A Rogue's Reminiscences

Darius was sitting underneath a star-strewn sky in the crook of a tree branch, one leg hanging over the edge. The warrior was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt, buttons undone to expose part of his muscled chest to the air. The spring weather was cooling at night. It felt good on his skin. As for footwear, he had none. And the jacket was draped over another tree branch directly to his left. He was rifling through a batch of torn crumped, creased papers in his hand intently. They were drawings, sketches. He’d found them after work at his studio. They were designs for weaponry with some notes that he couldn’t really understand but recognized. Chemical compounds. With sodium and nitrate appearing frequently. The sketches were components of various explosives with a combination of explosives and high-tech arrow guns. From the looks of things, the weapon would’ve shot arrows that would’ve exploded on impact. It would’ve set the victim on fire. But not before injecting the victim with toxic chemicals that would go into the blood stream and cause combustion. It was a failsafe in case the arrow was ripped out before exploding. The explosives were shaped in the form of ordinary objects like car keys or a toothbrush and even as sticks of cigarette in a pack. And even as coins or notes. If he hadn’t found it at the studio he would’ve thought that this was the work of an avid vampire hunter or a human. The only people he knew that would be creating this kind of stuff were the artists or animators working in the studio at the same set. He was going to throw it away initially but he’d seen some stuff that he could work with. Darius was not a scholar but he was inquisitive.

Folding the sketches, he put them inside his jacket pocket and put his hands behind his head. Maybe he could make some of the weapons into miniature explosives for fun. And for self-defence or offensive purposes. It reminded him of his time in Italy, during the Renaissance when he had been working underneath the quintessential Renaissance man himself, Leonardo Da Vinci. He’d had ideas and drawn them down, sketched them but he’d never finished as his mind hadn’t managed to concentrate on one thing before it flitted to something else. And he’d had an interest in Darius’ biology and physiology. He’d wanted to cut him open to see what made him tick and did experiments on him, one of which included injecting him with a serum that’d forced him to stay in werewolf form for a week just so the man could study his metabolism. He’d even made a cage to lock him in which he’d used hypnotism to get him inside. He hadn’t even cared when Darius had eaten his pet doves, marked his territory all over his portraits, brushes and paints on the fifth day and bitten his entire arm off when he’d let him out. The man had been an unrivalled genius of science and arts but he was insane, maybe a little more so than history had recorded. Once he’d had a nightmare of being on a metal table, being cut open with a scalpel for hours upon hours while conscious. Leaning back against the trunk of the tree, he closed his eyes and chuckled,“Where else but in the echoes of the mind...can you hear yourself scream?”

In the dark of night, Lucian had found himself bored within his own den. He moved to the entrance of his den, blocking the water from touching his head with a thick hairy arm. Stepping out into the night, he sniffed through the air, allowing the scents which carried on the wind to be inhaled with each whiff. The black male closed his eyes, allowing the scents to tell him the story of the day. The pack had been out doing their own things, who knew where they all had been. Sitting here in silence was boring and the great Alpha had heard rumors of the Shifters, of their new "king". The disgust washed over him like a tidal wave. In his mind, Eden had been so close to loving him, she cared for him personally. She knew of the monster he was, yet she did not mind it, instead she embraced it. She was the only one who could force him to keep in his human form, to push the monster back a few minutes to where she could relax his body and mind. These emotions she gave to him, they were strange. He held them before for one of his own kind, Claire. But he had never met a member of another race which he cared about. He hated vampires, everything about them. They smelled of death, putrid and vile death. Lucian stretched his mighty form before pushing his weight off his hind legs. What better way to clear one's mind than to rush off around his land? He moved for the borders first. He marked his scent along the trail, keeping the intruders aware of his presence, that he was the acting ruler of the territory. When the perimeter was secure, he moved inward to his land.

