution to the wind as her one-man play began.

“She’s my girlfriend, and she has nothing to do with my big sister,” she said, then looked between Alice and Syri, her face seeming to question the two of them. Oddly enough, even the subtle expressions she displayed spoke volumes, and her face soon morphed into disbelief, as if a realization had suddenly dawned upon her.

“It can’t be… You and Alice? You’re my big sister… How could you do this to me?” she asked, stumbling towards both of them, her eyes full of emotion. A few tears even appeared, threatening to spill down her cheeks.

Suddenly, as if possessed by the spirit of the angry Amanda, Haley stood before Syri and sent out a slap, causing the second resounding crack to echo through the air. She then turned to Amanda, tears finally trickling down her pale cheeks, and said, “You’re better off without this kind of woman.” After saying those few words, Haley turned and ran off, sobbing loudly as she did.

There was nothing but silence as confusion spread across everyone present. Even Amanda, who had been furious before, stood still, her mouth slightly ajar. However, it wasn’t because she believed what just happened. It was quite the opposite, in fact. While the acting was good, it was so over the top that she didn’t believe any of it. The only thing she knew was that, somehow, watching it happen had relieved some of her anger, even if she still glared at both Syri and Alice after she recovered from being stunned.

On the other hand, Syri was shaking with anger, feeling humiliated as the spectacle caused by her messy love life got magnified by her little sister. Of course, it was to be expected from Haley, who always acted ridiculously at the worst possible times.

“Amanda, please go,” Syri said, her voice firm despite her tumultuous emotions. Perhaps that calmness only made her seem more intimidating, or perhaps everything that happened embarrassed even the initiator of it all, but Amanda turned and left, not bothering with another word.

Once Amanda left, Syri turned to Alice, whom she barely managed to look in the eyes. “I’m so sorry, Alice. I apologize for dragging you into my mess. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again. As for the tickets, please don’t reject them. They were a gift for you.” After she said that, she looked in the direction that Haley ran off with narrowed eyes, then turned to Sasha. “I’m going to my apartment since I still need to unpack. Tell everyone that I’ll come home for dinner.” She couldn’t bear to stay any longer.

 

[Javorcek]

Amanda’s comment was totally uncalled for! There were many things Alice was (a clutz, a nerd, a closet pervert, etc.) but she wouldn’t consider herself an example of terrible taste. Syri could do much worse than her! Well maybe not -much- worse, but definitely worse. The dragon glared, a little bit of smoke seeping out through her nostrils in irritation. She hadn’t really been planning to fry this girl to a crisp but if Syri’s ex was just going to be all out rude, she just might. Apparently Haley thought she was going to wreak havoc and burn down the city like the dragons of old, or her friend had the bright idea to be her white knight and defend her honor because the beta swooped in to the rescue!

…Maybe. Kinda. Not really.

Haley always excelled in the dramatics; Alice often thought her beta friend should have been a theatre major instead of going into music technology and becoming a producer. The feisty little wolf showed off her flair for creating a scene; going so far as to even slap her own sister across the face in an ingenious attempt to sew confusion!

…or she was just drunk and secretly wanted to slap Syri.

“I’ll uh…go check on Haley,” Lena offered once the beta fled in tears. She was eager to extricate herself from this awkward situation anyways. Poor Syri, she definitely did not want to be in the other girl’s shoes; nor could she stand to watch the unfolding train wreck of her friend’s life.

When the dust settled, all that was left was Sasha and Alice. Syri had jetted off with her tail between her legs, Haley was who the fuck knew where, and Lena was playing dog catcher. “Great. Well. Looks like we’ve got clean up duty.” Sasha huffed to Alice as everyone disappeared. Thankfully Alice didn’t mind helping her pick up the trash and blankets that their little group had left behind…after she rearranged the earth she had bended of course.

“Look, Alice, I love Syri and all…but she’s the kind of girl that’ll break your heart,” Sasha spoke up after they had folded up the blankets. She supposed it wasn’t really her place to talk about her sister behind her back but…well…someone had to let Alice know that a relationship with the oldest Reigns was an accident waiting to happen. “Her birth parents were assholes and-“

“We’re not dating.” Alice quickly interrupted.

Sasha rolled her eyes, “You guys send eachother letters all the time and she sends you books when she’s traveling. It’s like the plot of a bad romance novel set in the 1800s. What do you think the tickets are for if not a date?”

“It’s not like that,” Alice insisted. “People can just exchange letters and thoughtful presents without it being sexual!”

Hah! Syri wasn’t into Alice just like Lena wasn’t into Haley. Whatever. Let her oblivious friends figure out their love lives in their own time. Sasha never let go of the opportunity to say ‘I told you so,’ and she’d get her moment to flaunt her foresight eventually. “Yeah. Well. Just be careful. Believe it or not, you’re a snack.”

Alice scrunched her nose at the term, believing she was the furthest thing from a ‘snack’; maybe she was more like a healthy piece of broccoli.

————

Haley’s trail wasn’t difficult to follow, the girl managed to leave flabbergasted partygoers in her wake. All Lena had to do was walk through the confused looking Lykos employees before finally catching the back of Haley’s head. The drunken little fool was going towards one of the wooded trails. Why? Lena had no clue, but it was probably a good idea she followed because Haley was all sorts of idiot when she was inebriated.

Lena and Haley’s relationship was a really complicated one. The pair had grown up together, they had seen each other every day at school as kids and now several times a week as adults, sometimes for extended periods of time. Now they were ‘together’…but not really ‘together’; it drove Lena crazy sometimes, dating Haley but not being able to mark her in any way. There was just too much to lose if this relationship blew up. Neither of them wanted to make things awkward around their families if this thing didn’t work out. So they had agreed it would be best to keep their newfound romance under wraps, at least until they were more certain about their feelings.

“Hey! Haley,” Lena called as she jogged to catch up. She glanced around, finding that they were alone on the trail, at least for now. “C’mere you little lush,” Lena tugged Haley closer, fitting the beta snuggly against her as she leaned down to capture her lips. The chef was all fire and passion once she let loose, quickly turning up the intensity of their liplock by pressing Haley’s back into a nearby tree and pinning her there.

“So…you’re secretly dating Alice, huh?” a smirk tugged at the corners of her lips and her eyes danced with playfulness. The young wolf wasn’t the best at domination, but a made up indiscretion like this gave her a decent enough reason to be the growly jealous type. “You forget you belong to me? Forget that I’m the one who gets to fuck you?” Her hand had already come down to the button on Haley’s jeans, snapping it free and wasting no time sliding into her already soaked panties. She didn’t know if her lover was just a pervert, excited to be fucked so close to a trail where any passerby could just stumble upon them, or if she was just incredibly responsive to her.

 

[ClearSight]

Haley’s dramatics were, as usual, flawless. At least, that’s what she told herself. In her mind, she accomplished a lot with the little scene she caused, starting with doing something so shocking that the angry stranger had no choice but to stop and stare. That meant she lost momentum! And without momentum, the rage would become far more manageable or fizzle out entirely. Her job was done.

