They had only been back in the castle a few days and already she was beginning to wish they were still out in their little island paradise. She had no doubt that they would go back soon enough, but she also knew that fall was nearing its end and soon enough Artorias would be home from his training in the Armada and she wouldn't dare miss being home to welcome him. It was also just a relief to check up on the rest of her children and the pack as a whole. She trusted Ulric and his capabilities completely, but there was a small part of her that wanted to make sure the pack remained alive and well. It was the piece of Resin that still lived on around her and it was important to her that it continued on even if she wasn't maintaining a leadership role within the pack. She spent a couple days spending bits of time with her children, catching up with Ulric, and just reorienting herself with the castle, but she always brought Kane with her. Spending time on the island had only cemented their relationship and without really thinking about it he became hers without them ever officially stating it. She couldn't imagine her life without him now and in a way that was enough to make her decision for her.

Today though she did want to do something slightly more official for them, something more permanent in their lives together. They had been floating back and forth between his room and hers and today she decided the floating was going to come to an end. She stood in the room he had stayed in since he had come to The Hallows, one of the furs he had been using draped across her back to carry it up to what would now be their room. "Is this everything?" she asked as he gathered the last of his things, smiling up at him with a gentle wag of her tail. For the longest time she hadn't been sure if she could move back into that room after what had happened and even when she did she hadn't been sure if she could share it with someone else again, but now felt like the right time. She was confident that Kane would have a permanent place in her life and she was willing to share everything with him.

Tamsyn Carpathius

The time he'd spent with Tamsyn on their island vacation had been some of the best days of his life—not just in recent memory, but in all six years of his time in this world. Seeing his little blackbird so free, so happy, so serene, it had brought him a joy and peace the likes he hadn't known in years. Not since Tiva had passed. Every morning he woke up to see her in restful slumber, and every night he watched her fall asleep in his arms. He had gazed at her silhouetted in the sunset from the windows of their cabana and watched her swim in the sea so that her majestic black fur clung to her voluptuous body. Mint eyes had forever been seared into his mind and his soul, and Kane knew his life would never be the same without Tamsyn. While they may have begun as a simple hookup in the throes of desperation and loneliness, the two wolves had birthed something much more magnificent than casual sex together. They had created a whole new life with each other.

Returning home had not been an easy feat. Kane had considered trying to talk Tamsyn into moving onto the island permanently, to take up residence in their little slice of heaven and forget all the troubles of the world beyond the strait that isolated them from everything. He knew that would never happen though. Tamsyn was a mother above all else, and until her children had grown and could lead their own lives, she would want to remain in the Hallows for them. He respected the love and devotion she had for her children, and that was why he didn't fight her when their vacation of relaxation, play, and sex sadly had to come to an end. He did, however, make sure to remember and mark their cabana so they could return to their Elysium whenever they desired.

After they'd gotten settled back in at the castle, Tam had come to him and asked him to move in with her. He was a little surprised—it was a big, official step for the couple—but he happily agreed. Not even an hour later, Kane was packing up the last of his things. One benefit to typically leading a nomadic life was that it prevented one from accumulating a lot of possessions. Besides the furs on his bed, the only things Kane had to his name were a small bag of herbs he'd been gathering, a piece of limestone, a shaft of mahogany, and some sculpting tools he'd borrowed from the armory.

He took one last look around the room he'd called home for the past couple of months, then fixed Tam with a wide smile and an enthusiastic nod of his head that tousled the feathers in his scruff. "I think so!" he said as he stepped over to her, giving her a gentle nuzzle along her cheek before stepping out into the corridor with her, gesturing for her to take the lead back to their new room. "Are you sure you want this, Tam? I don't want to intrude on anything special to you, and I won't feel put out if you wanna keep that space... private."

"Kaneonuskatew"

As his mate, Tamsyn may enter his threads not marked as Private.
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Tamsyn grinned at Kane's enthusiasm as he confirmed that he had gotten all of his things. It wasn't like they couldn't just come up to his old room if they realized that there was something missing, but if they could get it all in one go then that would minimize the risk of anything being forgotten. She leaned into his touch as he nuzzled her cheek, returning the affection and sneaking a kiss to his cheek before she moved back out into the corridor with him and started leading the way to the stairwell. She glanced up at him as they walked, smiling softly as he questioned to make sure this was what she wanted. She had thought long and hard about this since they came back to the pack from their vacation and it was something she had been considering even more then as well, but she knew that it was something she wanted and she just had to act on it while she was still sure before she began to second guess herself again.

