#curtis snow

[indeedgoodman]

[kqutie]

THE PRINCESS' SEVEN MERCENARIES

CHAPTER ONE : A SWIFT ESCAPE

relations. : cevans various/reader -- steve rogers/reader ; curtis everett/reader ; ari levinson/reader ; lloyd hansen/reader ; andy barber/reader ; jake jensen/reader ; ransom drysdale/reader

chpt. sum. : your stepmother wants you dead but you're able to make a swift escape with the help of the huntsman who was meant to kill you. into the woods you go in search of a new and better life!

tags. : mentions of an assassination attempt ; evil stepmothers being evil ; evil queen being evil ; disney princess reader ; snow white and the seven dwarves au ; fairy tale au ; fluff ; domestic fluff in-coming! ; disney princess reader and her seven sexy mercenaries hehe~

length. : 4.6k

navi. | series masterlist

You were right to be suspicious from the very beginning. Ever since your father's honourable death in battle, you had been treated as lower than dirt by your stepmother. She was more than eager to be crowned the new queen of the kingdom and did her best to wipe your existence from the minds of all the people you were supposed to rule one day. Still quite young at the time, you didn't realise her manipulative ways. And you were none the wiser to her malicious intent.

The signs were obvious, every time you met her eyes, the distaste and displeasure were swimming in her narrowed sight, clear as the diamonds in her opulent crown. For quite a long time, you tried to hold out hope that she'd, one day, realise your sincerity, and your genuine want to become a good ruler. All in the hopes that your deceased father would smile at you, proud of your benevolent ruling as rightful queen. But that was your biggest fault. The virtuous desire she saw in your eyes only made her rage, aversion, and fear towards you grow by the day.

It was for her own comfort and self-assurance that you were subjected to live like a servant, dress like a servant, and be treated like a servant, within castle walls, never to be seen by your people again. 

Only the palace servants were allowed to interact with you, yet, they were also under strict supervision to act ignorant of their princess' obvious mistreatment. It wasn't any use, however; your kindness, strength, and sincerity, even at such a young age, had all the palace staff turning a blind eye. Whenever the queen commanded that you be mistreated, or dealt with worse than the stable keepers of the royal horses, they offered their help. Even the guards, who had to report back to the Queen, happily turned in falsified reports in the hopes that your upbringing became more auspicious.

For years, you were treated like a servant under the Queen's, your stepmother's, command to which you readily obliged. The mistreatment, the obvious jealousy she holds for you, the insensitivity you had to suffer, all of it was tolerable because of the wonderful staff surrounding you. You also knew that one day, your justice will be fulfilled. You had already passed your coming of age but you weren't deterred. It's malevolent but, as long as you were able to see the lingering hatred in your stepmother's eyes, no matter how few those instances were, you know that there will be hope for a better future. Through her fears, you will be able to rise and take back what was truly yours from the very beginning – your right to rule. 

But now... now you don't know what to think.

"Sir Remfrey," you call, following the huntsman further into the clearing on the outskirts of your kingdom. It was a beautiful meadow dotted with the prettiest wildflowers you had ever seen but the trepidation in your thundering heart wouldn't allow you to relax. The huntsman you had grown up to view as a beloved, close relative, doesn't respond. He doesn't even spare you a glance — but he can't allow you to witness the obvious conflict in his eyes. He was determined to let you go but when he stares into the dense forest before him, he worries for the life of his princess, the true ruler of the kingdom he so loved.

"Princess..." the huntsman finally stops just at the boundary of the forest. In a moment reigned by taught nerves, Remfrey tightens his hold on the basket full of food, spare clothing, and other useful supplies for your safe escape. "I am meant to kill you today by order of the Queen,"

Even though you shouldn’t have been surprised, a startled gasp still escaped your parted lips. For a long time, you've been conscious of your stepmother's paramount dislike of you, but never took her for someone who would command that you be killed. 

Words fail you and your hands begin to shake as you hug yourself for comfort. It's a morbid thought but at least you were finally given some new clothes before your death — the only silver lining you could think of in such a dire situation. The fabric of your new A-line dress is soft but durable, its length protecting you from the occasional breeze, down until your mid-calf. This morning when you were presented with it along with a thick and cosy, cable knit cardigan, you were elated. It's been years since you were presented with new casual clothes and, upon their presentation, a spark of hope lit up your eyes... that is, until Sir Remfrey came to escort you to an unknown location for a surprise outing by order of the Queen. You weren't stupid but were, nonetheless, stupid enough to follow her ambiguous orders.

"Sir Remfrey please–"

"But I will not do that," the seasoned hunter, the bulky, tall, alpha-presenting man, faces you with tearful eyes, his knees dropping to the grassy ground as he urges you to hold onto the wicker basket he had brought along, "I'm letting you go here, my princess, and I will handle the rest. You must run and never look back; today you really did die so please..." he begs with a quivering voice, touching his forehead to the back of your hand, "please start a new and better life, one that is full of happiness, one that you deserve,"

With tears in your eyes, you embrace the huntsman tenderly, your arms unable to fully circle his broad shoulders, "what will you do? I know she is evil and if she finds you have disobeyed, Sir Remfrey, your family—"

"Will be alright," he reassures in the same whisper you had used to express your concern. Even when knowing your mournful fate, you still thought of him and his family – you are truly a better ruler, a better person, than the Queen could ever be, "I plan on returning with a wild hog's heart as evidence instead," he pulls away to smile at you, patting your head affectionately as he had always done, viewing you as the third daughter he never had, "and I plan on leaving the kingdom with my family soon after, you need not worry about me or anyone else, just yourself,"

He warns you of the dangers the forest presents but it is still a safer haven than the palace. No matter how well-decorated the grand structure may be, at least in the forest, you remain alive. He also lists off the necessities kept hidden in the basket: spare clothes, enough food for a week and some spare gold coins that the staff managed to scrap together as well as 'borrow' from the treasury (with the help of the palace accountant). Everyone at the castle, except the Queen, knew of the plan today and had worked together to keep you safe and give you another, better chance at life. It touched your heart so much that, despite the dismal circumstance, your eyes filled with tears of joy.

So as you traverse over the forest floor, Sir Remfrey's words echo in your head: keep running and don't look back! Create and live a better life!

It broke your heart to be leaving your kingdom and your people like this but... what can you do? A part of you feels guilty for not acting sooner and for allowing things to get this far but another part tempers your self-accusation gently. You were only a child. You had every right to feel guilt over this but the only thing you can and should do is look forward. You haven't yet fully escaped the Queen and you wouldn't dare endanger Sir Remfrey's life after all that he has done for you despite also putting his family in danger.

Keep running!

Don't look back!

Keep running!

Don't look back!

Keep running!

Don't look back!

The sun crawls slowly above you as your feet become heavier and heavier, it's come to the point where you're beginning to drag your shoes along the dirty forest floor and have come dangerously close to tumbling over several times. Thankfully, the trees were there to save your fall, their trunks and branches provided a sturdy foundation to rely on amid your toppling form.

Your throat feels like sandpaper but you resist reaching into the basket for the bottle of milk stored deep inside; you don't know how long it'll take to find a village that you could reside in without a beaten path to lead you the way, so your endurance was being put to the test. It all seems hopeless but you don't want the efforts of the kind palace staff to go to waste, they've sacrificed so much for you, you wouldn't dare put their efforts in vain. Magic items were a privilege of high society, rich nobles, and powerful organisations, only very few knew what was in the Queen's full magical arsenal so you needed to get away as far as possible and quickly!

Just a little longer you think to yourself, pushing forward with a new determination. 

Multiple trees pass you by, their trunks and low branches offering support for the hazard that was their knobbly roots. Time no longer was a factor of thought, instead, it was the throbbing in your downtrodden ankles and the ache in the arches of your feet, how long have you been travelling like this? At this point, walking without shoes was an incredibly enticing idea. The dragging of your feet weighs down your sore, hopeless heart and you're soon having to suppress a sob.

But just as all hope escapes you, the distant sound of a running river raises your spirits. Pulled forward by the steady stream, you eventually break through the forest boundary to rest at the river bank. The water was crystal clear and glittering with the early afternoon sun. You wasted no time in leaning down for a drink and, once you had satiated your thirst, you carefully dipped in your naked feet and sighed in the relief that the cool water brings. The tenderness of your arches and ankles was quickly swept away with the water. It was a blissful reprieve that you took full advantage of.

Reaching into the basket, you pull out a small collection of fruit and nuts to snack on before withdrawing a more filling sandwich. The staff had been incredibly generous. They had given you a full pouch of gold coins, food, clothes, and a charmed wicker basket to hold it all in — the internal storage of the modest accessory was endless but it remained the same weight no matter how much you filled it up. It was a rather expensive item that could only be afforded by nobles and royalty who would sooner gift the basket to their staff for use in picnic outings and the like. It was quite handy to have while you worked about the castle along with the rest of the palace staff.

As much as you would have liked to remain sitting at the river bank with your feet dipped in its cool, racing waters, you still had to keep moving forward. For now, you opted for following the river in the hopes that you'd eventually be led to a nearby town as most tended to revolve around freshwater sources. Happily, you dabbed on some of Alma's homemade peppermint and lavender essential oil, stowed in a small glass bottle within the basket. You think fondly of the time you spent making homemade remedies, teas, powders, and all sorts with the elderly palace herbalist, wife of the gardener. They were a lovely couple who taught you everything you know along with many other individuals about the palace staff. One of the most useful things Alma taught you is that peppermint and lavender were deeply despised by bugs and pests, so to save yourself of any troubling bites, you dabbed on the oil generously. Another benefit was the beautiful fragrance helped mask the stench of sweat on your brow.

Refreshed and less panicked, you continue on your new path by the river. You expected another long journey ahead but soon came across a beautiful cottage that stood in a clearing on the other side of the running water. Thankfully a humble wooden bridge was there to help you cross the river. Circling the cottage, you recognise several raised beds full of carefully grown produce, it was the start of an expansive and impressive garden that stretches all around the cottage's perimeter. The cosy structure looked well-kept and huge with many windows and levels, you wonder how many rooms such an isolated cottage could have and for what reason. Nevertheless, this was the first sign of life on your journey and you were eager for shelter and, perhaps, some directions too.

Patting down your dress and sweater for any lingering dust or dirt, you took a breath and steadily made your way to the front door. It was certainly a property that needed admiring so you wondered why it was so remotely placed. You didn't let such thoughts linger for too long, however – perhaps the home owner/s liked their privacy. Stepping up to the heavy front door of the property, you quickly knock before you get the chance to lose all confidence.

No answer.

You gave a secondary knock and even a third knock but there was still no answer. Is nobody home? You ponder thoughtfully.

"Hello?" You call out, somewhat, hesitantly but still receive nothing. It wasn't in your nature to intrude but you really needed a place to stay, just for the night. You'll promise to leave in the early morning, provided that they offer you some helpful directions. Instead of knocking again, you try the doorknob and find no resistance. The wooden door happily invites you into the cottage’s front room. 

