One of the biggest perks of leading a family pack was having so many of her relatives to help look after and train the puppies. She knew they were exploring on their own at this point, but the whole pack was there to look out for them. Not that Venom wanted to be rid of them, she would have stayed by their sides every moment of their young lives if that's what they wanted. However, they were adorable little independent children, and it wasn’t right to keep them from their kin who also loved them so much. Letting the four rambunctious puppies go off with their older siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins, led to a rare moment alone for mom and dad.

Venom was waking up in the early evening, blinking open her eyes. Not that she would see the last bits of light of the sun. She realized quite swiftly that there was only one body here within the den, Maverick curled around her smaller frame. She sighed softly and snuggled back into his warm arms, hesitant to leave the warm of her bed for now. Especially reluctant remembering they were alone. Carefully Venom wrapped her white gloved paws around his neck, gently pulling her belly to his.

Her slender body was as close to pre pregnancy shape that she would likely be getting. Venom’s stomach flattened out once more as the pups had been on solid foods since the beginning of the Winter season. The Empress nuzzled into Mav’s soft fur as she breathed him in, and let out a content sigh. Maverick gave her everything she wanted. She had her loving husband (to be), their wonderful little puppies promising to grow into strong Ashen wolves. The pack was thriving, and smiling was easy. Mostly thanks to the man she clung to lovingly now.

"Venom & Maverick"

Maverick had known that going into fatherhood would be a challenge unlike any other he'd faced in his lifetime, but never would he have imagined just how demanding the role would actually be! The scruffy consort had never felt so full of love and so exhausted simultaneously. Days spent chasing after puppies with boundless amounts of energy, lessons imparted on their children with his soon-to-be wife and her family, as well as pitching in more than ever to keep Ashen functioning now that Venom's sight didn't seem to ever be coming back left the brute sleeping very soundly at nights. But Maverick wouldn't trade a second of it away for all the riches in the world. Never before had he ever felt so happy and content in all his life, and every day was another chance to live his paradise all over again.

As he liked to do, Maverick slept in as evening crept over the land, snoring gently while he remained snuggled up in a protective curl around Venom. His larger, muscled form cradled her smaller svelte form within his, their coats mingling everywhere they touched. He enjoyed her warmth and weight like a blanket that kept him deep in a peaceful sleep, lost in blissful dreams of his beloved mate and their perfect family. In his slumber, Mav felt Venom's body shift and cuddle closer to him, and his strong forearms instinctively squeezed a little more around her side, keeping her held in his embrace in the quiet of their bedchambers. Lost in dreams of his perfect lover, his body naturally held her closer as if acting on his dreams, wrapped up in her quite hotly in his mind.

That bridge of sensation between reality and fantasy only became stronger when he felt the gentle touch of Venom's white-gloved paws begin to slip around his neck, then the tug of her body to press her belly up into his. Maverick was just coming around to consciousness when Venom nuzzled into his fur, the brute keeping his eyes closed as he woke up to the wonderful sensations of his fae indulging herself in him a little bit. A part of Mav's brain was reminding him that there were four curious sets of eyes they needed to be mindful of with their heated affections—until a flick of a white ear tipped him off to some very exciting news. There were no sounds of yips, barks, puppy growls, or squealing shouts of children. Just the peaceful harmony of a tranquil bedroom and the gentle breathing of his Empress.

A touch of a sly grin coming to his lips, Mav shifted his muzzle down to brush his nose gingerly against Venom's brow, breathing in her sweet scent while he nuzzled against the base of an ear. "Mmmm... It's quiet for once..." he mumbled in husky half-awake tones and slowly tugged Venom's body closer to his until he felt all of her belly pressing up to his underside. Taking the opportunity while he had it, Maverick let giant paws roam slowly over Venom's sides, paw pads following her natural curves over her flattened stomach and slender body, feeling over lean muscles and supple hips that had become a little more rounded and shapely in the aftermath of her pregnancy. A rumble of appreciation resonated in the brute's chest while he shamelessly felt his fiancée up a bit. Venom had always been the most beautiful wolf to him—now with the changes her fresh motherhood had done to her body, Venom was more akin to a goddess than an Empress to the lovestruck man.