His favorite of the land, was Sacred Valley. He had done a wealth of thinking there, thinking of anything under the sun. The Alpha male moved towards the forests, smelling as he went around. His eyes adjusted to the night sky much easier than that of the daylight. It was not the bright disturbing sunlight, the flashy rays of the sun which forced all to look away. The moon was beautiful in its own light, for it did not force its presence to be known. It was only there to appreciate its glory. As he approached a large hill like portion of the area, he ascended it. He walked slowly, keeping his ears perked as he listened for anything which might be around him. As he approached the peak, he smelled a scent before him. It was of his own pack, of a male. Lucian kept his slow and quiet pace, keeping himself as stealthy as a ninja. The wind blew the scent downward, allowing the Alpha to keep the art of surprise on his side. His green orbs watched the creature leaning against the trunk of a tree, looking out over the edge to the rest of the world. In the distance, lights of the human streets and buildings could be seen like the soft glow of a candle in the dark. The wolf's name was Darius, he had met him within the sewers, assisting with the pesky wolf as his Alpha appreciated. But the only wolf Lucian was close to, was Callista. She was the only one he truly trusted. Perhaps now would be the time to change that. He could give this male a chance. And then he spoke. It was a rhetorical question directed to himself, Lucian was sure of this. But with a smart ass reply, he spoke a smirk in his voice, "I can assure you wolf, I would be able to make you hear your own scream." He chuckled softly as he presented himself to the other, allowing him to see the full glorious form of his Alpha. Why the boy chose to stay in his human shell was beyond the wolf. "It's a nice night out, like all the others before it." He said as he walked to the edge and looked over the land. "What brings you out here, idol thoughts? Silence?"

Shifting, Darius turned over in the tree branch as a piece of stray bark dug into his skin. One of his eyes opened as he heard a rabbit quickly dart by, leaves spiralling through the air. He was about to close it when he saw a shadow move in the darkness of the foliage. His guard went up immediately, body tensing. Then when the stranger revealed himself to be none other than his Alpha, Darius relaxed settling back into the branch. From his comment he must’ve heard what he had said. Taking it into stride Darius laughed and grinned, “Sure you can big guy but I’m not going to make it easy for you. You’re talking to a legendary survivor here and I don’t go down without a fight.” He looked at him from the branch. It was the first time he’d seen the man in werewolf form. It was impressive. Darius’ own form almost changed, the wolf snarling in him in response to the other male. Lucian was his Alpha and much older and more experienced but Darius was a proud werewolf, competitive and he wanted to show that he could at least match up to him in strength and skill. He acknowledged silently though of his Alpha’s size and power and so held the wolf back. He hadn’t seen any werewolves who were larger than him in werewolf form but Lucian was the one who’d started it all. So it made sense, for his form to be larger and bigger. He said, “Looking good.” Darius wondered what he was doing out here, in this secluded area out of all places. He didn’t seem like the type to enjoy the scenery. But Darius didn’t appear to be one to do so either. And he had claimed these lands as his own so he must have cared for them to some extent. Maybe he was here for some momentary peace and quiet, just like he was. Darius looked up, back at the skies which were visible as patches of dark blue and black in the canopy. Then back in front of him where he could see the strip of glowing neon lights of the cityscape in greens and blues. The human lands. Lucian spoke again, confirming Darius’ thoughts to some extent. It sounded like he was here for the same thing. For the pure joy of being out here, just to enjoy the night and fresh air and the moon. Darius guessed he’d had plenty of thoughts. The safety of the future of their kind, the pack that he had at the moment and other things that could be of concern like the vampires and the appearance of the wolf in the sewers. A starving wolf wasn’t normal. If anything, the wolves should be like their own flesh and blood.

Glancing back down at him from the branch as he asked the question, Darius said, “Needed a break from the outside world. There’s too much white noise out there.” He rolled over onto his stomach, grabbing his jacket and let himself fall over the edge towards the ground in a headfirst dive. It looked like he was going to break his skull open. However, at the last second he twisted to the side, spinning into a tumble-turn and ended up in a half-sitting position near Lucian so that the impact of the fall was absorbed throughout his body instead of in one place. Sitting up, he pulled out some of the drawings he’d found, showing him them. Of the arrow-guns. “Found some sketches from work. I used to make this kind of crap so I thought I’d look over it, see how it works and see if I could make something like it using what I can. Couldn’t think properly in the city so I did it here instead. Being out here helps me think,” Darius said. “What about you?”

