"...rather be by her side than have her not forgive us, right?'
Selena's eyes glowed bright silver, there was no sign of the brown irises that he had grown to love.
Xavier had no idea what to say or do, a wolf completely taking over its human while in human form was never a good sign. It mostly meant that the wolf is extremely overwhelmed about something which the human has no idea about.
'Izzy..." he whispered from the floor as she stood over him. Both of them were completely naked, but that didn't concern either of them.
Izzy was angry and all Xavier wanted at that moment was to comfort her.
"You. Hurt. Me."
Her words came out in short breaths. She was breathing so harshly that Xavier was getting even more worried.
"I-"
"Apologized to her," she sneered, her fangs completely elongated and in display. She was ready to obliterate anything in her sight to get to her prey and right then, her target was Xavier.
Wolves are proud beasts, alpha wolves even more so. Even though Izzy loved Zion as much as Selena loved Xavier, her nature of the beast didn't allow her to just forgive him like her human did.
'What are you doing?!' Selena screamed in her head, looking at Xavier through the eyes of her beast. She could see exactly how confused and terrified Xavier was. 'He apologized! He showed us the respect that we deserved.'
"No! You! No me!"
Wolves overtaking the human body is a rare thing. With a wolf as strong as Izzy being this angry, this much high in emotions, Xavier wasn't surprised that her speech was not clear.
"Izzy," he whispered, he moved very slowly so as to not alarm the beast. Even though cautious, his eyes still held that soft, pleading look, "Talk to me."
She growled, but her eyes watered, the claws in her hands were out and she was almost ready to jump at him.
"You humiliate me, put me down, drag me through dirt," she was crouching down, almost like she was getting ready to attack as she spoke, "And yet, never apologize to me."
"I didn't-"
"Both hurt, not just Selena, me too."
That's when it clicked in Xavier's mind. He never got in his wolf form with Selena while their wolves were in control. Even if they had, it was for work only and their wolves were never in control, they never got the chance to talk to each other directly without the interference of the human side.
With whatever had happened between the two, the wolf deserved an apology as much as Selena did, from both Xavier and Zion.
He thanked the goddess that his room was big enough, it was more of a suite to be honest, and lowered his head.
An alpha lowering his head in front of another wolf, even though his mate, it was a rare scene.
For a second, Izzy was stunned. She didn't move and just stared at Xavier. The alpha was on his knees, his head bowed and hands behind his back, there was no way he would be able to defend herself if she attacked him.
"I should have done that. You deserve an apology from both me and Zion. With all the emergency and drama going on, it slipped our minds. But that is no excuse."
Selena remained quiet, she was feeling very guilty too. How could she not have considered how hurt her wolf was feeling?
"Let me make it up to you."
"Want blood."
He raised his head and smiled at her sadly. The wolf's expression faltered. She felt the whirlwinds of emotions raging in the suite, the emotions of her mate, and a lot of her will to fight was slipping away, but not enough to stop her yet.
"As you wish."
Izzy immediately shifted and slammed Xavier down on the floor with her paws on his chest. If his lungs were bruised or broken, Xavier didn't let it show.
She snarled at his face and howled, an angry and pained howl that was met with howls from the pack wolves outside, showing their support to their Luna.
The wolves outside had no idea what was going on. But they knew their Luna was in distress.
'Fight back!'
Xavier gasped.
They weren't mated yet... how did he hear her in his head?
'It must be her witch,' Zion whispered, in awe. 'Let me talk to her.'
Xavier allowed his wolf to come forth immediately, but his wolf was not overwhelmed. He started slowly shifting while Izzy was still standing over him.
For a second, when Izzy didn't move even when his bones shifted under her, he felt maybe it was her revenge, to hurt him while he shifted. The added weight slowed down his process which made it more painful for Xavier. From his side, he too was trying to slow his movements as he didn't want to hurt her.
Izzy moved back though, and in the very next second, right in front of her paws was a very large wolf, his ears droopy, and his tail dangling low.
Izzy growled. 'Fight back, you coward!'
Zion growled too, the wolf didn't like being called a coward.
'Wanna try how traitor sounds to the ear?'
His growl turned to a whine.
'I am sorry, Izzy, both me and Xavier are.'
'Sorry doesn't erase the pain.'
'I know.'
'I wanna make you feel the humiliation that I felt-'
'I would deserve it,' he lowered his head down in submission.
'-but I cannot. I love your stupid ass too much to do that to you,' Izzy whined too, making Zion look up at her just as a whimper left her lips and a devastating look took over the face he loved more than himself. 'Did you not love me? How could you?'
Zion took a step forward but Izzy didn't like that. She lunged at him and rolled them over so that Zion fell on his back, with Izzy on top of him again. He made no attempts to defend himself. Izzy stared at her mate with her hackles raised but her eyes kept dropping to his neck.
'Izzy, please don't,' Selena knew what Izzy was thinking.
Marking during the wolf form before the humans have marked each other is a sign of the human side being incompetent. It was a custom followed thousands of years back, to punish a wolf in case that they had wronged their mate.
'Wouldn't it be deserving though,' the wolf whispered to her human, her eyes locked on that spot. As much as she was hurting, she was very much attracted to him.
Zion noticed her intentions too. For a second the wolf stilled, scared, terrified even.
'Tell her to do it.'
'What?'
'Zion, rather be by her side than have her not forgive us, right?'