Her side brushed against his as they walked, replying, "Yes. I need this." She needed to move on. She needed to officially have closure and begin covering up the painful memories that room carried with happier ones. The longer she continued to let that one pivotal night run her life the longer she would continue to suffer and she just couldn't continue to live that way. It would have been easier to just move into Kane's room or pick a different room in the castle for her to make their own, but that wasn't really the point. The point was to officially put the past behind her and move on to a brighter future with Kane. She leaned up to press a kiss to his cheek. "You make me so happy and I just... I want that happiness in every part of my life. I need to move on to brighter, happier things." It was a short walk through the stairs and down the corridor to the room they would now share and she pushed open the door, holding it open so Kane would walk through.

It wasn't like this was the first time he had been in her room. They had even stayed here on many occasions before - but it felt different this time. This time it was permanent. Now it was their space instead of hers and that felt good. It felt good to live with someone again and to have this stability of knowing when she came back to her bed at the end of the day there would always be the man the cared for more than anything to come home to. "Welcome home," she told him with a chuckle as the door closed behind them, reaching up to press a kiss to his lips.

Tamsyn Carpathius

Kane didn't resist when Tamsyn insisted that this was what she wanted and began to lead the way down the familiar corridors to the room he knew well. In his months in the Hallows, he had spent time with Tamsyn in her private quarters, but he hadn't been invited to make it his own space too before now. He had never asked either. That space was sacred to her, memories of the life she'd built from the ground up, and he would never intrude in such a special place. But now it seemed Tam was ready to move on, to let old memories rest and new ones kindle. When she reached up on her tiptoes towards him, Kane happily bowed his neck so she could kiss his cheek, humming happily while they headed down the grand staircase toward the Carpathius wing. Tamsyn talked about how happy he made her, how she wanted that happiness and him in every part of her life, to move on to the next chapter of her story.

"Then how could I ever resist, my little blackbird," he remarked with his laidback grin. They walked down the long corridor until they reached their destination. Tam opened the door and held it open, allowing Kane to set foot into the room for the first time as their shared space. Hazel eyes peered around familiar furniture and features, casting over the massive canopy bed adorned with pillows, blankets, and furs, the grand fireplace with decorations across the mantle, the wide windows that looked out over the western sea and the expansive balcony just outside the panes of glass. The smile on his face grew, but not because of the opulence of the master bedroom. It was because this was theirs now. It felt like cementing a big step in their relationship, moving in together. No more would they have to alternate where they slept or relaxed or spent private time together. This was their little slice of home and heaven.

Kane chuckled as Tamsyn seemed to read his mind and welcomed him to his new home, leaning down to meet her lips halfway in a loving kiss that lingered for a few delightful seconds. Once their lips did part, Kane smiled to Tam and lost himself in her mint eyes. "I was always home with you." He gave the end of her muzzle an affectionate lick before drawing back to go set his things down around the room. The furs joined the others on the bed or in front of the fireplace, his crafting tools and raw materials were set on a weathered table for later use along with his herbs. "Your family doesn't mind me moving in with you, do they?" he asked as he stowed the last of his items, peering over his shoulder to Tamsyn. "I don't want to step on anyone's toes—and Artorias doesn't seem to like me much." He wondered if the boy felt like he was trying to replace Resin. Though it couldn't be farther from the truth, he knew the pain was still raw and it would be hard for the young wolf to separate that notion from what he saw and felt.

"Kaneonuskatew"

As his mate, Tamsyn may enter his threads not marked as Private.
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Tamsyn grinned at his sweet comment as their lips parted, her tail wagging gently as he went around and placed the few things he had in various parts of the room. Seeing him here like this, watching the room change in small ways. An extra fur here, some tools placed over there... It was such small things that someone that didn't live in this room and didn't know every detail of its layout they may not have even noticed, but she did. It was surreal in some ways to be sharing this space again after so long, but it also felt like a breath of fresh air. It was easier to focus on him to keep her mind from drifting to the memories that plagued her nightmares for so long and the more happy memories she made her the more she could push the others into the past. There were some things she would always keep in the front of her mind like the night that she and Resin had laid in front of the fire while Resin told her stories about her past, but the dark, horrific thoughts of being attacked here could be pushed away into the farthest reaches of her mind as far as she was concerned.

