Dark Light

17- 1st Brother

I woke with the sun shining in my eyes and a heavy weight across my chest. I smile as I feel the electric sparks coming from my mates touch. I stretch my body the best I can with my mate holding on to me. I yawn and here Lucifer growl.

“Go back to sleep.” Lucifer mumbles.

I open my eyes, squinting them against the harsh sunlight. It must be maybe six in the morning. I sit up and smile as Lucifer groans, burying his face in my stomach. I run my fingers through his dark hair. I smile down at him before wiggling from his grasp. I stand and stretch again. I wince a bit at the ache between my legs. After my request last night Lucifer made it his mission to fulfill it.

We’d have s*x then talk, have s*x then talk, then repeat it over again. We even swam into the water a few times. Lucifer only allowed me to sleep well after the sun had come up.

“Come on, my King. We should head back before someone comes looking.” I say.

Lucifer groans again, mumbling, “Come back to bed.”

I chuckle, teasing, “You’re not in a bed, you’re on the ground.”

I sigh when Lucifer makes no move to get up. If this is something I’m gonna have to deal with for the rest of our lives I’m gonna start throwing water over him. I nearly laugh out loud at the image I conjured in my mind. I smirk as I kneel down beside Lucifer, realizing I have something so much better than water.

“If you get up now, we have time for another round before breakfast.” I say.

Lucifer's eyes pop open and I laugh loudly. Of course he wakes up for that. Lucifer pulls me on top of him, his head pressing against my opening.

“Really? You are such a guy.” I say.

“Was that ever in question?” Lucifer asks.

I gasp as he slips inside me, answering, “No, but still I- I don’t know what I was about to say.”

Lucifer chuckles, “Good. Don’t talk, just feel.”

I wanted to tell him how much of a cheesy line that is but I couldn’t get the words out. This isn’t like the other times. We take our time, feeling the other lazily. Sweet kisses against each other’s skin and gentle roaming hands. When we finish it’s together. It’s mellow and gentle, relaxing my tense muscles and making my toes curl.

Lucifer pulls out and I think how this is definitely a better idea than water. I roll over and lay my back on the grass. Lucifer stands and stretches, I admire his body from behind. Lucifer turns to me and holds out his hand. I take it and Lucifer pulls me up easily. I wrap my arms around his waist and he wraps his arms around my back.

“I could stay like this forever.” I whisper.

“So could I.” Lucifer says.

Lucifer stands up, saying, “Let’s head back. I’m starving and I know you are as well.”

Lucifer grabs my hand, and I say, “Lucifer?”

“Yes, my Queen?”

“I hope you don’t mind everyone seeing me naked.” I say.

Lucifer growls and looks down at me, his eyes glancing down to my exposed breasts, lower.

He frowns, saying, “I wasn’t thinking. Don’t they keep clothes around here somewhere?”

I nod, most all packs do since we shred our clothes when shifting, “Yeah, but not in the middle of the woods. And there are patrols between here and there.”

“Then you should shift until we get to some of those clothes.” Lucifer says.

I raise an eyebrow asking, “Just me?”

Lucifer looks confused before smirking, “Don’t tell me you’re jealous?”

“I don’t know. Would you be jealous if I walked around naked where any male could see me? Including unmated ones?” I ask.

Lucifer growls, “You are not allowed to do that.”

“But you are?” I scoff.

Lucifer takes a deep breath, calming himself, no doubt remembering what I told him last night.

“No, and I wouldn’t want to either. We’ll both shift.” Lucifer reasons.

I nod, replying, “I don’t mean to be a nuisance.”

Lucifer wraps his arms around my waist and lifts me up so I have to wrap my legs around his waist.

Lucifer spoke, “You listen closely, my Queen. Your instincts and opinions are not a nuisance. I value both. Don’t hide them away or pretend they don’t exist. Understand?”

I nod, saying, “I understand, my King. I’ve done it for so long it might be a difficult habit to break but I’ll try.”

“Then we’ll work on it together.” Lucifer says, placing his hand on my cheek.