Haley also took the chance to slap Syri, which she couldn’t pass up once it became a possibility. She never won against her powerful older sister, so even if it came back to bite her, she took the opportunity. Plus, she really did hold a slight grudge that Alice seemed to be the first person on her mind when she returned. Just desserts were served!

Most importantly, however, she managed to make the situation more chaotic, effectively halting any spark that developed between Alice and Syri. She loved her sister, but the childhood that Haley didn’t remember had left a mark on Syri, and she didn’t want to put the burden of dealing with that on her friend. Perhaps it wasn’t her place, but really, with alcohol and bad ideas filling her head, she never gave it a thought. She simply acted.

“My conscience is clear, and it has nothing to do with me going forward~” she sang to herself, chortling happily as she passed confused onlookers. At that point, her mood was soaring, and the little drunkard was practically skipping along the wooded trail. She had no clue where she was going, but it didn’t matter. After all, someone would soon find her. Someone special.

Haley knew that Lena would follow her. While their relationship had developed into something more physical in recent days, they were best friends even before that. Lena always looked after her, and no matter how much trouble she got into, Haley had a shoulder to lean on. That shoulder now took to passionately embracing her, but that only made things better! Especially to the intoxicated brain that wanted to get up to no good.

When she heard Lena call out her name, a smug smile tugged at her lips, and Haley felt as if the world was in the palm of her hand. However, when she turned around, she looked sad. Her hand even went up to rub her watery eyes as a soft sniffle rang forth. “Lena…” she called out, her voice weak and powerless. She clearly wanted to keep playing the role. However, her plans didn’t go smoothly, with Lena ignoring her act and pinning her to a nearby tree instead.

Haley didn’t complain as her passionate lover captured her lips and went from broke from the start. If anything, she reveled in it, barely able to hold herself back as her needy tongue playfully darted forward.

“I know that I should have told you,” Haley said, her tone no longer sweet and innocent but provocative, matching the shallow grin on her face perfectly. “I adore you both so much that I didn’t want to hurt either of you. I just lost it today when I found out about her and Syri… It felt as if she had taken one of my favorite toys. I was upset, and I let it out without thinking.” Haley paused, looking at Lena with daring eyes that didn’t suit the “apologetic” words coming out of her mouth. Then, as Lena continued to speak, her grin became wider than before.

“Belong to you?” she asked, a hitch in her breath as Lena unsnapped her jeans and slid her hand down towards dripping folds. Pervert was such a strong word, but it fit her well, and she practically melted at the thought of being taken right there, potentially exposed in the act. For all their secretive behavior and the good reasons behind it, Haley also got off on it. She loved the idea of belonging to Lena without anyone else knowing. Though, instead of giving in and admitting who she belonged to right then and there, she kept pushing instead, openly taunting her lover.

“It’s not like you’ve marked me yet, have you? Because until you do, I can’t be blamed for my indiscretions,” Haley’s voice trembled with delight as she watched Lena’s face. She had a masochistic streak that craved punishment, and it turned her into even more of a fool than the alcohol already had.

 

[Javorcek]

“Grrrrr!” Lena snarled, pressing Haley more firmly against the tree in a show of dominance. She knew that Haley was saying this shit on purpose, could see the delight dancing in those bright eyes as she forced a reaction out of the usually laid back alpha. But Haley was also right…she didn’t -technically- belong to Lena; not in the werewolf sense anyways. The alpha’s jaw ached with the need to bite, to mark, to claim, to prove that she was alpha enough. Haley was hers! At least…that’s what her wolfish brain kept shouting. She snapped her mouth shut, grinding her teeth, trying to resist the urge. It wasn’t the right time…her and Haley were still new. While she could easily imagine her best friend as her mate (what a horrifying thought, being bonded to this idiot for forever), the idea of bungling this new romantic side of their relationship on the journey to get to the next level terrified her above all else. She cared for Haley…as a friend and a lover, but she was pretty sure the magnitude of her feelings would be lost on her doofy friend who could literally charm the pants off pop stars.

Lena was a whim, a blip, an anomaly in Haley’s love life…and with this sobering thought, she ducked her head and licked at the tender flesh of the beta’s pulse point, trying to get ahold of herself. It was easier here, tucked under Haley’s jaw and away from her teasing eyes.

This dissonance between her wolf and her human happened all the time.

Lena growled because she was supposed to.

Lena dated because she was supposed to.

Haley was the one thing she wasn’t supposed to do. She wasn’t supposed to put her friendship with her childhood friend in jeopardy, nor was she supposed to make the relationship between their families awkward.

With these thoughts, her alpha receded, leaving Lena, the insecure girl who was in love with a nitwit who probably didn’t reciprocate her feelings to the same magnitude.

“I guess if you don’t want to be mine and want to run around with other girls, then fine. You probably don’t need an orgasm from me this afternoon,” Lena pouted, betraying some of the hurt she felt at the mere insinuation that Haley would keep seeing other women. It was silly, she knew they were exclusive…she still got nervous though. Haley did work with a lot of young singers who were markedly cooler than the lowly chef.

While Haley scrambled for some sort of apology that would secure her pleasure, Lena relented, giving soft nuzzles to her lover. She knew that Haley didn’t mean the dumb things she said; she was only saying them to draw out Lena’s alpha and get a little bit of the rougher, wolfish treatment the alpha could provide.

“Come over tonight?” Lena asked, her tone hopeful. Haley had been over to the apartment a zillion times before, but never for sex. A chef’s work schedule was crazy and Jocelyn was always there, trying to recover from a taxing work week as well. But Lena was pretty sure she could take the day off and judging by how Jocelyn had never returned, her friend had found something (or someone) else to do. Maybe tonight Lena could give her love a mark that she so craved.



————-

Jocelyn wasn’t ‘easy’…but she also didn’t say ‘no’ as much as she probably should.

Being the daughter of Mara Marrok put a lot of pressure on her to be successful. She was working on her doctorate, learning how to run a massive nanotech company, and had to balance professionalism with her personal life…. Of course something had to blow up under so much pressure and it was usually the professionalism. That something turned out to be her personal life. Just like her mother, Jocelyn did a fantastic time of holding it all together during business hours. But afterwards? All bets were off. Drinking, partying, chasing skirts; she’d calmed down a bit in her doctoral program, but still, tabloids loooovvveeeddd getting photos of the young heiress with whatever flavor of the week she was with.

It wasn’t difficult to see how she could possibly mix up this current situation under the circumstances. Usually when she went on a date with someone it ended in a very similar way: Jocelyn was slightly inebriated and there were clothes coming off. It wasn’t her fault that her silly drunken mind was confused and thought this was a hookup instead of a rescue attempt! Obviously if two out of three things were true, she might as well go for three out of three and get naked. Without even thinking too hard about it, she was helping Elle out of her clothes.

…until she was reminded that Elle had two perfectly functioning hands. “Huh? Oh…yeah,” the wolf muttered distractedly. She was supposed to be bodyblocking and keeping watch now!!! But…there was lovely bared flesh to look at and she couldn’t bring her eyes away.

