“Noelle, can you wait in the apartment for me. I have to speak to Maria in private,” Declan said as Noelle skulked down the hallway to the apartment.

“I can’t reach the key,” she yelled in a sarcastic tone. Declan walked from the head of the stairs and reached for the key on top of the door frame. He shoved it in her hand and muttered. “Don’t make a scene about something so trivial, okay?” he asked, confused by her attitude.

Noelle scoffed. She said, “You better run. Maria WANTS you, she’s WAITING for you.” Declan's nostrils flared, his anger rose, yet he held it back for the sake of the relationship.

“Wait for me, okay. I won’t be long.” Declan made his way toward the staircase as he heard the door slam behind him. He shook his head and sighed.

“I guess that’s my fault more than anything,” Maria said.

“Nah! She’ll be fine, she’s a little hot-tempered, and she has been in the forest for months, so people piss her off, I guess,” Declan replied.

“Yeah, right. She was holed up with that Lucas for how long?” Maria reminded Declan.

Damn. How long was she with him? She said she'd broken her leg and that takes a while to heal. Maybe there is something she isn’t telling me.

Declan closed the door behind him and walked around the desk and sat in his favorite chair. “Damn, now I feel like I’m home,” he said, kicking off his boots. “What did you want to talk about?”

Maria pulled up a chair and spun it around, she rested her arms on the back and then rested her chin on her arms. “All the freezer room meat and Edmund’s body have been removed. Don’t ask where, it’s safer not to know,” she explained first. “Next, open the bottom drawer and look under the red folder.”

Declan pulled the red folder out of the way and dropped the bundle of bills onto his desk. He tugged at the rubber band, and the wad of cash sat there. “What’s this?” he asked.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I sorted all the mail and entered everything onto the computer. It was only when I opened the drawer that I noticed it,” she explained. “I counted it, and it covers nearly all of those bills, we are only a few thousand short and then we are clear.”

Declan looked around his office. All the work they'd done getting ready for the inspection had started to wear off. The place could do with a significant makeover. “There’s something else, I can sense it,” he said.

“Well, I went ‘round to all the apartments to check on their rental arrears. Gabriel stopped them all from working. Everyone’s three months behind, minimum.”

“What a dick. He must’ve known that it would create more problems than it would solve,” Declan said in anger. “We need a pack meeting, tonight.”

Maria smiled as she tried to cut through Declan's steely-gaze. “It’s already sorted. I told everyone to be downstairs at ten,” she explained. “There is one more, final thing. Well, it’s a combination of two, but it amounts to one.”

“Hmm, I don’t like the sound of this,” he said. “Let me have it.”

Maria sighed and lifted her head from her arms. “Well, there’s a few of the tenants who are concerned about you being the alpha while still being single,” Maria said. “And —there are some who are concerned about Noelle, and that she isn’t ‘one of us.’”

“What do you think about it?” Declan asked Maria. He wrapped the rubber band back around the large bundle of money.

“Me —you're asking me what I think of it? I don’t give a damn. I know Noelle will do the right thing, she saw the light when she found out she was a hybrid,” Maria added. “As for you being Alpha and single, that doesn't make the slightest difference, and you do have Noelle, she just isn’t in an alpha-mate position.”

Declan dropped the bundle into the drawer and started to pull his boots back on. He looked up at Maria. “You know, I’m sure we can work it out. We should be more concerned with these hunters. It’s been a while, so they must be nearly ready to pay us a visit,” he said. “When it’s time, we are going to lead them to my old house, but we have to have some training sessions. Do you remember where it is?”

Maria nodded to signify a yes. “I know from inside the forest. From the road, I wouldn’t know. I can drive to ‘Vista View,’ and we can go through on foot. That way I can scope the approach points of the hunters.”

“That’s a good idea. I don’t presume they’ll come down the hill, they won’t know we are there, so it’ll all be uphill for them,” Declan said. “We can arrange for some to go tomorrow.”

“Not tomorrow, I wanna get those bills cleared. I’ll take the first lot up on Tuesday —once I know whose back working and who isn’t,” she said plainly.

“Fair enough. And take Kelvin with you every time. I sense he’s a pretty smart kid, he could bring a lot,” Declan said. “If there’s nothing else; meeting adjourned.” He walked from around his desk and walked in the direction of the office door. “I better get back to the little dragon, I don’t want her biting my head off for no reason.”

