Fight or Flight! [Private]

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    Artur felt a clench go through his heart at the mention of his own occupation being a hazard to his sister, he knew that. He knew how much danger he put her in by just being related..that's why he never let any of his colleagues know about her being his sister but..he wasn't his father. He wasn't. But he couldn't sulk on it long as Harley was on a tyrad now. "You are such an asshole! I can't believe that I even wanted ou to be the god father to this kid! You're having me followed around the city? Really! Do you realize how much of a dick move that is?!" she snapped, stepping forward, and pushing her hands into his chest, shoving him back a few steps. "Hey easy there Harley!" Artur didn't dare snap at her but he gently reprimanded her, he didn't like to be pushed..by anyone. "No! You need to consider your options Artur! You could've just come to me and said Hey! I'm concerned about your safety! Not just have some weirdo follow me around! And I'm not just some..damsel in distress that can't take care of herself! It's like you don't know me at all!" she snapped harshly, pushing him again but this time he caught her hands, His breathing was slightly harsh from aggravation, and his grip on her wrists was tight. She had gone too far, and a thrill of fear ran through. "I don't know you eh? Is that it?" his accent grew harsh and thick as his anger spiked, a dark smile pulled onto his lips as he stared at the group between them.


    Kamari waved away her husband saying "Yeah yeah love you too.." she peeked into the fridge before grabbing a few boxes of fruits she had bought for today's breakfast. Grabbing her blender, she put a mixture of yogurt, banana, orange juice, and strawberries. She closed the top of it before pressing blend, being careful to not let it spill anywhere. Pippa gave a soft giggle at her boyfriend, waving at him as he went by before she turned back to Vanessa. "Thank you..I really don't deserve all these compliments..but thank you.." she giggled weakly, before looking to Kamari as she snorted faintly. "I kicked them out because they're a handful, I'm surprised you can deal with those two on a daily basis.. As kids, Aaron was always such a grump and Mo..a bit too sensitive. Y'know once, Ethan and I had gone out to dinner and left Aaron with Mo. Mo was about 6 or so..and Aaron decided, stupidly, to throw a party. But he had to deal with Mo first, so he threw him into the basement and locked him in there. Man that kid had nightmares for about a month after that.." she laughed at the end as if it was a fond memory, which it sorta was now that they were older. Pippa looked almost cowed at this sudden news about Aaron's childhood, he had never told her that.

    Mo nodded in agreement with his brother, "It's your guys' fault..all I did was steal a muffin!" he tossed the last bite of said muffin into his mouth, humming at the warmth and homey taste that flooded his mouth. "So..how was she?" he suddenly asked Aaron, looking to his sibling with a slightly raised brow, dusting his hands together to get the crumbs off his hands.

    Aiden would have been content to let Harley handle this, to let her get her anger out, but the moment that Artur grabbed hold of her wrists like that and his tone changed the lycan felt a rumble in his chest full of anger. "Don't you f*cking dare" he growled, moving forward to get between them both and lashing out to take hold of the wrist of the hand holding onto Harley. "You claim to not be anything like your father but the way you just flipped that switch proves you wrong." he snarled. "Now let her go and hear what she has to say. Both of you calm down." he stated a bit more calmly, ready to lash out if Artur dared to do anything more than just grab Harley. Granted she shouldn't have pushed him, but she was angry, and rightfully so. "We asked you to come here because your sister wants you to be the godfather of this kid, something I was hesitant about but wouldn't stop. Give me a reason now to not make it so." he warned.


    Vanessa rose a brow at Kamari in pure curiosity at those news, humming to herself as she could only imagine younger brothers doing that to each other. "Sometimes I'm glad I'm an only child" she hummed out admittedly "But then I wonder what it would have been like to have a sibling. Hearing that just makes me kind of happier I wasn't a sister." she added with a small laugh. She took notice of Pippa's expression and shook her head to the woman "I know that look, don't worry about those two. From what I've heard and taken notice of, they're not the same people they were when they were younger. And I can see Aaron not telling you about that cause it makes him look bad." she murmured out with assurance in her tone.

    A chuckle couldn't be helped towards his brother as Aaron turned his gaze onto his brother "At least I didn't steal a muffin" he mused tauntingly, nearly doubling over as Ethan smacked him upside the head and took a seat on one of the lawn chairs. The question that was asked of him next had his cheeks burning pink and he clearing his throat "I don't know what you mean... and even if I did... it's none of your business." he grumbled out.

    A sharp grunt left Artur's lips when one of his wrists was taken from him, a sharp scowl pulling on his face as he looked to Aiden. He was right, he was losing his head. How dare he lay a hand on her..he took a calming breath, his anger simmering now as he muttered "My apologies..can I have my wrist back..?" he sighed faintly, his other hand letting go to drop to his side. "I'm sorry Harley..look uhm.." he closed his eyes faintly, trying to think of what to say in apology. Harley backed up a bit, a bit cowed by his sudden anger at her, she tried to calm her nerves that were going rather crazy at the current moment. "I want you to be the god father Artur..but apparently my child is a bad idea.." she mumbled in anger, looking away from her brother. She couldn't stand looking at him now, something about the way he had talked about her unborn baby..had crippled her almost. She didn't know why. "Harley..It's not that I don't want to. I do. But..I just think..it's not safe for you or your baby until Don is gone.." he spoke those last three words with such finality that..it scared her, she could only guess a few things when he said that.


    Kamari chuckled faintly, shaking her head "Sometimes I wished I never had 3 brothers..but then I realize..it would be so lonely.." she understood where Vanessa was coming from being an only child. It was just something people dealt with differently, she had grown up surrounded by so many people that she would miss it if she were alone. She looked to Pippa as Vanessa spoke to the girl, who responded with "I guess you're right..just he seems much too nice to do such a cruel thing to his brother. He speaks of him fondly.." the curly-haired girl shrugged before Kamari walked to her, handing her a large vase of lemonade. "Well he outgrew it now go and put this outside on the table.." she ordered, shooing the girl away good-naturedly, watching as she walked outside to the patio.