When Kane asked her about her family and their opinion about him moving in - especially Artorias - she chuckled softly and gave a little shake of her head. "It's not you. Artorias won't like anyone that I try to be with so don't take any offense with him." She padded over to where he was standing, leaning into his side as he finished putting away the last of his things. "I don't think you'll have much issue from anyone else. Rudyard is more easy going and Gwynevere already likes you quite a bit. Avantika is fairly shy, but I don't foresee her making any kind of fuss. Artorias will come around eventually." As she was listing off her children she began to realize just how many of them had drifted away. "I wish they were all here for you to meet," she added with a sad smile, settling down onto her haunches. "Daphne and Bowen went missing some time ago and Grimshaw left after Ulric took over the pack." She gave a little shrug, glancing toward one of the windows as she tried to brush off how much that weighed on her. "I wish they were all puppies again so I could keep them all close and protect them. It's hard seeing them grow up and move on to other things."

Tamsyn Carpathius

The way Tamsyn tried to reassure him that her family would be no trouble to them lightened Kane's heart. He knew, regardless of what her children thought, the free spirited Tamsyn would choose to stay with him if that was what her heart desired. He smiled at his gorgeous girlfriend while she came to lean into his side, lifting a long foreleg to drape it around her shoulders as she settled back to her haunches. He gazed around their shared room, taking it all in and smiling while his mind wrapped around the fact that this was theirs now. They were officially moved in together! "Well, even if he doesn't, I'm just happy to be a part of your life. Being a part of your family, and your children's family, that would be an honor I'd be happy to have," he said, leaning down to place a gentle kiss on her forehead. "But all I need is your happiness and love, little blackbird."

Kane listened intently while Tam described how several of her children had broken away, gone off to pursue their own lives away from their family. Two had gone missing, one had left on his own accord. Though she didn't show it on her face, Kane could hear the pain in her voice, feel the upset in her body. He sighed and ran his paw up along her side trying to comfort her. He wasn't a parent, he could never know what she was feeling. But he could do his best to be supportive of her when she needed him to be. "Puppies are adorable and wonderful, but they do have a habit of growing up and getting old and surly, like me," he teased Tam with a gentle squeeze to her side and a flash of a grin. "I can't imagine how that must feel, Tam... But you must also be so proud when you look at your children growing up too, right? Artorias, the heir to the pack, Gwynevere, the best healer on the continent? You raised some damn impressive kids, Tamsyn!"

After a beat of silence, Kane bent his head down to gently rest his forehead against Tamsyn's and nuzzled between her ears, giving little nips and nibbles at the delicate appendages. "Y'know, you're starting to sound like the faes in my tribe clambering to have puppies again. Got a case of baby fever, Tam?" He snickered as he teased her, running his nose down the back of her neck to nibble along her scruff.

"Kaneonuskatew"

As his mate, Tamsyn may enter his threads not marked as Private.
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Kane's never ending understanding and support never stopped amazing her and would forever sweep her off her feet. Hearing him say that just being a part of her family and only wanting her happiness and love pulled a smile across her lips. She knew that her life here in the pack with her children and the long, hard history of their family was something so unknown for him, but he had taken it in stride so well and fit in to this life that was so drastically different from what he was used to while still bringing her along with his beliefs and ways that had gotten her out of that comfortable shell she had made for herself. He had brought back her love of exploration and adventure as well as rebuilding her confidence and she could never thank him enough for that.

Tamsyn leaned into his side as he draped a paw around her shoulders, looking up at him with a smirk when he talked about how pups always grew up to be old and surly like him. She chuckled softly, playfully poking at his side as she said, "You are far from surly. I've never met someone as friendly and welcoming as you... not even to mention your sense of humor." A grin pulled across her lips as he mentioned Artorias and Gwynevere and the accomplishments they had earned. "I am very proud of them. My children are my greatest accomplishments no matter what they're doing or what they've accomplished, but of course seeing the amazing things that Gwynevere and Artorias are already doing even though they're still so young is all a mother can hope for." Part of her wished that Resin was still here to see them succeed the way that they were since she knew she would have been just as proud in her own way, but Tamsyn couldn't bring her back and now she just tried to give them all enough love and pride from herself to make up for it.

