They spent a lot of time over the next two weeks, naked in their bed. Even Suki and Titan ripped out of her and Aston to run off into the woods together, to chase each other. Suki was happy with her Mate. Mala was also happy, she didn't recall ever being so happy in her life. Loved Aston as much as Suki loved Titan.
Ben had told her she’d get all loved up and mushy once Mated, she’d rolled her eyes at him, not believing him. But now she knew he was not wrong, always found herself looking at Aston as he walked about the pack, would bite her lip sometimes at the thoughts that snuck into her mind when she saw him.
The man didn’t even need to be naked to draw her eyes to him or pop naughty thoughts into her brain, she was surprised by how often she found herself wanting him, to hunt him down and have him.
It didn’t help that Suki was all for it, would snort at her fully amused and then shoot that thought off to Titan, which brought Aston's eyes right to her, a full smirk on his handsome face. He loved knowing she wanted him. Mala had to chastise Suki on more than one occasion in those two weeks.
Also, she found herself running from Aston more than a few times, as he decided to act on the thoughts her wolf had sent over to his, just turn and bolt from him, to hear him laughing and then the chase was on. He liked the chase as much as his wolf did, it seemed. She even found herself enjoying being hunted by him, pinned down on the ground or up against a tree, with him ready to have her, never said no, didn’t want to say no.
She was up in their suite, had moved all her things in, he even had her set her writing up in his suite’s office, told her he couldn’t wait until he could read those tales to their children. Seems he was thinking about an heir himself, like the idea. Didn’t really surprise her that much, she knew Suki wanted at least one and Mala liked the idea of a child herself. Though getting that child might take some time.
She was standing under the showers hot steady stream of water after her training session. It had been a long, hard session and she and Ben had stayed behind to assess a few of the warriors for ranking up, to the next level.
She was feeling a bit tired and her body was aching unlike it had before, groaned out loud as pain spread through her lower abdomen, put a hand on it and rubbed it absently for a minute, it wouldn’t abate at all. Frowned and wondered if she’d over done it.
Didn’t think she had. She was trying to massage it away when she received a mind-link from Aston “Mala, where are you?”
“In our suite, why?” she replied as she gripped her abdomen and groaned as the pain started to get worse.
“You’re in heat, is why. I can feel it through our bond.”
“It's getting worse, it hurts Aston.”
“I know, I’m not in the pack house. Stay put, do not come out, don’t open the door. Stay in the bathroom.”
“Okay.” She muttered and turned the shower off, got out and groaned even more, put a hand on the wall, it was getting stronger by the minute, could feel Suki becoming all restless and agitated inside her mind ‘Heat, need Mate.’ She whined at Mala.
‘I know, you have to wait.’
“Mala Ben or Charlie will come and get you…you're going to want to mate them at some point,”
“What?” she didn’t want that, they weren’t her mate, both of them had Mates, at that. Felt Aston sever from her, reached out for him and couldn’t feel him at all, nearly panicked at the loss of her connection to him, then realised he must be in the pack house, with silver on him, either his cuff downstairs or he was being chained up in the room across the hall.
Stepped out of the bathroom, that ache inside of her was growing and quickly she realised. Clutched at her abdomen and tried to breathe through it, had to wait, didn’t want to, she realised, knew Aston was going to be just across the hall.
Suki was also more restless, prowling inside her mine, trying to call to Titan who was gone from her, needed her Mate to mate her. They were both struggling with the pain and the need to Mate, were still naked by the bathroom door in their bedroom when both Ben and Charlie arrived, damn near launched herself at them, barely stopped herself “Help me.” She gasped, reached out for Ben.
“It’s all right Mala, take a breath, Aston is being chained up right this minute, I know it hurts, breathe.” Ben told her, turned her right to Charlie as she tried to grab on to him, needed to be Mated and anyone was looking good right this minute.
Charlie's hands were on her. She looked up at him “Is this what’s it's always like?” she whispered.
“The first heat is always the strongest, the worst.” Charlie told her. “I have you, Mala.” His southern drawl rolled out of him. “Try to think of only Aston, keep him in your mind, don’t let your need consume you. Breathe.” He told her, his voice was gentle and kind, soothing, all Gamma she realised, he was trying to keep her calm. It was actually working.
Felt a towel get placed around her and then she was walked out of the room and across the hall, she could feel Charlie’s Gamma charm rolling off of him onto her to keep her calm. Was thankful for it.
Mala saw Simon and Dale standing not far from the bed where Aston was now chained by silver. They were both carrying tranquilliser guns, “Just in case the chains don’t hold,” Ben told her.
Her attention turned to Aston as she heard a roar rip out of him and then he was struggling in the bed with the bonds, trying to get free of them. He could smell her heat now she was in the room. She could see him pulling furiously at the bonds that held him, he was not the Aston she knew anymore. This was Titan under the full force of his curse.
Sounded like a wild animal, a rogue beast with the need to Mate driving him to madness, growling and snarling the whole time she was made to stand there, held still by both Ben and Charlie as they all stood and waited to see if his cursed beast who was thrashing in the bed, trying to break free, would. That beast's eyes were locked on her.