    Mo couldn't stop the dark chuckle that left him seeing his brother getting swatted on the head before he mumbled "Oh don't act coy with me Aaron, I know what you guys did. I could smell you on her over the smell of the muffins.." he winked playfully as he plopped onto the railing. He glanced up when Pippa came out to the porch, and he gave her a pleasant smile. "Afternoon ma cherie.." he said smoothly, and he could see the sudden bright color pop onto that girl's cheeks, and a snicker crossed his face. So it was true.

    Aiden released his wrist, reluctantly at that, and moved to stand between him and Harley with a hand moving back to offer out to the woman to take. "Look, it doesn't really matter what you think. It's not like we planned for this, but it's happened and I'm determined to be happy about it and so is she. Don isn't going to ruin that for us... and quite frankly, neither are you." he warned with a leveled gaze on the man. "Instead of telling her that she should do something about this, how about you offer to be around more and show that you actually care, or hell, help us keep Don away if you're even able to do that. I'm not here 24/7 and I can't be, but I'm protecting her the best I can. I can at least admit that I need the help." he growled out as he shook his head. Artur irked him the wrong way sometimes, but his talk about how she should wait had him worrying about what he could be suggesting to her.


    Vanessa hummed as she rest her chin in her palm and watched Kamari playfully swat the other woman away outside, a quiet laugh leaving her lips. At least it seamed like Kamari liked her, Vanessa was glad for that. "Need any help Mrs.Vanhorn?" she murmured as she straightened back up and looked to the woman with an arched brow.

    "Nothing like how I can smell more of you on Vanessa than her own scent." Aaron teased right on back before straightening and grinning over at Pippa as she came out with the pitcher of lemonade. So their mom was already putting her to work? Good sign enough that he was right about his parents liking her. The man nearly choked though as he heard his brother, staring at him wide eyed for a few moments as he was trying to figure out how he would even know that. Nevermind, it didn't matter, he was going to beat the little sh*t for teasing her. Swiftly he went to wrap an arm around him to put him into a headlock like he had his father "Come on punk, stop teasing her for no reason." he muttered with a smirk.

    Artur desperately glanced between the two of them, his face drawn into a scowl as he tried to think of what to say to the both of them. He knew Aiden was right, and he had no real excuse for staying away except his occupation. He knew he couldn't be seen around her home or her, it would make her a target to those that wanted him dead. He couldn't have her hurt, he was already feeling guilty as it is for letting Don get to her. He couldn't let it happen again, but..he knew if he stayed, she'd be in even more danger. He had to weigh his options..and ask for her opinion as well. "Harley, do you honestly want me around? I-I don't want you to get hurt because of me.." he asked softly, his voice hitching gently as he tried to remain calmed, but his sister always managed to widdle her way into his weakest points without so much as a word. Harley glanced away for a moment, taking Aiden's hand softly before she mumbled "I do Artur.. I really do.." she peeked at her brother, who honestly seemed kinda stalled at her response. He cleared his throat, nodding in understanding, "I see..well I uh-" he was at a loss of words.


    Kamari looked to Vanessa when the girl questioned if she needed help and she gave her a nod "Yes please, can you take this" she poured the smoothie into a smaller pitcher before handing it to the witch "outside please.." she then picked up the tray of muffins, leading the way out the door.

    Mo snickered at the way Aaron looked to him when Pippa started to flush at the nickname, before suddenly Aaron was on him. A yelp left his lips as he fell into the headlock, almost immediately starting to struggle at the lack of control. "Oi brat! Let me go!" he snapped, using the side of his fist and digging it into Aaron's back, desperately trying to pull out of his grip. Pippa flushed a bit more at the sudden..almost..violence at her defense. "No no it's alright Aaron..!" she squeaked weakly, giving a shaky smile to the two of them. A smirk came across the younger's face, "See! She said it was fine!" resisting the urge to burst out laughing.

    It was clear as day to see the conflict in Artur's eyes, Aiden feeling just a hint of guilt for pulling him into this but not enough to make him regret it one bit. Harley needed her brother, she had made that clear, all they really wanted from the mobster was just to be around a little more. "Artur, I know what you do can be dangerous, and I may not approve of it. But she needs you and she wants you. Family trumps anything." he muttered gently, giving Harley's hand a gentle squeeze. "We're not forcing you into anything, to quit your occupation, to come and see her more... but i think it's enough to at least hear it from her that she wants you around more." he muttered. Though it was hard for the lycan in him to calm it's roaring head from wanting to tear the man to pieces for snapping at Harley, Aiden was beginning to calm as he soothed his own raging beast with Harleys' presence amongst other things. "Come on Artur, do you honestly like being away from her like this?" he questioned with raised brows.


    Vanessa offered a smile as she took the pitcher in her hands and turned to start outside, hearing the oh so familiar sound of grunting and pouts that usually was accustom of the boys when they were together. She was proven right when she caught a glimpse of Aaron with Mo in a headlock and looking about ready to wrestle, a soft sigh escaping her lips as she rolled her eyes and took a seat at the little picnic table on the porch.

    Aaron grinned from ear to ear as he began to ruffle his brothers head, arching his back at the rough hand against him from Mo. He near burst into laughter as Pippa was quick to jump to Mo's defense, he offering her a quick grin as he started to drag Mo off the porch and further out into the yard. "It's fine Pip. I won't hurt him... much" he promised with a wink as he began to tickle at his brothers ribs "She may say it's fine but I don't ya brat." he teased with a smirk.


