Gregor watched until she ducked into the large rhododendron, the tell-tale flash of light emanating from within it shortly after. 
 
Celeste. His fated mate’s name was Celeste. And she was safe for the night.
 
He’d known of the hidden doorway for some time now – it was his duty as alpha-heir to know all there was to know about his clan’s domain, especially the immediate area surrounding his residence. He had his lieutenants for the rest. However, it was only as of late that the entrance to the local herd’s magically-cloaked encampment had become important to him. Something about which he had wondered right up until he’d seen her honest denial of her kind’s glowing, felt the warmth of her spread through his skin and deep into other places.
 
Raising his still-tingling hand to his sensitive nose, Gregor inhaled her scent again, closing his eyes even as he allowed his other hand to palm his still-rigid member. Lids falling past half-closed, a growl escaped from within as he allowed his hand to tighten painfully. Frustration borne of both physical desire and situational irony rose up from inside, and he threw his head back to release it.  
 
The howl that split the night carried for miles, and Gregor could not find it in himself to care. Therapeutic. That’s what his sister – the uptown, fully-acclimated-to-human-living but to-werewolves-only psychologist – would say. And he did feel somewhat better, although another part of him still cried out for relief. Gripping that part one last time, he growled and, with a deep cleansing breath, set his feet toward the clubhouse.
 
Gregor froze after only a few steps. No, he couldn’t go there. His brothers in Les Loups Perdus would smell his Celeste on him before he even stepped foot in the door. Smelling like a human female was one thing – hell, some of the older, unmated wolves brought them in the clubhouse and used them in the low-lit areas near the back entrance. As long as the humans were willing, he let it go. But Gregor didn’t know how many of his ‘brothers’ – especially the few that he knew were spying for his father – could discern the difference between a human and a fairy by scent alone.
 
Andre would search him out – he was the only one in the group that would miss his non-reappearance in their small outside gathering this evening. The rest were simply there enjoying an evening together before going home to their families.

Family...Gregor felt the tension  inside of him. This whole thing was going to cause strife in many families, he had no doubt.
 
His hand instinctively rubbed his chest where he’d felt something pass between he and Celeste during their lustful embrace. He grinned and licked his lips even as he wondered if it was something that could be detected. Had his Celeste marked him in some way? He found that thought arousing on a whole other level…
 
But it also brought him back to the sobering reality of everything he now faced. What they would face.
 
“Do not try to take the joy you’ve shown me tonight, Sweet Goddess.” Gregor looked up at Her in supplication – her gentle aura currently filling the night sky even above the city lights. “Let her be our secret until I can figure something out. I won’t forsake the will of the Fates, I promise.”
 
As if in reassurance from the Moon Goddess herself, a soft breeze wafted across his upturned face despite the eerie stillness of the evening.
 
Gregor had always felt at ease with the rules of the clan, with their cool if not somewhat subdued reverence to their goddess and her ways. But in recent years, as his father pushed to expand their clan’s foothold here in the human reality without much regard for that reverance, he’d felt a strain on the tentative bond he’d once felt to have with him.
 
How long had it been since there had been a Fated Celebration of Joining for anyone in their clan?
 
The question whispered across his mind, and he shook his head, searching his memories.

Stopping abruptly, he noticed he had arrived at his small place where he stayed while in town. As he began to search his keys out of his pocket, his mind continued to wander.
 
Was it really that long ago?
 
He stopped short of inserting the key and leaned his forehead against the door.
 
He had a vague recollection of a celebration when he had been too young to remember his age, but he did remember his father’s derogatory comments…and his mother’s reactions to them.
 
“As if any power chooses a mate for us – Stephen just likes her huge tits!”
 
His father had growled under his breath in the front seat, throwing their family sedan into park. Gregor had tried to sink into the back seat as he usually did when his father’s anger assaulted his young senses.
 
“Mating is a way to strengthen the clan, not weaken it!” He’d cut those amber eyes at his mother. “Just like ours did, right?”
 
His mother had almost imperceptibly nodded her head.
 
“My son” – he’d glanced in the rearview mirror at Gregor – “will benefit from it. Come on – let’s all go be ‘officially happy’ for a wolf and a fucking bear!”
 
His dad opened and slammed the door, leaving his mother to help him out of the back seat. She’d had to practically peel him off the seat, speaking in her gentle yet firm voice – her broken French-English still clear in his head.
 
“Stand, Gregor. You are Alpha-Heir. When you are Alpha, you remember time like this, oui?” He’d glanced up at his mother’s pained face – her eyes holding both a great anger and a great sadness. “Mating should be sharing, not contract.”
 
“But…?” His voice still sounded small in his memory.
 
His mother’s voice had gotten firm and almost harsh at that moment as she’d stood him on the ground and taken his hand. He was pretty sure he’d heard her try to muffle a sob.
 
“No ‘buts’, mon cheri. Fated mates, eez les cadeaux from Luna. To deny them is to sentence yourself to much unhappiness.” Right then, he’d known he heard her sob. “Pour toujours.”
 
She shut the car door and seemed to rub her face – had she been crying? – as they walked to follow his father through the open door at which he’d not even bothered to wait for them.
 
Together, they had joined a celebration that had never again been repeated in his lifetime.

Was that his father’s doing? Or had his clan been cursed because of him, their Alpha?
 
Gregor took a deep breath, stood up straight, and unlocked the door. He needed a drink.
 
Celeste’s lovely blushing smile appeared again across his vision, her taste rising to tantalize his tongue.
 
Growling and shaking her away for now, he flipped on the light in the small studio apartment to a sink full of dishes and pots that had sat for how many days? He really wasn’t sure. He just stood there with the door open for a few seconds – his elongated nails digging into the surface as he ran through his mother’s words again.
 
He heard footsteps approaching from the street. Catching a hint of Andre, he grinned to himself and swung the door to shut behind him as he walked forward toward the kitchen area. Feeling the four walls closing in on him, he realized it was not a drink that he needed – his fur itched beneath his skin as his frustration began to rise. No, what he really needed was to…
 
“So, what was so damn special about that skinny-assed chick in a hoodie that had you running off without explanation?” Andre caught the door Gregor had pushed before it latched, let himself in, and closed it behind him.
 
Gregor and Andre had been friends since their primary years and were similar in build, although Gregor carried a bit more upper body bulk in musculature. Their bond ran deep, held together by secrets neither spoke of out loud. They were the kind that didn’t have to be spoken – that either of them would die before uttering. So, when Gregor rounded on Andre – a purely instinctive move given Andre’s unwitting insult of his mate – Andre didn’t even flinch.
 
“I need to get outta here, Dray.” A growl rolled up from inside of Gregor as he stood nose to nose with his friend – an obviously exercised Gregor’s incisors trying to drop.
 
Without breaking their eye contact, Andre noticeably sniffed the air as he took in Gregor's threatening stance.
 
“No sex, eh?" Andre gave Gregor a quick once over, eyes alight with mischief as he took one long last breath through his nose. "And with her against you like that, it’s no wonder you’re all snarly.” Andre smirked as he walked past him, bumping his friend’s tense shoulder on purpose. He opened the refrigerator and grabbed a couple of plastic bottles of water. Turning, he tossed Gregor one.
 
“Catch.”
 
Not expecting the toss, Gregor almost dropped it. Gregor looked at the bottle incredulously and back up at his friend.
 
“What the hell part of–”
 
“I’m not riding with you anywhere until you cool down a bit. Eating asphalt is not high on my list of activities this evening.” Sophisticated and rough – it was Andre’s signature style. He opened his bottle, offering it in silent ‘cheers’ to Gregor, and took a quick drink – his actions an encouragement for Gregor to follow suit. "For either of us.”
 
Gregor just growled again, ripping the cap and the entire top off his water bottle. But just as he was about to raise the shredded opening to his lips, two things happened: common sense caught up with him and he noticed Andre’s amused, raised-eyebrow-look ping-ponging between the mangled bottle and his face.
 
Gregor huffed a bit of laughter in spite of his frustration. Or maybe because of it. Either way, he threw his head back, opened his mouth wide and poured some water into it from the hole that had once been a bottle neck. Then he closed his mouth and continued to dribble some more water there, scrubbed his face, and shook his head. Okay, so yeah, that actually felt pretty good.
 
“Your dad pissed again about something else to do with next week’s ceremony?”
 
Gregor froze in his quasi-shower reverie for a moment, taking careful appraisal of his friend’s questioning look that accompanied his seemingly benign query. Then he well and truly laughed – albeit somewhat darkly this time.
 
Celeste’s whine of desire before they had physically parted echoed through his mind. Growling low, Gregor tried to shake it off, as if it were actually attached to him and could be dislodged. If only…
 
Taking a final swallow as well as spilling some water down his front, Gregor stepped up into his best friend’s space, his mood sobering completely. He let his eyes wonder all around the space as if to spy something that was not there.
 