“Hey, Declan. There’s one other thing, but I might be way off the mark. I was thinking of these hunters using silver. We could be dead meat, and we don’t have a cure. I want to check before I commit, but I might have an idea that can help us,” Maria explained.

Declan’s fingers fumbled for the light switch. He pulled the door closed and locked it as they went into the hallway. “What’s the idea?”

“Don’t laugh, I might be barking up the wrong tree. I was thinking of heavy metal poisoning, it’s very similar, but silver is rapid and kills us almost immediately. But —and it’s a big but. If we all start taking antioxidants, you know, ones that are specific for heavy metals, it might make the effects of a silver bullet far less deadly.”

Declan put his hand over his mouth to stifle himself. Maria frowned, but Declan calmed himself. “It sounds kinda funny you have to admit, a pack of meat eaters popping supplements,” he said. “But, if there’s a chance we can come out injured —rather than dead, that’s fine with me. Check it out, but be quick, any pill is only gonna start working after a week, at least.”

“I’ll do it tomorrow when I pay the bills,” Maria said. “Now, I’m gonna go and chat with Dustin for a while before the pack meeting.”

“I’m going to have a rest. Its hard work being the alpha again,” Declan said. He gave a smile.

Maria laughed as payback for him sniggering at her idea. “Are you sure it's being an alpha that’s hard work, or your interesting relationship?”

Declan turned into the hallway and shook his head. “These walls have ears, so I’m not going to answer that.” He gave a wink before making his way to his own apartment. “Thank you, Maria.”

“Just take care of you.”

* * *

Declan opened the apartment door and was met with silence. He saw no sign of Noelle and guessed she must have been in the bedroom. Declan kicked off his boots and walked to the bedroom door. He pushed it open, and he saw that Noelle wasn't in there, either.

"Noelle, are you here?" he called out, becoming frustrated. He stood in the bedroom doorway and glanced back into the living room. "What the fuck, she can't have gone out," he mumbled.

Declan heard a creak in the bedroom. He spun as Noelle launched herself to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Admit it, you were worried I'd run off and left you, weren't you? You were really worried. I can see it in your eyes," Noelle yelped in a playful tone. "I was hiding in the closet, and I'm surprised that you didn't smell me, being an alpha with heightened senses."

"Sometimes you're a real pain in the butt, you know that," Declan proclaimed, now walking to the bed with Noelle wrapped around his neck and waist. "I don't know what I'm gonna do with you." Noelle pushed her chest forward. Her bra-less breasts pushed against Declan, and he glanced down and grinned. "It seems you have something in mind for us before the meeting, I see."

Noelle grinned as she dropped herself to the bed and pulled on her t-shirt and lifted it over her head. Her exposed breasts got Declan right in the mood, and he felt his manhood stirring deep inside his pants. Noelle fell back onto the bed and pulled the button on her jeans. She dragged her zipper down with her thumb and forefinger. She lifted her ass and wriggled free from her jeans, slowly, just to tease him.

Declan pulled his t-shirt over his head and grabbed hold of his belt buckle. He popped the button fly of his jeans and pushed them over his muscular hips and thighs. Noelle sat and reached forward and dug the tips of her fingers inside the elastic of his shorts. She pulled him closer to the bed as his manhood freed itself and hung before her. She gasped at the chemistry between them.

"Mmm," she murmured as she lifted her other hand and pulled Declan's shorts to his knees.

Noelle raised her hand and cupped Declan's balls and started to massage him. Her other hand wrapped around his shaft as she hugged him and brought him to a semi-erection.

"You drive me insane," Declan murmured in a soft tone.

Noelle pulled down on his hard cock and revealed the taut skin of his swollen head. She looked into Declan's eyes and could see a hint of the silver color from when he had turned into his inner wolf. She adjusted herself and got onto her knees and rested on one hand. Declan pushed his hips closer as Noelle stuck out the tip of her tongue. Her hand pulled back on Declan's hard shaft as she circled her tongue around him, using it to tease him.