    Another long day at the museum and Stella was feeling exhausted by the time she made it back home, waving and smiling to the pack but honestly just eager to make it to her bed. Restoring paintings all day proved to be a more difficult job the more time went on. At first she had loved it, she still did, but one after the other she would be scraping away and reapplying paint to the pieces of the masters long ago. Not only that but the young woman was beginning to understand what the others meant when they had warned her about going through withdraws after having Ilaria. Every morning she would wake up, check on her and just watch for a good bit as the babe slept, then get ready to for work and be gone for most of the day. It was exhausting and heart breaking. At least she was home now, able to see everyone... and thankfully away from her boss.

    Artur growled quietly to himself, he knew that Aiden was guilting him, even if he really didn't mean to..he was doing it. How many birthdays had he missed? How many times had she cried and he wasn't there to protect her from more harm? He...He needed to stay. "Alright fine..but if you think I'm going to move in, think again. I have a house about an hour out of town.." he searched his pockets for a moment before he finally found what he was looking for, his personal card. It held the number to his personal cell and the aforementioned house, and he gave it to Aiden for safe-keeping, his sister had never been good at keeping track of things. He noticed how a bright smile broke across Harley's lips at the fact that he was going to be around more often. A soft squeal left her lips before she was suddenly on him, squeezing him tightly around his middle. "Hey easy there." he grunted out firmly, but he couldn't deny the smile that crossed his face, this felt nice..this felt right to have his sister near.


    Pippa could only follow as Mo struggled desperately in his brother's arms "Oi! Let me go you twat!" he shouted, before a boisterous laughter started to leave his lips when his sides were tickled. He hated being tickled, absolutely hated it. "Come on man it was just a joke!" he whined out between vicious pants and loud laughter, desperately trying to break free of his brother's grip, he in turn jabbed his fingers against his brother's back, trying to get himself free. The girl couldn't stop the giggle that passed her lips at the sight of the brothers rough housing, before a twitch of a twig from the woods around them dragged her attention away. Peering into the woods, she frowned, where had that come from? There was a snapping of a twig, and then a flash of brown. A deer maybe? She peeked back over to where Mo was still struggling to get free from Aaron's grasp...they probably wouldn't mind right? And besides..she was just going to take a look, maybe she'd get to see that deer! Being careful to be soft on her feet, she padded away, into the woods after that flash of brown she saw.


    Ilaria gave a soft grumble in her crib, it had been about two hours since Feliciano had gotten home and after a rather intense playing session, his little lucciola had conked out. It was adorable. He watched in silence as the toddler wiggled on her bed for a few moments, her face clenched. It seemed like she was having a hard time falling asleep..He peeked over his shoulder at the slightly opened door. He knew that Michale and Rei were out doing God knows what..probably each other if he were to be honest. And he hadn't heard Stella come home yet..so he gave an awkward clear of his throat. He knew a few lullabies..but one that his mother had often sang to him when he was younger stuck with him. Finally he started to gently sing, his voice smooth and melodic, even a little bit on the deeper side. He carefully started to rock the crib, helping to lull his little tesoro to sleep.

    Aiden shook his head and waved his hands in front of him "Oh trust me, I don't want you to move in. I think we'd kill each other if you did." he mused with a chuckle. The man couldn't help a grin as he won the mobster over, granted with a bit of guilting, but probably for the best. It was obvious that Artur missed his sister and that Harley missed him, that point being proven when the woman squealed and ran to hug him, that look on her brothers face not going unnoticed by the lycan. The card that had been handed over to him was quickly stuffed away into his wallet for safe keeping, the thing never leaving him and he knowing it would be okay there. "So... do you accept?" he mused teasingly, placing a hand on his hips and looking at the man pointedly "She's determined to make you the godfather. And though I don't like what you do for an occupation, I do trust that if something happened to us that you would keep the our kid safe." he admitted, begrudgingly, but none the less.


    The struggle of his brother in his arms left Aaron not paying attention to Pippa as she wandered out, he too busy trying to break his brother down and keep his hands off of him in return. "Oi, you were the one that started this. Stop teasing her." he taunted with a smirk down at the younger lycan held between his arms. Honestly he didn't mind the teasing, it kept him on his toes, but he loved to tease his brother and get into these sort of brawls. His grip on him though faltered when Mo's finger founds it's place into the soft spot of his back, a yelp leaving his lips and he letting him go to start backing away. Aaron couldn't help but to chuckle as he grinned from ear to ear and shrugged at his brother, starting to back away slowly "So uh, no hard feelings... right? I mean, I tease Vanessa, you tease Pippa, it's what we do" he reasoned, already knowing that it was likely Mo would go in for a punch or chase him.


    Soft singing drew Stella further into the manor and up the stairs, the voice familiar but she unable to recall having ever heard him sing before. The lullaby was soft, sweet, and soothing and as it drew her closer to the door of the nursery she knew exactly why it was he was singing. As gently and quietly as she could the woman slipped through the door and padded towards them, soothingly placing a hand on Feliciano's shoulder and offering a smile down to him, turning her gaze onto Ilaria in her crib slowly starting to drift off. I'm home" she mumbled, leaning down to tuck the blanket in the crib up a bit further and gently run her fingertip along the babe's cheek, she leaning forward to press a kiss to her forehead. "Mama missed you neonata" she hummed softly. It was hard for her to even attempt to hide the stress from her expression, but she would do it for Ilaria.

    Artur could only sigh at Aiden's words before grunting "Of course I accept.." he gently pushed Harley away, he liked the hugs but he also needed his own space. He had been living alone for so long that it was a bit harder for him to maintain any intimate contact, even with his beloved sister. "So..back to Don..what happened?" he looked between the two of them, his eyebrows furrowing together as that violent anger started to build in his stomach. "I was..I was home alone..and there was a knock at the door. It was dad.." Harley whimpered after a moment's hesitation, looking straight at the floor for a few moments before looking up to her brother to gauge his reaction. It was as he expected, full of anger and violence, he looked like he was ready to kill someone..specifically Don. "Does he still live above the bar?" her brother asked making her frown and slowly nod, "Y-yeah..I think." She watched as so many emotions passed across Artur's face before he growled "I will be back later..for dinner.." he turned on his heel and headed out.


