Reila had been working diligently for quite sometime. She helped a group of wolves from The Hallows take down a massive prey for their upcoming celebration and she worked hard to help keep Fenmyre's stores stocked as well. With or without Chimera, she was doing her duty for the pack.

She had felt comfortable here, but she may not have really felt like she fit in. That was most her own fault though. She had kept herself rather secluded and only talked to Dalila and Aliana at Chimera's request. Otherwise she would have kept to herself for an eternity. She could admit that she was feeling a little lonely at times but not enough to act on it. At the very least she could see herself approaching Dalila again, but it felt like it was something she had to build herself up to.

As night fell over Auster, Reila crossed to the mainland with the ferry over into the dam with a bottle of Hallowed wine and one of her own pelts over her shoulders to take with her to the community den. Laying her items just outside the fire pit, she started the fire before making herself comfortable wrapped up in her pelt and popping open the sealed wine.

"Reila"

After finishing an evening patrol of the dam area, Chimera noted the bright light of a fire. He assumed that someone was utilizing the communal den, but needed to check to be sure. A fire eating up his land wouldn't be ideal. Adjusting his course, the long legs of the brute cut through the grassy terrain in minimal time. The man was relieved to see that it was no more than a fire in the ring of stones by the den. He was a little surprised to see Reila resting beside it.

Chimera came forward, not stopping to rest, merely standing beside the fire. He could feel its warmth pushing through his coat to heat his skin and it was a soothing feeling. He'd always enjoyed the warmth of fire. That was why he'd created the large fire pit on the beach.

The man's pink eye fixed on the resting fae. He noted the fur about her and it seemed as though she intended to stay here for the night. "Reila," he greeted with a rumble. "Had enough of island life?" Chimera jested a bit, but he was curious all the same.

"Speech"

Reila's gaze moved to Chimera as the light from the fire lit up his form and a small smile came across her face. As he drew closer though, she looked back down at the fire while crossing her legs, still with that recognizable grin on her maw. She kept her eyes on the fire until Chimera asked if she had been getting tired of the island. Her brows raising as her eyes moved back up towards him, she chuckled a little bit. "Just wanted a little different view." She stated before she looked back into the crackling fire. While the weather was growing dryer in Auster, the warmth of the fire was still soothing to her. There was something relaxing about staring into the flames.

She hummed in a quiet chuckle to herself, her lids closing as if she was really comfortable here in Chimera's presence. That was no secret between the two. "Maybe I was hoping for some company." Her gaze maybe temptingly flicked towards him, but otherwise she could act completely innocent. Or well, she was. Since Chimera's break she was growing a little wary of how she was feeling about him. But it seemed to be growing back as time went on. She drew back a swig of the wine she had brought along with her and with a lift of her paw she gestured by laying it beside her for Chimera to come join her.

"Reila"

The instant smile was noted and Chimera granted her one in turn. Reila informed him that she'd just needed a change of scenery and the brute nodded. He understood that. It was the reason that he and Erystotle were cleaning up the old yacht. A change of scenery. A place of refuge.

As the fae's blue eyes closed, Chimera looked her over. She looked incredibly relaxed and he was glad that this was the case. She'd been so nervous and uncomfortable when he'd found her on the beach. Reila was an entirely different wolf these days. She had a ways to go in some aspects, but she was really coming into her own. He was proud of her.

Icy eyes peeled open once more and she jested with him. The giant man chuckled, his pink gaze shifting to the paw that she used to invite him over. Chimera thought it over for a moment. He bowed to no one, but he still respected his queens. Casting a glance behind him, the shadows shifted and a hulking black dog peeled away. "Tell Aliana that I'll be later than expected." The mastiff nodded and melded back into shadow.

Moving around the fire pit, the black and white giant folded his haunches, sitting beside Reila with enough space between their bodies that they weren't touching. Forelegs then slid outward until he was laying on his stomach. He eyed the wine for a moment, but he wouldn't indulge. It just wasn't his thing.

"Speech"

Reila couldn't help that bit of... importance as Chimera instructed his dog to tell Aliana he'd be later than expected. She would have never saw herself as greater than her or any one of Chimera's queens. She knew it had to be between Siren and Aliana that seemed to have an issue with their time together. And seeing that Aliana was who had Chimera most nights she could only assume. To herself, she was better than to make a scene and honestly she didn't want to. Her and Chimera didn't have a relationship beyond their hunting trips and subtle time together. Not that she didn't want more.

As Chimera joined her, her body curled in to face him though he wasn't close enough to be touching her. She thought nothing of it. She pulled the bottle of wine over before taking another swig and placing it in front of her but in his reach if he wanted some. She wouldn't ask or force him to, it was just there if he wanted. If anything a silent offer.

"I've wanted to thank you Chimera." She spoke a little seriously but still with a gentle grin. Her eyes softly back and forth between the bottle and the fire. "You could have given me a different fate that day I washed up on the beach, but you've given me a taste of a life I could never imagine." And she couldn't. Her sitting her by the fire, a bottle of wine, under a fur, beside a man who she actually wanted to catch the attention of. It was still unbelievable to her. Like maybe she was dead, because the dream was lasting too long. The reality of freedom was probably not something the king hadn't experienced before, with Dalila and with Aliana. But Reila at least liked to think that seeing her in this glow would be just as special. She could only hope and believe.

"I'm so used to needing to be alone." She confessed, which was evident in the way she secluded herself from the rest of the pack. On the ship, she couldn't make friends. Not at the will of the masters, but because you couldn't know who you were facing in the ring. And punishment for refusing was by far worse than fighting for your life. It was a sick and wicked cycle, and it seemed a mindset that she would struggle to get out of. "I miss your company when I'm out hunting alone." She confessed again, but more so she realized as Chimera had stepped back for a moment in the eve of Aliana's concern. Her gaze moved along with her paw that stretched out in attempt to lay down on his, and she finally let her eyes reach up to his face. Having clarity that Chimera enjoyed their time together, even if just hunting, let her come this far now to want to hold his paw and look into his eyes.