The space inside was dark and bedraggled. Unused surfaces were covered in dust and a pile of dirty laundry took up a corner space. You couldn't believe that such a sparse interior could be made so messy. Organised chaos was your best attempt at describing the spaces you walked through. Silas (the palace cook) would have lost his mind at the sight of the kitchen and Frances (the head maid) would have fainted from the unclean environment. The air reeked of countering alpha scents too; you managed to pick up seven distinct aromas and swallowed nervously. As an omega, you were heavily encouraged to avoid all alpha-dominated spaces but didn't have much of a choice at this moment. At least the cottage seemed to be empty for now. Not only that but in this modern world, everybody is equipped with their individual, second-gender suppressor accessory – it’s standard for the safety of all people. If the homeowner was civilised, you're sure they would never go out without theirs; you never even took yours off, and most people didn’t.

"No one seems to be home..." you whisper to yourself, gnawing at your bottom lip in thought, "and I've been very rude for intruding like this..." Observing the space around you once more, you wonder how you could somehow mitigate the owner's negative reaction to your trespassing, "maybe if I clean up a bit, they'll forgive me for barging in like this," with your optimistic thought, you got set to work, "I can do their laundry too and…" you eye their kitchen space, "maybe if I make them something special to eat, they won't be so angry," giggling to yourself somewhat, you remember Silas' knowledgeable words 'nobody could eat a delicious meal and stay angry or sad'. He often used that to get back into his wife’s good graces and it seemed to work flawlessly, every single time — hopefully, you can do the same in this instance. 

First things first: a general clean up of the area was urgently needed. However, you also had to open every window nearby; the amount of dust and dirt your movements lifted into the air was suffocating. You remain on the ground floor where most of the community rooms are located such as the living area, kitchen/dining room, and a large farmhouse-style conservatory, which stretches into the back garden.

The living area and dining area didn't take too much time, it only needed a little reorganising and dusting. The kitchen took a little more out of you so you took a quick break, where you leisurely got the laundry settled. Thankfully, the conservatory was equipped with an enchanted washing apparatus that you were used to operating from the palace. It was peculiar to find in such a humble setting but you didn't know the full background of the homeowner so you didn't question too much.

Little by little, the once unclean space became decent again. But it was missing something… something homey. Before getting started with dinner preparations, you fetched a newly cleaned glass vase from one of the many cupboards you were able to neatly organise and went out to collect some beautifully blossomed flowers to present at the dining table. You managed to arrange a pretty bouquet featuring bright purple and indigo blossoms, eucalyptus sprigs, bunches of dainty white florets and other miscellaneous greenery. Happy with the floral decoration, you turn your full attention to food preparations. 

Some minutes into food prep, the laundry washer was finished and you went to hang the freshly washed clothes up to dry on the washing line. It was helpful that you were able to keep your eye on the laundry through the window above the sink, looking into the conservatory space, which overlooked the back gardens. The interior design was very open and spacious, where, even if you were in one room, you were still able to peek into several others without much effort — you quite liked it; everything was connected but still had its own place. 

Getting stuck doing the chores was familiar. The tasks were comforting as they brought to mind the many friendly faces of the palace staff. They helped raise you, provided tutelage on their specialised skills and ensured that you didn't miss out on the vital education all princesses were entitled to, all behind the tyrannical Queen’s back. Silas the chef de cuisine, Frances the head maid, Henry the head butler, Ernest and Abigail the royal librarians, Alma the herbalist and her husband Otis the gardener, Amos the accountant, Cecelia the palace doctor and her assistant Victor, the brother of Violet who was the royal bookkeeper, Hansen, the royal guard and his friends, Abraham the palace mage and so many more amazing people. You miss them all so much, your found family amongst all the hardship you were forced to face by order of the Queen. In your heart, you know that without their help and kindness, you wouldn't have had the courage to be kind anymore. These chores connect you back to them, in a way, and you are happy to swim in the remembrance and familiarity while putting the skills they've taught you to good use.

Despite the original grim state of the cottage, their enchanted cool storage was supplied generously and ran as smoothly as the walk-in cooler of the palace. There was some space for the milk, cheese, and other perishable food items stowed in your charmed wicker basket so you happily stowed those away first before setting out ingredients for the hearty dinner you had planned.

Slow-cooked, tender beef stew with fresh bread rolls and, for dessert, some easy banana bread with chocolate chips and whipped cream. Considering the clothes sizes you had laundered earlier, you assume that whoever lived here needed to be fed an above-average amount — a challenge you were happy to step up to.

Excited to put your cooking skills to the test, you get started with assembling the bread dough so that it has time to proof under the remaining daylight. After that, you quickly went about prepping the many vegetables needed for the stew before finally getting started on searing the meaty beef chuck you found, carefully wrapped in butcher's paper. Some of the seasonings you couldn't quite reach as the cupboards were rather high up so you had to climb onto the kitchen counters at some points. Nevertheless, the domestic, calm scene had you humming a simple tune, imagining Silas observing your progress from over your shoulder and smiling to himself with fulfilment – he always took such pride in teaching you well on navigating the kitchen, from sharpening knives and keeping a tidy space, to maintaining inventory and memorising a range of different recipes to fit any and every occasion.

While the beef stew was simmering over a steady, slow fire, you got to finishing up your bread rolls and finally tossed them into the oven, where you eventually got started on the banana bread and whipping cream. It was a shame that the kitchen space was barely utilised despite the impressive charmed appliances available for use. The homeowner's kitchen space was also incredibly big and it came with two beautiful ovens, meaning that you could cook the bread rolls and chocolatey banana bread at the same time — it was a home cook's dream cooking space. The only conclusion was that the homeowner wasn't suited for cooking but you were happy to fill in that scarcity, especially if it made them less mad at you for intruding…

Wiping the thought from your head, you allowed the delicious aroma to fill the kitchen while you went to collect the newly dried laundry and placed the piles in the conservatory space, ready to be folded neatly. It was a little unfortunate that you couldn't extend your labour to the upstairs spaces but you've infringed on the homeowner's space enough; you don't think a simple cleaning or a hearty meal could convince anyone to remain calm if they found that their private bedroom space was also carelessly invaded.

Everything was going well and you're positive you would make a good first impression. If you were determined enough, you're sure the homeowner would be willing to overlook your trespassing on their property. Hopefully, they'll also be convinced to let you stay the night and offer you some directions to leave for the following morning; you've already intruded enough, you couldn't possibly ask for extended shelter too... although it would be very much appreciated on your part.

Yawning softly, you take out the bread rolls and place them on a wire rack to cool, waiting a little longer to do the same for the chocolatey banana bread. On occasion, you would check on the bubbling beef stew over the small fire, but the longer you cook it, the better the flavour and the more tender the meat becomes, so you weren't too worried. The only time you added to the pot was when you felt as though the broth had gotten too low and needed replenishing. 

"It should be ready in another hour or so," you murmur to yourself as you cover the pot once more and clean up the kitchen space as you go. You push yourself to finish ironing and folding the laundry in the conservatory before finally admitting to your tiredness. Allowing the fatigue to consume your figure, you settle yourself in the living room and curl up on the large sofa. With the throw blanket covering you, one of the sofa cushions supporting your head and the other hugged to your chest, sleep found you easily. In your dreams, you imagine being warmly accepted by the mysterious homeowner, who eventually helps you on your way to a quaint little village that you happily settle into and start a new life in.

"Captain!" Jake fumbles his way towards Steve. The morning had been a rush and flurry of activity as the group found a potential lead but was met with yet another dead end and returned back to square one. Now, as they make their way back to their temporary home, a complimentary asset that came with their year-long mission, Jake was finally able to check on their security system but panicked as soon as he saw the breach alert.

"What is it, Jake?" Steve sighs and carefully massages his temples. Four months into their mission and they have yet to make much progress at all. Things were optimistic in the beginning but time was running out quicker than he expected. As the captain, he often has to remind himself to be patient but it's hard to get a bird's eye view of things when you're in the thick of it.

"There was a breach at the cottage!"

"What?!" Lloyd snaps with Ransom close behind him. It's been years since they've had a stable home space and now it's been broken into?! This was the one clause in the contract they were adamant about for the ounce of stability it provided on their normally volatile profession; they refuse to have such an invaluable property taken away before its agreed-upon time!

"I thought you said that barrier made the cottage invisible to everyone but us!" Ransom barks with barely restrained outrage, adding to Steve's headache but the philanderer doesn't pay his captain's chilling glare any attention.

"Yes—!" Jake huffs from confusion and astonishment at the bewildering facts before him, "But because the cottage is also very isolated, it's not as high-level a barrier as it could be so high-affinity magic users can see right through it and possibly even break through,"

His explanation further angers the two main antagonists of the alarming news but, ever the mediator, Ari steps up with a calming air, "We're almost home so we can take care of things soon enough," Steve gives the mechanic of the group a grateful smile. Yes, the circumstance, after such an exhausting day, wasn't ideal but he will always appreciate additional help when taming the two wild cats of their mercenary group.

Seeing their home just ahead, Ransom and Lloyd begin to rush forward but are immediately stopped by Curtis' unyielding limbs. With a grunt, the silent surveyor and guard forces them back in warning.

"We don't know who's inside but from what Jake said it's a high-affinity magic user," Steve scolds deeply in a hushed whisper, "we can't just rush in blindly,"

The group look at their homey cottage and observe all signs of activity within. Some windows were left open with the curtains drawn, a soft golden light emits from inside and the small chimney positioned by the kitchen is billowing with smoke. It's obvious that someone else had made themselves at home in the mercenary group's absence.

"That's strange," Andy admits, seeming to have read Steve's mind as the two turn to lock eyes.

"Doesn't seem like the intruder is looking to ambush us," Steve completes their shared thought, "but that still doesn't mean they can't harm us so stay on your guard," Steve directs the group to opposite entry points about the cottage. This improves their chances of surprising their intruder as well as covering more ground. They reconnect their earpieces before setting forth on their stealth positions about the cottage; naturally, Steve separates Lloyd and Ransom to avoid their troubling behaviour together.

"Ari, Ransom, and Jake go in from the back. Curtis, Andy, Lloyd, and I will head in from the front," Steve eyes Curtis and Lloyd, "you two split off to search the upstairs while Andy and I head through to the kitchen. If we can, we’ll regroup there," with an affirming nod from all parties, they split up and take their positions accordingly. 

navi. | series masterlist | two. a fateful meeting →

a/n : this is just the beginning but i hope you darlings enjoy the series so far! please comment, like, reblog and tell me what you think, i'd really appreciate it! — bit of a bad time posting this on kinktober but we move haha!

p.s this is my first time writing for these sexy men so please go easy on me and my characterisation of them (ó﹏ò。)

[jamneuromain]

Another Man's Poison Part 1

Curtis Everett x You

Warning: 18+, Multiple prompts: A/B/O; “Show me.” + Frightened + Cabin in the woods, Shifter!Curtis Everett, Shifter!Reader, discussion of the transformation ritual and prima nocta, poisoning, mentioning of the results of poisoning. Less than decent parents. Grumpy Curtis in general.