    Being careful to not step on any of the fallen twigs Pippa followed the brown flash that she had seen. She could hear what sounded like..hooves on the ground ahead of her so she tread lightly, the deer was already spooked so she didn't want to make it worse. She really wanted to see it, it had been so long since she had seen a deer..the last time she had seen one was probably when she was around..5 or 6. She had been out with her family at the park nearby and there was a deer with her fawn there. It had been quite an amazing sight to witness. And ever since, deer had been one of her favorite animals besides cockatiels of course. After a while she came to a relatively small clearing, and peering around the brush she hoped to see the deer but there wasn't one. She must have barely missed it..so she turned back. Wait..which way was back?

    Mo growled when he was finally freed, taking a few steps towards his brother as he stepped back. "Yeah but..I still don't like being tickled..you know this.." his eyes slimmed playfully before he suddenly lunged at him, hellbent on taking him to the ground and putting into a lock.


    The soft sound of a creaky door brought Feliciano out of his stupor at staring at his daughter, but he immediately relaxed when he realized it was Stella who came in. Giving his mate a smile, he leaned over, placing a soft peck onto her forehead before he continued to the end of his lullaby for Ilaria. His smile grew even wider as Stella placed a delicate peck on her forehead, the baby wriggling faintly before she sunk into an even deeper slumber. It was good to know that she wouldn't be waking up anytime soon and he could relax for even a short while. Once he finished the lullaby he looked to Stella and asked softly "How was work..?" keeping his voice soft as to not wake Ilaria.

    "Artur..." Aiden managed out as his own anger begged for him to let the mobster go on, to let him do as he pleased and get his anger out on the man that had dared to lay a finger on his Harley. With a regretful sigh the lycan reached out and took hold of Artur's shoulder gently, giving him a firm look "Don't do anything you'll regret... I won't stop you, just remember... he's not worth being torn from your family for." he stated with a slightly bitter tone. "Try not to kill him... but give him a good beating for us" he grumbled, letting him go and stepping back further into the apartment, gaze turning downcast and crossing his arms over his chest. The wolf in him was rearing it head, demanding for the blood of the one that had harmed its mate, but the man in him was a bit more docile than that, at least right now he was.


    A yelp escaped Aaron's lips as he went to turn and run but his footing caught on the grass, he tripping on his own feet and falling onto his back in the grass. He groaned just as Mo got atop him, he struggling to get the man off of him. Even with the playful actions emitting from the two he could not help but to grin up at him. "I know you don't like to be tickled brat, that's why I do it." he hummed, that grin turning into a smirk. "Good thing Vanessa now knows that, I have a feeling you'll be getting tickled a lot more" he taunted.

    Ethan had looked up from his phone to watch the two young men with a contemplative expression, humming under his breath as he chuckled at their banter. Just as he was about to chastise them though he took notice that a certain someone was gone. His gaze turned to Kamari and Vanessa "Pippa go inside?" he questioned.


    Gently Stella held a finger up to her lips to signal to him to stay quiet, her other motioning him to follow her as she started back towards the door of the nursery. As she did so she made sure to flip the switch to turn on the baby monitor just in case little Ilaria would wake and need them. "It was alright" she murmured once they were out in the hall, a pretty evasive answer but truthful none the less. "Did a lot of painting today" she muttered, smiling faintly as she finally realized that her hand were practically covered in patches of different colors of paint up t o her wrists. "How about you, how was work for you today?" she murmured, peering up into those gorgeous eyes of his "You look exhausted." she pointed out with bemusement.

    Just as Artur was about to step out the door Aidens hand on his shoulder stopped him and made him glance back to the man. An almost amused smirk plastered across his face at the way he spoke to him, almost like a father telling a child what to do and what not to do. "Don't worry pops..he'll live..maybe.." he snickered out, tapping him gently on the chest with the back of his knuckles as a goodbye. He took a step back into the apartment to quickly place a peck on his sister's forehead, before tapping his forehead to hers gently "Love you.." he spoke quite softly, even Harley had a hard time hearing it before he finally took his leave out the door and out of the apartment building. Harley watched in silence as her mobster of a brother left the apartment building, and she couldn't help the slight fear that ran through her at the thought that..maybe he wouldn't come back like he said he would. But she needed to trust that he would, yet she still could feel the stress in her neck. Plopping her head on Aiden's shoulder, she whimpered "That was harder then it should have been.."


    Mo growled at him, Vanessa knew full well that he hated tickling as well, and he dared her to try it..what he would do to that girl if she ever did. His wolf peeked it's head up at that thought, but he quickly pushed it away, and instead focused on trying to pin his brother's arms down onto the ground before he could be thrown off by the slightly larger lycan. "Well what does Pippa think about the fact that you're a lycan eh?" he snickered out, knowing full well that the man hadn't told his girl the truth. "Oh that's right! You haven't told her! You sly dog you! You sealed the deal before you told her huh?" he chortled at that, he knew that this would annoy Aaron but it was all in good-natured teasing.

    Glancing up from where she had been setting up their brunch, Kamari made a face towards her husband, she hadn't heard the door opening nor closing behind her. "No..I didn't see her.." she peeked up towards the yard. Besides her sons wrestling on the grass, she didn't see the curly-haired girl. "I'll.."she knew that the girl probably wasn't in the house but it was better to be safe then sorry.."..check in the house.." she walked towards the glass sliding door that would take her inside, her hand sliding across Ethan's shoulder as she passed him up. Disappearing inti the house, the woman searched through each room, even the bathrooms but..Pippa wasn't there as she had expected. Sliding back out to the porch, she shook her head "She's not in there.." before turning her attention to the foliage of the nearby woods. "Pippa, Aaron, Mauricio! Come and eat!" she called out, hoping to draw the girl out of the woods, she probably just went exploring a bit, no big deal.

