Three Months Later...

His lips teased the fresh mark on my shoulder, sending a chill through my body, "Stop that." I snipped at Alexei as I danced away from him. I was beginning to feel almost normal these days. The community had taken in my family like we had always belonged with them. It was heart warming to see how they supported each other.

It was easy to mistake Lycan's for violent beasts but in truth they were very much group oriented. The community was simply one large family with all the weird aunts, uncles, second cousins, and the one that one relative you want to disown but don't...cause family was family.

"Some people are trying to eat here..." Jocelyn remarked under her breath as she moved away from us, carrying her bowl of cereal to the table. She plopped down next to Darren, who happened to choose that exact moment to lay a big sloppy kiss Cole.

She let out a groan of disgust, "Is there any place a girl can eat her breakfast in peace without having to watch soft core porn?"

"Jocelyn!" I snapped, my face burning slightly from her comment. Also wondering how a thirteen year old girl knew anything about soft core porn. She looked over her shoulder in my direction, giving me a smile with her cheeks full of half chewed food.

I gave her what I hoped was a stern look but I was trying hard not to laugh. She was going to be the trouble child. Rafe came charging into the kitchen with a young girl in tow. In fact she had been following him around since the moment they had met. He didn't seem overly pleased by the attention but when one of the Lycan boys had made her cry. He had released a small kind of hell, that had taken a few hours to clean up and a lot of apologizing to the boys parents.

"Hey, slow down, Rafe. No running in the kitchen." I called after him as he circled around the island, before racing back out of the kitchen with his little girlfriend.

I let out a small huff as Alexei wound his arms around my waist, pulling me back against his chest, "he's a boy, let him play. He isn't hurting anyone."

I pulled away, turning to meet his gaze, "it's still early." I remarked, knowing that he was pulling a close second at being the problem child. Alexei smirked down at me, eyes sparkling with some secret amusement. I knew he got enjoyment out of seeing me riled up. "Whose side are you on, anyway?" I questioned.

He shrugged his shoulders, "whichever side is winning, Snowflake."

I rolled my eyes as I pushed up on my tip toes to give him a quick kiss, "Well you better hope that's my side because if not you might want to buy yourself a bigger couch cause you'll be sleeping on it a lot." I gave his cheek a light slap as I pulled back, grinning at the darker look in his eyes.

The kitchen door swung open again and I turned to see Calix with a more stern expression, "Alpha, Magnus is here to see you."

"Wonderful. Show him to my office." He replied quickly. Calix responded with a quick bow of his head before he turned and left the room. Alexei grabbed my hand, "Come, Snowflake. Duty calls." He pulled me after him.

I enjoyed the warmth of his hand engulfing mine, it sent waves of pleasure up my arm. My beast gave a low growl, one I'd come to understand as sexual hunger. She was insatiable when it came to Alexei, though I completely understood why. He way as fine as they could come and skilled enough to make a girl forget her own name.

My eyes trailed up his back, studying the muscles of his shoulders before focusing on the mark that marred the flesh of his neck. My stomach fluttered and I felt a familiar ache in my core as I remembered the night I had claimed him.

Alexei gave my hand a squeeze, "There will be more than enough time for your pleasure but after the business has been concluded." His voice rumbled and my cheeks heated as I realized he had picked up on my mood. It was still annoying how easily he could read me, there was no room for secrets. And a girl should be entitled to a few.

"Who's Magnus?" I tried to change the topic.

"A very old friend." He replied simply as he opened the door to his office and pulled us inside. He moved quickly to his desk, setting me on his lap once he got into his chair. I felt the heat bleed into my cheeks again. I wiggled on against him, trying to get away.

Alexei grabbed my thigh, claws poking at my flesh, "Stay. I like you where you are. Plus, I am not sure how you're Lycan is going to respond to my friend and I'd like to keep you within my reach." His comment had me feeling anxious about what type of person his friend might be and why they were meeting in such a formal
way.

"Why are you worried?"

Alexei squeezed my leg, "Because he's a Strigoi. And we have an assorted past." His answer was vague but I recognized the species. I remembered it from my training. Strigoi were blood drinker. Most human lore referred to them as vampires. They believed they fed on humans by in truth most of the blood was shared between members of their own species.

The knock on the door had me shifting with unease. I had only begun to really understand my beast and control her. I didn't like the thought of being in a situation that might make me lose the ground I had gained.

My nose crinkled up at the smell of the Strigoi as they entered Alexei's office. It was sugary to the point that it made me teeth feel achy as if I had eaten a bunch of candy. My beast didn't seem to fond of it, flashing her teeth and nose twitching in annoyance.

The man that entered was tall and built like a brick house. His eyes were the color of pitch and his hair a hung to his shoulders in thick waves. He looked like he belonged in gothic clothing, maybe biting the heads off of bats for fun. I shifted on Alexei's lap feeling slightly uncomfortable with my current position. I wasn't sure if I wanted to run or attack. The heavy presence the male brought I into the room was exactly how death had felt.

Alexei pressed his lips to my ear as his fingers kneaded my thigh, "Relax. This is Magnus, I've had him looking into the whereabouts of my brother." He had mentioned his younger brother a handful of times and I had seen the pain and fury every time. I didn't know all the details and I hadn't pried. Alexei had to come to me on his terms, sharing was as new to him as it was to me.

I forced myself to relax as my eyes shifted to the female that followed in behind Magnus. For a moment I thought I was looking at Loren but upon closer study I noticed the subtle differences. This had to be her sister, Stevie. She bore a firm resemblance to her, the same dark red hair and face shape. Beyond that Stevie had more curves and stood upon longer legs. Her skin was pale, blue veins shimmering just beneath the surface.

Alexei tutted his tongue against his teeth, "This is a surprise. Since when did you take up babysitting, Magnus?"

Stevie's eyes narrowed, full lips peeled back from her teeth to reveal fangs, "Watch it, Fido. I'm sure If I could defang you before you could blink an eye." My Lycan didn't like the females aggressive stance towards her male. She flashed her teeth, letting out a warning snarl that echoed from my own chest.

Magnus focused his gaze on me, eyes narrowing but he said nothing. Alexei let out a deep laugh as if all the tension amused him. He place a kiss to my Mark, sending a shiver of excitement through me, "My female is very protective of what is hers." I tried to ignore the way my cheeks blazed at that blunt remark.

Magnus eyed me for a moment longer before reaching back for Stevie, grabbing her hand and pulling her to into his arm in a protective manner. She look slightly annoyed by the action but he body leaned into his, "I have new about Lucian..."

"Did you find him?" Alexei seemed to care about little else as Magnus shifted the conversation.

"Yes, but you aren't going to like it..." I noticed the way Stevie leaned more into Magnus,eyes growing darker as her face pinched together as if remembering something that troubled her.

"Tell me." He growled. I leaned back into Alexei, knowing deep in my gut he was about to open a can of worms.

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Song: Shape of You - Ed Sheeran

A/N: Yes I know I'm leaving you on a cliff hanger. But be happy that Alexei and Poppy are together. We will get to Lucian. With a slight detourx as we back track for Stevie's Novella. I promise I'll try to make it short and sweet :-)