I lean into his touch, before whispering, “Thank you for not making me feel as if I’m overreacting or being ridiculous.”

“You do not have to thank me for that.” Lucifer replies.

I pull away, and take a few steps back, saying, “You said that last night. Just so you know, I’m never going to listen to you.”

I shift and wait for Lucifer to do the same. Lucifer smiles and shakes his head before shifting. He walks over to me and rubs his body along mine. I do the same until Lucifer walks off. I follow beside him. We don’t run this time, we walk along slowly just enjoying one another's company. Last night Lucifer told me how beautiful Sia is, and how he was surprised she is a white wolf. He also found it unique that me and Sia have the same eye color. Lucifer said how he knows most werewolves have different eye colors. He said how pretty the color complimented Sia’s white fur.

‘I’m not talking to you just because you keep thinking about his compliments.’ Sia snapped.

I sigh, saying, ‘I don’t know why you’re so mad at me.’

‘Yes, you do.’ Sia insists.

I rolled my eyes, replying, ‘So I told him you were a sore loser. He asked why you were ignoring him. I wasn’t about to lie.’

‘I was not being a sore loser. I just didn’t like him biting my neck, and picking me up by my neck. Like I was a misbehaving pup.’ Sia reveals, huffing at the end.

‘Okay, you’re right. I’m sorry. But you could have told him that yourself instead of ignoring me when I tried to link you. In fact, you still can. We’re marked so you know we can mind link each other now.’ I relent.

Sia replies, ‘I didn’t want to talk to either of you. I guess I was a bit embarrassed. I was being a sore loser, just a little bit, but still. And I was really angry about the neck thing.’

‘I know, Sia. It’s okay. You can explain later. He’ll understand.’ I say.

“That’s a good idea. Goddess, just look at the size of him. I can’t wait.’ Sia says, looking over at Lucifer.

I laugh at her as she rubs up against Lucifer again and flicks her tail at him. Sia takes over and as we continue walking. We shift once we reach the clothes and get dressed. I walk over to him and grab his hand, leaning against him as we walk to the pack house. We pass a lot of pack members, all of them bow to Lucifer as we pass but I notice some smile at me and bow to me as well. That’s gonna take a while to get used to.

“This is my stop. I’ll get dressed and we can get breakfast.” I say once we reach the fourth floor.

Lucifer nods, saying, “Okay. I’ll meet you there.”

Lucifer leans down and kisses me before walking away. I smile as I go to my room. I freeze seeing Damon sitting on my bed.

“Where have you been?” Damon asks, not looking up.

“With my mate.” I answer.

Damon lifts his head, looking me over. His gaze settles on my neck, on the mark now there. Damon smiles a bit as he stands.

“I have to admit, I was worried he wouldn’t mark you. No Lycan has hardly ever mated with a werewolf, let alone made one Luna Queen.” Damon confessed.

“I think, under the circumstances, my shifter status is the least of anyone's concern.” I say.

I lean against the door, crossing my arms as I wait for Damon to speak.

Damon sighs, saying, “I suppose that’s true. But don’t think just because there’s a larger issue that people will forget about the smaller one. No werewolf has even been a member of the Royal pack let alone Queen.”

“No history lesson needed. I went to school too.”

“I wasn’t trying to lecture you. Lee, I’m worried. There will be opposition against you. I don’t doubt the King will protect you but, you’re my sister. I can’t stand the thought of anything happening to you.” Damon responds.

I look away from him, saying, “Nothing’s going to happen. I can take care of myself, as a werewolf. You made sure of that.”

“I know you’re angry with me, Lee, but please try to understand. I was trying to pro-”

I interrupt, “Protect me, so you keep saying. Forgive me but I don’t see how lying to me and keeping me from training as a witch was protecting me.”

Damon sat on my bed, bracing his elbows on his legs and dropping his head in his hands. I resist the urge to go to him. I’m so angry with Damon and the other’s but I can barely stand seeing Damon looking so tired and upset.