She grinned and hummed happily as Kane leaned down to press his forehead to hers and give little teasing affections to her ears, making her tail wag gently against the floor as she soaked in every bit of love and attention he could offer her. His statement about her sounding like the women in his tribe that had been eager to have more children caught her off guard and she blinked with surprise, chuckling at the idea - but her grin still widened guiltily as she tried to find a way to deny it and failed. "Well..." she mused, her words trailed off with another pleased murr when he started nibbling along the back of her neck and making little shivers dance down her spine. "At the very least... If I did happen to get pregnant again I would be happy for it," she admitted. She couldn't say she was actively craving to be a mother again, but she didn't dislike the thought either. Of course that all hinged on whether Kane was interested in having children as well. She didn't foresee herself spending the rest of her life with anyone else at this point so if he didn't want to be a father then it was all a moot point.

Tamsyn Carpathius

Kane released a hearty guffaw when Tamsyn looked up at him and asserted that he was most certainly not surly. "Hey, I've still got time, don't count me out just yet! I could still end up a grumpy old curmudgeon," he remarked, flashing her a wide, toothy grin, as if that possibility could ever come to pass. Since the day he'd saved Gwynevere and met Tamsyn two seasons ago, he couldn't recall a single bad day he'd had. It was as if the Carpathius matriarch had chased away every shadow, every demon clinging to him, and replaced all the pain in his heart with love and acceptance. He might have saved her daughter's life, but Tamsyn had saved his in turn. He didn't say it out loud, but his original draft of his revenge plans had ended with him either dying for his justice, or taking his own life with nothing left to go on for. Tam had given him a future worth holding on to. Without her in his life, the colors had bled from the world and he was simply going through the motions needed to ease his pain until it eventually consumed him. She had remedied that pain entirely.

A warm and loving smile spread across Kane's face while he listened to Tamsyn talk over her children and their accomplishments. She was such a proud and loving mother, it was no surprise her children had turned out the way they had. It was like this was how she was always meant to be. It brought a warmth to his heart to see the love and devotion she held for her family, and for a brief glimmer of time, Kane wondered what being a parent would be like. After Tiva's death, he had long since given up the fanciful daydreams of having his own hoard of tiny wolves, resigning himself to a lifetime of solitude until Death finally caught him and brought him back home. Death would have to wait a while longer now that he had a Tamsyn. He snickered when he watched his lover's reactions of genuine happiness and delight to his little shows of affection, her wagging tail being the best and nearly making him laugh with joy every time he saw her start to wag. By the Moon and Stars, was he so hopelessly smitten with her!

Kane's ears perked up on top of his head when Tamsyn admitted that if she did happen to get pregnant again, she would be happy for the children she'd bring into the world. The dire wolf felt his heart jump in his chest, freezing mid-nibble along the back of her neck as the implication of what she said registered in his brain. Unless Tamsyn was having some secret tryst he wasn't aware of with some other brute, that meant if she wanted to be a mother again, then he would be the father. A low hum rumbled in Kane's chest while he pondered that future; he tried to picture what little puppies blended of their traits would look like. How adorable they would be! "Well..." he began, repeating the same words and cadence Tam had, "if you did happen to want to get pregnant again, I would be happy for it as well." A sly grin replaced his smile, though he doubted she could see it from where he had his neck craned over her shoulder to nibble down along the curve of her neck, keeping her body held close to his all the while. Could he see himself being a father one day? If he knew Tamsyn was the mother of his children at his side through parenthood, there was no doubt in his mind.

"Kaneonuskatew"

As his mate, Tamsyn may enter his threads not marked as Private.
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Tamsyn didn't really know how Kane would react to her comment about being happy if she got pregnant again, knowing that he would certainly put two and two together for the fact that if that happened he would be the father. She knew that he was supportive of all the things she did for her family and of her being a mother, but that was a different thing entirely from being a father himself. She felt him freeze for a moment as that realization sank in and she waited curiously for him to respond. She wouldn't have really minded if he told her that he wasn't sure about the suggestion or even if he decided that being a father wasn't for him. She had been a mother for so many already that she had reached a point in her life that if any more children came into her life they would be a welcome surprise, but if Kane was more comfortable with their life as it was then she was also fine with preventing them from having pups.