    Pippa could feel her heart start to pound in her chest as she tried to re-orientate herself with the house but she couldn't see it. No matter which way she looked, she couldn't see it..Wait! What was that sound? She swore she heard someone call her name but..she wasn't sure from where..it sounded almost like it was to the left of her. "Aaron?" she called out quietly, afraid to raise her voice any higher..she didn't know what else was potentially in these woods..She swore she could feel eyes on her from all sides as she started in the direction that she thought she heard her name being called from, unknowingly leading her farther into the woods. A sharp snap of a twig behind her sent her into a bit of a faster walk towards, hopefully, the house. God what was behind her? Her heart started to beat faster, she was afraid..she started to scurry through the mess of foliage around her ankles.


    Feliciano fell silent at the gesture, right..Ilaria was quite a light-sleeper much like himself. He followed her out of the room, leaving the door slightly ajar to let a small bit of light into the room just in case she woke, he didn't want her to wake in total darkness. Glancing back to his mate, he smiled down at her, his hands subconsciously going around her waist to pull her close. He laid a slow smooth kiss on her lips, shivering softly at the taste of her. It was quite comforting after a long day dealing with rather crazy animals with sassy attitudes.."Exhausting as you said..but I feel much better now.." he chuckled faintly, letting his forehead rest against hers. He could feel all the tension slipping from his shoulders, it had been a rather exciting day. One of their crowned eagles had just laid a clutch of eggs, and as was protocol..he had to go into the cage to check on them but that would mean first getting the eagles away from the nest..it was quite..difficult to say the least.

    Aiden chuckled as he nodded his head in agreement, grinning slightly at her words "You're right, it was. But at least you got through to him this time. I think he's starting to get it... or I at least hope he is." he muttered. Gently he leaned over to press a kiss to the top of her head, arm reaching around to claim her waist and hold her close to him as gently as he could. With a hum he turned so that he was face to face with her this time, pecking her lips then the tip of her nose. "Why do I get the feeling that he's going to come back here then try to kick my ass for getting you pregnant?" he mused with a slight smirk, his hands entwining into a lock around her, practically trapping her in his arms at this point. "Now that that is handled... I think i'm going to search for something to eat myself. Maybe Pizza rolls... unless you ate them all" he teased with a wink. While she loved her bagel bites he loved his pizza rolls.


    The teasing he could handle, but it irked in the back of his mind and brought to voice thoughts he had already had. Aaron stopped struggling against his brother and glared up at him, granted while he was trying to keep himself from grinning. "Oh shut up Mo, not all of us find someone who belongs in a world like ours." he grumbled, finally working to push his brother off of him. "And no... I haven't. I don't know how. I don't want to scare her off..." he muttered out admittedly. As his mother called for them his attention turned to her briefly, hazel eyes taking in the porch and furrowing his brows as the woman they had been talking about was nowhere in sight. "Where..." the rest of his sentence stayed within his lips as he did shove Mo off and get to his feet, looking around the yard and then to his mother "She's not inside?" he muttered, tilting his head as he tried to see if he could hear that familiar sound of her prosthetic clicking, something no normal human could hear, but a lycan certainly could.


    Stella could not help but to smile into the kiss, returning it with her own as she relaxed into his arms. Softly she sighed as she leaned her brow against his, humming under her breath in relief and happiness at the welcomed assurance. "Hmmmm, what got you all exhausted at work today then?" she mused with a teasing wink up at him "Anything interesting happen?" she murmured, honestly curious. She always loved to hear about his days, about the animals and seeing that look in his eyes whenever he would speak about them. Those creature were like his children in a way, he loved them, knew their quirks, knew how to calm them and what got them riled up. It was cute to hear him gush over them or worry when one was ill or hurt. It also held a great distraction from her own work issues, issues she didn't share with him, assuring him that everything was fine, that there were no problems whatsoever except that she hoped she could be creating work instead of restoring soon.

    Sighing, Harley lifted her head to look to Aiden "Yeah Artur is a lot like me..except worse..when it comes to emotions.." she chuckled faintly at the end. She hummed faintly at the peck to her forehead, sliding easily into his embrace. His warmth felt nice against her achy bones, she could feel the fatigue shocking up her back before a small, rather weak laugh left her at the thought of Artur coming back to cause even more damage. "Cause he probably will.." she gave him a smile, giving a soft squeak as he interlocked his hands behind her, easily trapping her within his grasp. "Oi! I didn't eat them all!" she could already feel the slight flush working up her ears, rolling her eyes upwards at his accusatory tone. She was sure that there was 2 or..1 box left of his beloved pizza rolls. "I'm pretty sure that you love those things more then you do me..!" she teased back, before a sudden sharp pain along her ribs cut off her breath, she hadn't noticed but Aiden's arm was pressing deeply into her sensitive and frankly broken ribs. "Ah! Let go you idiot!" she snapped in sudden pain, wriggling to get out of his arms but instead she succeeded in further paining herself.


    Mo snorted, rolling his eyes, his brother was really over thinking this whole 'coming out to Pippa thing'. But before he could get his piece in, he was shoved off by his brother, landing on his bottom with a grunt. Thankfully his mother called them in for food, because he wast sarving. Pushing himself up to his feet, he was ready to dash off to be the first one for food, when his brother spoke almost nervously. "Huh?" he asked in confusion, glancing around them for a moment, he was right..Pippa wasn't there. "No..she's not.." Kamari called back, stepping down from the porch quickly to see if she could see the girl easier in the woods. Yet, even with her heightened senses, she couldn't see the girl nor hear her, and her scent was a bit harder to differentiate from the rest of the woods since she wasn't accustomed to it. "Pippa?" she called out into the woods before falling silent to see if she could hear the girl. No answer.