“A run, Dray.” He tossed the bottle into the sink behind Andre. “Where we can talk, oui?”
 
Andre nodded his understanding – he knew Gregor didn’t trust that he wasn’t being spied on. Taking a final swig out of his own bottle, he tossed it to join Gregor’s.
 
“I was gonna se–”
 
“We’ll be done long before morning,” Gregor interrupted him, locking the door as they exited, “I have somewhere to be at sunrise.”
 
Knowing that he wouldn’t get an answer now, Andre walked in silent solidarity beside Gregor to their bikes. The ride out to the clan’s sprawling estate outside of town would give them each time to think.

to be continued...



**‘Obsessive Tendencies’ is an adult fantasy novel about a reality in which the fantasy realm has somehow been merged with our human one. Celeste is a woodland fairy and Gregor is a werewolf alpha-heir. This is the third chapter in their story.
 
 
petit cadeau   --> (French) tiny gift
oui  --> (French) yes
mon cheri  --> (French term of endearment) my sweet or my cherished
les cadeaux  --> (French) gifts
Pour toujours    --> (French) forever
 
CAST OF CHARACTERS:
Celeste (woodland fairy) – her herd lives in a magical encampment in Gregor’s were-clan’s domain. They are not associated with werewolves at all.
 
Gregor (werewolf) – Alpha-heir to the Charbonneau werewolf clan, the largest clan in the Southeast United States.
 
Andre (werewolf) – best friend and trusted lieutenant to Gregor.
 

Author Notes

Barring any more unforeseen 'happenings' (knock on wood, throw salt over a shoulder...heck, I'll even click my heels together three times!), I hope to be back on schedule for a mid-month release of one chapter per month. Because these are longer than my Gardens' chapters, that's the best I'm gonna shoot for right now... ;) As always, thank you for reading me! ;) ;) Image of 'Fairy, wolf and moon' from Pinterest [www.pinterest.com]

My mind is still reeling and my body is still buzzing with desire as I enter the compound. As usual, most folks ignore me as they flit here and there, high and low, in their evening duties. Except for the looks of distaste presumably about my clothing – always about the clothing. Or my employment . My dance is another point of contention. Sigh. But that’s okay. I’ve gotten pretty good at ignoring them as well.
 
‘They’ are mostly the older ones – the ones who prefer not to interact with the human world. It is they who keep our ‘before times’ traditions alive… because they are the ones trying to maintain our separation from the world in which we now live.
 
Honestly, I love many of those traditions and do not want to lose them. But there is no going back – we all know that. And I, and many other young fairies like me, refuse to be caged. This is our reality now, and we are determined to live in it, not apart from it. We know dangers exists – obstinate Freiya has been gone for nearly a season now and a piece of each of us mourns him daily. But we also know the joys of freedom. Of discovery. Of finding work outside of herd expectations – outside of the compound – and being rewarded and even admired for its fruits.
 
Okay, so yeah, we do come home every evening. There is nothing to be done of the bone-deep and innate fear of being alone and without one’s kind after sunset. It is a terrifying thought, and it is part of who we are, part of being a member of the herd.
 
Gregor’s face flashes before my vision again, and I’m reminded of the peace his presence gave me. It was a feeling I’d never experienced outside of these walls, and I had enjoyed it! Mmmmmm, oh yes, I did enjoy it! I stifle a smile and bite my lip as a flash of heat between my legs reminds me just how much more of him I had wanted to enjoy.
 
I pause and close my eyes, trying to center myself. Of all creatures: Gregor Charbonneau!! But I feel my smile become incandescent at the simple thought of his over-powering presence. When was the last time I felt truly happy deep inside? I pause and look more closely at the busy-ness around me. I realize I can’t think of an answer to that question, at least none since this reality became ours…
 
The evening bonfire is well on its way to fruition as I near the compound’s center and Gregor’s words echo through my mind.
 
Tomorrow morning at sunrise, mon petit cadeau.
 
A chill runs through my body, as if it’s setting its own internal timer. I take a deep breath, realizing I could no more say ‘no’ to meeting Gregor than I could to attending the evening reverie. But somewhere deep inside comes a haunting question, one I will have to answer if and when two such activities conflict. What happens when I have to choose?
 
Stopping to calm my runaway thoughts, I watch the horizon eat the remaining sheen of the blessed sun.  Even here and now, faced with an answer I do wish to reflect upon tonight, another smile engulfs my being with the thought of whose company I will be in when that same sun is once again expelled from below. When I can feel that inexplicable warmth he ignites in me…
 
I glance off to the side, to the large shadow the ancient oak provides opposite the firelight. Perhaps I can just hang there tonight. My presence at reverie would still be felt, but I wouldn’t have to …
 
“Hey Cee!”
 
“Welcome home, Ceebee, how’s life?!”
 
And there goes my whole ‘hiding in the shadows’ idea.
 
Chuckling, I shake my head as Joachim and Justine land on either side of me, immediately falling into step with me.
 
Looking at my lifelong friends, I realize just how accustomed to the outside world I’ve become. I’m still comfortably clothed in ‘outer-wear’ while the twins are in full-fairy garb: a few strategically placed leaves or flowers and mischievous smiles.  When did that happen, that I don’t disrobe immediately upon entering the compound?
 
I know the answer. This ease with which I have adapted to clothing came shortly after I auditioned for my first ballet. And although I would lie if asked and say it was the dance, I know in my soul that it had nothing to do with dancing. No, it had everything to do with whom I first saw on my way home just days after I started in the ballet troupe.
 
My job at the library where I’d worked for nearly a decade did nothing to affect my need to conform when I passed back inside the compound for the evening. In fact, many had been the days that I looked forward to being free of the confining outer wear beginning as early as lunchtime in my little secluded corner of the archaic books section. I would sometimes count the minutes until I knew I could feel full communion with the river of air in which we live. But, after only my second dance practice, the clothing became simply a noise in the background of him.
 
At first, the dancer’s leotard, tights, and loose-fitting  over-suit had felt more binding to my skin than my skirts and blouses at the library.  But all thoughts of its uncomfortability had been forever lost when Gregor’s laugh had caught my attention that first time.
 
Joachim reaches over and grips my hood between his thumb and forefinger. With his usual dramatically-feigned revulsion – you know, as if the material might bite him – he pulls my hood down. I snort in amusement at his usual antics, which, by the way, he doesn’t see as antics at all.
 
“This… this thing,” Joachim begins, releasing my hood and rubbing his thumb and fingers together as if to remove some invisible dirt, “should probably be burned, Ceebee.”
 
“Ignore him, Cee,” Justine sneers in jest, “he’s feeling claustrophobic since he had stay in today and work.”
 
Joachim snarls in response as he brings his fingertips toward him, and blows a rough breath across them. I’m sure it’s to ‘blow away’ where he touched my hoodie because that’s just him. But before he drops his hand to his side, he pauses, bringing it back up to his nose and sniffing.
 
Warning bells go off inside of me as I track his actions out the corner of my eye.
 
“Not Joachim,” I blurt out in an effort to distract him, “surely you’re mistaken. The Joachim I know loves gardening.”
 
Justine’s aquamarine hair gleams with her amusement, the chartreuse and golden highlights rippling around her updo and through the errant strands hanging about her face and to her shoulders.  She playfully shoves me so that I bump into Joaquim.
 
“My brother loves a lot of things,” she says mockingly, “but work is not one of them!”
 
I join her in laughter and turn to address Joaquim.
 
“I do believe tha–”
 
But Joaquim is no longer beside me.
 
My abrupt stop has Justine stopping almost simultaneously. We both turn to find him frozen some steps behind us. He’s in his favorite accusatory stance: one knee bent with foot turned out, one hand on hip, and a look that would surely kill you if the lasers in those ice-green eyes were active.
 
And though I feel those lasers cut right through me, I hold his stare. I’m not ready to give in to the drama I know is coming. You see, once Joaquim’s hair is affected by his emotions as it is right now – like it has a life of its own, moving without a breeze in the air – there is no telling what will roll off that sharp tongue of his.
 
Oblivious to our staring contest, Justine speaks first. 
 
“Oh, don’t get all butt-hurt, Keem.” Justine smiles at her brother in challenge. “Just get ov– ”
 
But Joaquim begins stalking directly toward us – his gaze never leaving mine, an almost scary intensity in every step. Dramatic, as expected, but we both know there’s more to it this time.
 
“I, dear sister, am not the issue here.” His speech was abrupt, his shoulder bumping mine as he passed us. “To our spot. Now!”
 
“Really, Keem?” Justine was annoyed with what she considered his over-the-top antics. “Really?!!”
 
Joaquim froze in his tracks, standing for a few silent moments. Then, slowly, he turned only his head to angle his mouth back in our direction.
 
“Unless you’d like to talk right here” – theatrical pause, please, because he’s Joaquim – “Celeste.”
 
I sigh.
 
“Come on, Justine.” I grab her arm, trying to sound light-hearted. “You know how he gets.”
 