((Hope you don't mind me hopping in))

Loneliness had never been a feeling to be felt by her. However, that didn't mean she didn't enjoy the company of a few. It was true that to most she seemed either frozen cold and uninviting or much too hot and fiery to be approached. Always one extreme or another; hot or cold, love or hate, good or evil. Perhaps it was a good thing that others didn't really socialise with her as she didn't appreciate the company of most mortals and the like. Though on a night with nothing to do she had found herself wandering aimlessly, though with a subconscious purpose at the same time. She moved her great body smoothly and silently on her heavy paws over the terrain as only born and skilled hunters were able to do, creatures born to kill. Slowly she roamed further and further from the empty pack clearing, her dog Karma running nearby all the while, moving initially to make her evening rounds of the borders. It was impossible to know when new blood would come to pledge their lives to the pack, and equally any dangers associated with the other races, particularly vampires and humans. Despite the many times the beta had visited the borders since she had first arrived in the pack, she still treated the task as formally as the first time she had run the border trails when she had acquired her duties by the Alpha when he had given her the rank she had. At any moment she could potentially be faced with a newcomer or a threat, and for that reason she never dropped her guard or faltered on keeping silent and taking familiar routes on her rounds. Though it seemed highly unlikely for a shifter or mora to want to approach the land of the fearful beasts, others had their devices and reasons to do so.

However, as she investigated the scents with her muzzle she discovered that her Alpha had already beaten her to it, his scent marked freshly around the trees. She assumed there had been nothing and nobody new to be found today just as there hadn't been for a while now. But just to make sure, Callista decided to continue around the territory perimeters, moving at a faster cantering gait as she was not required to be so thorough since the borders had been checked only recently. Eventually she slowed to a trot as she realized her check of the grounds was complete and had ended in the timber of Sacred Valley. The area was vast, trees so tall and wide that it was often difficult to distinguish where you were and which way you should travel. It was a very wild place, of pure nature and a feeling that people had never visited nor existed. They were things Callista could relate to and appreciate to be away from the humans' noise and filth. Somewhere peaceful and unconquerable, a place so daunting that even for a monster it was a humbling experience just to be there. She enjoyed the area, you could run for hours when stressed or bored without reaching the limit or crossing paths with another. Now as she walked with all four of her paws pacing forwards quietly a breeze from the mountains drifted over her pelt, carrying fragrances of many things. Amongst them were the scents of two males. The werewolf knew them well enough to be Darius and Lucian, and curiously she followed the direction until she was met with both of their presences in the physical form. Callista had thought it may have been a meeting or start of a hunt, but it was just a chat it seemed. She approached stealthily and with a mild confidence as was appropriate for her title, body straight and tail hanging relaxed from her rump, swaying with her movements. Her ears lowered slightly and eyes averted as she acknowledged the black beast's rank. Switching her gaze between them, she emerged from the shadows and halted an equal distance from them both, standing casually and waiting for a pause in the conversation while Karma caught up with her and stood resolutely down by her side, watching and panting from all the running she had to do to keep up with the werewolf's longer strides. "Evening Alpha Lucian. Darius. Mind if two bitches join you?" She asked with a sarcasm and firmness in her tone that suggested she was having a bit of banter but cared not for any joke they might make in their reply.