    Pippa's breathing grew harder as she started to run away from the sounds of...paws hitting the forest floor behind her, growing ever closer. She couldn't breath, she was so afraid.all of her nerves were on fire as she started to sprint now. She glanced to her left then her right and she..swore she caught a glimpse of brown fur through the brush running along side her.


    Feliciano grinned down to her and spoke "Yeah one of our crowned eagles laid a clutch of eggs over the past few weeks and I had to go in and get them out. Thankfully all 5 of them were fertile which is incredibly lucky for us and for the parents of course. The mother wasn't too pleased that I took her kids though, she was screaming the entire ten minutes that I had them.." his grin only seemed to grow wider as he thought about the hatchlings they would have in a few months. "Not only that but one of our gorillas, Mattia has recovered from his little spill a few weeks back and he'll be back in the enclosure tomorrow," he sighed dreamily, he had been dealing with Mattia's attitude for a good while and even though he enjoyed his company, he knew the gorilla was getting a little bit of cabin fever. "What about you mio amore?" he peered down at her, knowing that he could have continued on forever.

    "Well, I at least know how to handle you, so undoubtedly I can handle him too." Aiden mused with a wink down at her, going in to lay a peck on her lips until she drew in a hiss and looked in obvious pain. Immediately he let her go, eyes widening in shock and guilt at his forgetfulness. "I'm so sorry! So sorry!" he exclaimed as he looked her over and started to lead her over to the couch so that she could sit down "I wasn't thinking, god I'm such an ass for not thinking" he huffed out at himself in frustration. "Okay, how to make this up... how to make this up..." he hummed, trying for a reassuring grin as he pressed a hand to her cheek with guilt full in his eyes. "I can get a hot bubble bath ready for you? Or give you the last box of pizza rolls? Hell, i'll even go get more!" he mused, hoping to turn that look of pain in her eyes into a look of mirth.


    As Kamari gave him her answer Aaron acted on instinct, not even thinking about it as he turned and mid step shifted into the grey furred wolf that he was. The lycan sprinted towards the forest, blue eyes searching wildly for the young woman, his ears twitching back and forth as he could hear the creak, but his nose had never been the best. Just as he would catch her scent it would fade behind that of others, the forest practically taking over everything else. Then he heard it, the crunching of leaves under feat and... paws. Shit. One of the pack must have found her and from the fear radiating in the air he could tell that whoever it was was chasing Pippa. Following that sound and the scent of fear in the air the grey wolf was off again, this time sprinting after the trail of the wolf chasing his Pip, his mate.


    Stella couldn't help but to hum at the enthusiastic tone as she tilted her head up to look at him, smiling the whole time. "Mattia is just stir crazy right now, he'll calm down after a few more visits from you. He might even be just going through a heat, it's about that time of the year." she pointed out. "I can understand the eagle's protectiveness though, you were touching her babies, I would be mad too." she mused with a wink. At the mention of her own work though she gave a slight shrug of her shoulders. "I got to work on a Monet today... it was beautiful. Much more colorful than what I had previously been restoring, so that was a relief." she hummed "A few of us went out to the park during our lunch and decided to sketch as well" she added "They wanted drinks but I had to break it to them I don't drink quite yet"

    Soft growls fell from Harley's lips as she was led to the couch, the pain in her side almost like a radiating burn as it ran up and down from her ribs. Sitting down helped extremely, the intense pain lessening to a harsh ache in her side and she felt like she could breath again. "It's fine.." she grumbled out, letting her head fall back against the top of the sofa, her eyes clenched shut as she waited for this intense pain to go away. She glanced up when his hand touched her face, she could see the playful look in his eye as he tried to get her to smile. It really wasn't working, it hurt way too much to even consider laughing. "Aiden..stop please.." she had to hold herself back from snapping at him. SHe knew he was just trying to be nice to her and try to get her a smile, but it wasn't going to work. "Just..can you get me that medicine..? The one that the doctor gave you..?" she waved her hand absently in the air towards their room, her eyebrows furrowed as the pain ached into her bones and dug itself into her skin like a thorn.


    "Aaron!" Kamari called after her son, about to lunge forward after him before she turned "Cover the food will you? This may take a bit.." to her husband before she jumped the few steps off the porch, shifting mid-jump into the silvery white wolf that she was. Swiftly followed by Mo, who turned into a rather dark brown almost black wolf, they charged after Aaron.

    A sudden weight slammed against Pippa's side, a cry leaving her lips as she was sent flying into a tiny clearing of the trees, sliding a few feet on the leaf-covered forest floor. An ache ran straight up her back and her side, her eyes grimaced shut as she prepared for..whatever was to come next..her heart was practically flying in her chest as she panicked. Her hair fluttered as a hot breath warmed her chest, a sob ripping past her lips as she gripped the floor in fear. She took a peek up to what was on top of her, and her heart stopped. It..was a giant grey wolf. It was a wolf but..it was almost 3 times the size of the ones she had seen at the zoo and it was growling at her. Harsh breaths passed her lips as she attempted to scuttle backwards desperately, but a sudden pressure slammed onto her chest. A vicious snarl tore from its lips, its gigantic fangs exposed down at her..it could easily take her head off with a single bite, its razor sharp nails pressing into her delicate skin. Was she going to die? Was this the end for her? A scream passed her lips before she could stop it, tears starting to stream from her face as she prepared for the pain that would end her. Her heart was fluttering desperately, trying to break free of her ribs like a bird in a cage.