“Uuuuugh! Why must you indulge him?” she asks disgustedly as we reluctantly follow.
 
Because he smells a werewolf on me.
 
But I didn’t say that out loud. Not yet.
 
To be continued…
 
 
‘Obsessive Tendencies’ is an adult fantasy novel about a reality in which the fantasy realm has somehow been merged with our human one. Celeste is a woodland fairy and Gregor is a werewolf alpha-heir. This is the fourth chapter in their story.

CAST OF CHARACTERS:
Celeste (woodland fairy) – her herd lives in a magical encampment in Gregor’s were-clan domain. They are not associated with werewolves at all.
 
Joaquim (woodland fairy) – twin brother to Justine, lifelong friend of Celeste.
 
Justine (woodland fairy) – twin sister to Joaquim, lifelong friend of Celeste.
 
Gregor (werewolf) – Alpha-heir to the Charbonneau Werewolf Clan, the largest clan in the Southeast United States.
 
Andre (werewolf) – best friend and trusted lieutenant to Gregor.

 

Author Notes

mon petit cadeau --> (French) my small/tiny gift Once again, folks, I'm determined to stay on a monthly schedule this year! ;-) After a delay through November/December, mid-term exams, and the holidays, Celeste and Gregor are back! With luck we shall make sure to keep you up to date on things... Thank you, as always, for reading me! ;-) Image of 'Fairy, wolf and moon' from Pinterest [www.pinterest.com]

Chapter 5
Lay of the Land

By Y. M. Roger

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of violence.
Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

Where we left Andre and Gregor [end of Chapter 3]:
“A run, Dray.” He tossed the bottle into the sink behind Andre. “Where we can talk, oui?”
 
Andre nodded his understanding – he knew Gregor didn’t trust that he wasn’t being spied on. Taking a final swig out of his own bottle, he tossed it to join Gregor’s.
 
“I was gonna se–”
 
“We’ll be done long before morning,” Gregor interrupted him, locking the door as they exited, “I have somewhere to be at sunrise.”
 
Knowing that he wouldn’t get an answer now, Andre walked in silent solidarity beside Gregor to their bikes. The ride out to the clan’s sprawling estate outside of town would give them each time to think.

Begin Chapter 5:
As the wind rushed over and through his thick fur, Gregor reveled in the freedom of the run. The crisp air drawn in through his snout only pushed him harder, faster as it pushed forth a snarl simply for the pure enjoyment of the exertion.
 
Just beyond the muffled roars of the air currents pouring over his flattened ears, he heard Andre: his paws as they pounded the Earth next to him; his gulps of the air as he consumed it rather than breathed it; and, of course, that tell-tale, random yip that had always defined his Lieutenant’s exercised respiration. There was never a pattern, never a physical limitation associated with it – it simply was.
 
A rabbit darted ahead, at the far side of the clearing. Even in the dark, their enhanced eyesight in wolf form allowed them the ease of seeing clearly in the darkness lit solely by a slivered moon. Gregor felt the change in the air flow between them that signaled Andre’s intent to pull ahead of him. Smiling inwardly, he let a growl escape as he increased his speed as well.
 
Andre answered, although Gregor could almost hear the laughter in his clan brother’s growl: they both knew that, in the end, Andre would take the lead. Sure, as alpha-heir, Gregor may be stronger, but Andre’s speed was well-known and unmatched. Still, Gregor tore through the tall weeds beside his life-long friend. But, as they were about halfway through the field, Andre bolted hard toward their spotted prey, the mixture of a howl and a snarl escaping his throat.
 
When they had first arrived at the Big House – as the clan referred to the main house on the three hundred fifty acre Charbonneau Estate – Gregor had been spoiling for a fight. He knew the Estate was the only place they could run in their lupine form, but just being near the place from which he had escaped almost two years ago did nothing but antagonize him. He and his father had grown to odds with one another: his father obsessing over territory, over appearances, whereas his concerns lay with cohesion within the clan.
 
Too much focus on gaining new lands had, in Gregor’s opinion, begun to erode the ties that had always bound the clan together. He had thought the divisions he felt in his own house – between his father and his mother, his father and the staff, and his father and the lieutenants (although not as noticeable, it was certainly there) – were symptomatic of his mother’s unhappiness. But, as he had taken on more responsibility as heir, he’d begun to notice that his mother was but a smaller representation of a larger infection. Gone were the celebrations of births for the younger couples. Gone were the full moon ceremonies of thanks to the Goddess and all the reverie that had surrounded them.
 
The week before he’d moved out of the Big House, the first Petition for Release had been filed: a female wishing to be released from the clan to pursue a mate that was not a wolf. Sometime between his memory of the final bear/wolf union when he was a youth and his reaching the age of being privy to clan politics, his father had forbade such unions. There had been rumors of other such Petitions, but none had been brought before the Council – a deficiency which still gave Gregor pause.
 
A number of issues that should have been brought before the Council – things which he heard through his sources and contacts throughout their ranks – had never materialized there. And then there was the matter of his father’s oldest lieutenants becoming scarce at recent Council meetings. He could still smell their presence at times in the Big House when he would attend meetings or drop by and see his mother when he knew his father wasn’t home. And, most importantly and probably most telling, they had not been replaced.
 
So, yeah, simply guiding his bike up the long driveway earlier had re-ignited all the unwanted tensions being near his father always sparked. He needed the run and this was the place to do it, but those tensions had been heightened lately with his scheduled nuptials next week – nuptials to which he had been resigned right up until this evening. In fact, Talietha and the first of the Gestault clan entourage would be here in a matter of days.

Days – fuck!
 
Another snarl tore from him as reality took up a demanding beat in his mind. He shouldered Andre’s flank in frustration, his eyes never leaving the zig-zagging rabbit before them. Andre didn’t answer, only pulled farther ahead.
 
There would be no team hunting, no signals for assault – the rabbit belonged to whomever caught it. This was not a party prize, this was a trophy trial…a course purely for the run and the blood. Gregor breathed in anticipation of just that: the blood, the kill. It was not often that he allowed his animal side to have the reins, but tonight, they both needed it.
 
Celeste. He felt his wolf crave her even as it abhorred the chains their position as heir would try to place on them, to keep her from them. Mine.
 
And, as Andre lunged and snapped the rabbit’s neck, Gregor dove for it, too. The delicate rodent was ripped apart as the massive wolves fought for dominance. But Gregor didn’t stop, couldn’t stop. His frustration coursed through his animal form, and, as the rabbit’s blood ignited his wolf’s rage, he dove at Andre.
 
The rabbit forgotten, Andre was ready when Gregor’s lunge pushed him backward. He’d felt this coming since before they’d parked their bikes behind the shed. The full weight of Gregor landed against him, and they somersaulted with the forward momentum that remained.
 
When the rolling slowed, Andre was on top with the advantage, but that was quickly taken away with Gregor’s hind leg strength.  It became a battle of the wills: a cuff here, a snap and a bite there, neither letting up in what would appear to be a serious fight between apex predators… massive, deadly predators.
 
But on one clash, Gregor clearly got the upper hand and pinned his friend – his jaws locked around Andre's neck as the amber eyes of both each burned a fire of their own. Andre relaxed in Gregor’s hold in acquiescence.
 
At first it seemed as though Gregor would not back off, but Andre never flinched. Gregor’s eyes told him all he needed to know: something more than the usual was riding him this night. Andre allowed a strong though not submissive whine to roll from deep within, the sound snapping Gregor back to his reasoning nature.
 
Gregor sat up, his shift into human form smooth and flawless. Andre followed, joining his friend in the quiet. Both stared off into darkness of the woods, the silent twinkling of the stars the only movement at the moment. Even the breeze seemed to have calmed as the cool air settled on their bare skins. Here, they were alone. Here, both animal and person could find peace with each other.
 
The smell of the kill still wafted through the air, both a reminder and a momentary pause in the violent nature that resided inside them both.
 
“Better?” Andre finally asked after they’d had a few minutes of silence and the insects began to slowly pick up the musical rhythm of the forest again.
 
Gregor spat and huffed, running his hand over his thick hair and then down his face. He looked at his hand disgustedly before wiping it on the grass between them.
 
“You know I hate rabbit.”
 
That was Gregor, totally avoiding the subject that needed addressing. It made Andre laugh knowing that, no matter what it was, here was still his brother in all things but blood.
 
“But not so much as squirrel.” Andre repeatedly ran both hands through his hair, watching the leaves and grass fall to the ground. He continued stroking until his hair hardly looked mussed. “And here the ‘Andre magic’ couldn’t conjure a deer for you. So sorry, your heirness.”
 
“Fuck you, Dray.” There was no animosity in the words.
 
Silence fell between them again as Andre simply waited. Gregor shook his head a few times to dislodge the field debris, the action not doing a good job at all… not that such seemed to bother Gregor in the least. Andre glanced over at him, and, as though the action were second nature, reached up to remove a small twig that was sticking out the side.
 