Damon lifts his head, his grey eyes full of sorrow, “Leila, I’m sorry. For everything. I know it’s a shitty excuse but I didn’t know what to do. Mom was gone and dad was going crazy. Being the Alpha and raising Fox, Ryder, and you was too much. I cut corners wherever I could. And for you that meant cutting out your witch side. I didn’t have the first clue what to do about that. I couldn’t train you, I couldn’t help you, I couldn’t even ask someone for help. Mom always said no witch would come near you or her because of what it could mean for them if they did. So when Hunter said it was dangerous for you, and everyone else, for you to learn magic, I didn’t question it. It doesn’t excuse anything, I know that but I hope you can understand.”

I dig my nails into my arms to fight off the stinging in my eyes as I glare at him, preparing for what I’m about to ask, “I can understand you being overwhelmed, but what I can’t understand is why you continue to lie to me. Why lie about what Priestess Verity told you? Why didn’t you defend me when Hunter lied about me? Why did you say you were afraid of me? Why don’t you trust me?”

Damon stands quickly, grabbing my hands where they were digging into the flesh of my arms, answering desperately, “Leila, the reason I didn’t tell you about what the Priestess said is because I was ashamed and I didn’t want to admit that I’d made a huge mistake. I didn’t show how pissed I am at Hunter because the pack was there, and the King. I didn’t want us to seem divided any more than we already did. I do trust you, and I have never been afraid of you. I know I tried to downplay what Hunter did, and that I acted like I agreed with him but I don’t.”

“If you weren’t afraid of me then why did you keep the grimoire away from me when I was a kid?” I ask.

Damon responds, “I told you that I didn’t know what to do about your witch side. When Hunter told me he caught you setting fire to the house, even by accident, I was glad for the excuse to not have another thing I needed to handle. I should have believed you, I should have done better. I’m sorry. Please, believe me though. I was selfish, but I was never afraid of you.”

I nod my head slowly, trying to process his words. Damon has always seemed larger than life, and someone who can do no wrong. He always knew the right decision to make when it came to anything. Our family, the pack, mates. Damon had always been perfect. Except, he’s not. He’s just my big brother. The one who’s done his best to raise me in the only way he knew how. As a wolf. Could I really blame him for ignoring something he knew absolutely nothing about? I know the answer to that question without a second thought.

“I believe you, Damon. And I understand. I truly do, but why have you been shutting me out lately? I can barely ask what’s going on with the pack anymore without getting some lame excuse.” I inquire.

Damon drops my hands, taking a step back as he rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, saying, “That’s a bit complicated. Amy said she felt displaced by you. That she wasn’t needed since you were acting Luna. I told her you could help her but she just got upset and started crying, saying how I didn’t trust her. I told her I would have you stop doing Luna duties and she could take over, Except, I could never tell you. I didn’t want to hurt your feelings. So, I was kinda just not telling you things.”

I stare at Damon open mouthed. How can he be so dumb? Goddess, are all men this dense or is it just my brother?

I begin calmly, “Damon, that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. If you had just told me the truth I would have taken a step back and I wouldn’t have felt like you didn’t trust me anymore. Why is it your first instinct is to lie to me?”

“It’s not. I just- I don’t know- I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.” Damon stammers.

I shake my head, a smile tugging at my lips, “Damon, just promise me one thing and we can consider all of this behind us.”

“Anything,” Damon answers immediately.

“Stop trying to protect me.” I say.

Damon blinks in confusion, “I can’t promise that.”

“Then at least promise to stop lying to do it. Lying doesn’t protect me, it just makes everything worse.” I offer.

Damon nods, saying, “ Deal.”

“Good. Now, scram. I gotta change and I promised Lucifer I’d meet him for breakfast.” I say.

Damon smiles and wraps me in his arms, lifting my feet off the ground. I wrap my arms around his broad shoulders, enjoying the safety and comfort that comes from being held by my big brother.

“I love you, cupcake.” Damon whispers.

“I love you too, big brother.”