”Like the view?” Elle was teasing her, she knew it, but of course she did! Duh. Who didn’t like a mix of soft curve and hard muscle decorated with intricate tattoos? And all that flesh was right here, inches away, bared for her and practically begging to be touched.

The only problem was…how was she supposed to answer that question without it being a HR nightmare? Her mother had several (thousand) rules…one of the big ones was ‘Don’t sleep with anyone from work.’ Jocelyn understood that things got messy with love interests from work and she had been very good at avoiding corporate flings. But with Elle? The other wolf was gorgeous…and Jocelyn was drunk. But was she drunk enough to disobey one of her mother’s cardinal rules?

Yes. Yes she was.

The kiss was the tipping point. While Jocelyn’s brain was trying to weigh the pros and cons of fucking Elle in the back seat of her car, the other girl took action. Jocelyn found herself being kissed by eager lips. It wasn’t bad, but she had definitely been sluggish to reciprocate which caused Elle to look entirely too smug as she pulled away. Of course Jocelyn couldn’t just let that go; Elle might have gotten the drop on her this time, but never again!!

The use of her nickname in such a playful manner only spurred her on. While her friends and family used it all the time without incident, when Elle said it, it was just…wrong. Not necessarily a bad wrong, it just made her feel like she was on the defensive, like she was losing at something. It didn’t make her feel vulnerable and small per se, but it definitely didn’t make her feel like the alpha that she was. “Think you’re so clever, don’t you,” Jocelyn gave a playful growl as she took a half step closer to Elle, pressing their bodies together and savoring the feel of hard and soft nestled against her. Then she grabbed the back of Elle’s neck and urged her down, this time taking the other girl’s lips in a fiery kiss.

Things escalated quickly from there. Jocelyn’s hands came down to the edge of Elle’s shirt, finding their way underneath so that they could palm the smooth skin that had teased them earlier. The kiss drifted downwards, Jocelyn’s lips finding their way to the other girl’s vulnerable throat, teeth grazing over her pulse point as though she would bite. If Elle didn’t call a stop to it soon, it seemed the very handsy heiress was indeed going to fuck her right here in the parking lot.

 

[ClearSight]

Haley and Lena started as friends, and they remained that way even after things changed between them. If anything, the shift in their relationship took what was already an unhealthily intimate and reliant bond even further. Thus, since Haley liked to tease her before, she took it further now that they were lovers. It helped that Haley felt comfortable putting boundless trust in her best friend, knowing that the alpha would put her above everything else. Maybe she even took advantage of that fact a little, pushing and prodding with words that she knew were too much. After all, it was Lena, one of the few people she could confidently say would never do anything to harm her. She could be an idiot with Lena.

There was also the fact that maybe, in the recesses of her mind, if Lena did lose control and mark her right then and there, Haley knew she wouldn’t hate it. She refused to show it, too scared of what might happen if she dropped her goofy facade for something genuine, but her feelings for Lena ran deep. So deep, in fact, that she couldn’t even remember how long she had been in love with Lena. She only knew the longing had gone on for quite a many years before they actually got together.

However, all of that only made her feel worse when she heard the pain in Lena’s voice. Haley instantly sobered, the playfulness in her eyes dimming as she leaned her head forward and pressed it against Lena’s. She wanted to apologize, to comfort her, but she missed her chance for that, with a nervous Lena reacting too quickly for her drunken lips to stumble out the right words.

Perhaps it was a good thing, though. Anything she said now would sound like bullshit meant to get an orgasm, and she didn’t want that. Instead, she returned the soft nuzzles given to her by her beautiful best friend and whispered in a slightly slurred but very affectionate voice, “Anything for you.”

She could woo her later, once her head was a bit clearer and the timing a bit better.

---

By the time they reached Lena’s apartment, Haley’s alcohol-induced short-term memory loss had kicked in. Her original plan of wooing her lover vanished, replaced by goofy grins, a few not-so-innocent touches, and some on-the-nose compliments about Lena’s beauty. It was true, though. Lena was beautiful! Haley had always thought so, and so she said it!

Fortunately, she still had enough sense not to rush things too much, starting with slow, intimate kisses that carried more affection than raw lust. Though, by the time they made it to the couch, she had graduated from pecks to a little tongue and some under-the-shirt action.

Haley took control. Not in a dominant way, but because she was impatient. Of course, if she were sober, perhaps she might paint a romantic picture of wanting to show Lena that she didn’t just want to push her buttons, even if it was adorable to see her squirm and get all growly. However, in her current state, she just wanted to touch the person she adored, and she had waited long enough.

“Take your shirt off,” she mumbled between kisses, barely giving Lena enough time to try and remove anything as she demanded more and more attention. In the end, she started doing it herself, helping Lena out of her shirt before pawing at her own clothes. She really lacked grace when she was intoxicated.

The one good thing about Haley’s lack of coordination when she had a few was that it usually led her down the right path somehow. For instance, after removing Lena’s shirt, as well as her own, she started moving downward, nearly falling off the couch as she did. However, she transitioned the clumsiness into sliding off the couch and getting between Lena’s legs, intent on removing even more clothes with fumbling hands. And she was determined too, especially with her favorite treat waiting just below a few thin layers. She even licked her lips with a playful look at she stared up at Lena from between her legs.

----------

Michelle felt a thrill when Jocelyn stared at her. After all, while she carried herself with confidence in front of others, Jocelyn was special. Jocelyn knew her when she was young, and back then, Michelle lacked even basic pride. Even though she was just as beautiful back then, the scars and abuse crushed her, turning her into someone she looked back on and pitied. A loud, terrified girl who didn’t know her own value. Even her various sexual escapades back then were filled with insecurity. She wanted control, not a connection, and it ruined those relationships.

It made Jocelyn’s interest particularly difficult for Michelle to resist. No, she just didn’t want to. Even though Michelle knew how bad of an idea it was to get tangled up with the other woman — a risk to everything she was doing — she didn’t want to give up the temptation so close at hand.

So when Jocelyn finally managed to cobble together a proper response, Michelle merely grinned. She didn’t want to resist, so she didn’t, meeting Jocelyn’s rough actions with eager reciprocation, all but letting Jocelyn pull her into a fiery kiss. She wanted it so badly that she took a step back and gave up her tiny advantage, allowing the other alpha control, and once she did that, it was out of her hands.

Jocelyn’s slow start came and went, and it only took moments for the alpha to have her pressed against the car, hands beneath her shirt and teeth against her pulse point.

“Jocelyn…” she breathed out, her face flushed and her eyes filled with desire.

“We’re not doing it here,” she said, quickly followed by, “There’s a hotel nearby. I’ll get us a room.”

Michelle had no intentions of stopping. She didn’t even want to go to the hotel, not really. But getting fucked in the parking lot outside of a Lykos event was too risky, even for her lust-addled mind.

Jocelyn didn’t seem to like the idea of waiting, still kissing at her neck and touching her body, even coaxing out a rather loud moan. However, Michelle gave her a reason, leaning down and nipping Jocelyn’s ear before saying, “Behave. Once we’re at the hotel, I’ll take every piece of clothing off and let you touch as much as you want.”