The isolating silence surrounding the lonesome woman laying in bed was certainly peaceful but too much so. An early night sounded pleasant, but with nobody to hold or talk to until her eyes could no longer remain open, it turned out rather bleak. Before a minute could pass after closing her eyes in attempt to fall asleep, her eyes would flicker back open. She just couldn't get settled. The air was too humid to be able to fall asleep anytime soon. Sitting up and getting out of bed, Serenity walked over to the mirror and stared at her reflection. She pouted at herself in the mirror and slowly ran her hands down her body from the side of her breasts to her waist. Black lingerie partially clothed her body. A nighttime walk was desired by the werewolfess but she randomly felt the urge to look seductive. Just for herself. She grabbed her rouge lipstick which she used to wear everyday and applied it to her plump, heart-shaped lips. She was very fond of the deep red, making her lips the shade of cherries in the spring. Once every part of her lips were coated, she put the lid back on to hear the satisfying clicking noise. After pulling on her black leather jacket, she untucked her hair from under it and let her curls drape down over her upper body. Nothing more left to do, she walked over to her cave entrance and slipped out into the tar-black night.

The zipper of her jacket hit against her bare, lower stomach as she strolled through the dense woodland. The night sky was scattered with bright stars, a truly beautiful sight. Serenity roamed freely through the forest, winding between the tall trees that had recently come back to life. The glowing moonlight made her pale skin appear almost ghost-like against the widespread darkness. She ventured far, not caring where she would end up or if she'd make it back to her cave before sunrise. Her mood was much better now that she was out in the open, free to go wherever she wanted instead of being cooped up in bed. The thought of many others being asleep, their minds at rest, was a calming one. As if only her feelings mattered and they wouldn't be lessened by the destructiveness of others. Darkness is much easier to conquer. Soon, the scent of her pack mates became detectable. Their scent was carried along with the wind until it reached her nostrils. They were somewhere fairly nearby. Travelling a little further, Darius' scent was strong and lead up a hill in front of where she had paused to register whom the male was. It was likely that he wasn't alone. Slowly, Serenity climbed up the slope, listening to the voices of her Alpha, Beta and Darius. Stepping out from the shadows, her golden eyes focused on Darius as she made her way to his side. "Hey you", she whispered into his ear before kissing his cheek, leaving a print of her lips on his skin. Her gaze travelled to her Alpha who she hadn't seen for some time, then to her Beta. A brief smile lifted her lips. "What a beautiful night", she said in attempt to communicate with them. Her fellow warrior held some papers in his hand, some kind of weaponry sketches. The werewolfess inspected them, unsure why he had them. "Interesting. What use are they to a werewolf?", she asked as she looked into his eyes with an intrigued expression.

Cocky. Such an interesting character to speak to his Alpha in such a way. Lucian did not like the words he chose to speak to him, as if he knew what it was to be a legendary werewolf. Lucian was the first created, the reason that Darius or the other wolves were even alive today. It was by his own will that he created others to create their others. "As tough as you think you are, or as strong as you think you are, as legendary... You are no match against me. I am the sole purpose for your existence. I was the first Werewolf, and if I so wished, I could take your life from you. But I do not believe in killing my own kind. There are others I would rather see dead before I laid a single claw on my own race. So keep your cocky comments to yourself when speaking to me, Warrior." Lucian's green eyes watched the cars racing below, the street lights and other lights from the buildings around. He did not look to Darius, not needing to look at the male beside him. He took a deep breath, his chest rising slowly and falling even slower. Running a hand over the top of his head, his ear fell against his skull and sprung back into place as his hand moved from his head. He did not take his eyes off the scene below, even when he heard the steps approaching behind him. The first set of feet belonged to the Beta female of his pack. He had a rather decent relationship with her, one he knew he could trust her with anything that he needed or which she needed. But before he would greet his Beta, they had yet another member walking towards them. It was the Warrior, Serenity. He had met her before, at the border, but they never really spoke to one another. She was just another member of the pack.

He watched as she moved close to Darius, showing her affection for him right before the eyes of the Alpha himself. How stupid she must have been. Lucian watched as his head turned to look at the paper which had now been held by her. Females, most did not understand the use of weapons. It was not directly for the Werewolves. But she did not understand such things, Warriors. Darius, on the other hand, he knew of great work when he started creating his own. Lucian leaned and took the blueprints from Serenity's hands. He was careful not to rip them, or crush them in his grasp. "These, female, could be used to kill vampires. Anything that can kill an undead blood-sucking worthless piece of shit, is worthy of being seen by me. But I guess you wouldn't know that I run a corporation which specializes in destroying vampires. Course not, and the next time I as much as see you, hear you, or smell you on Darius again, I will punish you for it. Do not act in such ways when you have not been gifted the chance to be mates." Lucian looked to the paper, his eyes looking over the plans as he came up with ideas on how he could fix the weapons, to make them more for his needs. But then he remembered that Callista was present. He turned his head to look to her, even turning his body to face her. "Hello Callista, what brings you here on this night?"