She was being held in place even though she was now struggling to get to him herself. She wanted her Mate, needed him, pushed forward to get to him, was held back still. “No Mala, Aston said we have to wait, to make sure the chains would hold first.” It was Charlie and he was forcing all his Gamma Charm on her, not that it was really working anymore.
She was fighting with them herself a few minutes later, as her heat compelled her to Mate, was finally let go. On Simons' order, as the four of them stepped behind her, she shot over to the bed, both she and Suki together to Mate Titan. He was growling and snarling the whole time, could feel him thrusting his hips up at her as she mated him furiously to try and sate the need and relieve the pain within.
Titan never stopped growling and snarling, fighting at his bonds for the 3 days that her heat lasted. She mated his crazy cursed beast till her heat was over. Got glared at, snarl and growled at, roared at when she sat by the bed and stared at him, when she didn’t have the need to mate him, bit her lip as she sat there and looked at his beast.
He'd not been able to break his bonds, the silver stripped him of his strength to do so, though the scent of her heat still affected him and brought that curse upon him, but tied down as he was, he’d not been able to hurt her, she could only imagine if he wasn’t he’d be mating her continuously without pause, uncaring of what her body could take. It was a horrid thing to know that this was how it would be.
She had been able to mate him many times to ease her needs, though she’d not felt the pains of her heat all the time she was in this room, could sit and watch him, sleep a little even. Titan, however, could smell it all the time even when she couldn’t feel it. knew this because he never once receded to allow Aston to come to the surface.
She was sitting there next to the bed, when the growling suddenly stopped. She looked right at him and finally saw Aston’s dark blue eyes looking at her. Mala bit her lip, she felt terrible for what this must be doing to him. “I’m alright Mala.” Were the first words out of his mouth.
Felt tears prick at her eyes and for the fist time wasn’t ashamed to let them fall, “Hey it’s okay.” He said softly, as she moved her eyes to his bonds, and then heard him sigh, she knew he could feel the cuts to his skin, “It worked Mala, that’s all that mattered.” He told her gently.
She turned her eyes from his bonds back to him and nodded, she did not like having to do this to him, see him injured ‘Simon come and release Aston, it’s over.’ She mind-linked to their Beta.
“I’m sorry Aston.” She told him and she was, “Simon is coming.”
“Mala, I’m not sorry. Look at you, unharmed and safe, that is what Titan and I wanted."
I know. she nodded, but to see him like this, chained up like this. She had not thought about how she would feel about it afterwards or even during it. She had not been his Mate then, had not been bonded to him at the time. Had just thought it a was a logical thing to try to rid him of his beast.
Now as she sat there she felt horrible for having to do this to him, to cause him to suffer the pain of wearing silver, see him like this, mate him during her heat while he was tied down. Didn’t like it, didn’t like that he had to be held down.
Simon came into the room and looked from her to Aston, spoke briefly with him, likely just confirming it was all over, a particular set of questions she realised, and then he was released. She could see the wounds on his wrist and ankles. “I’m sorry,” She whispered.
“Hey. come here.” He slipped right off the bed and stood, held his arms out to her. “Don’t apologise. We wanted you safe more than anything.”
Mala stood and stepped into his arms and hugged him as he hugged her back. “We love you Mala, and this worked, not exactly as planned. I was hoping it would keep the beast at bay completely, but no such luck. But it worked to restrain him.” he spoke softly "It will only be one or twice a year and for a few days each time.”
“It's torture for you and Titan.” She shook her head, and could finally feel Titan come back to Aston and connect with not just Aston but to Suki as well.
“No it’s not.” He leaned back and tilted her chin up to make her look up at him, brushing away the tears that spilled down her cheeks. “Not at all, we are inside that beast, fully conscious and able to see everything he does, unable to stop him and we do fight him the whole time, we just can’t beat the curse upon us…for the first time Mala, we didn’t see that beast hurt our Mate. That comforts us to no end. It is a blessing to us.”
“Really?” Mala asked, she couldn’t see how, was pained by his wounds she knew he had, didn’t even care that her tears fell freely from her eyes as she looked up at him, loved him and didn’t want to hurt him, didn’t want to see him in pain. Could be who she was, who she had been meant to be with him.
“Yes, to see you mate us at will, on your terms. Made us both happy.” He smiled down at her gently “That is all we want, for us not to hurt you.” His mouth touched hers gently “I do need a shower though.” He smiled “Come shower with me.”
Mala nodded “Are you going to be okay?” she asked.
Saw him lift his wrist and showed her that it was already being healed by Titan, “Look, Titan is healing us already, he is a good, strong wolf, heals quickly.” She could see it was “I’ll be good as new in no time.”
Walked out of that room and heard him thank Simon for not only helping, but for staying outside to guard the room and be ready to come in and sedate him if things got out of hand.
Mala looked at Aston questioningly. “I asked them to help in other ways.”
“Like what?”
“To sedate my beast and let you mate another, if needed. Any unmated male. I would accept this to keep you safe.”
“Aston?”