---

Getting to the hotel had felt like torture. Neither of them could keep their hands off one another, and the annoying receptionist took forever to get their room settled. However, all of that only resulted in the pressure exploding the moment the door was opened, with Michelle practically pulling Jocelyn into the room before capturing her lips with a growl.

“You. Infuriating. Minx!”

Although it didn’t actually take that long to get to the hotel and reach the room, Jocelyn kept her hands busy while Michelle drove, even managing to make her moan like some subby little slut a few times! Michelle was beyond frustrated, and the devouring kiss was only the start! She would definitely show her what happened when someone tried to push her around! Definitely!

 

[Javorcek]

Few things made Lena as happy as hearing the words ‘Anything for you,’ especially when they were coming from Haley’s lips. Gone was the hurt, insecure puppy and back was the enthusiastic alpha. After a quick readjusting of hair and clothes, the two of them looked presentable enough to make their way out of the woods and off to the parking lot for the short ride home to Lena’s apartment.

Thank the gods that Jocelyn was off doing whatever she was doing because her and Haley couldn’t wait to get to the privacy of a bedroom once they stumbled into the apartment. The two of them advanced forward with feverish kisses and searching hands, only stopping their journey when they reached the first horizontal surface they could find: the couch. Lena just about tumbled onto it as Haley pushed her back, her lover obviously very eager to pick up where they left off in the forest. “I can’t take my shirt off if you don’t stop kissing me,” Lena giggled as she tried to pull away just enough to get her top off. Haley, as drunkenly ‘helpful’ as she was, only impeded her progress a little bit.

Lena couldn’t get her shorts and underwear off fast enough as Haley knelt between her legs. She had never really been one of those growly, super aggressive alphas…but seeing her lover on her knees definitely sparked something dominant inside of her. Haley is prey. Haley is ours. The wolf didn’t hesitate to let loose a possessive growl as her hand reached out to take her lover by the back of the head and urge her forward.

“F-fuck…” Lena breathed out a moan at the first contact of a hot tongue against even hotter flesh. Thankfully Haley didn’t tease; perhaps she had sensed the alpha’s urgency through the clenched fingers in her hair and Lena’s bucking hips. Her first orgasm was quick and far too short; but it came with the post-pleasure realization that they were here, in her apartment, with a bed, with hours and hours of privacy to do whatever they pleased.

“Bed, let’s go to the bedroom so I can take care of you,” Lena panted. As fun as couch sex was, she wanted more room. She got up on wobbly legs and took her lover’s hand, helping Haley up and eagerly tugging her off to the bedroom where they tumbled onto the bed together.

Once Haley was sprawled out on the bed, the Alpha pounced. Excited for skin to skin contact and to -finally- have her girlfriend in her bed, Lena rained kisses all over her love. Soon enough, she felt Haley’s body melt under her strong hands…though soon the meltiness turned to a fully limp, softly snoring puddle of naked beta in her bed. She picked her head up from where she had been kissing along Haley’s sternum just to make sure that her little foolish fool fast asleep. Sure enough, her best friend was out like a light. She couldn’t possibly be angry or frustrated with such an adorable sight. So with a shake of her head and a smile tugging at the corners of her lips, Lena carefully rolled off of Haley so that she could tuck her in.

“I guess I owe you an orgasm when you wake up, my silly drunken idiot,” Lena whispered as she crawled into bed beside Haley and snuggled up for sleep as well.

——————

Jocelyn couldn’t decide whether to drag Michelle into the backseat of her car or just have her hop on top of the hood and devour her there. The latter was looking like the better choice; impatient hands had already found their way back to the clasp of Elle’s bra. Had she been sober, and had Elle not interrupted her in the middle of this very important task to announce that they couldn’t have sex right here, she probably would have had the garment off of her. But as it was, Jocelyn was told she -couldn’t- do something, a statement that made the wolf growl.

“S’too far. I want you now,” Jocelyn licked a teasing stripe up the tendon of Elle’s throat, alluding to just what she wanted.

Elle would not be deterred though. She managed to lure the drunken Jocelyn into her car with the promises of better sex if she could just behave for a little while… A little while was far too long, so Jocelyn didn’t do much behaving in the car. Nor did she do any behaving at the front desk, in the elevator, or in the hallway to their room. While Elle battled with the keycard, Jocelyn busied herself kissing the back of her neck and sweeping her hands to the front of her pants to undo the button. Even drunk, she managed to have the zipper pulled down before Elle even opened the door so they could both stumble inside.

Elle’s declaration that she was a little minx and her confrontational tone made Jocelyn give off a bark of laughter. “You’re cute, you think you’re the one in control here,” the little alpha grinned. She was used to this: other alphas thinking they were going to dominate her just because she was on the smaller side. It didn’t matter that she wasn’t as strong or didn’t have as much leverage as someone taller, Jocelyn had long since learned that the key to topping a top was in being craftier. “How about this…you get on that bed, relax, and let me take care of you?” Jocelyn purred sweetly as she nuzzled under Elle’s chin. She did her best to appear small and adorable, trying to soothe her new lover’s alpha into what would of course be a trap.

 

[ClearSight]

It always felt right when Haley spent time with Lena. They connected in a natural way, and while it started as a friendship, their innate compatibility extended to the intimate moments they shared as well. Even if they didn’t fit into the werewolf norms, they fit each other.

Of course, Haley still appreciated it when her actions caused Lena to turn into a needy, growly thing. It made them more special, in fact. When Lena took control, it meant that Haley coaxed that response from her. It meant that Lena wanted her badly enough to lose control. The beta liked being able to do that to her best friend, who was someone who managed to remain in control of herself under even the most immense pressure.

Haley wanted to push her further, but not in the way that she had earlier that had resulted in an upset alpha that felt nervous about their relationship. She wanted Lena to feel confidence and excitement, and the only way she could think of to do that was to display her own eagerness.

The beta showed no signs of hesitance as she drew her tongue across Lena’s sex, not even bothering to tease or work her way into it. Lena seemed to like it too, gripping her hair and bucking her hips desperately. Her lover’s actions caused Haley to redouble her efforts, with her acting like a needy puppy as she licked over and over again without stopping. The beta didn’t even bother to try to get fancy, merely finding the sweet spot and hammering it again and again. Her efforts got results, too, filling her with pride. She even wanted to give Lena another orgasm immediately after, but she was stopped before she could dive back in.

“Bed?” Haley asked in a haze as she looked up at Lena, her expression revealing her confusion. Why would they move? She didn’t actually ask the question. She liked being taken care of by Lena, and if her girlfriend wanted to go to the bedroom, they would! Definitely! But she still didn’t understand why she couldn’t just keep going!

Fortunately, Lena took control of the situation, and like the obedient thing she was in front of Lena, Haley let herself be led by the hand, following Lena into the bedroom. It was a place that she hadn’t seen nearly enough since they started dating, so she quickly grew excited about going into it once she was on her feet.