Summary: You have accidentally come across a scheme that could shatter your shifter clan and your life. Unable to think of any way to stay away from this catastrophe, you turn to Curtis for help.

W/C: ~2.2k

A/N: the third entry to for this amazing event organized by @stargazingfangirl18 and @labella420 <3 (I thought I could finish it by 5.4, but alas my muse is behind me - and to be fair it's a large story I suspect it will go 6k in total so I'm dividing it into two parts ... or three, depends.

Part 2 | One Man's Meat M. List

It is a pretty bitchy thing to do, you suppose, pranking on someone else. But you can't help it if - which in fact, indeed happened - that sneaky bitch Margo smeared red paint on your pants during the painting lesson and made it look like your period was a massive flood. You are getting your payback one way or another, and what better way is there than to put dead lizards into her bed?

Margo, just in case anyone within the thirty miles premises doesn't know her already, is the cheer leading captain of the Ridgemount High, which obviously has given her every right to bully other people.

To you, she is the daughter of the second-in-command of your shifter pack. She somehow believed herself to be the future pack leader, terrorizing and threatening any younger pack members who refuse to do her biddings.

She's 19, by the way. Same as you, in the senior year of high school.

Back to the subject.

Payback.

You collected a bag of dead lizards from the forest this morning. Holding the bag in your hand, you sneak near Margo's house as subtle as possible, walking on tip toes just so you wouldn't make a noise. The grown wolves of this pack could hear a branch snap a mile away, which is why you have to be quiet.

Maybe Lady Luck has been on your side, for the small venture towards Margo's house has been uneventful. You picked the time knowing precisely that most of the shifters are gathering at Paul's, where they will be discussing the upcoming transformation ceremony for the shifters who have come of the age 19 this year to transform, first time ever in their lives, into their wolf form under the moon. That would include you, Margo, and the Maximoff twins.

You are going to enter the house via the backdoor when you hear three men talking inside.

"... the best time to attack would be the ceremony," says one of the men. By the sound of his voice, you believe he is Margo's brother Halden, "He would never see this coming."

"He thought he was tired," sounding like Paul's younger brother Sam, sniggers another, "He doesn't suspect a thing other than his old age. By the way, great idea, the wolfsbane."

The wolfsbane is one of the deadliest plants known to you wolf shifters. What the hell are they planning? You cover your mouth not to make a sound, but you press your ear closer to the door.

"Paul would be in his weakness form on the night of the full moon." The third one joins the conversation, "I will challenge him then. He will lose fair and square. And nothing, I mean nothing will stop me from becoming the Alpha of this pack."

Fuck. It's an uprising. Your heart beats like the rhythm of war drums. The third one seems like Margo's father Jason. No wonder Margo has always held her head high like she was going to own the pack.

"When I'm in charge," huffing out an evil laugh, Jason continues, "I'm restoring prima nocta."

You have heard about prima nocta, a habit dying out decades ago. It was first initiated for the need of the leader of the pack, also known as pack Alpha, to pick the best and suiting female, his true mate, to bear his pups. But the "first-night" habit died out because female shifters would writher fairly quickly without the love and adoration after connecting to Alpha, since true mates are rather rare, and as shifter packs welcomed the more acceptable way of entering relationships like regular humans, "prima nocta" no longer exists except for some rare closed-off packs.

The three men share their visions of the sick and twisted ruling of this pack, but the thought of being owned and taken by a shifter twice your age has you nearly hurling your guts out.

The men plans a few more items before the sound of a loud slap makes you shudder. "I said Show me, goddammit!" Yells Jason, "I need to see the moon calendar!"

As they continue to plot and scheme against the pack Alpha Paul, you retreat in small steps. And you run. You run as fast as you could, far away from the house.

"So what do you need me for?" Asks Curtis, when he pours more chamomile tea into the porcelain mug in front of you.

Curtis joined the Wilford clan several years ago as a part-time doctor and a full-time herbologist. The Wilford clan needs access to fresh herbs, and your clan lacks a shifter doctor, hence, both clans have cut a deal.

Curtis would help diagnose and treat illness for your clan, and he could wander in your clan's mountains to harvest a patch of herbs he grows. In return, these herbs could be used by the Wilford clan as well.

Curtis has known both your clans well enough as an outsider who lives on the border of the two clans.

Your nails pick on the edge of the scorching mug nervously, as you truly have nowhere else to turn to, "My parents were on board with the uprising, as were a couple of families ... so I fled. And I'm not a wolf ... not yet, until the ceremony. I also know that Jason would claim every female wolf of age..." A bile of vomit rises to your throat at the thought, "Can you help me? To delay the transformation?" You look up at Curtis, hopefully, at the silent young shifter that has drifted from one clan to another. Rumor has it that he finished the transformation ceremony without the help of a clan, which is an utter rarity in the history of shifters.

Curtis scratches his eyebrows and hums, neither confirming nor denying your plea. His eyes stopped meeting yours upon hearing your request, sipping on his tea silently.

"I just need another moon cycle to figure out how I can run away from them. And find another clan." You ramble on, uncertain why you share your plan with a member of a foreign clan, especially someone who could possibly rat you out, as you barely know him, but you ramble on, "By the next full moon, I would be transforming into a wolf in another clan. That's plausible, right?"

Curtis finally glances at you. His brows furrow into a tight knot over his cerulean eyes, deadpans, "It's not that simple."

"But you have done it." You blurt out, clinging to your last line of hope, "They told me that you have transformed without a pack."

Curtis shakes his head, standing from his chair to boil water on the stove, clearly not willing to proceed on this topic further.

"Have you tried warning Paul Deckard? The ceremony is in two days." He checks the moon calendar on the wall.

"I -"

Truth is, you haven't.

Paul might not be the best pack Alpha in the world. He relies on Margo's family way too much and allows Jason and Halden to have their way with the pack already. You doubt telling Paul would make much difference, and it sure doesn't seem like Paul could outnumber so many families at the same time. Not to mention the wolfsbane poison could slowly drive him mad.

If you have to confess, you haven't thought about warning Paul at all, after learning your parents' intention of joining the uprising.

You were busy thinking about yourself. And your future. And whether you could live all by yourself.

And you instantly thought about Curtis.

"Okay." Curtis sighs heavily, dragging the chair across the table closer to you, before plopping down, "Clearly, you don't know the ceremony enough to ask me a dumb question like this."

"But -"

Curtis doesn't give you time to argue, he just continues on his own, "The moon calendar is precisely calculated so that the ceremony is at a night when the lunar power is at its peak. You miss this moon, you can't get it for another year."

"I -"

"Don't get me started on the postpone bullshit." He snaps at you, making you shudder involuntarily at his fist banging on the table, to which his voice lowers by a little, "It's risky as hell to cut yourself off from the lunar power. The Alpha in Dakota drank some wrong potion and cut himself from the lunar power and his wolf, guess what?"

"What?" You weakly offer.

"He splits his wolf spirit from his own." Curtis mocks with a cold sneer, "His pack has to put him under a mental facility, and now all he does is walk on all fours and sniff around like a dog. And before you ask," Curtis glares at your lips, when you are tempted to speak, "no, he cannot transform to his wolf form. Not now, not ever, not even the day he dies."

"One of the reason that the ceremony has to perform with the full pack," He adds, standing up to get the screeching kettle from the stove, pouring more hot water to the tea pot, "is to have the pack's mental energy concentrated on smoothing the transformation. When you turn wolf for the first time," Curtis sighs loudly, pouring himself a cup of tea, "You get your wolf spirit and your wolf form in a few seconds. It's easy to feel scared, different, angry, confused, a bucket full of emotions all at the sametime, and it is not easy to control your wolf without the psychic link of the pack, without the familiarity of your families. That's the reason why solo transformation ceremony is highly discouraged."

Chamomile tea is supposed to be soothing, but all you feel right now is bitter remorse of seeking for Curtis' help. You bite back the tears prickling your eyes, unsure why you came to him at the first place when all he does is dismantle your plan into a pile of turd.

"You are saying, there's no way that -" You take a long inhale, keeping yourself calm as much as possible. Yet, on the thought of you and a bunch of girls being the sex slaves of Jason has your tears bursting out of your sockets, streaming down your cheek.

The humiliation, the regret, and the embarrassment knock your brain out cold, and all you could do is to wipe the tears off your face with the back of your hand.

Curtis sighs one more time, before handing you a box of Kleenex.

You refuse it, though, pushing the tissues away and standing abruptly from your chair. "I'm sorry. This is a bad idea." You keep crying and sobbing, and wiping your tears, walking towards the door, "I understand now. I'll be out of your hair."

Curtis clenches his jaw out of ... mixed feelings, he guess. What a stubborn little pup you are, dreaming of delaying the transformation to escape the evil clutches of Jason.

It is inevitable, really, as pack leaders emerge every two or three decades, as the older Alpha weakens from disease and age, while younger Alpha emerges from their transformation ceremonies, and takes over. Sometimes it is a smooth transition of power, other times it could turn out like Jason and Paul, poisoning and scheming.

On a completely irrelevant note, he has to do this. To lend you a hand. A, Curtis isn't a complete bastard, despite what Wilford, the kind and loving Alpha, keeps telling others. And B, ... well, he'd rather not mention the second reason.

But he's not going to stand by and watch you risk your lives either, yours and your wolf's.

He runs his hand down his face, dashing forward and blocking the only exit out of this house because he could. Blocking your chance of running away because he doesn't want you to. And sighs again.

He has probably used up the annual quotation of his sighing.

"Stop." He growls.

It's an Alpha command. A voice that compells low-ranking shifters. It works better with blood ties and mating bonds, ordering the low-ranking ones to obey and deliver what the Alpha wants. It is cruel, that one stronger Alpha could command a weaker Alpha, or weak-minded shifters. He has thought about commanding Jason and Sam to stop, but he doubts it could work, as they could very well tear his throat before Curtis could say anything.

He hates issuing it, on another level. Just like how he hates it when he issued a command to Wilford years ago, ordering the pack Alpha to permit him to stay. Curtis has the power and the strength to be an Alpha. But he hates it. He hates it when his father Alpha-commanded his mother and his younger siblings to do dirty deeds for the Everett pack. Which was why he ran, and initiated the transformation ceremony on his own.

Yet he does it now, just so you might stay.

And you did. You don't know why you did. Your body responded to his words faster than your brain could proceed. Your steps freeze in their tracks, your shoulders shivering, afraid yet submissive to the natural command of an Alpha.

Curtis crosses his arms in utter annoyance and defeat. There is only one way that he know of, that could provide a safe transformation ceremony with less shifters involved.

If he tread carefully, it might work.

Might.

Sneak Peek for Part 2:

Your body can feel it. It is being called to at a wrong time, a wrong place. The moon is dropping low by the second and the right time has passed. The right time was hours ago.

Thirty minutes until the moon descends completely, and you have to get the wolf out.

Curtis paces around you.

"Sit down, will you? It's not like my wolf is counting your steps and waiting for the right number." You snap at him, despite knowing that you have dragged him into this mess in the first place. A little snarl slips out of your lips. Your wolf spirit is awakening, but not quite yet. Not quite there to unleash your wolf form.