Gregor instinctively swatted his hand, but Andre just avoided the swat and reached in at a different angle. Ignoring Gregor’s growls of annoyance and the shaking of his head, Andre pulled the twig and pitched it into the darkness before them.
 
“You know, Talietha’s fancy-ass won’t put up wi–”
 
“It’s not happening, Dray.” Gregor pulled his knees up and rested his forearms on them, twitching his fingers as if there were something held there. He took a deep breath and went silent again, his focus either on his finger motions or somewhere off in the darkness.
 
Andre stilled, his entire body taking in the severity of Gregor’s tone. He ventured another glance over and saw the fierce amber slowly returning to Gregor’s irises. It didn’t happen often, but, when it did, the results were never small or inconsequential.
 
Then, he felt them: the aggressive waves of an alpha rolling over his skin in detectable variations of warmth. But tonight, there was something off, something different about their ethereal brush over his skin. Tonight, they were more. Tonight, he felt them physically brush the hairs of his arm and then his chest as they rolled over him.
 
Gregor turned to meet his gaze, and Andre could not contain the breath he caught at the ever-so-slight radiance that seemed to illuminate Gregor’s face near his eyes.
 
Andre’s eyes widened, though he didn’t back away.
 
“Gregor.” Andre’s voice was a combination of wonder and challenge, his eyes roaming Gregor’s face as if to discern some great mystery. “What. The. Everlasting. Fu–”
 
“Her name is Celeste.” Gregor narrowed his eyes at Andre, wondering why his brother was looking at him like he was from Mars or something. He paused, waiting for a reaction of any kind from him. When nothing but the shutting of Andre’s gaping mouth came, Gregor turned away to stare back out into the night. Then he raised his eyes heavenward, as if to invoke the strength of the Goddess that had been all-but driven from his clan by his father.
 
“And she’s my mate.”
 
to be continued…


 
‘Obsessive Tendencies’ is an adult fantasy novel about a reality in which the fantasy realm has somehow been merged with our human one. Celeste is a woodland fairy and Gregor is a werewolf alpha-heir. This is the fifth chapter in their story.

CAST OF CHARACTERS:
Celeste (woodland fairy) – her herd lives in a magical encampment in Gregor’s were-clan domain. They are not associated with werewolves at all.
 
Joaquim (woodland fairy) – twin brother to Justine, lifelong friend of Celeste.
 
Justine (woodland fairy) – twin sister to Joaquim, lifelong friend of Celeste.
 
Gregor (werewolf) – Alpha-heir to the Charbonneau Werewolf Clan, the largest clan in the Southeast United States.
 
Andre (werewolf) – best friend and trusted lieutenant to Gregor.

Talietha (werewolf) – daughter of the Alpha of the Midwest's Gestault clan and betrothed to Gregor by arrangement.
 
 

Author Notes

Running a few days behind the 'one month' deadline... but close enough for government work (lol!)!! Thank you, as always, for reading me! ;-) Image of 'Fairy, wolf and moon' from Pinterest [www.pinterest.com]

Chapter 6
Life in a Bubble

By Y. M. Roger

So, here we were: the three of us out of sight behind the large boulder that marked the border of our herd’s bubble inside reality. I’d oft times wondered why the Fates still allowed our bubble to exist when other creatures – werewolves, ogres, leprechauns, and more – were forced to live ‘in the open’ alongside the humans. In fact, there are still those – the oldest among us – that believe the bubble will eventually disintegrate, and we will be forced to deal with the real world.
 
But none of that was of concern today. I could feel Joaquim’s eyes burning into me as I looked everywhere but his direction. I was still lost in my head as Justine squatted at the water’s edge to direct some of the small fry there in her latest choreography. Teeny sparks of magic played on her fingers where they touched the water and the fish could not help but follow. It was her graceful actions and tone of voice that made her words seem almost comical, even though we knew she was totally serious.
 
“Get your bitchin’ over with, Keem.” She gently hummed a little tune, coaxing a dragonfly to join her production. “You’ve only got my patience for a few moments this evening, and that’s cuz Cee seems to think you deserve it. Jaiyelle is saving me a place at the bonfire tonight.”
 
See? That, right there: Jaiyelle. Oh how I had longed for him to notice me over Justine… prayed to the goddess for him to be my mate… even though I knew he only had eyes for Justine. For years I had fought the jealousy from taking over our friendship. And now? Now, his name may as well be Toadhopper.
 
The thought makes me snort out a laugh, breaking the silence between Joaquim and me.
 
“I’m pretty sure there’s nothing funny about this matter, Girly.”
 
I jerk my eyes and my attention toward Joaquim, narrowing my lids in warning. He knows I hate that nickname. He only uses it to get to me – not that such would take very much tonight. I really was not ready to talk about the whole Gregor thing yet.
 
As soon as our eyes met, he let loose that grin of his. You know, the one that if you didn’t trust him with your life you’d think he was getting ready to unleash the hounds of Hell on you. Or maybe eat you for dinner… one of the two. And with that animated hair – the aquamarine just a bit lighter than Justine’s – and those icy emeralds for eyes? Oh. My. Stars. He was a force of nature for sure – an extremely handsome and mischievous force of nature that knew just enough right now to be dangerous.
 
The whole walk over here I had played out all sorts of lame excuses in my head as to why I would have the scent of werewolf on me – every one of them had been shot down soundly by my common sense.
 
A brawl of werewolves broke out right in front of me on the way home, and I didn’t get away fast enough before one fell on me. And I hadn’t a scratch or bruise on me? Yeah, that didn’t work. There had been a motorcycle accident on the street and the rider, who I knew was a werewolf, had been badly hurt and needed someone to take care of him. A wolf accepting help from a non-wolf? Uuh, no. A werewolf had joined the troupe, and I had unfortunately been paired with him for the lifts today. A ballet-dancing werewolf? Not no, but hell no. Even their females are… I could feel myself physically shudder at the attempted mental comparison of one of them to me.
 
Nope. The only excuse was the truth, and I guess it was time to face the music. Or, in this case, face my friends. I take a deep breath to answer, but Justine stands and interrupts.
 
“What’s not funny, Keem?” She looks her brother up and down then looks between him and me. “And why do you two look like you think the other stole your chocol– ”
 
“Oh, I’m pretty sure it’s not chocolate that’s being sampled here is it, Girly?”
 
Joaquim just loved to push buttons, especially when he knew he was in a position to do so. Justine rolled her eyes and most of her upper body at him.
 
“You know she hates that name her dad call– ”
 
“Oooooo!” Joaquim’s eyes gained a faint glow this time – he was going to be the death of me. “Does Daddy know about your little tryst, Gir– ”
 
Justine shoved her brother.
 
“You are such an arse!”she shouted at the exact same time I shot back with, “It wasn’t a tryst, Joaquim!”
 
Something inside of me started burning, needing me to claim and defend Gregor. “It was just a…”
 
The burning increased. They both stared at me, unbelieving, as I swallowed hard and rubbed my chest at the internal irritation. I took a cleansing breath, acknowledging that it really wasn’t just a kiss. I was in so much trouble! I felt my face redden as I stated what I really felt.
 
“It was the best kiss I’ve ever had.” The burning began to subside, and I couldn’t help the joy that bubbled up from inside of me. “Oh, goddess help me, he felt heavenly against me!”
 
Even though it was just a loud whisper, both of them continued staring at me: Joaquim in defiant satisfaction and Justine in complete and utter surprise.
 
The silence held for only a few seconds before a look of realization enveloped her face followed by just a hint of a scrunching of her nose.
 
“You kissed a human, Celeste?” Justine barely finished her question before Joaquim doubled over with laughter. I just stood there, unable to wipe the stupid grin from my face as the memory of Gregor’s touch washed through my being again. Yep, the trouble I was in could not begin to be defined…
 
Justine turned her disbelief toward her brother and quickly switched it to sibling annoyance.  “And why are you laughing at me?”
 
Joaquim calmed himself just enough to speak.
 
“Yeah, CeeBee, why don’t you tell us both what I’m laughing about?”
 
I let my eyes fall away. Hadn’t we discussed enough of my personal business for one day? My stomach muscles tightened a bit, and I wrapped my arms around myself. My body, it seemed, wasn’t content with this gossip session anymore. It wanted Gregor.
 
Suddenly, my momentary joy turned back into uneasiness and was making a head run for fear. I had never been afraid inside the compound in my life.
 
“It’s not funny, Keem,” I managed to mumble as I stepped away, sinking slowly to sit on the soft tuft of grass between two of the larger rocks. I gazed out at the stream, watching the water flow playfully between stones as leaves body surfed along its ripples. “And he’s not a human, Teena.”
 
“Weeeellll…” Joaquim was getting all wound up again.
 
Whack! Without turning, I guessed Justine smacked him. Again.
 