But when he replied with his lips still against the back of her neck, echoing back her words that he would be happy if she got pregnant. A grin spread across her lips, her heart giving a little excited skip. Even if they never ended up having a litter together, just knowing that he was welcoming that possibility spoke volumes for how he viewed their relationship. At least in her mind he was already a part of this family she had built, but him being open to expanding that family, to embark on them being parents together, that made her feel like he took their relationship as seriously as she did. When they found each other she hadn't been sure if she could ever love someone again or if she would even want to keep going for anything other than her children, but he gave her a reason to do all of that and more.

Her tail wagged as she turned her head and tipped it back to be able to look up at him, her mint gaze glowing with love and the equally sly grin on her lips saying everything that needed to be said. She leaned into him, catching his lips with her own as she kissed him deeply, one of her paws lifting to rest over his foreleg that was wrapped around her shoulders. Her heart had been delicate and fragile when they began all of this, but he had helped put her back together even stronger than she had once been. She felt like her heart was once again in good paws and trusted him to keep it and her safe till the end of their days. When their lips parted she blinked her eyes open to peer up at him happily again, another grin pulling across her lips. "I love you," she said softly, finally saying the words that had been hanging on her lips for so long. She had been waiting and waiting, just looking for the slightest sign that she might be hurt again, but there were none. He was everything she wanted and made her happier than she had been in a very, very long time.

Tamsyn Carpathius

When he professed his expected happiness if he and Tamsyn conceived puppies, he had his head behind her neck, nibbling and grooming through the fur on her scruff, so he hadn't been able to see the beaming grin on her face. He did however see that silky black tail attached to her rump begin to swish and wag like crazy, laughing lightly as such an obvious show of joy and excitement. So ti appeared Tamsyn was all on board for another litter with him! He felt her shift, pulling back and he did the same so his hazel eyes could meet her mint ones with a clear look of love and affection. Tamsyn had saved him in ways he hadn't even realized he'd needed saving, breathing a life back into his soul that had been snatched away by Death years ago. He was hers for the rest of time, and he would have her as his forever if she allowed him. He saw the sly grin on her face and immediately knew what was on her mind, equally as enthused for the implication their words had brought.

As if reading his intentions, Tamsyn leaned toward him and took his mouth in a deep kiss. Kane relented instantly to her desires, kissing her slow and intense, his foreleg wrapping tighter still around her while she wrapped her leg around his. Even now, after so many shared kisses, each one she gave him made his pulse race like he'd been struck by lightning, and secretly he hoped that feeling of shocking attraction never waned. He wanted his hundredth kiss to feel just like his first with her. Sitting here in their shared bedroom in the home he got to call his, tangled and kissing with his beautiful and loving girlfriend, it made Kane realize just how lucky he had gotten by nearly dying that spring day. Although he had never been more out of his element than when he was with Tamsyn, he had also never felt safer, more welcomed, and more at home than he did with her. She proved to him time and time again that this was where he belonged.

Their lips parted with a happy sigh from the towering brute. He smiled down at Tam through saber teeth, eyes shining with nothing short of pure love. Then she said the words he had hoped to hear, but that completely shut down his brain all the same. "I love you." Kane's breathing hitched and his heart skipped a beat before it started dancing a samba against his ribcage. Hazel eyes stared at her in wide wonder, mouth hung open in a stunned expression, but he recovered quickly. The open mouth turned into a huge toothy smile and he felt a giddy energy surge through his nerves. "I love you too," he replied, his words shaky with the excitement buzzing in his brain. Kane brought his muzzle down to boop his nose against hers, unable to keep that giant, goofy grin off his face while he claimed Tamsyn's mouth in another quick, loving kiss, and then another, and then another, until he was just peppering her lips with kisses over and over! He couldn't get enough of this absolutely perfect angel of a fae that had completely turned his life around.

She loved him, and he loved her!

"Kaneonuskatew"

As his mate, Tamsyn may enter his threads not marked as Private.
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