Keeping his eyes on the tiny strip of glowing neon lights in the distance, Darius glanced at him. He would have thought the first-born would have been able to engage in some banter or joke. He was not denying what Lucian was or his power. He knew what power he held, suspected the horrors he had faced. Horrors of being alone and feared and hunted, of losing loved ones and perhaps being betrayed by so-called friends. Darius had lost a family in horrific circumstances, been humiliated for years under a heartless tyrant, had parts of his body amputated, been the subject of scientific experimentation, killed someone who he had loved and made to be a monster and stayed about sea for months surviving only on fish in a tiny coffin with a massive gaping wound in his chest by a sword. And he had loved and lost people, been hurt by people he trusted and loved as well. One even tried to kill him. He did not know of Lucian’s past but it was probably similar, filled with pain, heartbreak and violence. His suffering did not make Lucian’s any less painful or make it diminish it in any way but for some strange reason the Alpha thought his response had intended to belittle him. Darius respected the wolf before him, trusted him enough not to kill him and learn something from him in the course of fighting. He didn’t know how many battles Lucian had fought but Darius had been fighting all his life against many, many opponents where the possibility of death was always on par with life. He may be younger but he was not toothless and he was not stupid or he wouldn’t have survived this long. And it was not in his nature to bend so easily. Challenges excited him, even if death was around the corner and he faced it with humour because the alternative was so much worse.“I never said you weren’t,” Darius said.“I agreed. But to think you are invincible even from other werewolves is hubris itself. You’re older, wiser. You know as well as I do that there are other ways to take down a creature of your calibre besides raw force and strength. You know that no one is invincible. If you wish to silence me for simply speaking my mind and joking in a peaceful atmosphere, then I will take it as a sign that you may not be the great, confident Alpha I had thought you to be. Did I take anything away from you when I spoke of myself as being a legendary survivor? Did my words somehow diminish your status as a legend? I didn’t say anything about being a legendary werewolf. Only that I have survived a miraculous number of times than possible which is where the legendary survivor comes from. Don’t you think it’s pathetic if the products of your very own making were so worthless they couldn’t muster any kind of defence against threats to their own lives? Or if they were weak men and women werewolves who aren’t brave enough or courageous enough to fight or carve out lives of their own against adversity and pain? To survive against those that held enough power to crush them and come out winning in some way? It is better that your creations are not spineless creatures with the hearts of mice but the hearts of gods, immortals and dragons instead, even if we’re facing certain death. Your legacy should spawn only the greatest so as not to insult you.” Darius leaned back, glancing up at the skies and muttered darkly, “By all means punish me, take my life for speaking like a true warrior instead of a coward who breaks down and cries like a little girl because of some words. I should’ve died a long time ago on a sinking pirate ship anyway.” A breeze swept by, kneading invisible fingers through his spiked hair and with it, his keen hearing picked out the sound of leaves rustling with canine paws and another coming.