“No, I allowed Roberta the same privilege, it’s my curse and you are the one at risk of suffering the brutality of it. So it’s only right that you be allowed to have another and me be sedated.” Shook his head as he opened the shower and turned it on “Unconscious, I wouldn’t feel it Mala, take comfort in that thought.”
“I don’t want another.” She sighed heavily. “Probably best to sedate us both.”
Saw him smile at her but say nothing, pulled her into the shower with him, helped him wash, as he did her. Then she spent the rest of the afternoon with him. He appeared tired but didn’t want to go to bed.
They sat and ate in the packhouse dining room, saw Ben and Bella smile at her, his whole Alpha unit seemed relaxed and relieved that she was alright and it made Mala realise. That they, too, likely suffered all that time. Roberta was their Luna, and they knew what was happening up there in the Alpha Suite with her and had no hope of stopping it.
Knew that Roberta had been up there suffering at the hands of their Alpha’s beast's curse and had to just let it happen. That it likely took a real toll on all of them, all of the time.
That since she had passed away, they’d never had to concern themselves with it. As terrible as that sounds, it must have been a relief to them in some way. To never have to worry about it, till now that was, till he had another to accept him. Now they would all have to stand by and hope, that against all the odds.
That her heat wouldn’t come on right in front of their Alpha, that they would be able to continue to keep her safe, that Aston himself had put more contingencies in place to help keep her safe from his beast. Showed her that he had a very good Unit around him. It showed her that he wanted nothing more than to protect her from his curse as he had stated.
She thanked them all via the mind-link, only those that needed to know would know his secret. A secret that was now hers to keep as well and she would keep it, didn’t even need to be asked to by him.
“You look tired Aston,” she murmured softly after dinner. She knew he had to be his beast, had not once slept, that she was aware of, even though she had on and off, doubted very much that he had “We should go up to bed.”
She saw him smile at her. “I am tired,” he nodded. “you must be too.” He commented and stood up.
“Only a little.” She acknowledged, just really wanted to be alone with him, to sleep next to him and be curled up in his arms. They saw many pack members on their way out of the dining room, heard a few well wishes on them producing a good strong heir, saw Aston nod to each of them, knew he had to be worried on some level deep down that there still wouldn’t be one. And if they did, would be worried about his curse being passed down to them.
She stepped into their suite and looked up at him. “If we do have a pup, Aston, at least we’ll be able to manage it, explain it to him and have a way to help him with his Mate."
“I know, I just worry.”
“Don’t, not till it happens, Aston, it might not ever happen, you know that.”
He nodded, he knew the curse was supposed to be dealt to him, to stop him from having a child with anyone. His ex-mate didn’t want him, then couldn’t have him when she did want him, and because of that, didn’t want him to be happy with another or have a child with another.
Curled right into him when they got into bed, “Is Titan alright? I’ve not seen him yet.”
“He is sleeping, tired but will be alright by morning. That beast is a part of him, he’s always exhausted afterwards.”
“Alright.” Mala lay there with her head on his chest. “We love you Aston.” She said softly and felt Suki purr all loud like a drum for him.
Heard him chuckle softly “We love you too, Mala.” He sounded tired. “Sleep now, I’ll feel more like myself tomorrow.”
Mala understood that it must take a toll on him, and she didn’t believe for a single second that he would not ever, not worry about her going into heat, the thought of being right there in the room with her when it started.
Didn’t want him to worry about it, stared into the darkness of their room, long after he was asleep next to her and, for the first time since she was 17, prayed to the moon goddess, to spare him the horror of ever having to be locked inside his beast, and watch it take to her, under the influence of the curse. To always keep them apart when it started.
Wondered if it was selfish of her to do so, to ask this of their goddess, knew it would also spare her, but what else could she do, but ask. Was certain that Roberta had asked as well at some point. How could she not?
Wondered if Aston himself had prayed to their Goddess Selena, every year to save Roberta from his beast. It was not the Goddess’s doing, but she had paired him with Carmel, who had rejected him and then cursed him.
She could only hope that the Goddess heard her prayer’s and listened. Knew she’d not said a kind word about her once before, had thought, not so nice things herself, as well over the years, had lost her own faith in their Goddess.
But not once had she hindered a Goddess Gifted Mate Bond to any that had been granted one here inside the pack, had gone on to encourage it, between those that were Mated to each other, accepted it and actually did enjoy seeing it bloom and work between Mated pairs.
She might not have gotten that herself, but wanted it for others if they wanted it for themselves, to have a second chance or a first even, for that matter. She wanted the wolves within the pack to feel love, and be loved by their Mate. They all deserved that.
Not once had she ever heard Aston blame the Moon Goddess for his situation either, had told her once that he didn’t believe what Mala did. Even after all he’d been through, she was willing to bet that Aston was even too kind to blame that witch who cursed him. She’d heard him state the woman had apologised to him and he believed she meant it. That she didn’t want to curse him.
Didn’t even hate his own brother, though he could be mean and cruel, but didn’t hate him or blame him either, he only blamed Carmel, as it was her doing all of this. Wondered if the curse would be broken with the woman’s death, but only that witch would know, and Aston believed she was long dead. Hadn’t been able to find her, he thought Carmel had killed her.