“Shhhh!” Justine again, shushing Joaquim.
 
Justine appeared beside me, her voice gentle as if she were talking to a scared animal. In a way, I felt like she was. This was crazy!
 
“So, if he wasn’t human, Cee, what was he?”
 
When the word got stuck in my throat, Joaquim leapt onto one of the larger stones in the stream and began gracefully stepping and dancing amongst all of the rocks around which the water flowed. I had always marveled at his gracefulness, and I know he was just trying to make me smile.
 
“Tell you what, CeeBee,” his voice was still heavily laced with mischief – he was, after all, Joaquim – and I was just waiting for the ‘punch line’. He made a few more pirouettes between rocks and lowered himself slowly so we were face-to-face. “I’ll tell her he’s a werewolf if you give us a name.”
 
And there it was.
 
So proud of himself, Joaquim’s entire body – including that wild hair – radiated his enjoyment. Goddess, if I didn’t love him so much I’d kill him.
 
Justine gasped and was about to chastise him, thinking he was teasing again, when I managed to get my voice unstuck.
 
“Gregor.”
 
Joaquim made the most ungraceful slip into the stream I shall ever see. And the noise of complete shock he made as he landed in the water? Soooo worth it.
 
To be continued…
 
 
‘Obsessive Tendencies’ is an adult fantasy novel about a reality in which the fantasy realm has somehow been merged with our human one. Celeste is a woodland fairy and Gregor is a werewolf alpha-heir. This is the fifth chapter in their story.

CAST OF CHARACTERS:
Celeste (woodland fairy) – her herd lives in a magical encampment in Gregor’s were-clan domain. They are not associated with werewolves at all.
 
Joaquim (woodland fairy) – twin brother to Justine, lifelong friend of Celeste.
 
Justine (woodland fairy) – twin sister to Joaquim, lifelong friend of Celeste.
 
Gregor (werewolf) – Alpha-heir to the Charbonneau Werewolf Clan, the largest clan in the Southeast United States.
 
Andre (werewolf) – best friend and trusted lieutenant to Gregor.

Talietha (werewolf) – Female Alpha-heir of the Midwest's Gestault were-clan and betrothed to Gregor by arrangement.
 

Author Notes

So, we're just gonna call this '3rd week of the month' the new normal on this story's release date... it is what it is (lol!)!! Thank you, as always, for reading me! ;-) Image of 'Fairy, wolf and moon' from Pinterest [www.pinterest.com]

Chapter 7
A Bride's Perspective

By Y. M. Roger

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

PREVIOUSLY:  Up till now, we’ve only met Fated Mates Celeste (a woodland fairy) and Gregor (a werewolf) and their respective cohorts. Here, we discover another piece to the puzzle that fate has designed…

BEGIN CHAPTER 7:
Talietha stared at her reflection. She tried turning this way and that, a severe frown marring that nearly-perfect ebony face. She attempted to vigorously smooth the layers of material currently binding her torso and flaring outward like some fireworks explosion toward the ground. She was unable to contain the low growl that sounded forth.
 
A wedding dress. I’m actually wearing a freaking wedding dress. I hate everything about –
 
“I can practically hear your bitchin’ all the way over here!”
 
Talietha’s glare shot daggers at her reflection that summarily bounced off the mirror, making her annoying friend burst out with laughter that echoed around the bedroom.
 
“Awww, come on, Tee,” Shalindra continued chuckling as she approached, “You gotta admit, Gregor Charbonneau’s a helluva hunk of wolf.” She stepped behind Talietha, placing her hands on Tee’s chiffon and taffeta covered hips and throwing her head back in mock exertion before grinning. “I’d let him ride me a few times just for the enjoyment of –”
 
Talietha stepped back and slapped Shalindra’s hands away – a slap that was far from playful. Her annoyance had been building ever since Rhoden had informed her he’d placed the dress in her room for a fitting.
 
“Goddess, you are such an ass, Shalindra.” Tee grabbed a handful of the dress on either side and swooshed it outward in aggravation. “And of course you would: sex is your favorite form of exercise.” Turning to face the mirror again, she reached over her shoulder with one hand and around her back and up with the other in an attempt to reach the zipper.
 
She froze when she realized Shalindra was staring at her incredulously.
 
“What? Am I wrong?” Tee said, her knees again bending as she continued to her zipper-grabbing dance. “Always said you should have been a guy…”
 
Shalindra didn’t answer and didn’t flinch, merely raised an eyebrow as Tee continued to struggle. A deep-throated, threatening growl rolled up from the female alpha-daughter in frustration.
 
“Dammit! Stop being such a bitch and help me with this thing!” The heat was from the annoyance; the address one of camaraderie born of a sharing their lives since infancy.
 
A huge, mischievous grin split Shalindra’s beautiful sable-toned face. She once again stepped up behind her friend, resting her chin on Tee’s shoulder.
 
“I cou-ould.” She playfully batted her eyes in the mirror at Tee and stuck out her lower lip, a low whine escaping from her pitiful face. “But then I wouldn’t be able to admire this beautiful, exquisite dress all flowing and romantic and graceful on my Mistress Tali–”
 
Talietha’s face went from one of amusement at Shalindra’s initial action back to full-blown irritation.
 
“Just. Unzip. The damn. Dress. Shalindra!” She narrowed her eyes at her friend and flexed her jaw, her incisors aching to elongate – her wolf shared her anxiety.
 
Shalindra stood, shaking her head.
 
“Your dad’s trying, Tee.” She slowly lowered the zipper, as she spoke, all teasing gone from her voice. "You know he has to do this after we lost so many to the fever last winter. Gregor brings Charbonneau numbers and strength with him. It’s better t–”
 
Tee’s shoulder’s sagged at her friend’s words as she finished the statement her father had uttered so many times she wanted to vomit. 
 
“It’s better to share the glory than to have none at all,” she sing-songed, growling again as Shalindra lowered the zipper. She focused on her friend’s reflection in front of her. “I freaking hate that statement, both on its face and for what it implies.”
 
Shalindra stepped back and allowed Tee to extricate herself from the dress. Nudity just wasn’t an issue among wolves.
 
“I know, Tee, but –”
 
Tee began peeling the beautiful material off with frustrated movements.
 
“No. No you don’t know!” A seam where some beading was anchored ripped with her forcefulness, sending a shower of tiny beads flying in all directions. “I am Alpha-daughter to the freaking Gestault Clan! And what’s the one way my aging father chooses to solidify my clan’s power for years to come? He’s whoring me off to the alpha-heir of another clan!”
 
Talietha tossed the dress across the room, annoyance dipping unbidden into her well of tears. Gritting her teeth as her claws threatened to surface, she breathed deeply to calm herself as she swiped at the few tears that managed to escape. Damn, she hated that a female’s angry reaction had to include tears. What was the Goddess thinking with that one?
 
“Tee?” Shalindra tried to comfort her friend though she knew not to touch her right now. Female fighting wolves were fierce, but Talietha was a whole ‘nother level – that was a battle Shalindra did not want to take on right now. “What you really want? It just isn’t gonna happen.”
 
The seconds spread out between them:  Tee’s breathing like a pendulum guiding the silence: steady yet troubled all the same. When Tee didn’t answer, only closed her eyes, Shalindra continued.
 
“Alpha William already lost your mama to the fever. He won’t have you in a position where Braydon would be forced to challenge – you’re a mean bitch, girl, but Braydon is… well, he’s freaking Braydon.”
 
Braydon was Alpha William’s First. That is, he was the second most powerful male in the clan. In fact, there were many of the clan lieutenants that posited he could challenge William and win. Though none would dare mention anything to his face – Braydon’s loyalty ran deep, very deep.
 
Taleitha huffed. “Forced to challenge,” she snarled, the wolf obviously riding her hard, “There would be no reason to challenge if the fu–” she caught herself; she’d sworn off that word, “if the freaking clan laws weren’t written for life in the Dark Ages!”
 
Shalindra sighed. How often had they had this same conversation?
 
“But they were, Tee. And there are no female Alphas becau –”
 
Tee interrupted her again.
 
“Because the freaking law says so.” She emphatically pulled her athletic bra over her full breasts. She’d definitely been blessed with a figure that could stop a train – the distraction of such had made opponents in the past lose fights or even their life underestimating her because of that body’s allure. But nature was nature and female wolves could not physically take a male, especially a male in the upper ranks of a clan. They were in the upper ranks for a reason and that ‘reason’ included size and lethality.
 
“No. I think there’s wiggle room in the law for that because of the challenge.”
 
Shalindra’s words had Tee’s tirade pulling up short. Tee turned and walked up to stand nose to nose with her. There was no denying that Tee was a large, strong female and among the best – if not the best – in human physical combat. She was fast, solid, and cunning beyond belief.
 
“Braydon may be able to defeat my wolf, Shalindra, but I could take him in hand-to-hand.”
 