    Feliciano frowned at the shrug, of course it was normal for her to shrug but something about this one felt different. He couldn't place what he was feeling, but he didn't like it..not one bit. When she mentioned her co-workers wanting to go out for drinks, his nerves peaked, before they relaxed at the knowledge that she declined. This was one thing that he really liked about Stella, she wasn't much of a drinker. It made keeping an eye on her much easier, and he didn't have to worry about any men-his wolf growled- trying to take advantage of her. "Really? Who wanted to go..?" he asked curiously, tilting his head the slightest bit as his hands slowly took a slight grip on her hips.

    Seeing that she wasn't going to get any kind amusement in his words Aiden could do nothing more than nod and get up to do as she asked. How could he be so stupid as to forget something like that? Guilt wracked him as he rushed into the bedroom and started to search for the pill bottle that had been prescribed to them for her pain. A growl emit from his lips as he had trouble finding the damned thing until finally, finally he found it in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom, he breathing out a sigh of relief. Just as quickly as he had it in his hand he rushed back out to her, quickly grabbing a glass of water for her to down the pills. "Sorry love, I'm so sorry" he breathed out as he offered out the glass and one of the pills in his palm to her.


    Aaron couldn't hear his mother or anyone else over the pounding of his heart in his ears, paws crunching against leaves and twigs as he sprint through the familiar forest of his childhood. Though he followed the scent of fear he could not make out who it belonged to, nor did he care to even try. They had dared to chase after his Pip, he didn't give a damn who it was. The scream echoed through the forest and further sending an ache through his heart, rapidly beating in fear for his lover. A howl ripped through his maw as he came up onto the two of them, the wolf standing over her with clear intent to harm. Pippa may have intruded on territory, but she was a human, they had strict rules to not harm humans unless they had been proven to be of harm to them. Without a second thought Aaron lunged at the wolf to tumble him off of Pippa and send them into a rolling, snapping fit.


    "Some of the other interns and a few of the regular employees." Stella murmured, taking note of his tightened grip on her hips and unable to hide a rueful smile in knowing up at him. "Someone's jealous" she hummed teasingly, thankful for the minor distraction that she could bring up and away from her work lately "honestly you have nothing to worry about, just a few of the older guys there that wouldn't do any harm" she mused. Gently she leaned up on her toes and brushed the tip of her nose against his, that rueful smile turning into a smirk "You do know that you dont have to protect me all the time." she teased lightly "I am, after all, an alpha female for a reason"

    Harley gratefully reached for the glass and the pill, tossing it into her mouth before downing it with a long draft of water...She hadn't realized how thirsty she had been. "It's fine..just sit down Aiden.." she reached for him, grabbing his wrist and yanking him down to sit besides her. Taking a deep breath, she let her head drift back trying to focus on calming down the aching pain in her sides. It felt like she couldn't breath, her ribs aching with every time she took a smooth inhale in..well not so smooth considering the pain. "Jesus Christ..my father really did a number on me.." she muttered snidely, her eyes squeezing shut tightly as she tried to not visualize the way her father had looked at her as he hit her repeatedly..it felt like it would never end at the time..but it did. Because of Aiden, he stopped because Aiden stopped him. And she could never tell him just how grateful he was for that..and not only that but the fact that..he was still around even if he had to deal with all this crazy...nonsense that was her brother..her father..and sometimes even her. Realizing that she had her eyes closed for a while, she peeked through her eyelashes at him, giving him the sweetest smile she could muster given the current pain in her side. "Thank you.." she whispered nervously.


    A high-pitched gasp left her lips as the sudden pressure was gone, ripped away from her chest by..another..giant gray wolf, god she felt like she was going to pass out. Rather fervently, she scuttled away from the snapping and biting fit, until her back finally hit the base of a tree. She was so confused..had..had these wolves been here this entire time? Were they escaped subjects from some sort of underground illegal animal experimentation? What the hell were they- and oh dear god there were more of them! Two other wolves broke from the forest, one a shiny white and the other almost it's exact opposite, a dark brown almost black wolf.

    Aaron! Kamari shouted, starting to dance around the wrestling wolves as did Mo, who was attempting to enter the fight to get it split up. Aaron! Calm down! she looked over to Pippa who was completely squeezed against the tree Pippa's fine! Aaron! she snarled, finally lunging into the mix, grabbing the other gray wolf by the scruff, dragging him away from Aaron using both her grip and pushing her body in the way as he snarled and wriggled violently, while Mo jumped in front of Aaron, batting him back and away from the others. Enough! she snapped, tossing the wolf away from her, who was panting and small splatters of blood littered his side and face. What the hell was that Greg! You know we don't attack humans! What were you thinking you dingus?! she roared, baring her fangs at the larger male. It's not my fault! How was I supposed to know that you guys were going to bring in some random human! It's not like you guys talk to us anymore! her brother snapped back, plopping his behind on the forest floor and started to busy himself with licking his fore paw where there was a long scratch that was starting to bleed.

    Pippa could only stare as the fight was stopped..and it looked like..they were talking to each other? No..that's impossible..they couldn't be.


    Feliciano gave a faint growl at the way she ruefully smiled up at him, his face pulling into a deep scowl as he grumbled "Yeah..well..they don't know that.." he looked away from her, even as she rubbed her nose against his, which managed to lighten his scowl just a bit. He sighed weakly, plopping his grumpy head onto her shoulder and taking a deep inhale of her scent. It was so soothing to him..but..there was something else. Some other scent on her..could it be from dealing with old paint all day..? Or was it someone else..? His skin prickled at the thought but he didn't say a thing about it, and instead brought her closer to him as he muttered "I missed you.."

    Aiden hummed as she offered him that familiar sweet smile of hers, a smile he felt only a few could ever have the honor of seeing. As he settled himself down onto the couch beside her he wrapped an arm behind her over the top of the couch, his fingers gently beginning to play with a loose strand of her hair. "No need to thank me love. No need to ever thank me." he assured, understanding the depth of her thanks and just what it was really for besides him bringing her some pills. If she had not stopped him he was still certain he would have killed her father... hell, he was tempted now to go after Artur and join him. "Thank you though... for not biting my head off" he mused teasingly with a wink, brushing the tips of his fingers against the tips of her ear in a soothing motion.


