FanStory.com - A Bride's Perspectiveby Y. M. Roger
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There is another party in an arranged marriage...
Obsessive Tendencies
: A Bride's Perspective by Y. M. Roger

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language.
Background
Fated Mates, Celeste (a woodland fairy) and Gregor (a werewolf), have realities of their own to deal with. But what about alpha-daughter, Talietha, to whom Gregor is betrothed? This is her reality...

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
 

Recognized

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]

     

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