"Reila"

As he lay beside the woman, she shifted her pose, giving him her full attention. It was only fair that he did the same, so the brutes black and white body curled as he shifted to lay on one hip and elbow. Mismatched ears swiveled as she began to speak. She wanted to thank him, it seemed. The woman went on to speak about what her life could have been had he decided differently. He could have given her an entirely different life, had he but chosen to abandon her rather than help her. The brute nodded, eyes closing for but a moment. "You deserved a chance at having a life, as does anyone who's been forced into servitude and has retained a sense of purity." Though she'd been forced to kill for her survival, she hadn't done it by choice and she had made efforts to change herself. That was enough for Chimera to put his faith in her.

Reila continued to speak after taking a drink or two of the wine. She admitted to having craved solitude before, but now she missed him when they weren't together. It sent a pang through the brute's heart and his brows pulled together for a mere second. As she settled her paw upon his, Chimera's gaze shifted down to look at her tiny appendage upon his much larger paw. This was what he wanted for her. He had wanted her to grow and come into her own. He had wanted her to begin making choices for herself. She was definitely doing that.

The look in Reila's blue eyes was one that Chimera was familiar with. He could see the appreciation there, but also the open need or desire, whatever you wanted to call it. Removing his paw from beneath Reila's, the man placed it back on top of hers, giving it a pat. "I'm glad that you've come so far, Reila."

"Speech"

She could have been much different from the life she came from. Chimera had seen her at some of her worst moments though maybe not all. He had seen what was expected of her as a former slave, he had felt her strong anxieties literally in his paws, and he had seen where she still struggled to get a hold of her life in relation to the nightmares. Reila could have been a scared, fragile little creature. But she wasn't. A smile on her face showed otherwise. Though really it might have been more that she had taught herself to feel nothing or at least to control what emotions she needed to feel. It was a skill of mastery to do so and maybe she was holding things back behind that smile she always showed him. Either way, she was more than grateful for what he had given her. And now she couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

Reila's eyes closed in a long blink as she had almost looked down at Chimera's paw that swapped over top of hers. Her head tilted gently as her eyes opened back up to look at him. She was happy to hear his bit of pride in her, but she was honestly being driven by other feelings inside her. Ones that she had felt for Chimera before. Maybe not true and raw emotions, maybe she had more curiosity than anything since she was free from the ship and spending all this time with him. She could only wonder what it was like after they had hunted together, held each other, and maybe soon so much more.

"Chimera." She called his name quietly, as her expression lost that familiar grin and feel into something more carnal. Her opposite paw that hadn't been under his reached up to place along his large chest. And it couldn't be any more obvious just what she was after by the way she closed her eyes and pushed her maw towards his. She wasn't seeking anything further from just the kiss she asked him for, but she was only in for the ride that would follow.

"Reila"

Reila was sending him all of the signals to let him know that she wanted him. It was... outrageously enticing. He'd fantasized about mating with this small, bob-tailed woman on numerous occasions. Usually after their hunts when his blood was pumping and the adrenaline was upon him. Today was not one of those days, however. Both wolves were calm and collected. Or at least he was.

As Reila's expression changed and she whispered his name, the black and white brute's inner angel and demon began arguing. His conscience was telling him two things. One-kiss the woman because it took a lot of growth for a former slave to seek pleasure out on her own. Two- Excuse himself and head back to the island because Reila had been drinking and we couldn't be sure if she was fully in control of her mental faculties. It was a war within him and the longer he sat there looking at the fae's upturned muzzle, the bloodier that war became.

A small paw rested upon the King's chest and he glanced towards it for a moment. With a sigh, one paw raised up to gently take Reila's chin. Chimera tilted the woman's muzzle downward, simultaneously moving forward. He placed a kiss upon her brow, holding the contact for a few seconds before drawing away. Rising from his place, Chimera tucked the furs around the woman and fed the fire a few logs. "Enjoy your change of scenery, Reila," the brute said in surprisingly soft tones. He then turned and left, moving towards the ferry that would take him back across to the island.

Chimera's emotional state was erratic. He was more than a little aroused, he felt honored that Reila would choose him, he felt sad that he'd turned her down, he felt angry that he couldn't do what his instincts told him was right. After he crossed to the isle, rather than going to join Aliana, Chimera changed course and made his way to the yacht. He would stay there for the night instead of with either woman. It seemed right to not taint his time together with either of them that way.

"Speech"

As Chimera's paw took hold of her chin and gently pulled it down, she exhaled a sharp breath but because it was like she was holding it in for the tension of the kiss she expected. She let Chimera control her, she didn't resist any of his movements. Probably something he could foresee. Her eyes still closed as he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, a kiss she should have understood more but she didn't. Maybe in the afterthoughts when Chimera left but, it didn't make her feel any better.

Her big eyes looked up to Chimera as he told her to enjoy the change as she had stated, but when he actually picked himself up to walk away she couldn't hide the sheer disappointment slapped all over her face. She didn't say anything. She didn't ask him to stop, didn't follow him. Instead her eyes moved into the fire once he had turned away from her. She pulled her pelt a little more over her shoulders so she could feel more comfortable, but she didn't. Finishing the bottle of wine this time and on her own before she moved into the large communal den. Alone. She knew how to fake a smile, but the next time her and Chimera were together wouldn't be the same. She had lost her confidence in a number of ways. She wouldn't get her hopes up again.

"Reila"