Shalindra didn’t flinch, and she kept her eyes locked with Talietha’s. The air in the room had suddenly become heated, as Talietha’s eyes truly glowed their amber like beacons from her deep chocolate complexion. Oh, her wolf was certainly close to the surface with all this talk of challenges and amped emotions…
 
“I know that, Mistress.” Shalindra’s words were firm yet monotone, her intention one of true respect for the strong being in front of her as she lowered her eyes slightly in submission. Years of friendship gave her and her wolf the courage to continue. “But, even in hand-to-hand, could you really kill Braydon?”
 
Shalindra saw the flash of pain across that icy, golden glow that disappeared as quickly as it had made an appearance at Shalindra’s words. She knew that the other unspoken issue weighing on her best friend’s dark mood tonight had nothing to do with politics and everything to do with the heart.
 
The spoken reminder had the amber draining from Tee’s eyes as she proceeded to do what Tee did best with stressful situations: she seemingly ignored the whole thing.
 
“Well, after putting on that… that thing” – Tee indicated the pile of shiny, white material amidst the hundreds of loose beads now adorning her floor as she marched toward the door – “this mean bitch is thinking she needs a good run.”
 
Grabbing the bedroom door handle, Talietha slung the door open and came face to face with Rhoden, his hand raised in what appeared to be a position to knock. Lowering both his eyes and his hand in a show of submission, the aging house manager stepped back out of respect.
 
“Mistress, forgi–”
 
Her voice miraculously toned down to an almost gentle whisper, Talietha reached out and touched Rhoden’s shoulder.
 
“I’m afraid, Rhoden, that it is I who will be asking your forgiveness.” Shalindra had always been impressed at the ease in which Tee slipped between relaxed, honest conversation with the two of them to the Mistress and dominant female of the Gestault Clan. Talietha squeezed just slightly and continued to pass him into the hallway. “It appears that one of the seams has been ripped. Could you please fix–”
 
Rhoden’s bowed head immediately raised to meet her face to face, his eyes searching her visage with worry. He may only be the house manager, but he’d been such since Taleitha was born.
 
“Mistress, was the fit not proper?”
 
“Oh, it was wonderful, Rhoden!” Tee sounded like she hadn’t a care in the world as she threw her best friend under the bus, so to speak. “Shalindra did not take care in helping me out of it, and she yanked it rather than unzip it slowly.”
 
Rhoden’s caring face turned to Shalindra and frowned, although a playful light lit his eyes when they fell on the newly named female culprit. Playing up the part for all she was worth, Shalindra puffed up her chest in her seductive manner and added a bit more sway to her ample hips.
 
“Sorry, Rhoden.” She brushed past him, purposefully maneuvering her breasts to do most of the ‘brushing’. “You know how little patience I have with too much clothing, hmm?”
 
Rhoden shuddered, wiping the bit of drool from the side of his mouth. “Things happen, Miss Shalindra. I’ll see to the repairs so that all is ready to depart at the end of the week.”
 
Talietha rolled her eyes at her friend’s overt sexual implications and Rhoden’s reaction – werewolf males were such hormonal creatures.
 
“Thank you, Rhoden.”
 
To be continued…

‘Obsessive Tendencies’ is an adult fantasy novel about a reality in which the fantasy realm has somehow been merged with our human one. Celeste is a woodland fairy and Gregor is a werewolf alpha-heir. This is the seventh chapter in their story.

CAST OF CHARACTERS:
Celeste (woodland fairy) – her herd lives in a magical encampment in Gregor’s were-clan domain. They are not associated with werewolves at all.
 
Joaquim (woodland fairy) – twin brother to Justine, lifelong friend of Celeste.
 
Justine (woodland fairy) – twin sister to Joaquim, lifelong friend of Celeste.
 
Gregor (werewolf) – Alpha-heir to the Charbonneau Werewolf Clan, the largest clan in the Southeast United States.
 
Andre (werewolf) – best friend and trusted lieutenant to Gregor.

Talietha (werewolf) – Female Alpha-daughter of the Midwest's Gestault were-clan and betrothed to Gregor by arrangement.
 
Shalindra (werewolf) – best friend of Talietha
 
Rhoden (werewolf) – aged male house manager for the Gestault household
 

Author Notes

My apologies for the summer delay... life happens, right?! ;) But now it's time to dive away from life and back into our fantasy world - Gregor and Celeste have waited long enough!! Thank you for joining me once again and we'll be on a more even keel from now til the end of the book... As always, thank you for fantasizing with me! ;) Image of 'Fairy, wolf and moon' from Pinterest [www.pinterest.com]

Chapter 8
Confirmation...Of So Many Things

By Y. M. Roger

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

The insect chorus was the only sound on the breeze as Andre stared at the side of Gregor’s upturned face. Surely Gregor had not just said…
 
“Celeste is my mate.” Gregor smiled on a soft exhale, deciding he liked the feel of her name on his tongue.
 
Again, the sounds of the approaching twilight enveloped them, but Andre found anything but relaxation in Gregor’s declaration. Add that to the glowy-ness of his eyes just now and, well, ‘uneasy’ seemed to fit the bill just fine.
 
“Ooookaaay...” Andre tried to find the right words to begin this conversation on some sort of steady footing. “Uhmmm…”
 
Gregor chuffed and shook his head as he continued to look out and away from them.
 
“Am I to understand that’s all it takes to make the all-powerful Andre speechless?” He angled his head toward his usually talkative friend. “Just declare th–”
 
“Fuck you, G. Your ‘that’s all’ is a helluvalot more than some small pronouncement about where the next hunt’s gonna be. Or, hell, even who it’s gonna be…,” Andre paused thinking how anything to disrupt the planned nuptials would affect the already tenuous relationship between Gregor and his father and clan Alpha, Sebatian, “cuz if Bass heard you say shit like that, a hunt would be the lea–”
 
It was easy to forget that Gregor was not just his best friend but also an Alpha in all things but title. But the speed with which Gregor shifted into his massive wolf form and pinned Andre before he had the chance to truly react was a deadly reminder. At least Andre had the wherewithal to suppress his shift, look to the side, and bear his neck to the exercised beast.
 
“Paix, mon frère.” [Peace, brother] Andre’s words were more guttural than spoken. In the silence that had fallen across the clearing, however, they seemed much louder between the two of them. Andre knew they would – they were spoken for a wolf’s ears only.
 
Gregor’s wolf maintained the aggressive stance and breathed through a snarl, its teeth looming threateningly in Andre’s face. That unearthly glow radiated outward from its eyes and cast an almost ethereal aura on the groundcover to which Andre was currently pinned. Andre slowly chanced a glance upwards and watched as the midnight fur rippled over obviously-tensed muscles, and he felt the hot, canine breath pour over his own face.
 
Still not making eye contact with the wolf and maintaining his relaxed submission, Andre whispered, “I get it, G. I do.”
 
After a few more tense seconds, a combination of a whine and a frustrated growl rolled out of that massive snout. The wolf relaxed his stance, passing a large tongue along Andre’s cheek. Then, almost as quickly as he had shifted to wolf form, Gregor transformed and once again sat beside his friend, a solemn statue staring off into the night.
 
Andre sat up beside him, shaking some additional grass and leaves from his hair. He couldn’t help but chuckle in that sardonic manner of his.
 
“Soooo, that establishes the truth of the mate issue.” He resumed his vigil beside Gregor, who chuffed emphatically in response.
 
As the night sounds resumed their melodies across the clearing, both Gregor and Andre began speaking at the same time.
 
“So, what the hel–”
 
“But that doesn–”
 
They laughed together, the warmth of their friendship once again finding them amidst the emotional turmoil.
 
“You first, your highness.” True Andre was back in presence and in sense of humor, it seemed.
 
And that made Gregor relax, too, even finding a hint of a smile. The fact that it was a somewhat crooked smile mattered not. At least not right now… and Andre took it for what it was: a reassuring sign that ‘they’ were good.
 
“What the hell am I gonna do, Dray?” Before Andre could answer, however, Gregor continued, his voice dropping an octave or two. “There’s no walking away from her, so that’s not what I’m talking about. That option’s not even on the table.”
 
Andre nodded, noting the depth and the threat in Gregor’s tone. The Alpha-heir was still on full display.
 
“I’m really talking more about the Gestaults and, by extension, my fucking father.” Gregor yanked a handful of grass and roots and soil from the ground and pitched them forcefully outward.
 
“Tell you what,” Andre occupied himself by picking the dirt and grass from between his own toes. He figured it was best to appear as nonchalant as possible about the topic he was about to broach. “Let’s let that one sit on the back burner for now” – he raised a few clovers with a clod of dirt attached to them – “and let’s see if you can explain to me” – he huffed and tossed the entire clump outward. In doing so, he realized he finally had Gregor’s attention back on him and his inane actions. Dropping his arms to his side, he turned to meet and hold Gregor’s fixed gaze. “Why the hell are your eyes glowing with your amber tonight?”
 