    Aaron didn't even hear his mother or his brother as they tried to get him to get off of the other wolf. It didn't even register in his mind that it was Greg. All he could see was a wolf standing over his Pippa, his mate, and then the world turned red with blood lust. When his mother finally did work herself in between them though and Mo was holding him back he was given a moment to calm and take in exactly who it was. That didn't mean he was completely calm as he let out a snarl to his uncle So just because you had no idea who she was you decided it was okay to go ahead and attack her?! i could have killed you!!! he growled, snapping his jaws with anger as he did so. It took him a moment but he finally did realize he was bleeding from a large gash in his left hind leg and a deep cut over his right eye that was beginning to blur his vision, his tongue lapping out to lick at the small cuts and bites over his jaws. God damn uncle Greg... if you had killed her I would have... he trailed off with another snap of his teeth before turning his attention towards Pippa with concern at her confusion and fear.


    The gentle touch of his arms around her waist holding her close and as he plopped his head onto her shoulder had Stella relaxing more and more against him. A small smile graced her lips at those sweet words of his as she hummed and pecked a kiss to his neck "I always miss you" she mumbled out admittedly. Suddenly she found herself fighting back the sting of tears pricking at her eyes as she heard him sniff and knew exactly what he was smelling, she unwilling to share it and blinking rapidly to rid herself of the dreadful feeling. "I miss you every second I am away from you il mio lupo" she murmured in a soft whisper.

    A faint shiver ran up Harley's spine at the slightly ticklish feeling of Aiden's hand playing with a loose strand of her hair, letting her head roll back after a faint ache ran through her neck. His bicep was there luckily to act as a pillow for her slightly throbbing head, and she mumbled "Still considering it.." when he thanked her about not biting his head off. Another shiver ran up her skin at the slight tease to the tip of her ear, she gave him a peek out of the corner her eye, almost like a warning. It felt nice of course, but a bit too nice, it was making her relax and then tense almost at the same time. She gave a soft huff, grumbling "Aiden..you're gonna need to stop that..I can feel it in my shoulders.." a small smirk pulled at her lips but she didn't do much else..she was enjoying it.


    A snarl left Greg's lips at the threat, his tail lashing as he took a fast step forward, only to be blocked by Kamari. How was I supposed to know! She smelled like a wolf, more specifically you numb-nuts! he snapped back, plopping back down onto his hind legs. He could smell the fear and confusion radiating off the girl they were talking about, and he snorted I wouldn't have killed her..if anything, I would have taken her to you guys..she just kept running away he couldn't help but feel slightly guilty. He knew how imposing their size is, because the largest of their pack was around the size of a horse..and that would happen to be him. He sat up a bit taller at his own pat on the back, licking his forepaw as he went.

    What in the actual heckle was going on..Pippa had no clue, she tried to make herself smaller against the tree as the wolves..Were they talking to one another? It sure looked like it..but that was impossible..animals don't talk. Or do they? A harsh gasp left her lips when one of them looked at her, and her heart started to pump in her chest as her fists grabbed at the forest floor trying to desperately make herself disappear. Heck giant wolves in the forest, maybe she could actually make herself disappear..


    Feliciano gave a gentle grunt at the peck, his head sinking deeper into her shoulder as he tried to drown away the sudden anxiety that peaked in his stomach. Was..was she seeing someone behind his back? No. No she wouldn't dare..she loved him. Hell she reminded him of it everyday..but..they had been growing more distant with the birth of Ilaria..so..maybe. A growl worked its way up his throat, he should make more time for her as well. Maybe right now would work. Raising his hands, the wolf grabbed onto her forearms and suddenly pushed her against the wall. "It may be a bit cliche to say but..it hurts to have you away from me.." he growled faintly into her ear, leaning in close to lay a smooth kiss behind it.

    Aiden chuckled at those words in response to his actions, shaking his head with pure amusement at how he had that affect on her even when she was 'teasingly' angry with him. "Come now love, I don't think I could ever stop even if i wanted to. It's just too much fun teasing you like this and seeing you get all worked up." he taunted against her ear. Gently he gave the top of her head a kiss as she leaned it back onto heir forearm like it was her own personal pillow. Something he could never admit to her even if she asked was that he loved it when they were sleeping and she would use his chest or his arm as a pillow and he was given the opportunity to hold her closer to him. He loved it, even relished in it as he could sleep in her scent through the night. "Alright, alright, i'll stop. But only because you asked nicely" he hummed with a wink.


    "Oh shut up already." Aaron growled out under his breath at the display his uncle put on, as if proud of his handiwork. "If you had stopped for a moment you would have realized why you smelled me on her..." he added with a grunt. Taking a few moments to calm himself down the lycan stepped forward once, twice, three more times until he was just feet away from Pippa. She was terrified and rightfully so. Now he felt as though he had no choice but to show her who he was and what he was... and hope that she wouldn't go right into a panic even though he was certain she would. "You guys go back to the house... I'll take care of this." he muttered to his family, settling down onto the ground before Pip and taking on a relaxed manner, his fur flattening out and ears pricked to let her know he was alert but relaxed.


    Stella was a bit caught off guard by the sudden growl that rumbled from her lovers throat and she couldn't help but to have that inkling fear that she would be dealing with an angry Feliciano in just a second. But then he pressed her against the wall and that growl deepened with his words, sending shivers right through her. He had a fear of losing her just as she had a fear of losing him, and when they got like this some... heated things tended to happen. Getting control of her breathing the woman turned her glazing over eyes to him and bit her bottom lip at that promise in his tone "How much does it hurt?" she murmured. She needed him more than he could ever know, even if it was just the comfort of him holding her in his arms, but this was better... this meant he could reassure her that she was still his.