Curtis has his gaze zeroing on you. His eyes narrow for a split second before pushing two words out of his clenched teeth:

"Excuse me?"

Find my Cum Together Trifecta here 👈

Questions? Comments? Requests? 👉Send them to my inbox 👂

A/N2: sorry in advance, but I have come across a hilarious screenshot of a show and I believe - I'm not sure really - it's in Russian

and this screenshot represents my feelings whenever i'm looking back at my works

[loomis-maxima]

lost all motivation and fell off the face of the earth, binged misfits , hotd and game of thrones (again) and the umbrella academy-

lets pray these give me fic ideas??

[the-feral-gremlin]

[bubblegumflavor]

DARRY CURTIS ICE SKATING!!!! ,(for your prompt doodles :3)

LOVED THE SUGGESTION, I had to get it out of my system right away 🤭💙💙💙

[warhead]

[massfactory]

[wildmrmix]

The Outsiders Frozen au. Send post

[thena0315]

Cisco really can't read the room that he messed up. You could make the excuse he wasn't aware there were current issues between Oliver and Felicity, but Caitlin wasn't aware either but was able to read the room and tried to ease and fix the situation... only for Cisco to make it worse by comparing to Barry and Iris.

Which is why Caitlin had to talk to Felicity alone afterwards to make her understand why (and without Cisco around to make it worse)

[indeedgoodman]

[kqutie]

THE PRINCESS' SEVEN MERCENARIES

CHAPTER SIX : THE FOOLISH GENIUS

relations. : cevans various/reader -- steve rogers/reader ; curtis everett/reader ; ari levinson/reader ; lloyd hansen/reader ; andy barber/reader ; jake jensen/reader ; ransom drysdale/reader

chpt. sum. : Ari urges Jake to stay home with you and the team realises you know more than they thought about their own mission.

tags. : snow white and the seven dwarves au ; fairy tale au ; fluff ; domestic fluff ; angst if you squint ; a/b/o universe but it's not the central point ; disney princess reader and her seven sexy mercenaries hehe~ ; jake jensen centric chapter ; jake being a lovable dork again ; world building ; reader proving ; misunderstandings ; confrontation ; everyone feels a little betrayed ; Lloyd gets confrontational ; the truth will soon come out

length. : 7.8k

← five. the smitten charmer | navi. | series masterlist

Steve starts his day the same way, always, before and after you’ve made yourself a place in their lives. Each morning, he wakes up early, makes himself a cup of coffee and reads the paper while sipping at his morning joe — it’s the only time he can feel an ounce of normalcy and savours every peaceful second. Ever since you’ve willed yourself to prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner for him and his team, Steve has been there to see your efforts from the table. Sometimes it’s hard watching you milling about the kitchen from over his morning paper and the lip of his mug but it was also very heartwarming, knowing that he and his team were being taken care of for once. You dance about the area as if you’ve always lived there, and as if it’s completely natural for you to cook such a large breakfast each morning. The first day, you were happy to express your love for cooking if only to comfort his self-reproach.

“I love cooking and your kitchen is so beautiful; it’s a joy to cook in it!” Steve remembers your upturned lips and smiling eyes vividly, “I’ve always been familiar with kitchens, and I love to cook because it's such a comfort for me; please don’t look so troubled,” your soft words eased his nerves effortlessly, a rare occurrence for the Captain. Usually, he was kept highly strung from the responsibilities of keeping his teammates safe and their missions on track. Your calming presence was something he dared not complain about. Even your delicately hummed tunes were appreciated. Steve can’t remember the last time he’s had such a calm morning. For the first time in a long time, he was allowed to sip on a delicious cup of coffee and read his paper in peaceful silence without having to remain alert for when he urgently needed to rush somewhere with his men.

Judging by how you’re still preparing the breakfast ingredients, Steve expects he still has plenty of time before the rest of the men wake up and make their way downstairs; he plans on savouring every second of it. But he was mistaken at the sound of footsteps walking down the first-floor hallway and eventually down the stairs. From the general area where the footsteps originate, Steve reckons it’ll be Ransom.

The captain was soon proven right when his charming mercenary teammate emerged from the stairway and made a beeline straight for you. Steve smiles into his mug as he watches your morning exchange.

“Good morning, sweets,” Ransom softly whispers into your hair as he pulls you close by the waist. You happily return his embrace and kindly offer him a cup of coffee but Ransom declines with a shake of his head, “I’ll help you with breakfast,”

“Oh Ran, that’s so kind of you,” the merc glows at your praise and leans into your touch when you reach up to comb your fingers through his sleep-mused hair. Steve raises a brow. Peculiar. Ransom barely leaves his room without making sure he looks a little presentable, he’s particular like that. The only other person with a similar habit was Lloyd, however, the assassin was much more diligent. It was peculiar that Ransom, someone who often obsessed over his appearance, was coming to you with his hair barely combed, face unclean and still in his wrinkled pyjamas. The fact that he offered to help you prepare breakfast was even more astounding.

“So…may I?” Ransom asks against the skin of your knuckles after bringing your small hand down from his hair to kiss.

“I’d really appreciate that, thank you!” you chirp happily and Steve fondly watches as his Beta makes himself useful in an environment he doesn’t usually associate himself with. It was amusing to see him trailing behind you and obediently complying to your instructions, a similar image to the night before but Steve still can’t believe his eyes. The captain doesn’t know what you’ve done but he appreciates the positive change it’s had on the usually arrogant Beta.

With Ransom’s help, you were already setting up the table long before the others came down for breakfast and joined Steve in appreciating a mug of coffee while sat together. Today’s morning spread was an assortment of freshly cut fruits, buttered toast with a side of jams, egg, ham and cheese breakfast muffins, crispy bacon, tomato and cream cheese bagels, and coffee and tea. Everyone was free to assemble their own plates for breakfast and you were open to any suggestions they may have for future spreads. You liked offering a consistent breakfast but also enjoyed switching some items every now and then, today you added the egg, ham and cheese breakfast muffins. Steve thought they smelled amazing and eagerly awaited the others’ arrival so he could finally have a piece.

“I’ve been meaning to ask but are your newspapers tele-delivered, Steve?” you ask after placing the teapot at the table for everyone’s reach. You make a mental note of knitting a tea cosy for it later.

“Yes, it makes life much easier,” he answers, careful not to show his shock at your casual question. There’s a rumbling of footfalls travelling down the staircase and he finally sets aside his paper. He prepares to finally eat with everyone despite his distracted mind.

You greet everyone a good morning as they take their usual seats before returning to your conversation with Steve, “It really is convenient. And I appreciate that you have groceries tele-delivered straight to your cool storage too. Magic is so helpful, it’s as if you never run out,” you giggle and smile at Jake who eagerly starts chatting about the magi-tech such conveniences require. You speak of the technology with Jake easily, adding to the tech genius’ excitement more. Jake has never had anyone other than Ari to speak to about his tech before and even Ari doesn’t indulge him as much as you do. Even now, the breaded man smirks at the way Jake interacts with you – he’s happy their Beta finally has someone to talk extensively with; he’s always felt quite guilty for not accommodating his comrade’s interests more in the past.

You converse with Jake easily on the topic and even bring up magi-tech knowledge that the average person typically doesn’t know about. It was all well and good but it was very… suspicious.

Andy makes eye contact with Steve as they reach for a breakfast muffin together. In their periphery, everyone else seems to have picked up on the notion too. There’s a touch of conjecture in everyone’s eyes except Jake’s, who happily kept rambling on with you. Curtis is as stoic as ever despite his inner turmoil and Ari hardens his features. Only Ransom seems to be in denial and conflicted at the implications of your knowledge. He remembers your level of expertise the day before and struggles with himself as the rest of the team silently continues eating.

You shouldn’t know about topics like this. Tele-delivery is a privilege exclusive to noble families and highly decorated merchants who sell the service.

Steve doesn’t want to be suspicious of you but you weren’t giving him much of a choice. You look like an ordinary girl, although much lovelier and sweeter than the ones he’s met so far, that didn’t mean you came from a noble or merchant family, right? Women born to those families are usually married off by your age… but how old were you? Slowly, Steve was beginning to realise just how little they know of you and it seems everyone was coming to the same realisation also.

Looking about the table, there’s a silent agreement that this topic not be brought up in front of you to keep you blissfully unaware. Steve doesn’t want to believe you’re an unsavoury character, nobody else does but they’re all conflicted. If you were going to harm them, you would have already done so by now, you’ve had plenty of chances already. You could have attacked them in their sleep or one by one when Curtis was escorting you and while Ransom was home alone with you the day before.

“Jake, why don’t you stay home today?” Ari cuts in, catching everyone’s attention and Steve’s alarmed stare. Ari will always be a deviating factor. He’s a team player but when it comes to the topic of you, he’s shown clear favouritism and a determination to keep you close. Although this was going against their plans the night before, Steve still trusts Ari. He needs to trust Ari. They’ve all been together for several years now and the trust they have for each other is impossible to break. Steve has never been led astray by trusting in his comrades’ intuition so, despite the growing suspicions surrounding you, he doesn’t protest and succumbs to observing what may happen.

What was Ari planning?

“Me? How come?” Jake asks, oblivious to what had just transpired within the team. Instinctively, he meets eyes with Steve, their Captain, asking for silent approval of the change. Steve gives an accepting nod.

“I need you to feedback on information from your library of books,” Jake immediately lights up and nods so eagerly that his teammates worried his head would detach from his neck.

“Oh! Sure! That’s a really good plan, Ari,” the broad-shouldered alpha smiles beneath his heavy beard, always an appreciator of his Beta’s laid-back approach. He claps the tech genius on the shoulder and shares a meaningful look with him, both already understanding their plans.

“I’ll be counting on you then,”

“What’s this about, Ari?” Steve searches the lumbering man’s eyes for a clue but is met with a soft, relaxed assurance translated into a lazy stare.

“Jake has an extensive library on magi-tech and artefacts that would be useful to have while I’m in the field. It’ll be easy to narrow down our search if he has access to the info here. Maybe we can find what we’re looking for much quicker if we do,”

After a long pause, Steve nods, “Very well, if you believe that’s what’s best,” Ari grins but doesn’t escape Steve’s suddenly sharp, narrowed eyes, “I’m trusting you, Ari,”

“Of course, Captain,” Ari nods, voice firm and expression suddenly more serious. That was confirmation enough for Steve to ignore Lloyd’s grumblings. It also seemed to be the perfect assurance for Curtis and Ransom, who had, undoubtedly, become entranced by you from the time you’ve spent together.

𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

As always, Steve is the first out with his packed lunch and you deliver his kiss on the cheek as sweetly as ever. In that brief moment, Steve allows himself to forget his suspicions of you, reasoning that acting normal was the best step forward to keep you oblivious to their growing wariness. It was worrying, however, how little he cared for the deep affection he was fostering for you.