Gregor’s intense glare transitioned immediately to a deeply-furrowed brow of confusion, his eyes roaming over Andre’s face with an air of question in them. Andre smiled inwardly as he watched Gregor’s shoulders relax further, heard the tone of his voice lighten slightly with his re-direction of the topic.
 
“What are you talking about ‘glowing’?”
 
“Right here.” Andre reached up to his own face – no way would he even attempt to reach toward Gregor’s face with him on edge like this – and indicated the area underneath and somewhat to the side of each eye. “It’s like there’s this light that glows around here.”
 
Gregor’s eyes slowly fell away and found an interesting spot on the ground between them, although it was obvious he wasn’t truly focused there. He huffed a bit as another grin found his face.
 
“Celeste.” He said her name softly, almost reverently, trailing off into silence. The smile, however, remained.
 
But Andre’s curiosity was peaked.
 
“What do you mean 'Celeste'?” He waved his hand between Gregor’s face and the ground. “What is it? Is she some sort of snake or something with some evil sorceress ey–”
 
It took Gregor a few seconds to recover his sanity with the unbelievable vision Andre was suddenly describing.
 
“Snake?” Gregor’s expression was incredulous, but at least his focus was back on Andre now. “Snake?! That’s just wrong on so many levels, Dray. Why the hell would you even thin–”
 
Andre brought his hands up to his eyes as if to make them into pretend binoculars, a mischievous grin on his face.
 
“Because of the glo-o-o-wy eyes, man!”
 
He released his teasing ‘binoculars’ to fend off Gregor’s smack which resounded across the clearing.
 
“Snakes’ eyes don’t glow, jackass – you just think they do cuz you hate ‘em.” Gregor absorbed the friendly punch he received in return from Andre. “And she’s not a damn snake, okay?” Gregor’s voice was all friendly candor now, but there was still a bit of contemplation mixed in as he reached up and touched underneath his eyes. “Did they really glow?”
 
Andre’s voice sobered quite a bit as they both turned to stare forward again in relaxed camaraderie.
 
“Yeah, G, they did.” He looked down and then turned his face slightly toward Gregor. “So, who is she?”
 
But Gregor didn’t turn to meet his friend’s questioning visage. In fact, for a few long seconds, it was simply their breathing mixed with the sounds of the night as Gregor searched for the best way to present a scenario that he himself was not quite yet able to wrap his head around.
 
“Well, she’s not a shifter.”
 
Andre stopped breathing for a moment, his brows pulling tightly together as he pursed his lips.
 
“A human?” Okay, it would not be ideal but it wouldn’t be untenable. Before his thoughts could travel further down that road, though, he watched some of the tension return to Gregor’s jaw line.
 
Gregor cast a raised eyebrow in his direction. “I think I might actually be pissed at the Fates if that were the case.” He grunted as he grabbed another handful of dirt and grass and tossed it. “She lives, uhm, on the park near my place.”
 
Andre truly frowned this time, his eyes falling away as he searched his memory of the huge park on the square in town. There really weren’t very many apartments there – it was more populated by restaurants and such except…
 
“In that ritzy warehouse they just remodeled into flats?” Andre whistled long and low. “Then she’s…what? A troll? Guess that would account for the expens–”
 
Not even reacting to the appalling ‘troll’ implication, Gregor shook his head – it was clear he was lost in thoughts of her again. “More like in the park, I guess.”
 
“She’s homeless?”
 
Gregor growled playfully, pulling another clump of grass and tossing it at Andre. “She’s not human, Dray. We’ve already established that.”
 
Andre frowned more deeply, realizing that Gregor was just enjoying the hell out of this guessing game. But the only things that lived in a park were animals and…
 
“Oh," Andre felt his own eyes begin to widen, "Oh, hell no, G. Your mate i–”
 
Gregor’s head whipped in Andre’s direction, that depth of tone momentarily weighting his words again.
 
“Celeste.” His eyes threatened amber again, but it faded with the smile that appeared as he couldn't help but grin at Andre’s look of disbelief. “Her name’s Cele–”
 
In true Andre fashion, he brought both hands up, lacing his fingers into his hair and holding it tightly as if his head were about to explode.
 
“Your Celeste is a f–”
 
“Dancer.” Gregor interjected good-naturedly just to prolong Andre’s drama a bit more.
 
“Dancer?” Andre’s voice rose along with his eyebrows. “A dancer? Yes, of course she’s a dancer.” He continued to stare incredulously at Gregor, hands holding onto that thick platinum blonde hair of his, eyes wide as saucers. “A magical, lighter-than-air, freaking flying dancer, G… am I right?”
 
Gregor grinned like the wolf that just ate the farmer’s prize sheep. Goddess, but that smile felt good on his face. Suddenly, Celeste’s shy grin flashed across his vision and her taste flooded his mouth. Just the memory of her made his blood rush southward, not a condition he wished to be sporting right now. Blinking her image away, his eyes immediately focused on Andre’s drama as his friend's words over-rode his thoughts.
 
And Gregor laughed. It wasn’t forced and it wasn’t feigned – he laughed loudly and heartily.
 
“Oh, you’re right, Dray.” He cuffed his best friend and trusted Lieutenant across the shoulder. He breathed again, willing his erection away. “You are so freaking right.”
 
He paused, if only to enjoy the sight of a speechless Andre for the second time this evening, but then the Alpha-heir returned.
 
“So, I ask again, brother: what the hell are we gonna do?”
 
To be continued…
 
 
‘Obsessive Tendencies’ is an adult fantasy novel about a reality in which the fantasy realm has somehow been merged with our human one. Celeste is a woodland fairy and Gregor is a werewolf alpha-heir. This is the eighth chapter in their story.

CAST OF CHARACTERS:
Celeste (woodland fairy) – her herd lives in a magical encampment in Gregor’s were-clan domain. They are not associated with werewolves at all.
 
Joaquim (woodland fairy) – twin brother to Justine, lifelong friend of Celeste.
 
Justine (woodland fairy) – twin sister to Joaquim, lifelong friend of Celeste.
 
Gregor (werewolf) – Alpha-heir to the Charbonneau Werewolf Clan, the largest clan in the Southeast United States.
 
Andre (werewolf) – best friend and trusted lieutenant to Gregor.

Talietha (werewolf) – Female Alpha-daughter of the Midwest's Gestault were-clan and betrothed to Gregor by arrangement.
 
Shalindra (werewolf) – best friend of Talietha
 
Rhoden (werewolf) – aged male house manager for the Gestault household

 

Author Notes

Time for some serious planning for Gregor and Andre... I'm really enjoying their friendship! ;) Thanx, as always, for keeping up with the blonde's fantasy play... ;) Image of 'Fairy, wolf and moon' from Pinterest [www.pinterest.com]

Chapter 9
A Many Splendored Thing...?

By Y. M. Roger

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.

EARN BUCKS/POINTS FOR CATCHING UP:   Through Tuesday evening (November 17th), you can also earn points and bucks for CHAPTERS 1 THRU 8 (this is Chapter 9). Just pop over to my Portfolio and it’s right there on top! Don’t miss out on the intense adult fantasy tale that is Celeste and Gregor’s beginning!
 
Where we left Celeste and friends [end of Chapter 6]:
“Tell you what, CeeBee,” his voice was still heavily laced with mischief – he was, after all, Joaquim – and I was just waiting for the ‘punch line’. He made a few more pirouettes between rocks and lowered himself slowly so we were face-to-face. “I’ll tell her he’s a werewolf if you give us a name.”
 
And there it was.
 
So proud of himself, Joaquim’s entire body – including that wild hair – radiated his enjoyment. Goddess, if I didn’t love him so much I’d kill him.
 
Justine gasped and was about to chastise him, thinking he was teasing again, when I managed to get my voice unstuck.
 
“Gregor.”
 
Joaquim made the most ungraceful slip into the stream I shall ever see. And the noise of complete shock he made as he landed in the water? Soooo worth it.
 
Begin Chapter 9:
It had been a good five minutes or so since Joaquim fell into the water and perhaps four since I’d given him my hoodie to use to dry off. Currently, he sat glaring at me as his hair ran through an entire symphony of color movements. Believe it or not, the fact that he had not said a word in those five minutes spoke volumes – I don’t think my colorful friend had ever gone that long without talking, whether to any one entity or to himself.
 
“Well, that’s got to be a record for him,” I motioned my head in Joaquim’s direction and shyly commented to Justine. I forced a playful smile as I waited to see if Joaquim would blink. Ever.
 
Justine just huffed in response and busied herself pulling up the grass where she and I sat. It was a slow, iterative process that was performed one blade at a time while there was an indistinct mumbling under her breath…  
 
“Teena?” 
 
“Still processing, Cee.” That was Justine-speak for thinking things through. She was one of those folks that just had to completely understand things in and out and backwards and forwards and, well, I’m pretty sure this whole Gregor thing just wasn’t adding up… at all.
 
