Claimed (Werewolf boyxboy)

Chapter 16

COREY

'Alright, that's enough for today. Rest up well tonight, we have one versus one sparring tomorrow.'

Tank stood, tall and strong next to me, his arms crossed and eyes observant as he mind-linked our Warriors. They stood in various groups, scattered across the expanse of our lush training field as they sparred in pairs.

Both Jax and I got back to work soon after our tether was broken, although we had been granted a few rest days to recoup from the stress of our lives these past few months.

Needless to say, I did not manage to get much actual rest throughout those few days, as Dashiell anxiously prodded my consciousness every few minutes, ordering me alert and awake to protect our precious mate from anything and everything that had even a one-percent chance of being a threat to his well-being. And as of now, we were so busy catching up on paperwork and new pack happenings that we had yet to act on our new... arrangement.

The arrangement that made butterflies burst from their chrysali in my stomach to even think about.

All of our Warriors immediately paused at Tank's announcement, partners giving each other fist bumps and high fives for spars well-fought as they began the long trek back toward us - the first and second Head Warriors - to retrieve their belongings and sweat towels.

"Hey, thanks for leading the meeting with that crazy Alpha on your own today. I could feel Benji's discomfort this entire time and I can't fuckin' bear leaving him alone any longer." Tank said, turning his head to flash a crooked, lighthearted smirk in my direction. Although, despite his nonchalant exterior, he could not fully mask his anxiety from me. I could immediately tell that he was feeling a sense of turmoil by the way one of his hands shakily came up to ruffle through the light brown waves atop his head.

As long as I can remember, I have always been incredibly sensitive to the emotions and body language of others. I always considered it my mind's attempt to compensate for my body's lack of ability to outwardly portray emotions, my stony facade forever affixed in a perpetual state of what some called 'resting bitch face.'

I nodded respectfully back at Tank, my firmly crossed arms tightening with concern at the mention of his mate's current ailment. "Your situation is completely understandable. Our mates should be our greatest priority at all times, leading a simple meeting pales in comparison to your current responsibility." I replied truthfully, narrowing my eyes out into the distance as I initiated a silent headcount of our Warriors in order to ensure that no one was being left behind.

"Yeah, but you and I both know this isn't our regular 'weekly roundup.' This one is probably gonna be a shitstorm, what with the crazy Alpha of that feral pack that keeps giving us issues." Tank breathed out, another hand raking through his hair which was becoming more and more messy by the second.

"...But man, I can't focus on anything worth a damn today. No matter how many times I experience it, Benji's estrus cycle always makes me feel like my nerves are going to burst right out of my damn skin." The large man shook his head with an incredulous expression, brows drawn up and eyes crinkling with stress as he bent down to grab his tactical bag. "I don't even want to imagine what it would be like if Benji was full fae, your brother is in for it when Daffodil finally gets his."

I hummed in understanding, leaning down to grab my own tactical bag as I completed my count and our Warriors were all finally within a stone's throwing distance of us.

The Fae race was known for being extremely fertile, with all of their people possessing the inherent ability to carry a child and give birth regardless of gender. Once they find their mates, they tend to go into a bimonthly estrus cycle, one that is similar to that of a Luna's heat. However, its main difference lies in the magick that the Fae releases during their cycle, said to make the experience indescribably intense, as if influenced by some sort of hallucinatory psychostimulant.