“Have a good day, Steve. Please stay safe,” You’re too irresistibly precious that, although Steve knows it’s in his best interest to maintain his guard, he’s desperately hoping that you aren’t guilty of willfully deceiving them.

“And you as well,” the captain utters ever so softly, only for you to hear. His soft blue eyes linger on you for a moment before briefly glancing back at his team’s tech genius. “Look after Jake while we’re gone, okay?”

With a giggle, you nod, “Aye-Aye Captain!” it was a playful saying but you made it look and sound so adorable. You even teasingly saluted him. It wasn’t Steve’s fault that he couldn’t resist kissing your forehead as he left through the door.

Next up was Andy, who’s grown the habit of kissing your knuckles first before leaning in to savour his kiss on the cheek. “Take care, Andy,”

“Thank you, sweetheart,” there’s an emotion that flashes in the neat man’s azure eyes, one that you can’t quite place as he allows his stare to delicately float over you. He regrettably ignores your adorable and curious head tilt to finally head out whilst adjusting his cuffs. Try as he might, Andy can’t feel anything suspicious about you. In his many interrogations of guilty targets, he has never seen such incorrupt eyes. You have secrets but that didn’t mean you meant them any harm – that was his conclusion.

Ransom is the third up, pushing past Curtis, Ari and Lloyd, leaving the latter openly grumbling to himself whilst glaring at the group’s machiavellian Beta. Rather than lean down for a kiss, Ransom holds your face in both of his hands and searches your innocuously bewildered expression.

“Ran–?” you voice but he presses your cheeks together, puffing out your lips in a way that makes your spoken words incoherent. His eyes are narrowed into a judging expression but there’s no malice in his stare. In all of his work as the group’s covert agent, he’s never been more perplexed by a person. You’re too unguarded and virtuous to deal any real harm to them and he can tell you don’t have ill intentions just by the look in your eyes so…why does the mystery surrounding your identity irk him so much?

“Sorry…” Ransom frivolously bats away the grumbling complaints of his teammates as they grow impatient behind him. You’ve brought your hands up to hold onto his wrists as he slowly eases the pressure mushing your cheeks together.

“I’ll see you soon, Ran, please be safe,”

No…There’s no way you’re dangerous — not when you’re smiling up at him like that.

Ransom is tempted to kiss your sweet lips but refrains at the last moment, your lips brushing against each other as he swiftly moves to kiss your cheek instead. He silently leaves your flustered state with a hidden smirk. Aghast by the display, Ari rushes forward and guides your eyes to meet his by tilting your chin up with his fingers.

“You’re not kissing him before me, are you, beautiful girl?” Ari almost growls in annoyance. He loves his teammates but he’s grown a slight possessiveness over you and the idea of being the first to embrace your pretty lips. It’s unhealthy, he knows it, especially when he’s been aiming to form an official pack so he forces himself to calm down. He controls his breathing and tempers his gaze but keeps your chin tilted toward him.

“Don’t be silly Ari…” you look to the side in embarrassment, “everyone gets a kiss,” the implications of your innocent words aren’t lost on him and, although his mind starts racing with flashing images, Ari chuckles lightheartedly at the prospect.

“You’re always so fair, darlin’...” he begins to lean down and aims straight for your lip as his words become a whisper, “I love that so much about you,”

“Oi!” Ari gets shoved aside just as his lips brush against yours but is too slow in securing the embrace. In his place, Lloyd stands, huffing and puffing.

“This isn’t some fairy tale princess kissing her prince type shit. We need to fuck off to work so stop holding up the line!” Lloyd glares as Ari simply laughs at him, not a trace of annoyance on his features despite the rude interruption.

“Lloyd–” Your sweet call of his name immediately steals Lloyd’s attention and everyone watches his figure bend down to accommodate your short height. He does it too quickly to backtrack from remembering breakfast and the uncertainty surrounding your character. He didn’t plan on accepting your kiss but now he had no choice; his body had him doing the opposite.

“Gimme my kiss then, I don’t have all day,” with a smile, thoroughly enjoying the grumpy man’s crabby facade, you rise to your toes and kiss him on the cheek. You know he wants to pull away quickly but you trap him by holding his cheek in place. Somehow, you wanted to affectionately dote on this grumpy man and it amused you to see his reactions each time — his ears always become such a bright pink. “H-hurry up, woman! I don’t have all day for this!” you smile into his cheek and prolong it a little more before finally pulling away.

As Lloyd grouches to himself with your lunchbox tightly clutched in his hand, Ari tries to make his way back to you for another kiss on the cheek. The bearded man is already puckering his lips in a mock kiss, clearly trying to push Lloyd’s buttons and succeeds when he barely makes it to you thanks to Lloyd yanking him away by the collar. Ari laughs and teases Lloyd as you giggle at the display.

Curtis silently comes up to you while distracted and hugs your waist so that when he stands to his full height, he lifts you with him. Smiling down at the mercenary, you hug him around the shoulders and allow him to press his face into your neck where he’s reminded of your intimate moment at the village square and savours the calming effects your fragrance has on him.

“Please take care, Curt,” you whisper into his ear and he grunts, stoic as ever when you pull away. You take a moment to caress his cheek with your hand and look into his steel-grey eyes before sweetly kissing his cheek. You then kiss his forehead and utter your wishes (“I hope you have a good day,”) against his skin.

“We’ll be home soon…” Curtis utters gently in his rough voice after finally setting you down. He walks out to join the rest of the mercenaries and you wave at them with a bright smile as they leave. You don’t stop waving until they can no longer be seen through the trees. When you finally turn back into the cottage, however, you’re met with Jake, who has his arms wide open for you to run into if you please.

“E-even though I’m not going out today…Can I still get a kiss too? Please?” he asks with a pout but grins brightly when you nod and run over to fall into his arms. Easily, you press a kiss to his cheek and move to pull away when— “Can I have another one?” he wasn’t satisfied with just one cheek being kissed and, thankfully, you were willing to appease him. “Can I get two more?” you give him a look but when he utters the magic word ‘please’, you can’t possibly say no. “A-and just one more?--”

“Oh Jake!” he giggles freely and mischievously, relishing in the idea that he’s the first person to see you so adorably faux-frustrated. You give him one final kiss anyway and leave him feeling like he’s walking on air. Never before had such a beautiful lady indulged in his antics the way you did. There’s no animosity coming from you, only acceptance and affection.

Life can’t get better than this~

𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

Jake had a self-collated library all about magic, artefacts and modern tech in his room. It was a personal collection he was rather proud of and eager to finally store on physical shelves and admire freely. He always felt rather pleased with himself when he looked upon the collection, many of his editions were special, annotated with auxiliary details by the original authors themselves. He’s even personally written several of the observation journals within the collection. They were never officially published and purely stemmed from his interests. So proud he was of his collection that he couldn’t resist bringing down the books to show you. He would have happily brought down more but limited himself only to the relevant material needed for his coordinated search with Ari. He’s confident you’ll be able to keep up with his musings the same way you did during breakfast.

He’s so excited!

Getting to talk to such a beautiful and intelligent lady with a honey-esque voice and kind warmth was heaven on earth for a loser Beta like him. Jake knows that, compared to his other teammates, he barely stacks up but you treat him fairly and with the same sweetness. He never feels left out around you. In his eyes, you glow like the sun. Even more so now that he knows you’re just as interested in magi-tech as him. Have the gods made a more perfect woman than you?...

You promised to look over his books with him after you cleaned up the kitchen and did some of the laundry, which was perfect considering Ari was on call with him that morning. Jake expertly coordinated the search with the lumbering man who took on-site images of any potential artefacts and swiftly copied any paper trails that could prove useful to their mission. Thanks to Ari’s suggestion that Jake stay home for the day, it was much easier to reference certain aspects of the artefacts they were looking for and focus their search efforts.

The morning was a fruitful and busy one. As the grandfather clock’s face gradually reached noon, Ari called off the search and promised to feedback to Jake when he finally returned to base and had lunch to refuel him. Jake was then reminded of his carefully prepared lunch and the growling of his stomach. He finds it far too easy to get caught up in their operations, especially when it concerns a topic he was so passionate about.

“Don’t worry about me and eat your lunch, Jake,” you assure, stepping into the kitchen with your apron on, “I’ll make something simple but yummy for my lunch today and I’ll join you in a bit,”

“Okay,” Jake concedes, no longer feeling as guilty for starting his lunch first but still expecting a call from Ari —if not during lunch then after. While your back is turned, he goofily smiles at the note you had written and suppresses the urge to fall back and kick his legs in the air. "Just a small reminder: you make the world a better place."

Despite the wariness fostered by your seemingly innocuous exchange with Jake that morning, the mercenaries still made the time to regroup at their city-centre base to eat your lunch together. It’s become a silent ritual now. Nobody spoke a word in a collective attempt to evade their propagating scepticism of you. For now, all they wanted to do was guiltlessly savour your palatable cooking again, maybe even for the last time – that was a thought they all shared but one that didn’t comfort them, not even Lloyd, who silently opened his boxed lunch first.

“I hope this lunch helps you conquer your day…” Lloyd mutters to himself. Rather than store away your note as he had always done, he crumples it in his hand, motivated by the lingering bitterness of unwarranted betrayal in his chest. Nothing about you is confirmed but that didn’t mean your words and actions weren’t dubious – Lloyd knew he shouldn’t have allowed himself to get soft like this, that was his mistake. He beats himself up mentally for being unable to resist you that morning and dreads the notion that it may be too late for him despite his denials. The merc no longer felt hungry but ate your lovingly prepared lunch anyway. It would be a waste otherwise.

“A tasty pick-me-up for my favourite person,” Ransom smiles down at your sweet note and carefully savours his lunch. He doesn’t want to be stubborn about you, he knows that you’re a good person; his doubts can’t be easily shaken now.

“Today’s special ingredient: all my love,” Ari bites down on his lower lip hard. The squeal of joy he was tempted to let out at that moment would be too embarrassing, especially for an over 6-foot, heavily bearded alpha like him. He eagerly digs into his lunch and happily awaits his call with Jake. Maybe if he hurries, he can put in his call for feedback before the mid-day debrief and everyone leaves to resume their missions.

Andy enjoys reading his notes from you in his head, only whispering it to himself aloud when he reads it the first time. He likes to read your note a few more times before finally relenting to his aching stomach, “Every bite is proof of how much I care,” It’s hard not to smile while eating your delicious food. It tastes better when he ignores all the sour uncertainties about you.

Curtis rarely smiles but the mercs are treated to his rare, chaste grins every time he reads your lunch note. The stoic guard resists the urge to look up and face his smiling teammates whenever he does — he cares deeply for you but you getting him to smile is quite flustering, "Lunch made with love for someone who’s truly special." Curtis doesn’t believe he will ever grow accustomed to your sweet gestures but he doesn’t mind.

Steve tries to ignore your note this time, knowing that it’ll make him smile and his heart flood with warmth. He knows that he must avoid your affection at all costs, he needs to remain the most level-headed amongst his team. However, just as he’s finishing up his last few bites, the guilt has already weighed down his stomach significantly and he can’t resist reading your elegant handwritten note for the day, "I thought of you while making this—hopefully it’s as wonderful as you are!" Steve would be a monster if he didn’t smile at your sweet words and, thankfully, he isn’t one.