I swallowed and nodded in acknowledgement, the quiet playing between us accenting the weight of the situation. Honestly, it made no sense to me either, but the fact was that ‘this thing’ was real – Gregor was real. He was real to me and to my heart and to every part of my body that had never even showed the least bit of interest in Jaiyelle.  He was my mate, of that I was certain, and I would not deny him or myself.
 
My sigh was more than a bit pronounced this time, but it seemed to coincide with Joaquim’s dramatic break in his stewing silence.
 
“Why, Cee?” His voice was calm almost cold – the same voice I’d heard him use to put others to shame without blinking an eye. “Was the dance thing not enough?”
 
At first, surprise took my breath away. Hadn’t Joaquim always had my back on the whole ‘outsider’ concept?  My head swiveled so fast in his direction that it jostled my whole body…
 
Hurt. Oh, yeah, it hurt to think that he’d been just ‘faking’ our friendship this whole time. His comment was what I would expect from one of the elders or one of the others that disagreed with my interactions with the ‘outside’ world. I couldn’t explain the forcefulness of my reaction, but here it was. And that hurt lanced through me till I felt those damn female tears threaten. As my eyes met his, the haughty look he held on his face had white hot anger shooting through me. I leapt to my feet and marched toward him – that haughtiness quickly transitioning to confusion at my approach.
 
“You lying, egotistical bastard!” I yanked my sweatshirt from under him, sending him tumbling away from me. A sob tore through me – Goddess, but I hated the ‘crying’ thing that always happened when I got mad! “You know what, Keem?” His facial reaction would have been funny any other time – the look of sheer disbelief on his face could have been quite amusing as he lay skew on the grass. “I don’t need your judgment, and I don’t need you!”
 
Gregor’s face flashed across my vision again, his smile so sure. Gonna taste you now, mon petit cadeau. The memory of his kiss only fueled my hurt because now? Now, I apparently had no one with whom to share my happiness. At least that's suddenly how I felt…
 
I took a deep, shaky breath and continued to rage at Joaquim. “How many times, Keem, have we listened to your crazy-ass dreams and your raunchy exploits?” He looked as though I had physically struck him. “Put up with all of your childish moods an– ”
 
Justine touched my shoulder from behind as she stepped up beside me – I hadn’t even heard her approach.  “Cee?”
 
I tried to shrug her off, afraid to turn and see the same unexpected prejudice on her face. This anger was like none I had ever experienced…
 
“Don’t, Teena,” I tried to calm my voice, but it sounded like more of a growl even to me. Had I ever growled like that..? I continued to stare at a clearly bewildered Joaquim. I just needed to get out of here. “Don’t patronize me. I really don’t nee–”
 
Seems these friends were no better than the damn frogs and turtles in the park…
 
“Cee?” Her hand on my shoulder tightened slightly.
 
I tried again to dislodge her hand through a more forceful shoulder roll. Tomorrow morning at sunrise, mon petit cadeau. I breathed in Gregor’s memory again and felt my entire body vow they would not take him from me...
 
“Just stop it, both of you!” I slapped Justine’s hand away and stepped away from her, away from Joaquim. “You know what?” I took another step backward. “I don’t need your approval for anything. Not for my clothin–“
 
Joaquim stood slowly, his face still one of confused amazement. “CeeBee…?” He glanced over at Justine and raised his eyebrows in question to her.
 
I didn’t care what his problem was because I wasn’t listening to either of them as I continued.  “Not for my dancin–“
 
Justine grabbed my upper arm. “Cee?” Her voice louder, more determined and even quite forceful this time. Joaquim took another cautious step toward me.
 
I saw some sort of look pass between the two of them, but I ignored it. They’d always had some sort of weird way of communicating without talking. Besides, I didn’t care. Gregor was mine…
 
“Noth. Thing. Do you hear me?” My mouth was truly on its own now – off and running with an animosity that I had no idea existed in my being. In fact, my body trembled with it. “And that includes who I want to see when I’m outside wearing my awful clothes doing my awful dancing! So, you can both take your judgey sel–“
 
“CELESTE!” They shouted in unison, effectively silencing my rant… At least for the moment.
 
We stared at each other as the seconds ticked by. But just as I was about to let go again, Justine smirked and Joaquim’s mischief once again took over his face, those eyes glimmering with a knowing amusement.
 
Shocked at their faces and stances, I narrowed my eyes at them.  “What?”  It certainly did not have the fire behind it that my previous diatribe had.
 
Joaquim stepped forward and reached toward my tear-streaked face, an action that I recoiled from. Anyone else would have had the good sense to lower their hand, but not him.
 
“Oh, CeeBee,” Joaquim whispered - his voice full of understanding - as he stepped closer and gently wiped the dampness from my face, “why didn’t you just lead with that, Sweetie?”
 
Shocked at his actions along with Justine’s rubbing of my upper arm, I felt the annoyance drain from my being. Goddess it felt good to let that unfamiliar anger go…
 
“Wh-What?” I managed, glancing between the two of them.
 
They both smiled in complete understanding.
 
“That Gregor is truly your fated mate,” Joaquim continued in his soothing tone.
 
I glanced at Justine and back to Joaquim. “Bu-But how do you know?”
 
Joaquim cocked his head in his ‘you are joking, right?’ look and raised that questioning eyebrow so far up it disappeared into his hair. For her part, Justine chuckled heartily before answering.
 
“Well, perhaps your whole ‘full-on wolf man’ reaction to Keem just now had something to do with it, hmm?”
 
I felt the blush creep up my neck as I nodded shyly, Gregor’s smile once again making an appearance across my mind’s eye. “Yeah, guess you could say he’s already in here.” I quietly indicated my chest.
 
But then that ‘oh this is gonna be fun’ smile split Joaquim’s handsome face and the colors that his hair radiated were practically neon. “I hate to tell you this, Cee, but I’ve seen Gregor Charbonneau” – Joaquim breathed deeply and hummed with appreciation – “And, Girly, there ain’t no way he’d fit in there! In fact, I have no idea how part of him’s gonna fit els–“
 
“Kee-eem!” Both Justine and I shouted simultaneously, each of us rolling our eyes. Joaquim grinned quite unapologetically.
 
When the silence overtook us again, I lowered my eyes and then looked up to make eye contact with both of them.
 
“Uhmm, you know, I’m really sorry fo–“
 
Both Justine and Joaquim held up their hands to quiet me, but it was Joaquim who spoke.
 
“Soooo, when do we get to meet your wolfish Prince?” Joaquim’s eyebrows performed a spectacular up-and-down rhythm as his eyes laughed with pure joy.
 
I frowned. “He’s not a prince, Kee–“
 
“Biker. Prince.” Joaquim quipped quite unrepentantly and shrugged. “Sexy Alpha-Heir.” His eyes glinted with that last one. “One in the same, really. Prince just sounds more refined, don’t you think?”
 
I exhaled and shook my head as Justine chortled. “I think they all sound like trouble with a capital ‘T’.”
 
Joaquim’s eyes lit with pure devilment. He rubbed his hands together briskly causing colorful swirls of his unique magic to fill the air and tickle our skins.
 
“And isn’t that just wonderful on so many levels?!”
 
I exchanged looks with Justine as Joaquim hummed with delight. Maybe Gregor’s were-clan wasn’t the worst of our worries.
 
To be continued…
 
 
‘Obsessive Tendencies’ is an adult fantasy novel about a reality in which the fantasy realm has somehow been merged with our human one. Celeste is a woodland fairy and Gregor is a werewolf alpha-heir. This is the ninth chapter in their story.

CAST OF CHARACTERS:
Celeste (woodland fairy) – her herd lives in a magical encampment in Gregor’s were-clan domain. They are not associated with werewolves at all.
 
Joaquim (woodland fairy) – twin brother to Justine, lifelong friend of Celeste.
 
Justine (woodland fairy) – twin sister to Joaquim, lifelong friend of Celeste.
 
Jaiyelle (woodland fairy) – Current object of affection for Justine.
 
Gregor (werewolf) – Alpha-heir to the Charbonneau Werewolf Clan, the largest clan in the Southeast United States.
 
Andre (werewolf) – best friend and trusted lieutenant to Gregor.

Talietha (werewolf) – Female Alpha-daughter of the Midwest's Gestault were-clan and betrothed to Gregor by arrangement.
 
Shalindra (werewolf) – best friend of Talietha
 
Rhoden (werewolf) – aged male house manager for the Gestault household
 
 

Author Notes

Intriguing thing, MATES... ;) ;) And if you didn't 'catch it', Celeste's actions/reactions here are very similar to Grogor's in his "conversations" with Andre... ;) In the supernatural world, 'mates' is much more than just a strong feeling for another: it is physical and it is visceral... :) :) Thanx so much for keeping up with Gregor and Celeste! ;) Yvette Image of 'Fairy, wolf and moon' from Pinterest [www.pinterest.com]

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