Haley’s drunken mind quickly began to wander, but once they stepped into the room, Lena pulled her onto the bed and forced her to focus, which caused her to giggle happily. She quickly crawled towards the center of the bed and flopped over, looking up at Lena from her back with a sweet, slightly goofy smile. She even opened her arms, turning Lena’s pouncing into a hug that facilitated many kisses.

Lena was amazing to the point that Haley preferred spending time with her over having sex. She really, really liked sex, but between that and spending time with her best friend, well, she chose Lena. Of course, sex with Lena was kind of the supreme enjoyment, but kissing and cuddling and just being there together… felt the best. It made her feel so comfortable and relaxed. Happy. So relaxed and happy. So… sleepy.

“Love… you…”

---------

Jocelyn refused to control herself the entire way to the hotel, and nothing changed once they were inside. The only difference was that Michelle finally had the chance to strike back. Or so she thought. Just when she wanted to growl and grab hold of the gorgeous creature that had been tormenting her for the past half an hour, she started receiving soft words and nuzzles, which caused her brain to stutter.

It wasn’t right, and she knew it wasn’t right, but Michelle’s first instinct was still to accept the offer. The other alpha had been teasing her, and it gave her a good idea of Jocelyn’s skill. She even had a feeling that the other wolf’s experience dwarfed her own. In fact, it made her a bit nervous. However, what caused her to hesitate wasn’t the experience difference. Instead, the fact that she knew Jocelyn from their youth was what caused her not to agree immediately. After all, Michelle knew better than most that Jocelyn was no pushover. So even if Jocelyn’s intentions weren’t obvious, she wouldn’t fall for it!

Did Jocelyn’s intentions matter, though? No. No, they did not. Michelle didn’t give a damn what Jocelyn intended to do. She just wanted it. She wanted the woman acting all cute and innocent in front of her, a literal wolf in sheep’s clothing.

“I know what you’re up to,” Michelle said, though she quickly sealed her lips in a kiss to keep her from talking. She even pushed Jocelyn against the nearest wall, her powerful body pressing against Jocelyn’s smaller form. “I know that you’re trying to trick me by acting all cute when you have no intention of being good.” She kissed her again, but she didn’t keep her pinned for long.

Although Michelle boxed Jocelyn in as she revealed that she knew everything, she didn’t plan on struggling for dominance in their little tryst. So after her little display of strength, she flipped the script, looking into Jocelyn’s eyes and playfully saying, “If you show an opening and give me a chance, I’m going to make you mine. So you better take care of me really well if you want to avoid that.”

Michelle grinned, seeming all too pleased with her little promise. However, the annoying grin was soon replaced by a far more stunning sight as she turned around and headed towards the bed, shedding clothes as she walked. First, her top — Jocelyn’s top — followed by the pants that the little minx had already unbuttoned and unzipped. Nothing remained in a few steps, giving Jocelyn an unimpeded view of the tantalizing combination of tattoos, muscle, and gracefulness that worked to entice the eyes.

The alpha had no shortage of confidence in her body, either. Although Michelle always felt conscious of her scars, time healed all wounds, and she had come to accept and appreciate her body. So she showed off, even managing to be a bit smug as she flaunted her ass and beckoned Jocelyn over with a crook of her finger. “Come on then, my adorable, innocent Jocey. Come ‘take care of me’ already~"

 

[Javorcek]

Jocelyn nearly bristled as Elle pinned her, her alpha balking at such insolence. She managed to tamp down the fury, if only barely. This plan would work! It always worked. She just needed to be patient.. So rather than growl and fight for what she wanted, she merely turned up the adorableness - pouting and whining softly as she nosed under Elle’s chin like a sad puppy. How could anyone accuse such a cute wolf of having ulterior motives?!

Sure enough, the other alpha gave in. Whether it be due to curiosity or a taboo desire for submission, she couldn’t be sure. Either way, the conditions of her advantage didn’t matter. Elle was stripping, exposing the beautiful body that Jocelyn would get to ‘take care of’.

The threat of retaliation made her smirk, momentarily breaking the facade of innocent cuteness. Hah! Like she would give Elle a chance to take control… if such a thing happened, it wouldn’t be by accident, it would only occur if Jocelyn were bored. But how could she possibly grow bored when she now had the challenge of wiping that infuriatingly cocky grin off Elle’s face.

“Get on your hands and knees,” Jocelyn gently demanded, “I can’t take care of you if you’re grabby and being poorly behaved,” it was a flimsy rationale, one that seemed to work though. Elle didn’t give her too much guff as she got into her hands and knees; showing off a predator in an astonishingly submissive position. “Gorgeous…” the alpha murmured as she came closer to the bed. She was a little too drunk to navigate getting her clothes off on her own, but that didn’t matter, her focus was going to be on turning Elle into a needy beta bitch who would do whatever she asked in the name of pleasure.

“Let me see what I’m working with here…” Jocelyn started with an inspecting hand; fingers tracing over the lines of Elle’s traps, down her back, over her rear, and along her powerful thighs. Oh, she was going to have fun dominating such a physically powerful creature. “So wet and swollen already…you shoulda let me fuck you in the parking lot. You’re wound kinda tight..muscles all tense and pussy practically dripping into my hand…” there was a slight slur to Jocelyn’s speech still, but she did sound quite appreciative as she took in Elle’s body, especially when she cupped her needy sex and was greeted with wet heat.

Her nimble fingers danced through the slick folds, gathering wetness, making more of a mess to help remind Elle what a soaked,needy slut she was. For a moment it seemed that she might linger here, might actually start to really give Elle pleasure…but then her fingers dragged upwards, evidently her inspection not complete. “Ah ah…just relax…” Jocelyn purred reassuringly when she felt her new playmate tense up. Her fingers had paused for just a moment, but now they circled the tight ring of muscle of Elle’s ass. “You said you’d let me take care of you, remember?”

Now that she had the advantage, Jocelyn wasn’t going to let up. Elle had mistakenly given her an inch, and now the young wolf was going to take a mile. “And then you willingly got on your hands and knees for me…presenting your ass like a bitch in heat…did you honestly think I wouldn’t want to claim this little hole for myself?” Jocelyn kept massaging, but her finger began to apply more pressure. She truly did want to press in and just fuck Elle… but such an act would be rude. She wanted some sort of verbal permission before she just kept taking from her new sub. “So I s’pose the question is…do you want to cum with my finger in your ass first? Or my tongue?”

 

[ClearSight]

Michelle’s instincts told her to be careful of the adorable Jocelyn parading her cuteness around with a pouting face and delicate whimpers, but she refused to listen. She chose to show off instead, practically handing herself over as she beckoned the drunken wolf to her side. Even when she saw the smirk playing at Jocelyn’s lips, she turned a blind eye and waited, her curiosity slowly wrapping itself around her neck like a noose. She lost her chance to escape.

Even before she heard the first order, Michelle knew that the time for backpedaling had passed. It only became clearer when she looked into Jocelyn’s eyes, which shimmered with desire and authority that betrayed her attempt at appearing gentle and innocent. Yet, she still accepted it, almost eager to see what obedience might bring.