He raised his hand in a short, idle wave as he saw a humanoid werewolf approach them. A female were with a dog. Callista probably. Only one way to find out. He changed, his form growing larger and taller until he was a hulking, monstrous beast of a creature with enormous hands and feet, muscle-bound arms and legs with a pelt of rough, thick black fur. Sniffing the air, he identified the scent to be her indeed. Lucian seemed to enjoy her company more than a friend would. He shuffled so that she would have space beside Lucian and gestured, “Be our guest. In particular, Alpha Lucian would love to have you and who am I to turn away a princess and her loyal hound?” He reached out to pat the dog with a giant clawed hand, his palm brushing the fur and stopped for a moment with the hand hovering in the air inches above the canine’s back. It was Callista’s so he would ask for permission. His fierce golden eyes, ardent and vivid, strayed over to her acknowledging her by lowering his head to her briefly and he asked, “May I? I love dogs that don’t try to kill me.” His ears quivered, spine straightening as he sniffed a familiar scent. Serenity. He started to turn to greet her, normally as it were and was surprised when he received a whisper in his ear and a kiss instead. When she asked he started to explain when the other male took the drawings from her hands carefully, straightening as he heard that the Alpha running a corporation that specialized in destroying vampires. Darius’ mind began to run into over-drive, his curiosity galvanizing all kinds of questions and speculations in it. Weapons had to be involved, for sure otherwise there would be no need for a corporation and he would be taking vampires down using his natural powers that came with being a werewolf. If he had weapons Darius could modify them, tinker with them and make them better and more useful. Stealth weapons, weapons with poison and simple long-range firearms and explosives were only the tip of the ice-berg. There were possibilities to make weapons that could cause paranoia and paralysation. Really, the range of ideas were endless. He took Serenity’s hand with thick, long, fur-covered fingers and pulled her down to sit beside him on the other side away on his side opposite from Lucian so he was in between them, saying to her,“They’re drawings for weapons I found at the studio. Where our brute strength fail against vampires with powers of the mental kind, these weapons can help us fight against them and win.” Letting go of her hand, he said turning to the other male, “My apologies. Our relationship had been something...” He glanced at Serenity, smiling slightly but reassuringly to let her know that he would protect her and that she was special to him.  “Unexpected.” Looking back at Lucian, he said,“I wish to take her my mate in the future.”  

Posting Order
Warrior Darius
Beta Callista
Warrior Serenity
Alpha Lucian

((Sorry for the wait- I kinda forgot about it))

Tension. She could feel it in the air despite how calm everyone seemed to be playing it off on the surface. It was the first time the members of the pack had met in a group situation like this and already it seemed as if disagreements were occurring. This amused the beta slightly, but frustrated her also. It could be expected that the monsters with their heated blood and often fiery temperaments would engage in fighting amongst themselves every now and then over major things, but if they were arguing over something unnecessarily she was disappointed. If they could not cooperate with their own race they would not stand a chance in battle against another. Callista had not heard much of the topics of discussion, other than there were some blueprints for weapons to be altered for use against vampires and that Lucian was quite furious with regards to Serenity and Darius' closeness and open affection for each other. Taking a second look at Serenity she now noticed she wore minimal clothing, having nothing but black lingerie and a leather jacket upon her body. That along with the rich red color on her lips she looked sexy and alluring at the least, but for what reason Callista was unsure. It was unusual to be dressed as such just for a walk through the forest. Perhaps she had intentions of something more later in the evening.

Seeing a movement, her eyes drifted to Darius, catching his short wave to her. In response she dipped her head before watching intently as his body went through the change, becoming taller, hairier and with more muscle. Not knowing what he looked like in his primal form made her intrigued, only to find that his coat was a coarse, black mass not too dissimilar from the Alpha's. Glancing up through the trees she glimpsed the full moon, now secretly knowing why she felt stronger than usual on this night and possibly why the two males were being more bold and agitated than normal. Although the white sphere had no control over their phasing it still gave the wolves a greater sense of power when it was full. At the sound of Darius's voice she dropped her gaze from the sky to see him, him now having moved to make room for her beside the Alpha. Smirking at his comment, she strode forward on her broad paws until she stood beside Lucian. After circling once she lowered her frame to rest on the earth, propped up on her elbows and her rear legs sprawled out behind her. Callista was relaxed yet still alert as she watched the male Warrior's hand move to stroke her Belgian Shepherd, Karma. With a nod, she held his respectful yellow-golden gaze for a moment before speaking. "Sure, you can touch her. She won't bite you unless I tell her to" A dark wolfish smile was offered, threatening him that she perhaps would give Karma the command to do so. However she didn't, and instead turned her attention to Lucian to allow him and Serenity a moment of peace before the Alpha could possibly react to the news of the brute warrior wishing to have the fae as his mate. "I finished a border patrol with Karma then I sensed you guys out here so I joined you". She directed her words to the dominant male who had turned to her, her tone flat and uninterested as she placed her furry head down onto the ground and rolled onto her back, looking up at him backwards with her dark brown eyes and taking a glance to the paper in his clawed hands while she stretched her limbs up to the sky, enjoying the popping of various joints. Quirking a brow, she spoke in her mind to the Alpha alone, a telepathic speak she had learned she could do with him some time before. "Wonderful socialising with your pack, isn't it?" The beta asked sarcastically, sensing trouble.