In his periphery, Ari sees the team diligently packing up their lunches to sit around the main table with Steve. Their mid-day debrief was drawing near and he rushed to call Jake. He turns his voice up to be heard aloud by everyone else.

Lunch finished later than usual for you but quickly got back to sewing beside Jake as soon as possible. While you sew, Jake takes diligent notes on a spare pad of paper, drawing from the open books piled up around him. His gaze remains focused, silent and studious, it was a side you rarely saw in the goofy, excitable Beta but was one you appreciated seeing in him. Smiling to yourself, you return your attention to your sewing just as Jake’s small shell-shaped magi-tech device rings atop the coffee table. He reaches out to answer it and Ari’s voice filters into the empty air.

“Afternoon Ari! How’s work?” Jake begins with an unfaltering grin.

“Afternoon Jake, it’s all good,” Ari happily greets over the specialised device, “How’s the weather at the cottage?” Report on current affairs.

“We have some clouds,” There’s company who can hear. The mercenaries tense up knowing that you’re near enough to pick up on their conversation. Ari and Jake will have to keep their dialogue highly censored so as not to reveal anything. Andy can easily hop on the call and take over as he was the better speaker but only Ari and Jake had adequate knowledge of the magical artefacts so they were better suited to conversing.

“I see, it’s been cloudy here too,” Everyone can hear. “At least there’s no rain,” the two lightly chuckle, “Did you get a chance to water the peonies as I asked?” Speak cautiously.

“Not yet, but I will in a bit,” Jake carefully eyes you in his periphery and almost sags in relief when you’re too engrossed with mending Steve’s torn-up shirt. “The peonies will be watered generously but I could never do a better job than you,” It’s safe. I’ll keep you informed. Hearing Jake’s assurance, the mercenaries relax ever so slightly. Due to their limited codes, it’s hard to pinpoint how safe it was to speak openly but they trust their Beta. They’ve all survived off of their trust in each other, if Jake says it’s safe, then it’s safe.

“Just don’t overdo it,” Ari replies, slightly worried for his carefully grown peonies. To ensure you don’t grow suspicious, Jake will have to water his peonies at the front of the cottage later on but their tech genius doesn’t have the greenest of thumbs — whatever, this was for the team. He can always grow more peonies but he can’t sabotage everyone’s final mission to secure retirement.

After some time passes, Jake suddenly groans in frustration and momentarily distracts you from the sewing, “⏤Replicas have been made and it’s making things very difficult,” your attention is immediately stolen, quickly prompting Jake to snap his head towards you and smile with his teeth.

“Sorry about that, princess. I didn’t mean to worry you, just a little stressed out about work,” Jake apologises, making it obvious to the rest of the team that you were actively listening now and they silently thanked him for it. Especially Ari; the alpha didn’t want his pack to turn their backs on you, not when they’ve barely given you a chance. You may still be a total mystery but that didn’t eliminate the knowing feeling in his chest and the instinctual pull he had towards you.

“Replicas?” you ask before you can stop yourself. At the slightly uncomfortable look on Jake’s face, you bite your lip guiltily, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop like that.”

“It’s alright,” Jake rubs the back of his head bashfully. “H-How much did you hear?”

“Only the end bit, about the replicas. Are you doing some sort of investigation on replica artefacts and tech?” you ask with an adorable head tilt that made Jake’s heart pound like crazy.

“I-I guess you could say that,”

“Wow, that sounds very important. You must work on a lot of forgery cases from all the notes you’ve made,” you nod towards his tireless notations and heavy books.

“Haha! Guilty. The winner deserves a prize~” he teases to which you playfully bat at his shoulder. You’re smiling as if you’re not bothered at all by that deduction so he runs with it and makes sure the team is well-informed of this: follow along. Jake has to remind himself to school his features first. He can’t bring himself to meet your eyes normally anymore. He felt like an utter criminal for lying to your face like this. So he focuses his attention back on his messy array of notes and books.

“What artefacts or tech are you looking into? Maybe I can help?” From breakfast, Jake can tell you have an expansive knowledge of magi-tech and artefacts. He knows he should think the decision over more but his words are spilling past his lips before he can think to stop himself.

“That would be great! Thanks!” Jake’s brow suddenly becomes sweaty as he reaches for a worn book with aged pages left open at a particular spread. The movement draws your eyes to the illustration displayed on the two-page spread.

“Oh…” Jake raises a brow at your shocked expression, “For such an ancient artefact to have replicas is astounding…” you utter to yourself, loud enough for your voice to reach Ari and the rest of the team, who were anxiously listening in on you and Jake. They opted for staying quiet so that you divulge as much information as possible. Knowledge is power, no matter the source.

“You know this artefact?”

“It has such a rich history, I’m surprised not many more people know of it,”

Jake chuckles in slight embarrassment, “I only have these old artefacts books on it. And modern tech books aren’t much help; I left those upstairs,”

“It’s alright,” you assure with kind understanding, “It’s one of the oldest artefacts but back then information on it was scarce since the owners didn’t want to divulge too much,”

“How do you know all this?”

You shrug your shoulders and look away shyly, “You’d be surprised at what kind of information you’ll find on the same thing but from a different genre. History books are better at knowing the origins of these artefacts more than these magic books, they are more for showcasing its mechanisms and specifications,” Jake nods along, leaning towards you ever so slightly.

“That makes sense,”

“It’s a beautiful piece of magical technology, one of the first of its kind – hence the ‘artefact’ classification. And, despite its dark past, it led to a massive turning point in history,” You begin to retell your teachings from the generous staff who had taught you behind the Queen’s back. Ernest and Abigail kept your mind sharp and well-learned from the many books the royal library held. Abraham, the palace mage also helped educate you, specifically on your magic capabilities and especially on this history of magic, artefacts and modern magi-tech. He thought for sure that he would no longer be needed at the palace; with no King to aid in magic and a Queen with no desire to support the true heir, he was ready to pack his bags. However, the Queen regularly appeared before him with questions on magic so he could stay. Grateful for the mercenaries’ generosity in letting you stay, you happily provided Jake with the same teachings of Abraham.

An incredible amount of years ago, many people detested those with magical abilities and for good reason. The ability to control and use magic freely came at a heavy price, soul corruption. Over time, an individual with magical abilities would become selfish, greedy, violent and unloving towards others — the human heart and soul can be easily degraded by magic, but not certain metals and other materials. Once that was learned, powerful sorcerers imbued their magic into ordinary objects which would then become magical artefacts.

Jake eagerly listened, as did his teammates on the connecting side of the magi-tech device they were using.

However, there was a small group of people who didn’t get corrupted by the magic ability they were gifted with. The modern-day royal family are the descendants of those same people. It seemed that these individuals were gifted with a high affinity and tolerance for magic, granting them power to rule over the kingdoms. They proved themselves worthy rulers by creating artefacts that protected an entire city of people. Those same artefacts stand to this day, all located at the central point of each kingdom’s capital. The rulers’ natural talents were never challenged nor their rule, thus starting the monarchy.

However, anomalies with magical power did occur within and outside the royal bloodline. And without an explanation, many wrongdoings were committed.

“Because magical prowess became an exclusive trait to the royal family, those who had magical powers but were not born into royalty were treated poorly and executed. But, if you remember, before the monarchy was ever established, others were also gifted with magical affinities. Now that it’s exclusive only to royals, those who weren’t were punished.” you and Jake shared a sad look, “The reasoning was so that the magic user doesn’t get corrupted by their magic but it can’t be denied that magic had become such an exclusive privilege of the royal families that pride was also a factor,” Jake shakes his head in disappointment. His love for magic, artefacts and magi-tech made the history you were telling him hard to swallow. He can understand why this wasn’t common knowledge, although…such rich historical books were also hard to come by…

“It also didn’t help that we, as humans, have a bad habit of gossiping about strange events in search of an explanation. The ‘anomaly’ of a ‘commoner’ having magical abilities was so taboo that it warranted execution, especially when rumours began to spread that those high-magic-affinity people were the illegitimate children of the royal family. Nowadays, it’s no longer stigmatised as it’s been extrapolated that some individuals are just more magically inclined than others. But this was only after King Kloros.”

“What about him?”

“King Kloros was found to be infertile later in life when his five-year-old son, Prince Leto, was found to have no magical powers. Usually, royal children display magic as young as a month old but five years is the benchmark. Since Prince Leto wasn’t magically inclined even at five years of age, the King confronted the mirror of Aleth, named after the Sorceress and Queen Alethea who created the mirror to tell only truths when asked a question. It was found that Prince Leto was not his true son at all but was born out of his Queen consort’s affair. Outraged, King Kloros banished his Queen Consort, he could no longer look into Queen Consort Anwir’s eyes. To the surprise of many, he kept Prince Leto as his heir; he had grown to see the boy as his true son already. He also knew wouldn’t be able to have a son of his own anyway but wanted an heir regardless. Years later, however, Prince Leto, at 7 years of age, developed magical abilities regardless of his heritage and that was when King Kloros decided to banish prejudice against all magic users, vowing to find ways to prevent his son from being corrupted by the magic. It was found that as long as magic users practised the flow of magic within them and released them into objects regularly, they were less likely to be corrupted, which is why most sorcerers help create magi-tech products or participate in healing the sick,”

“Thank goodness for that,” Jake voiced playfully after thanking you and you both giggled. With scrutiny, Jake focused on the ancient pages showcasing the Mirror of Aleth, “But I do wonder… why don’t more people know about the mirror despite its influence on King Kloros and, therefore, the world as they knew it,” Jake mumbles to himself.

“It’s probably because it only did one thing. Yes, it generated a huge wave of influence but that ‘huge wave’ completely masked its original impact.” Jake nods beside you, “I also read somewhere that it only responded to true descendants, as in, the royal family so it’s been kept securely at the Okisha Kingdom’s Palace vault. As honourable people, they like the use the artefact’s abilities sparingly — they understand how damaging it is to know all truths, hence why Queen Alethea made sure the mirror only responded to descendants of the royal family,” All mercenaries tensed at the mention of their client but only for a millisecond; you were only reciting your knowledge. The intel they were given by the Okisha Kingdom’s mage was very lacking compared to your intelligence. However, that only made them more curious and cautious of you.

You move to continue your sewing but Jake, hypnotised by your voice and knowledgable insight, hurries to keep you talking, “Would you know how to identify the real one from a replica?”

His words make you think in silence as all of the listening men await your words with bated breath. Steve, Andy, Jake and Ari anticipate what your valuable intelligence may provide them in their mission, preferring to disregard their suspicions for the time being. Curtis and Ransom look at each other momentarily and keep their ears perked as well. Lloyd, however, tries to tune out your voice as much as possible; he feels a pang of sickening betrayal every time you innocently add to their suspicions because how could you possibly know all this bullshit?!