“Mmm, right.” Michelle agreed to Jocelyn’s flawed logic, gracefully transitioning to her hands and knees, her cheeks a bit flushed but her expression still calm. Of course, in her head, emotions ran high, but none of it managed to burst through to the surface. Instead, she got into position and wiggled her backside just enough to sweeten the view. She even looked over her shoulder with playful eyes, silently asking whether Jocelyn liked what she saw. She even received an answer in the form of a dazed murmur, causing the expression on her face to turn even prouder.

Michelle’s victorious expression only lasted for a moment, though, with it fumbling into something almost shy as Jocelyn walked over and began to inspect her body. It caused everything that happened on the way to the hotel to reemerge, and her body quickly returned to its previous aroused state.

The compliments and Jocelyn’s obvious appreciation for her figure only caused Michelle to succumb further, with soft panting escaping her lips as the other alpha touched her dripping folds.

Part of her wanted to respond, but she faltered when she tried to think of what to say. Should she pretend to not like it as much as she did? She doubted Jocelyn would believe it. It certainly wasn’t true. Although submission lay well outside her comfort zone, she quickly fell into the role, and her body couldn’t lie, even if her mouth did. Moreover, admitting her inexperience was even less of an option. So, she ended up not speaking, though she was by no means silent.

The moment Jocelyn’s fingers began to tease her, she let out a soft moan, her body jolting slightly at the unexpected visitor, even quivering in expectation and desire. Yet, just as she truly began to relax and embrace what came next, Jocelyn threw her a curveball, dragging her slender digits upwards and approaching a new playing field entirely.

Michelle instantly tensed up, her entire body stiffening. The nervousness inside of her was so intense that Jocelyn’s sweet, reassuring voice sounded demonic, like a monster trying to lure her into the darkness. She shuddered again, peering back at the gorgeous creature trying to tempt her into depravity.

“I… Do…” Michelle said, remembering her promise but thinking that this and that were two entirely separate things. But Jocelyn seemed to not care about her clear hesitance, playfully circling the taboo hole with her fingers.

“Jocelyn…” Michelle spoke her name with less playfulness than previously. No longer did she accuse her of being innocent or call her by the adorable nickname she heard from the AI back at Lykos. Instead, she spoke as one would speak to a predator, with a mix of caution and uncertainty that spread to her expression.

However, she found it difficult to reject the gorgeous, dominant woman, especially with her words playing in her head like a broken record. She presented herself willingly. She wiggled her ass, panted, moaned, submitted. Did she think Jocelyn wouldn’t dare? No, she knew. Michelle knew everything. Perhaps that was the reason excitement quickly overwhelmed her hesitation.

“T-Tongue…” Michelle finally uttered, only managing one word as her pale, delicate cheeks blossomed with color. How embarrassing. How humiliating. How… exciting.

Michelle had no idea that such a thing could be so thrilling, nor that she desired something so disgraceful. It went beyond her imagination, but there she was, on her hands and knees, offering her ass to someone she never imagined being friendly with, much less submitting to.

It only occurred to Michelle after she spoke that Jocelyn never offered her a way out anyway, only asking how she wanted it, not whether she did. It made it seem as if Jocelyn saw through her, knowing that she would give in one way or another. The thought made her feel ashamed, but in her current state, even that simply mixed together with her excitement like a devious cocktail meant to addle her mind.

Though, somewhere in her foggy, lust-filled head, reason still remained, enough that she was aware of every soft, pleasurable sensation that Jocelyn’s tongue brought her. The invading muscle felt amazing, lighting her nerves on fire and forcing whimpers and moans to spill from her lips.

As it went on, Michelle found it difficult to remain still, but Jocelyn kept her in line, giving her nowhere to escape. At one point, she even tried to bury her face in the sheets, muffling her moans in an attempt to salvage some dignity, but that wasn’t allowed, either. Jocelyn refused to let her hide the sweet, submissive voice that kept filling the air.

Michelle began to go crazy, pushed to the edge over and over again without getting what she so desperately wanted. It eventually led her to snap, her words filled with anger and desperation.

“Please, Jocelyn, stop teasing me. Just make me cum already!”

How long had it been? Hours or minutes? She couldn’t tell. Either she lacked the willpower to endure or Jocelyn was patient beyond belief, because the tongue that she asked for tormented her endlessly. She was forced to endure pleasure without release, and she couldn’t take it any longer. After squirming, biting her lips, and doing everything else she could, Michelle gave in.

 

[Javorcek]

Could her calculations have been off? Jocelyn had asked a question and she was expecting a timely response…but Elle seemed to hesitate. Perhaps the alpha was now trapped in the mentality of prey - similar to how bunnies froze right before a predator gave chase. Stuck in her own indecisiveness…oh well, that was okay; Jocelyn’s goal had been to wipe away some of her smugness anyways. Besides, she was patient, she could wait. She preferred domination that was more akin to a friendly game of strategy than an all out battle of wills. So while Elle continued her internal struggle, Jocelyn kept gently teasing her rear end.

“Tongue, huh? You’re either more depraved or bolder than I thought,” Jocelyn grinned at Elle’s final answer. She wasted no time getting into position; just in case Elle decided to change her mind, it was too late now! Because Jocelyn was already gently parting both cheeks and leaning down to apply the first press of tongue to virgin nerves. She licked lightly at first, trying to let Elle get used to the feel and the humiliation that a hot, wet, velvety tongue would bring to her most taboo spot. Flutters and swirls, sweeping the flat of her tongue over the right ring of muscle to try to get her new sub to relax. Soon her tongue became more insistent, pushing inside, drawing out a high, breathy whine from Elle as she did.

At the first muffled moan, Jocelyn growled. How was she supposed to work under these conditions?!??! She couldn’t be on point with her ministrations if Elle wasn’t giving her proper feedback. She backed up, enough so that she could sink her teeth into Elle’s fleshy behind in punishment. “I want to hear you. I want to know what you like. So knock it off. Pick your head up like a good girl,” she peaked around the other wolf’s rear, just to check that she had indeed lifted her head or at the very least turned it to the side so her moans were no longer muffled. Then back to Elle’s poor defenseless ass she went. Hands spreading her wider, tongue delving deeper and more forceful; if her new toy thought the noises she made before were embarrassing, Jocelyn was going to make sure she coaxed out an even more humiliating reaction.

Jocelyn would lose all sense of time when she was drunk; had once gone down on a girl and edged her for three hours without even realizing it. The telling pain in her jaw or fatigue of her tongue just didn’t exist when she was inebriated. The only thing that drew her out of this reverie was a begging, needy wolf. She wasn’t entirely certain how long she’d been teasing Elle…but judging by the wet patch on the bed and the high pitched desperation in her voice, it had been awhile.

“Hmmm…rub yourself if you’re so desperate to cum,” she had made a promise that Elle was going to cum with her tongue in her ass…but was unwilling to give up her handhold on that perfect little rear to do so. “Go on, that way every time you touch yourself you can remember how you were bent over, offering up your butt like a needy slut,” with that idea that this experience was about to ruin Elle forever, Jocelyn dove back in to her poor, vulnerable rear, hungrily licking the other girl to her first, intense orgasm of the evening.