The wolf whimpered inside his head at this thought. The decision was both easy and difficult at the same time. But Zion knew which one would hurt more.
'Do it,' he whispered in his mind, knowing his mate will hear him.
'What?' Izzy asked baffled.
'I said we are yours to take, Izzy, be it in wolf form or human.'
'He'll carry the mark for the rest of our lives, Izzy,' Selena whispered urgently. 'Everybody will know, everybody will look down on him. They will know his mistake but not the circumstances that led to it. What if we were in his position?'
Selena had thought Izzy understood this. It was only after she whispered the words that she realized how still Izzy was. She hadn't considered it at all. Selena continued.
'Think like an Alpha, Isadora,' Selena whispered, taking the full name of her wolf for the first time in a long time, 'What would you have chosen if it was your happiness on one side and the risk of losing your family? He was even looking for clues, he was trying. Let's not give him such a harsh punishment for a moment of impulsive thinking.'
'His impulsive thinking cost us a month of torture and humiliation.' Selena didn't respond. Izzy gasped, 'You do love him.'
'As much as you love Zion.'
Izzy immediately took the back seat and gave Selena control.
'Tell him I want to have a moment with Zion once all this is over. I want us to mark each other in wolf form too.'
Selena smiled. Wolves marking each other in both human and wolf form was a mark of complete devotion to each other. To have Izzy even consider that meant that she forgave him.
'Done.'
The wolf jumped away from over her mate and shifted back, just as Xavier too shifted.
"What happened? Is she rejecting us?"
"What, no! Why would you think that?"
Xavier shrugged.
"She forgives you, she just wants to have a moment with Zion once all this is over."
"I promise." He smiled.
"I am so sorry. I hadn't expected her to be so..."
"I deserved it."
Selena remained quiet. Xavier noticed it too.
"I still want your mark on me today, Xav," she said, changing the topic.
Xavier looked unsure. Not just that, the ashamed look that he had been sporting since Connor's return was back too.
Selena noticed this, and her heart broke. She placed her own palms on his cheek and made him look at her.
If she was surprised on seeing the moisture in his eyes, she didn't let it show.
'You mind?'
Her eyes immediately turned silver and Izzy took over. Xavier's shocked eyes widened on this and a drop of tear slid down his cheek.
Izzy intently stared at his eyes for a second, and Xavier felt a vulnerability he didn't know he could feel. The wolf was more instinctive than the human, it knew better than Selena what Xavier was feeling.
"I hurt," Izzy whispered softly, her voice still coming in short breaths, this time the overwhelming emotion was of love, "no means I no love you."
With this Izzy attached their lips. Xavier returned the kiss as passionately as Izzy had started. He put in it everything he felt, every emotion, hoping, it would convey his feelings better than he could by his words.
"I am so sorry," he whispered in between the kisses.
"Never again, please," Izzy whispered.
"Never."
The kiss turned more heated and Xavier gently laid her down on the bed.
Her eyes were back to normal as Selena stared back at him in a daze.
"Open up your legs, baby."
Selena did as Xavier asked her. Xavier laid over her, making sure not to put his whole weight on her and lined his dick at her opening again.
Just as his head entered her, Selena grasped his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin. Xavier stopped.
Both of the wolves growled.
"Go on," Selena muttered in between her moan, Xavier slowly pushed in, and he kept pushing until he was completely inside her.
Wolves are horny creatures. This being the first time mating made them both very volatile.
Selena felt so full she felt she could burst, and Xavier... he was drowning in the pleasure Selena's warmth was providing her.
Slowly, he started moving, two thrusts are all it took for Xavier to find the spot that would make her see stars. Throughout the while, Selena never stopped moaning.
His lips caught hers in a kiss as he bit her lips and dominated her mouth while his hands roamed over the already tormented nipples, rolling them around, pulling them, pinching them.
Selena felt as if even the smallest stimulations could make her burst. She needed him, and she needed him right then.
Xavier felt the need of his mate. He pulled back gently and just watched her expressions. The unfocussed, lust and dazed filled eyes, her opened mouth as she stared back at him... he couldn't believe that he was finally getting to share this moment with her, with his mate.
"God, you're beautiful," he whispered and kissed her jaws and neck, before settling in the spot where her neck met her shoulders.
"Bite me," she whispered and Xavier chuckled.
"As you wish. Ready?" He whispered, his fangs already elongating, ready to mark the one person he knew he would die without.
"Born ready," Selena whispered as her fangs too elongated.
Xavier sped up his movements and hitting that spot inside her again and again. His fingers moved from her breast. One hand moved gently under her waist to hold her closer and the other hand which held the back of her neck also held all of his weight.
"I'm close, Xav," Selena moaned, a traitorous pleasure-filled tear slid past her cheeks.
"Let go, baby. Feel the sparks."
Selena's release came soon after and the tensing of her muscles led to Xavier losing his control too. Both the wolves bit into the other's neck at the same time.
Their body convulsed against the other and nobody let go of the bites. They had gone far too long after meeting each other. They had made the mating wait far longer than anyone ever had. No wonder the wolves weren't ready to let go.
Even in the middle of all the lust and haze, Selena didn't miss Xavier's whispers of 'I love you's.
Loud howls filled the whole forest as the werewolves expressed their joy for their leaders. The moment they bit into each other, everyone knew. Sparks flew all over the packhouse.
The two most powerful creatures of the werewolf community were now one.
The alpha was now mated.
More importantly, both the leaders were happy.