“I would first consider why replicas are being made — potentially to throw off whoever’s wanting to snatch the original, a decoy perhaps?” that’s a line of thinking you would rather return to at a later time for its many possibilities, “And then I would think about what the most telling signs would be of a fake…” you gesture to Jake’s open book and politely ask if you could touch it; you only do so after he gives a nod of permission. With that simple but considerate gesture, Jake thinks you’re even more of an angel now — he’s head over heels! He doesn’t allow just anyone to touch his prized possessions lightly but he trusts your delicate hands. “Notice how the mirror is made of only precious materials?” Jake nods eagerly, ecstatic to know you were just as vigilant as him in that observation. He hopes you can give him some sort of explanation as to why that is; he has his personal theories but they’re only that, theories. Another’s insight, especially from one who’s as knowledgable as you is very valuable. “Do you know why most ancient artefacts are only made with precious metals?”

“Not a clue,”

“It’s because magic can corrode materials as much as it can a person’s heart and soul. Precious metals are precious because they corrode very very very slowly, to the point that it’s barely noticeable. Nowadays, all magi-tech products only need to be installed with imbued magic crystals to work,” Jake has a eureka moment in his head and restrains himself from jumping on you with a scream of joy. That’s a better explanation than anything he’s come up with before. And is one he can use when training or creating his own magi-tech devices after his retirement with the boys.

“That’s amazing! All we have to do is see if the materials are made of precious metals or not!”

“Exactly!”

𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

Jake and Ari were able to make progress with their specific mission thanks to your precious intel. Ari stiffly worded his gratitude over the device and swiftly ended the call, leaving Jake to bite at his already short nails. Unphased, you returned to sewing Steve’s shirt. Glancing at the grandfather clock, it was still early afternoon so keep with your sewing but regularly glance at the clockface so that you don’t start on dinner too late. While you did that, Jake was drowning Ari’s peonies from anxiety. The tech genius can only imagine what his team would do as soon as they arrived home for dinner that night. He tends to lose track of many things when magic, artefacts and magi-tech are involved so he could hardly restrain himself when you talked overtly about the ancient artefact with Ari and the boys on the other end. As you revealed everything you knew to him, you also revealed it all to his teammates. It’s safe to say that he was expecting the worst-ever reaction from them.

He’ll protect you with his life! Even against his own! He loved the team but he’s never felt such a strong connection to someone else before. You’re the first lady to ever turn his way without a judgemental look in your eyes; you’re not dissuaded by his dorkiness and zealous interest in magic, you lean into it and happily discuss the topic with him. You’re a rare jewel he would rather sacrifice his life for than ever part with.

Jake slowly loses himself in thoughts of you and your wonderfulness. He was just beginning to smile goofily when he was subtly alerted by a breach in the barrier. They were home early! Rushing inside, Jake beelines it to you.

“Jake?” you ask with a slight tilt of your head as if to say, ‘What’s wrong?’. Jake knows what’s wrong but he’s not going to tell you anything. You stand when Jake keeps striding towards you without a word. You don’t know what to expect but it’s not to be lifted from the ground and into his arms as if you weighed nothing.

“There’s no time, Princess!” Jake turns on his heel and steps towards the back of the house but freezes up when the front door slams open. You gasp and jump ever so slightly in his arms from freight but smile over his shoulder at the sight of the mercenaries arriving in the living room with their shoes still on.

“You’re home early, today,” you beam from over Jake’s shoulder, “how was work? I’m afraid I don’t have dinner ready yet–”

“Quiet!” Steve commands firmly and in a volume that shakes the cottage walls. His eyes are like dull, blue stones, cold and hard as they drill into you. It sends a chill down your spine, “Turn around and put her down, Jake,” Jake turns but doesn’t let you go, only holding you closer.

“Sorry Cap,” Jake apologises without any meaning, “I’m afraid I can’t do that,” Ari smiles at the gesture and nods in approval from his place beside Ransom.

“Put. Her. Down. Now!”

“No!”

“Wh-what’s going on?” you whisper, blinking back tears from the frightening visage of Steve. He was always so kind and warm to be around; this is the first time you’ve ever seen him so loud and cold.

“She’s not a bad person, Captain!”

“Then who is she?!” Lloyd barks from Steve’s right, stepping forward to sneer at you with much more animosity than you’re used to. His confrontational step forward makes you reel back and turn away from him in fear, “Tell us your real name!” Your obvious fright makes Lloyd stutter ever so slightly but protecting him and his mismatched pack will always be his top priority, not you.

“I-I have told you my real name!” you defend, wrapping your arms around Jake’s neck and leaning into him for comfort.

“You’re scaring her, Lloyd!” Ransom counters, stepping out of the group to stand closer to you and Jake. Curtis does the same but silently, his tall, broad stature as imposing and dangerous as ever. The two have been able to see your true character in the time they’ve spent with you — even though you have secrets, that doesn’t mean you were untrustworthy; everyone has secrets.

“It doesn’t matter if she’s the thief!” Lloyd points an accusing finger at you.

“She’s not the thief!”

“You don’t know that!”

“And what makes you think you do?!”

“ENOUGH!” Lloyd and Ransom looked ready to shout at each other until the sun rose again if it weren’t for Ari cutting in. “Screaming and arguing with each other isn’t going to sort anything out! Plus our angel isn’t any less frightened!” Ari steps up to stand beside your curled-up form in Jake’s arms. “If she meant any harm, she would have done something by now. She deserves to have a say,” Ari gives a pointed look at Andy who smiles at the bittersweet notion that the heavily bearded alpha chose now to recite his personal philosophy.

Everyone turns to Steve, who contemplates the situation. A long pause draws out for what feels like an eternity before their Captain finally turns to their negotiator.

“Andy?” Steve asks. He truly can see things going two ways. He was ready to kick you out for the betterment of his pack but seeing Jake, Ari, Ransom and Curtis firmly standing at your side made him second-guess himself. Trust in the team. Lloyd was too heated. Andy was the only other level-headed Alpha he could fully rely on.

“...Let her speak for herself, Captain,” Andy can’t shake Ari’s reminder of his personal values. With a bit of work, his teammate could make for a great negotiator, “She deserves to have a say,”

Steve nods and meets your eyes with a hard but warmer stare, “Tell us the truth,”

Not seeing a way out, you nod and bite your lip with some insecurity. “Alright…”

navi. | series masterlist | seven. the lumbering repairman →

a/n : this is a pretty long chapter, primarily because of the world-building lore I wove into it. I hope you enjoyed it and the read. The series is slowly getting more interesting so things will pick up from here. Look forward to future updates hehe~ In the meantime, Happy holidays, my darlings!

If you're interested, here's a little note on the names involved in the lore drop:

Chloe, the name, means 'fertility' and is derived from the Greek name Khlóros - I took the ‘h’ out to sort of take away from that meaning somehow and better fit the infertile king.

Leto, the name, means 'hidden' and has Greek and Latin origins

Alethea, the name, means 'truth' and has Greek roots

Anwir, the name, is Welsh, meaning 'liar'

taglist : @imyourbratzdoll @lovinglimerence @saturdayrj @baw1066 @whereismymindnow @urmomw4ntsme @oneandonlybbygrl

[jamneuromain]

Another Man's Poison - Part 2

Curtis Everett x You

Warning: Shifter!Curtis Everett, Shifter!Reader, wolf transformation,

Summary: You have accidentally come across a scheme that could shatter your shifter clan and your life. Unable to think of any way to stay away from this catastrophe, you turn to Curtis for help.

W/C: 3k

Part 1 | One Man's Meat M. List

The transformation ceremony awaits.

You and the Maximoff twins are stripped until only a sports bra and shorts are left, the bare minimum to cover your skin, standing in the middle of the forest, facing the moonlight.

Margo, being the perky princess she always is, refused to wear so little in the middle of the fucking August, the most scorching time of the year, and chose to have a large T-shirt to cover her body instead.

“Don’t be afraid of your wolf.” Paul remains in his human form, reassuring you four youngsters as the Maximoff twins tremble in either the chilliness of the earth, or the fear of transformation, “Hear it. Tune into it. Unleash it. Your wolf is a part of you as much as your limb or your eyes.”

A few wolves pace around the circle of the ceremony. You recognize Halden and Jason in their wolf form, protecting the perimeter. Sam, being the younger brother of Paul, stands in the circle of pack members, as always. Your parents are here too, watching you with encouraging eyes.

You take a deep breath and feel inside.

Nothing.

As if your wolf is sleeping.

Looks like the plan is on the right track.

The extremely reckless and frankly stupid plan, as Curtis calls it, involves you drinking a carefully measured vial of potion made from Wolfsbane and other herbs. Temporarily reducing your wolf's connection to the moon, hoping it would stop you from turning into one during the ceremony.

Margo, unexpectedly, as you zone out for a moment, is the first to transform.

It starts with a pained yelp, and her body crawls onto the ground, arms and legs are covered by brown fur. When she finally stands, on her four legs, she transforms fully into a large wolf, howling to the moon.

It is at that moment, when Jason and Halden attack from either side of the circle of shifters. Aiming at Paul. Margo, as well as a handful of families, joins them in their wolf form. Others, such as the Maximoff twins, shield themselves from the chaos and the riot.

Snarling. Growling. Whimpering.

While you begin to run.

Run as fast as you could. Run as if you are going to leave all of this behind you.

Twigs snap at your feet. Sharp leaves cut into your skin.

Something briefly makes your heart jump. Not the kind of squirrels or birds that spread their tails or flap their wings all of a sudden. Not the kind of scare that startles you for a second.

No.

Something from the inside. From the bottom of your heart.

Something that … is disturbed. Is cocooned. Wanting to come out. Waiting to come out.

You stop. Leaning onto a large tree trunk. Catching your breath.

You are no expert but you know whatever frightened you wasn’t normal.

It was your wolf. Sensing possible danger and threat. It was disturbed from the slumber you put it – her in.

Not there yet. You tell yourself. If you let go right now, the wolfsbane toxin still lingers in your blood. It could make you and your wolf hurt.

You take a deep breath and lower your heartbeat. You cannot afford your wolf to come out.

Not yet.

Not until you have drunk the antidote in Curtis’ place.

A rustling noise comes from your left, which instinctively forces you to run. Run to the only place you feel safe.

Run to Curtis.

The cabin stands in the middle of the forest, on the very edge of Wilford’s and Paul’s territory. Warm yellow glow shines from the porch, shining from the creek between the door and the door frame, suggesting someone – most likely Curtis – was waiting for your arrival.

You almost break Curtis’ door open before closing it. Panting. Supporting your body weight on the wooden planks that form the door. As Curtis shoves a small vial in your hands.

“Drink.” That’s all he says.

You take his word for it, downing the vial in one gulp, and almost immediately your blood bubbles like five liters of Spritz in your veins. The poisonous wolfsbane evaporates out of every pore on your skin, dissolving into harmless air.

“Better?” His cold blue eyes focus on you, handing you a large bath towel as you almost collapse on his chair, gesturing you to wipe the sweat off your body, “I calculated the dosage. The antidote should outweigh the poison, leaving a little behind to wake your wolf.”

