Chapter Twenty-Two: Amara

Darius scooping her up in his burly arms surprised Amara for sure, but it also felt so right. Amara curled in his arms as he ran, placing a hand on his chest and tracing over where she thought his heart was. She imagined his heart beating in sync with hers, like a pair of fated lovers, just like stories her mother used to tell her.

Darius slowed to a stop, panting, in a part of the Oldwood Amara had never seen before. A stream blocked their path, and overgrowth covered the area to their right.

Amara looked up at him with longing eyes, reaching up a hand to cup his cheek. A cut from the battle with Ulrick remained, but due to shifter blood, the wound healed quickly. She touched it gently, seeing Darius wince ever so slightly. She smiled shyly. "Darius...maybe you should rest, first."

Darius chuckled. "Rest? I don't think rest will do nearly as much for me as spending time with you will…" He leaned down, Amara still in his arms, and connected their lips once again. Amara wrapped her arms around his neck as they infused their feelings. Love...love turned to lust quickly, and Amara found herself being thrown, gently, on a patch of leaves on the ground under a tree. Memories of when they first arrived with Remus, just outside of Gray Creek, reminded her of where they left off.

The noise of the Oldwood drifted away as Darius climbed on top of her, his naked figure filling her whole vision. Their heavy breathing were the only sounds that registered in Amara's hearing as she gazed up at his warm gray hair, and pair of stark, dark green eyes. "Darius-"

He didn't wait but went right in for another make-out session. Amara's head became fuzzy, her mind conjuring up images of Darius standing victorious over Ulrick. Hot, irresistible, Darius was a true Alpha now. Darius' mouth moved lower, biting at her neck. Amara gasped in pleasure. "Darius...what about Changelings? What if there are some out here?"

Taking a moment to lift his head, he grinned down at her. "It's perfectly fine. I'm here, so nothing will hurt you under my watch."

A wave of warmth cascaded through Amara's body, and tears rolled down her eyes in tandem. Darius wiped away her joyous tears, and he continued to pleasure her. Their moans and grunting could be heard for a mile around, and it wasn't until the afternoon sun began to sink did they finally truly rest.

 

"So, where do we go from here?"

Amara looked up at the sound of Gavriel's gravelly voice echoing in the Alpha's lodgings, glancing around the room. Only she, Darius, and his father occupied the place at the moment, with Darius claiming it as his own just an hour prior.

Flashes of Darius' battle entered her mind once again, as well as her lovemaking with Darius. After the two had spent considerable time together after Darius win, they finally decided to come back. The whole of Gray Creek was in a buzz; apparently, it wasn't every day that a new Alpha came into power.

Originally Amara had found it strange to see how succession worked in Gray Creek, but now it didn't matter to her. There were only two problems left now: convincing her father to form an alliance with Darius and the Pack and stopping Orpheus' army from destroying either group. If the former didn't work, the second would never come to pass.

As if reading her mind, Darius glanced at Gavriel. "Well, there are two obstacles left. We need to convince the Pride to form an alliance with us, and then we need to form a plan for stopping Orpheus. Both will be difficult."

"Has it ever been easy for you, Darius?" Gavriel asked. "Hell, you were almost killed this morning. Besides, from here on out we're on the final stretch. It's only a miracle that Orpheus hasn't sent his army to kill us all yet."

"I don't think there's any such thing as a miracle," said a voice from the doorway. Everyone looked up to spy two blonde heads staring down at them all. Remus came and sat down first, across from Darius, and Nyssa came just after, sitting down next to Amara. Together, all five formed a neat circle, though suddenly the air grew tense as Remus stared at Darius.

"Remus…" Darius breathed. "Where have you been?"

Remus frowned. "Burying my father." He motioned to Nyssa, who couldn't meet any of their eyes; her irises were stained red. "We did it alone, found a patch of good soft ground to dig up and place him in. It was...tough."