A quick glance and the papers were removed from her hands. Not paying any mind to the rude snatching, the woman's gold eyes drifted away from everyone around her and focused on the tiny bright city lights in the distance. They shone like crystals illuminated by a torch within a cave as they twinkled on the skyline. It was a pretty sight. She just about registered Lucian's words, going on about vampires and how he wasn't impressed with her behaviour. As he mentioned that he would punish her in the future if she wasn't wary, she quickly looked back to him and nodded. "Yes, Sir." Really she didn't see the harm in trying to love someone and feel loved, especially as her relationship so far with Darius had only amounted to some training sessions together, a few displays of affection and a single date. The werewolfess knew that the Alpha was there to lead them into any battles and defend their race, but she had not considered that he would have any right or need to control her love life. Pack life was going fine for her so far, she had adjusted well, but she found this revelation a little strange and not particularly fair. Regardless, she did not want to be reprimanded with a demotion, not after all Darius's help and her own efforts to make herself a better warrior, or possibly a physical attack on her. Also she didn't want the male warrior to be in any trouble. So she would keep her mouth shut and go along with Lucian's rules since she was lead to believe he was not bluffing about his threats if she went against what he had commanded of her, and he was her alpha. Her eyes wandered to watch the beta and her dog for a moment while Darius spoke to the others, not caring nor daring to bring her eyes to gaze upon the male who lead the pack. She fell into a light daze, thinking about what may become of what she felt with the brute she had come to be fond of. But then suddenly Serenity felt the gentle grasp of Darius's large, strong hand take hers and guide her to sit near him and away from Lucian. She pulled her leather jacket tighter around her to hug her figure and leaned closer to his primal body and warmth as it seemed he was protecting her after the slight anger evidently shown by the other male could mean that Lucian wasn't going to react calmly. The female was aware she had agitated the Alpha despite the innocence of her actions. She hadn't seen anything wrong with the way she had greeted Darius, it was just friendly and warm. But she supposed she would have to remember not to show any similar gestures in front of Lucian in the future.

A few moments later she heard the warrior explaining to her about what the paper was and the plans for how it could be put to use. She looked to him to show she was listening, her eyes shining yet dulled by her mind being preoccupied by several thoughts. With the werewolves hatred for the vampires the weapons were surely a good idea. Perhaps a war would come soon. Serenity wasn't sure how to feel about it as she had never had a bad experience with the blood-sucking creatures, but she would have to follow the decision of her pack. What came next comforted the female, a small smile forming as she caught his inviting smile to let her know he would look after her. It was only a few seconds later as his voice of a few moments earlier played back through her mind that she truly understood what he had said. He had actually spoken aloud that he wished for her to be his mate eventually. It shocked her slightly but mostly she was happy to hear him actually say those words. Her eyes lowered to stare quietly at her feet and a pale pink tint appeared on her cheeks along with a smirk on her lips. It was apparent that the two did really feel a connection with each other and what had been said to them by Lucian didn't matter anymore. It made her feel more in control, knowing it was them both wanting the same thing. Now all that they needed was for their Alpha to consider this news. As his only good reason for him not allowing their closeness had been that they were not mates, this no longer applied if they would just be granted that one thing. After everything that had happened to her she felt like she deserved to be with a good guy and have a chance at happiness. And now she had that chance.