As Elle came down from her high, Jocelyn eased up. She gave a few sweeping licks as she backed away, then gave Elle’s rear a light pat as she released her cheeks and let her have at least a little bit of her dignity back. “Good girl…think you can shift for me? I’d like to ride you til you break…” Jocelyn purred. She didn’t seem like she was going to freely give up control at all tonight. Elle was going to be allowed to shift but she would have to spend all that time exposing her belly like a beta.

While her newly initiated sub transformed, Jocelyn finally tugged off the last of her clothes. Merely average height and lean, she wasn’t nearly as powerful as Elle. But the way she carried herself…the way her mind was always analyzing people to figure out how they ticked; that was where her imposing strength truly lay. Here she was, this cute little thing, just mounting a muscular predator as if it were no big deal. Part of her knew it was; Elle had given up a lot of control very, very quickly. But this just made Jocelyn want to work harder, to not disappoint her new sub with this first experience.

“That’s a good girl…a gorgeous, strong wolf, beautifully submissive just for me,” Jocelyn offered praise freely, Elle was indeed doing a fantastic job of waiting for her treat. She didn’t make her wait long, swinging a leg over her lap and then reaching down to wrap her hand around the other girl’s new addition. Lowering herself onto Elle’s cock was a little more work. She could practically feel the wolf vibrating with the impatient energy caused by wanting to thrust up. “Hands above your head, pet. And stay still. Don’t make me take time to magically bind you,” Jocelyn commanded as she slowly sank down. Elle was on the bigger side so she took her time, groaning softly as she got used to the stretch. Now it was Jocelyn’s turn to start panting and be needy, once she got comfortable with the feeling of fullness she wanted more.

“Are you going to mark me?” Jocelyn teased as she rode Elle, slow and deliberate. “Have the world think you can top me while you and I will both know that you begged to cum while my tongue was in your ass?” the alpha grinned as she peered down at her lovely sub.

 

[ClearSight]

Michelle started out with an abundance of confidence. She openly flirted with Jocelyn, teasing and toying with her. She thought she had control. However, from the moment the drunken alpha took the bait, she also took control.

It didn’t matter that Michelle saw through her, nor did it matter that she found herself hesitating at first. None of it meant anything in front of Jocelyn’s skillful coaxing, which led Michelle into a place of comfort before pushing for another inch. She was so adept that even knowing the danger lurking ahead, Michelle was too enticed to turn away. Then it was too late.

Michelle found herself trapped, releasing a desperate, needy voice that had never escaped her lips before.

“Rub myself?” she asked with a frustrated whine, wanting to bite back with a few sharp words but nervous about enduring more of Jocelyn’s torture.

It didn’t end there, though. Soon, Jocelyn’s voice spoke humiliating words, causing Michelle’s cheeks to burn with embarrassment. Yet, those words, which should have caused the proud wolf to bristle and grow angry, sent a heat running through her. Before she knew it, her hand slid down.

That was it. Michelle gave in completely, doing exactly what Jocelyn told her, despite the humiliation. She even enjoyed it. And as if being rewarded for her submission, pleasure came, overwhelming her like a bulging dam that finally collapsed, flooding her body with euphoria that sent her into a haze.

Michelle’s body trembled as aftershocks pulsed through her. Her fingers slipped away, coated with her juices. She then melted into the bed, completely relaxing from a mix of momentary exhaustion and absolute satisfaction. It was the most pleasure she had ever experienced.

Yet, as she lay there, content with basking in the afterglow of the best orgasm of her life, Jocelyn’s demonic voice floated through the air once more.

“I won’t break,” Michelle whined pitifully, unable to hide her reluctance to move, much less shift. Unfortunately, she seemed to be a sucker for Jocelyn’s coaxing, because it didn’t take long before she showed off her obedience and did exactly as she was asked.

Michelle’s wolf was an impressive specimen, making her strength obvious, but she felt more vulnerable in her wolf form. Not only was she about to submit to another alpha in such a primal state, but she lacked her tattoos when shifted, which meant the scars she hid underneath them revealed themselves.

Jocelyn seemed undisturbed by what she saw, though. And when the gorgeous woman climbed on top of her, she forgot all about the self-conscious thoughts that had started encroaching on her moments earlier.

Michelle’s confidence soared further when Jocelyn began to pay her compliments, quickly returning to the level it had been before she became a whimpering mess beneath her skilled tongue. But she showed no signs of wanting to turn the tables. She simply watched as Jocelyn climbed on top of her, taking in just how beautiful her dominant partner was. Michelle wanted her — more than ever.

The sudden desire that swelled inside of her nearly caused Michelle to make a mistake. She nearly thrust her hips upward, desiring nothing more than to impale the aroused creature hovering above her so temptingly. But Jocelyn offered a timely reminder, and she forced her impatience down, even if only barely.

“I’ll be good if you hurry,” Michelle said eagerly, not quite begging but treading dangerously close.

Fortunately, Michelle wasn’t the only one that felt impatient and needy at that point, with Jocelyn seeming just as eager for her own pleasure. Though, not eager enough, apparently.

Jocelyn moved agonizingly slowly once she lowered herself down, drawing out moans but making it clear that she wanted to tease her again. Again!

The other alpha seemed to take great pleasure in watching her squirm, and there was nothing Michelle could do about it. All she could do was struggle once again at the hands of Jocelyn’s slow, torturous pace.

The pleasurable torture caused Michelle to delay, but eventually, she responded to Jocelyn’s latest provocation.

“I want to mark you,” she started, her voice trembling slightly as she fought the irresistible urge to grab Jocelyn and pin her down. She wanted everyone to know that this gorgeous, evil creature belonged to her. That none of them were allowed to touch her.

The possessiveness of Michelle’s wolf showed completely as she looked at Jocelyn, uttering those words seriously. She went for even more after that.

“I want to thrust upward, grab your beautiful body, and ravage you. I want to make you mine.” But she wasn’t. “Please.” But she asked permission.

Michelle knew her place at that moment, but more than that, she disdained using force unless necessary. She appreciated raw strength, sure, but she was no longer as young and hot-blooded as before. Plus, she simply felt compelled to ask.

 

[Javorcek]

The earnestness of Elle’s desires made her shiver. Jocelyn knew that giving up the high ground and letting the other alpha absolutely ravish her would be a phenomenal time. But… As appealing as the thought of Elle putting all that mouth watering muscle to good use was, Jocelyn just couldn’t give up control, not yet anyways. There was still so much to do and the night was so young, “Soon pet, soon… I know you want your chance to show off.” Yes. Soon. Just one more little devious act and then everything should fall into place as she planned.

As she continued to ride Elle’s cock, her slender fingers started working over the swollen bud of her clit. She was providing her partner with a show while also ultimately reminding her that Jocelyn was responsible for her own pleasure. Elle was a mere tool, just laying there, on par with a sex toy. Jocelyn didn’t need her! Not one bit! And she hoped the realization of what exactly she was doing would light a fire under Elle and prod her into growly wolfy action; especially considering the evil way that Jocelyn came.