Darius grimaced. "Look, I'm sorry about your father. When I first announced my challenge, I just thought that I had to do something. I didn't challenge him for revenge or anything like that...and I didn't mean to take the title of Alpha from you or-"

Remus held up a hand to stop Darius' rambling, and it worked, and Remus gave Darius a weak grin. "It's okay, Dare. Truth be told I never really wanted to become Alpha. Most people thought I would be good based on how I act on the outside, but really I wanted nothing to do with having the fate of our entire clan rest on my shoulders. I'm glad you have it; you're suited for it."

Darius deflated a bit, so Amara squeezed his hand, and he half-smiled at her.

"Besides," Remus carried on. "I...we also realize our father may have been too stubborn for his own good. It's good that his death at least has meaning to it."

"Your father just wanted to protect you two, I think," Amara said. "He saw threats everywhere, and wanted to keep you and your people safe from those that would do you harm."

Remus grimaced at Amara, but softened his features and nodded. Nyssa remained unmoving next to her.

"Our people, you mean," Darius interjected.

Amara nodded. "That's right."

Remus cocked his head, and Gavriel gave them both stern looks.

Darius saw the looks and offered an explanation. "Our plan changed slightly. Instead of just protecting each clan, we want to merge our clans into one...or at least become friendly enough to the point where wolf and cat shifters can wander freely from Gray Creek to Red Rock. What's the point in remaining hostile to each other?"

Gavriel sighed, Remus pinched his nose, and Nyssa finally looked up, her eyes wide in shock.

Darius continued. "We can talk about that later, but first, let's discuss how we're going to figure out our immediate problems."

Remus let out a heavy breath. "Okay, well first we need to get the Pride's Alpha to talk to us, right? We can't convince him if he's unwilling to meet."

Gavriel grunted, his experienced bones cracking as he shifted positions. "Well, that's an easy answer. No one goes near the border, from either side, so that means we'd have to send someone in to Red Rock and ask for a meeting with the Alpha."

Amara lifted her head, reading Gavriel's implication before he even made it.

"But only someone we know won't be killed on sight can go, or else everything else is pretty much forfeit," Gavriel finished.

All eyes immediately were drawn to Amara. She glanced between all of them and finally landed on Darius, who frowned at the suggestion. "I don't like it…" he said.

Squeezing his hand once again, she got him to look at her, and she smiled. "It'll be fine. My father would never harm me, no matter what I did. Besides, he wants me to prove myself, and I'm sure in his eyes right now I'm far from being successful; I just need to make him see reason."

Darius searched her eyes for comfort, and he found it, relaxing a bit as he nodded. "Alright, we'll send you. But we need to make sure to set up a time and place for the meeting first so that you aren't going back unprepared."

"Neither Gray or Red Rock will work," Remus said. "They're both too hostile of places at the moment."

Nyssa glanced at Darius. "Make it the river border." Everyone looked at her as if she were a ghost. "What? I have ideas too, you know. I just don't speak as often, or as quickly."

Darius nodded. "The river it is then. Amara, you'll leave tonight and go back, inform your father of our intentions. We'll wait for him at the river border at midday when the sun is highest."

"You need to inform the people of our impending arrangement too," Remus said. "Just so that everyone is on the same page."

Darius nodded again. "Good idea. Remus, I'll have you tell the people while I see Amara off." Remus smiled. "Alright, is there anything else that needs our attention at the moment?" Silence became his answer. "Good, then let's get going."

    

At the border, Amara embraced Darius so hard marks formed on his tough skin. Letting go, Darius held her at arm's length, looking her up and down. "Don't do anything stupid while you're over there," Darius said.

Amara scoffed. "Me? I'm sorry, who challenged your Alpha on a whim again? It certainly wasn't me."

Darius chuckled, but the two leaned in for a final parting kiss. Darius' lips were so powerful, and yet so gentle at the same time. Amara didn't know how she was going to handle the next day without his touch.

Breaking away, Amara backed to the river, a satchel full of snacks and clothes on her back. "I'll be back before you know it."

"And I'll be waiting right here," Darius responded.

Amara fought the urge to rush back to him, and swiveled on her feet as she waded into the shallow river and crossed to the other side. Stopping behind a tree, she undressed and stuffed her clothes into her satchel. Shifting into her cougar form, Amara steeled her nerves and bounded away in cat shifter territory.