Declan sighed and groaned in pleasure as Noelle caressed his full erection. She pushed it toward his belly and tickled the sensitive skin. Declan's hips and body shook as her tongue flicked back and forth. He rested his hand on her shoulder and drove his hips further forward. Noelle looked up. Declan stood with his hard, muscled chest stuck out. His abs were tensed as she gave him more pleasure. She opened her mouth and slipped the head of his hard shaft inside her full, plump lips. She sucked on his head and swirled her tongue around the rim. Declan dug his fingers into her long hair and pushed her head closer to his loins.

Noelle widened her mouth and slid her mouth down the full length of his shaft, her mouth took all of him inside her. She gasped for breath as her head bobbed and the tip of his hard manhood pushed against the back of her throat.

Declan pulled her head back. "I want to taste you now," Declan mumbled as he pushed Noelle backward on the bed.

She rested her head on the large pillow and watched as Declan parted her legs and kissed her right, inner thigh. She bit tightly on her bottom lip as his tongue got closer to the sweet mound of her most-sacred place.

Noelle cupped her breasts and tugged on her nipples, she felt her pink tips, and they’d hardened under her touch. She sucked in short, shallow, erotic breaths as Declan parted the lips of her center.

“Mmm," she whimpered as she pushed her hand firmly on the back of his head. Declan pushed his extended tongue deep inside. Her back arched like a cat as Declan curled his tongue and lapped at her sweetness.

This makeup sex is fantastic, I can't wait until we have a real argument, she thought.

Declan lifted his finger and slipped the tip inside the wetness of Noelle. She reached down and grabbed ahold of his wrist. "No, Declan, I want to do something different," Noelle said. She used a provocative tone as she licked her lips.

"What do you want to do?" Declan asked.

"I want us to come, without sex. We have to make ourselves come," she said with a smile. Declan furrowed his brow a little. Noelle could see he was a little behind her current thought process.

"Masturbation," she said as she parted her legs and rubbed herself with her middle finger. "You better get stroking yourself before I finish."

Declan stood at the end of the bed and wrapped his fingers around the middle of his shaft. His eyes were fixed on Noelle as her fingers spread her lips wide and her other finger teased her nub. Noelle stared at Declan's hardened shaft as his hand's tempo increased. His hips rocked as he thrust his manhood harder into his grasp. Noelle licked her lips as she slid two fingers deep inside herself. She bit her lip, enjoying the pleasure. Declan heard the faint slapping as her wetness crashed into the palm of her hand.

Her hand moved in the same tempo as his, he thrust his hardness deep into his hand as Noelle watched him. Her hand thrust harder as she whimpered, and her hips bucked as she felt the pumping caress of her fingers. Declan sucked in breaths through his gritted teeth as his legs quivered. He exhaled as sensations flooded from his core and filled the pit of his stomach.

"Noelle, God, are you close to coming?" he whimpered as he watched her pleasuring herself.

"Almost there," she replied. She pulled on her nipple and bit down hard on her bottom lip. "Declan, get ready, I'm almost there. I can feel it building inside me."

"I'm gonna come," he groaned.

"Good, me too," Noelle replied as she raised her hips and arched her back.

Her body was bucking and writhing under her thrusting fingers. Noelle panted as her eyes rolled then stared at the end of Declan's hardness. His hips locked as he thrust sporadically. He exploded over Noelle's hand and belly. She yelled with pure satisfaction as her body quivered in time with Declan’s. He fell forward and pulled himself level with Noelle. She panted as her body regained composure.

Declan pulled a pillow under his head and turned to look at Noelle. "You know, that meeting with Maria was nothing you couldn't hear, really. I think she was just being over-cautious," Declan said.

Noelle rolled her body and she rested on her elbows. Her head sat on the palm of her hand. "I do know I'm not a pack member and some are gonna hold this against you and me. There's nothing we can do about what they are thinking, at least not at the moment," Noelle said.

"Yeah! The other thing was that; all the tenants haven’t paid any rent for over three months. We're lucky. She's found some cash that covers most of it," Declan explained. "I do want to make a go of this between you and me. The pack will hold it against me, but in time they might see you’re okay."

Noelle slapped her hand on Declan's hard chest. "I'm only okay?" she asked.

Declan sighed. "You're more than okay, your freakin’ awesome. Does that satisfy your ego?"

"Yeah, I suppose it does."

“Create the highest vision possible as you become what you believe.”