Already worked up from tormenting Elle’s cute little rear, her orgasm came quickly, “Fuck! Oh fuck…cum with me Elle, fill me up, mark me,” The alpha trembled, moaning as she felt Elle’s release. With great effort, she lifted herself up just a little too high, causing Elle’s cock to slip out of her clutching heat. She whined at the loss, her body and wolf screaming at her for doing something so stupid. Everything inside of her ached from pleasure that just wasn’t quite enough…but her rational mind tried to assure the visceral parts of her that everything would be fine. If they could just hold it together for a little while longer, they would have a ferocious wolf exactly where they wanted them.

“Oops...” the mischievous wolf didn’t bother to hide her grin as she looked down between them, at the clear streaks of arousal that covered Elle’s abs. “Guess you missed…”

As a frustrated Elle growled and flipped them over to take what was hers, Jocelyn giggled, eyes full of challenge as the muscular beast loomed over her.


———

Lena had gotten up sometime in the middle of the night to give her silly drunken girlfriend a glass of water and some ibuprofen. Then she woke up a few hours later for real, tangled up in her love…her love…

She said she loves me. Holy shit. HOLY SHIT!!!

Lena’s heart soared…only to come crashing back down moments later. Haley had said she loved her…but Haley had also been drunk.

Did she mean it? Is she even going to remember saying it?!?!!

Fuck! She didn’t know. What was she supposed to do now?!?!

She lay there, weighing her options. On the one hand, she could pretend it hadn’t happened; it would slowly kill her on the inside…but not as much as telling Haley she loved her and having her girlfriend freak out. As far as she knew, her friend hadn’t ever been in a really serious relationship. Haley had had fun dating singers and starlets, but Lena doubted that had ever really been in love with any of those people. Would she panic if their relationship became more serious than fun?

It sucked, but it would probably be better to pretend hadn’t heard what she had heard.

With a dejected sigh, Lena decided to give her girlfriend a kiss and then sneak out of bed to have her internal meltdown elsewhere. Cooking breakfast would help calm her nerves…and it was the best way she could think of saying ‘I love you’ without actually saying it.

Their whole relationship had started with her bringing delicious food for Haley when the beta worked late nights. Instead of the pizza, burgers, and other garbage that appealed to booze hounds who were usually the only people looking for food at 2am, Lena would bring the late working producer something from the restaurant. Sometimes she’d bring Haley something totally new and exciting that she was working on these late nights. This morning turned out to not be so different, Lena whipping up a delicious eggs Benedict with champagne hollandaise sauce (well, really Prosecco hollandaise because her and Jocelyn preferred that over champagne).

 

[ClearSight]

Jocelyn was the greatest temptation Michelle had ever faced. She wanted her, yet to have her, she needed to resist those building urges, which took more and more of her waning willpower. How long she could control herself seemed to be the name of the game, and she wasn’t blind to Jocelyn’s attempts to test her limits.

“Soon.” Michelle repeated the word, Jocelyn’s promise playing at her lips as she tried to convince her impatient wolf into obedience.

Impossible. Keeping still and enduring it wasn’t something she could do, but she had to, even amidst Jocelyn’s taunts. Even as the beautiful creature promised pleasure while treating her as little more than an object — one who only needed to lay there and be good.

Michelle endured all of that, though. She whimpered and whined and moaned beneath Jocelyn, but she remained adherent to the unspoken rules. Then Jocelyn broke them. She lied. She provoked Michelle’s wolf in a way it refused to tolerate.

“You…” Only a single word managed to leave Michelle’s lips, but it contained all the betrayal and frustration she felt. Her seed, meant to fill Jocelyn and mark her, lay on her stomach, and it was infuriating. Jocelyn even had the nerve to look at her with that little grin on her beautiful, annoying face and pass the blame.

No! Not acceptable!

Michelle growled and grabbed Jocelyn, flipping her over and pinning her to the bed. Her muscular form loomed over the gorgeous woman, and her eyes were just as hard and unrelenting as her trained body.

“I’m going to mark you, just like you asked me to.” It was a promise, one made with a determined voice and followed by a thrust of her hips that shoved her entire length back into Jocelyn’s heavenly heat. She released a satisfied groan, savoring the sensation as she admired the woman she finally managed to put beneath her.

“I want to see how long you can keep looking at me like that,” Michelle said, meeting the challenge in Jocelyn’s eyes with confidence and determination. She already gave in once. Now she needed to return the favor.

---

Love you. I love you. I fucking love you. Okay, so she only said the first one, but when Haley’s eyes opened the next morning, she knew what she said and what it meant.

Fuck.

It might have been an odd word to come to mind when she finally said something she had wanted to say for a long time — longer than they had been dating, even. But she never planned to drunkenly say it like it was some unimportant, obvious step forward. It kind of was — inevitable, that is — but she wanted it to be special!

Haley’s dramatics and nonsense didn’t escape her self-awareness. If anything, she sometimes grew nervous that Lena might get fed up with it. Fortunately, her best friend and lover found those parts of her charming — most of the time. But it didn’t change the fact that she deserved more. Especially when it came to a confession. At the very least, it needed to be equally magnificent when compared to some of the nonsense Lena dealt with as her lover.

Instead, she received a groggy, mumbled confession from a drunken idiot. Oh, and a fizzled end to a night that promised so much more, just to add a nice cherry on top.

Right, it was a disaster, and it added to Haley’s monstrous headache, turning her into a groaning mess who rolled around on the bed instead of getting up.

As much as the events of last night made her want to smash her face into a pillow and scream, the smell of food dragged her into an upright position. Led by her nose, she even stepped out of bed and took a few steps on unsteady legs. She regained her footing quickly enough, but she lacked the same success in finding her clothes. In the end, she resorted to thievery, grabbing one of Lena’s shirts and pulling it on without a thought.

Hungry enough to ignore her tumultuous thoughts and power through her hangover, Haley left the bedroom. Really, just the fact that she got dressed — even if a shirt only met the minimum qualifications for the word — was a small miracle. She wanted food, Lena’s food, the best food ever. And she wanted it immediately.

Haley only made it as far as the doorway to the kitchen when she stopped in place, though. The sight that greeted her, as simple as it was, caused her feet to root in place and her expression to soften.

Lena was standing in front of the stove, wearing PJs and humming to herself. It was a profound sight, because Haley saw it and realized something that eased all of the panic still lingering in the back of her mind. She wanted to wake up to that sight every single day for the rest of her life.

“Yeah…” Her voice was barely a whisper, and she only said it to herself, but everything fell into place as she walked across the kitchen, and as her arms wrapped around Lena from behind, she decided never to let her go.

Step one in my plan to stay by her side forever — let her know how much she means to me.

“I love you.” The words were low, but she spoke clearly and with purpose. They weren’t a mistake the night before, and she made it clear that it wasn’t a mistake the second time, either.