You could have possibly broken a marathon record just now, but at this precise moment, you are too tired to speak, only nod as a reply. You take the towel off his hands, wrapping it around your body, and gently dabbing it on your face. You can feel the sweat streaming down on the edge of your eyebrows.

The towel has a faint scent on it. You are sure it doesn’t smell like Curtis, but something softer.

Lilac.

Catching your breath, you tear your mind from the topic of what kind of laundry detergent he uses, and turn to the more urgent one at hand: “The connection – my wolf,” you pause briefly, trying to recall the jump in your heart, “it stirs a little on my way here, is it alright?”

Curtis grabs a few vials from the kitchen table, nearly knocking down a few glass equipment as he prepares for your ceremony. He sighs, lightly shaking his head, “I not sure … to be honest. We will only have to wait. If she pops out, no harm no foul.”

“And if not?”

Curtis bears his eyes into yours, “If she doesn’t come out by morning, then we will both be in trouble.”

Your body can feel it. It is being called to at the wrong time, the wrong place. The moon is dropping low by the second and the right time has passed. The right time was hours ago.

Thirty minutes until the moon descends completely, you must get the wolf out.

Curtis paces around you.

"Sit down, will you? It's not like my wolf is counting your steps and waiting for the right number." You snap at him, despite knowing that you have dragged him into this mess in the first place. A little snarl slips out of your lips. Your wolf spirit is awakening, but not quite yet. Not quite there to unleash your wolf form.

Curtis has his gaze zeroing in on you. His eyes narrow for a split second before pushing two words out of his clenched teeth:

"Excuse me?"

You have been sitting on the ground for over an hour now. You have tried running, stomping, jumping around, almost everything you can do to alleviate your heartbeat and wake up your wolf. But deep down, the inside of your body has been awfully quiet.

On the other hand, Curtis has intimidated you enough regarding the topic of “what would happen if your wolf won’t come out”. There is a good chance of your wolf never waking up because the wolfsbane poison is too strong. A slim possibility would be your wolf acting out in the wrong place and at the wrong time, similar to how patients wake up from their coma. But nothing is for certain.

According to Curtis, his wolf woke when he stumbled into the woods after running away from his family. It was early, he had just reached the age of 18. And he had no pack alongside him for this process. He shifted quite painfully and nearly caused a stir in the nearby village if it were not for him running into a large tree trunk and knocking himself out cold.

"Excuse me?"

His words reach your ears, his eyes spark a glimpse of a reddish-gold, his hissing pushes and pokes you even further.

With your emotions on edge, there is no way you would slip past this chance to shove his stupid ass into his stupidly handsome face.

“Well, excuse you, but I’m trying to let my wolf out here. So, unless you have a better idea, kindly shut up and let me think.”

“It’s not about thinking.” He snaps back.

“Thanks, genius. Not sure how that’s gonna help.”

You are normally not like this. Angered. Agitated. You are kind and sweet, most of the time, and that’s why Curtis decided to help you. At least it’s one of the reasons.

His blue eyes spare you a glance.

“It’s about tapping into your raw emotions. Your primal instincts. The wolf spirit inside is all about the wilderness, not critical analysis.” He takes a deep breath to calm himself, pointing to his chest as an example, “Feel her here.”

“There’s nothing there!” You cry out due to visible frustration, “I can’t feel a goddamn thing!”

“That’s because you’re not trying hard enough!” He shouts.

“Well, maybe you killed it!” You scream.

A growl.

A growl and there is a jet-black wolf instead of Curtis.

His clothes tore off. His nose twitched. His fangs bared. What remained Curtis is the crystal blue eyes that are practically glaring daggers at you.

Another growl. And you assume he’s cursing in wolf vocabulary.

He – the wolf steps forward. And another growl rumbles from his large body. His snout is dangerously close to your face. If you run, there’s a good chance he rips your head off your shoulders.

But that riles you up even more.

“Don’t you fucking dare yell at me!” You shout back, feeling your heart is about to explode as your anger and the surge of your boiling blood travels down your limbs, “It’s not my fault that-”

Sharp claws land on the ground instead of your own hands, stopping your single-side shouting match and your thoughts as well. It’s silver, like the moon – though your sight feels different, taking a more yellowish color than your human vision. You can see more from the front and less from the sides. And your tail, it feels heavy. But natural, as you sway it like you have seen the puppies do. Your bones, your fur-coated skin, your strong legs. Everything feels new and … different.

Curtis takes a few steps back without you noticing – as you have said, your wolf side-vision is practically shit – and approaches you again in small, calculated steps.

His snout brushes the fur on your neck, sniffing you carefully.

A noise that is close to a snarl escape your lips – your snout. The anger is still running through your bloodstream, so you huff and turn, slapping his chest with your tail.

Curtis grunts in return, trotting up to sink his teeth into your fur. Not really to hurt you, but, you take a wild guess, to assert dominance.

You grumble a few dark words under your breath. You doubt you can speak “wolf”, but your ducking and escaping his bite certainly adds to the obvious fact that you won’t accept his lead.

Shaking your body like you have just emerged from the water, you put some distance between you and Curtis. There’s a tiny voice inside that yips “BITE HIM BACK” and you are fairly certain that’s your wolf. But you do your best to ignore it.

After all, you know that it is his effort that you and your wolf are intact, safe, and secure.

Curtis takes another careful step towards you, and you start to run.

Strong bones and muscles support your large wolf form, carrying you sprinting on the edge of pack territories. Your paws digging into the dirt, your nose twitching for peculiar scents in the forest, and your eyes focusing on your tracks.

Curtis catches up in just a few seconds, running along with you, bumping into your body, whether the act is out of deliberateness is unclear, but you bump into him as well.

You slow your steps into trotting, playfully trying to bite his neck. He yawns, nibbling on your front leg as an act of defiance. Somehow, it has ended up in a strangle. You tackle him on the ground, sprawling over him like it is a blanket instead of a wolf underneath. His teeth are bare and a little rumbling is simmering down his throat before he flips you over easily, howling to the moon – while the moon is practically nowhere to be seen as the sky turns a lighter shade of blue.

You take the chance and shrink to your human form, mounting on him easily as you have been living in the woods your whole life. You are more or less of a climber, which makes you giggle in triumph as you lie on his back and grip his dark fur tightly, just in case he decides to flip you over again.

He freezes.

His soft black fur wraps around your body like a second skin, which your brain realizes, in hindsight, that you ripped through your clothes during the sudden transformation, and now you are lying stripped naked on his back. On Curtis’ back.

Embarrassment floods your face as you bury your burning cheeks into his back deeper, mumbling, “Could you please take me back? I don’t have any clothes on …”

Curtis does not reply, but his action speaks for him. He turns in the direction from which you came and starts jogging towards his place.

You didn’t run very far at the beginning, and it doesn’t take long as Curtis stops at where you transformed.

You jump to the ground from his back, hurriedly covering your body with the large towel he brought in his backpack and shrugging his jacket over your shoulders. Shoes are a bummer, as you left them in your home, and the soft soil under your feet does not bother you to put some shoes on.

Curtis, now fully returned to his human form, takes his clothes to put them on behind a tree, emerging a few seconds later, dressed in a grey T-shirt and a pair of jeans.

Expecting to put the awkward ride behind your head, you whisper a soft “Thank you” and ask, “By the way, that thing you mentioned, the one possibility where the transformation could have less audience, why … or what is that? Is it like … an old ritual?”

The three a.m. tiredness is creeping up towards him. “It’s … an ancient lore.” He fumbles with his words as he walks to his cabin with you, “More like a myth, actually.”

“If we can work on this myth – I mean, it worked on me, didn’t it? Then wolves don’t have to be in their pack when they shift.” You pipe up, still very excited about the fact that you have transformed, “Think about how it would benefit the young shifters -”

“Because it has a critical, almost crucial condition.” Curtis sighs, “Can we not talk about this? It’s almost four and I’m tired.”

“But could you tell me the condition, at least?” You blink, “Please?”

Was he this annoying at the age of 19? He doubts so. But alas, shifters always say that a pair of wolves should be different, that’s what makes their mating bond tight.

Curtis is probably using the ration of sighing for the next year as he reluctantly compels himself to tell the truth.

Well, more like his wolf is encouraging him to tell the truth, or else, he’s going to annoy Curtis till his – their deaths.

He takes a deep breath.

What Curtis didn’t tell you at the beginning, was that he did not knock himself out cold as an accident. He stumbled to the edge of Paul’s territory and smelt you.

A hint of your raw and immature scent.

Lilac.

That put him out cold and restored his sane brain, along with the loss of his energy for running all night.

“The myth tells of only one other wolf’s presence at the transformation. The true mate’s presence.”

By the time Jason finally has his mind free of the trivia from his pack, he agrees with your parents and starts a hunt for you. Halden traces your scent to the cabin in the woods. Curtis’ place. By then you have already gone.

Clothes and necessities packed. His pickup truck driven away. Leaving a room full of dust and herbs and creaky furniture behind.

A few sightings of a big black creature have been reported since then. Myths start to spread, claiming that a bloodthirsty bear is lurking in the forests.

But it’s just Curtis on his herbs hunt.

Such sightings always make you grin that Curtis and his wolf made their way to urban legends.

“Have you thought about joining a new pack? Treating the shifters with your herbs and potions?” You dip your toes into the lake, watching as the “terrifying” big black wolf takes another lap in the water under the moonlight.

His wolf huffs, jumping onto the shore and shaking his body, soaking your shirt with the water beads from his fur.

“Okay, okay! Point taken!” You raise your hand in defeat.

“Firstly, it’s not potions, pup, it’s called herbal medication.” Curtis returns to his human form, dries himself with a towel, and sits beside you with his jeans on. “Secondly, we’ve been near so many pack territories, and nearly nothing grows. And last,” he points towards your backpack which has your laptop and books inside, “you’ve still got your college for three more years, and we’re not going anywhere before that.”

“We could find a spot in the mountains when I graduate.” You lean onto his firm chest, feeling his heartbeat in a steady rhythm and his warmth radiating from his skin, yawning, “Just the two of us, y’know? In a small town, in the woods, with a small patch of land for you to grow the herbs … and … a small cabin … and … beds not creaky …”

Curtis presses a kiss to the top of your head as you fall asleep.

“I know, pup.” He whispers, “I know.”

Find my Cum Together Trifecta here 👈

Questions? Comments? Requests? 👉Send them to my inbox 👂

[horrorcryingscreencaps]

[whoworewhatjewels]

Oscars 2024: The Best Celebrity Red Carpet Jewelry

Oscars 2024: The Best Celebrity Red Carpet Jewelry

Dive into the glitzy world of the 2024 Oscars, where Hollywood’s finest not only rocked custom couture but also unleashed a treasure trove of jaw-dropping jewels worth more than a few blockbuster budgets. Tiffany & Co., Bulgari, and Cartier rolled out the bling carpet, showcasing gems fit for royalty. From Ariana Grande’s fairytale pink Tiffany & Co. sparklers to Charlize’s double diamond…

[badmovieihave]

Bad movie I have Sweet Home Alabama 2002