"Venom & Maverick"

Usually the ew parents weren’t afforded the luxury of sleeping in, but with the pups out for the day and into the night, sunset found them still mostly asleep. Snuggled in their comfortable bed, alone for perhaps the first time since the litter was born. Venom wasn’t meaning to rush Maverick into wakefulness as she pulled herself closer to him. Instinctively he seemed to wrap his strong arms tighter around her thin frame. She would have fallen back asleep with him there, but as she nuzzled into him and thought of just how happy he had made her, she started to return her affections.

Similarly he had forgotten that they were childless right now, there were no puppies to think about this morning. Of course, Venom thought about them and did indeed miss them, but there was something special about being alone with their father after so long. He felt the magic of the moment and shifted subtly, nuzzling against her crown and whispering in her ear. Maverick's large paws roamed the curves of her without hesitation as she chuckled about his observations. As he appreciated the feeling of her under his touch Venom looked back up so she could kiss against his throat, trailing up to his jaw line where her forked tongue licked the short fur there.

"Strange, isn’t it?” After getting used to the chaos of raising young puppies such a peaceful quiet morning was unheard of. Not that she would have traded the season of life for anything, but they couldn’t take such a rare moment for granted. Pale toes entwined in the longer fur of his scruff as she continued to kiss along his jaw, aiming for his lips in her slow savoring movements.

"Venom & Maverick"

The stillness and peace of the evening was not lost nor spoiled upon Maverick, who savored every second that slipped between him and his perfect lover while they lay in bed entwined in one another's arms. The man was never upset to be woken by his fiancée; the time he spent with her far outweighed even the greatest of dreams he might have returned to. Who would want to waste time in dreams when his reality had become the sweetest dream imaginable? A beautiful, sultry, powerful woman he was lucky to call his own, four strong and healthy pups born from their love, a real home and stability that had been nothing but a pipe dream not too long ago... Whatever Maverick had done to win such a jackpot in life's lottery, he was glad he did it! Nothing could get the smitten brute to give up any of this, so spoiled was he by love.

As he lay basking in the warmth and love of cuddling with his Empress, snuggled up in the luxuriously plush furs of their expansive bedding, Mav drank in the perfection of this moment between them. Like her, he loved their children with all his heart and soul, but after several weeks of wrangling those rambunctious little fuzzballs and then introducing them safely to their world outside, there was a simple delight in the quiet the two wolves found themselves enveloped in. Venom, also seeming to appreciate and understand how special this quiet moment between them was, chuckled and then showed just where her mind was as soft lips pressed an affectionate kiss to his tender throat, pulling a rumbling murr of delight from the dire brute. A pleased little shiver rippled its way down his back as Venom worked her kisses up the curve of his throat to tease the edge of his jaw with that forked tongue of hers that had done wonderful things to him before. A sly grin slowly crept its way over Maverick's muzzle, his forelegs squeezing a little tighter and more possessively around Venom's slender sides. A passionate, lustful creature, it took very little effort on Venom's part to get him in the mood, and given the past few weeks of forced celibacy they'd had from the tail end of Venom's pregnancy to the birth and raising of their children, it was even easier for the white-gloved monarch to get a rise out of her man in their alone time.

"Hmmm, strange indeed..." came the rumbled reply from Mav, his deep voice a touch more husky from having just been roused from sleep. Dark teal eyes began to peek out from behind heavy lids, glancing down just enough to see the beautiful face of his Venom without inhibiting her ability to kiss or tease whatever parts of his neck and jaw she wished. Giant two-toned paws continued their slow circuit over familiar planes and curves, some emphasized in very pleasing ways in the aftermath of her pregnancy, leisurely making their way up Venom's slim sides until one had moved over her shoulders to trail his digits through her scruff, deftly avoiding her hidden quills with practiced knowledge. He knew how sensitive those quills could be with the right touch and he began to demonstrate his intimate knowledge of the Empress' body as velvet paw pads found a couple quills amongst her plush winter coat, gently stroking each one in turn from base to tip and back again before moving to another. Venom moved in equally slow motions, her lips making their way up the length of his jaw and over his scruffy chin until he felt her warm breath against his lips.

Grinning to himself, Maverick would not keep his beloved from what she sought. "Seems like someone's a little needy..." Mav teased her in suggestive tones. The sky brute then tipped his muzzle down just enough to let his shadow and snow fae claim his mouth with her own, kissing her with a slow, simmering passion that had been pent up for much too long. Soft hums of delight resonated deep in his chest, and once more heavy lids slid over his eyes to blot out his sight, giving up the sense so he could share in her world and get lost in Venom. The paw on the small of her back slipped lower, massaging around the base of Venom's tail and over the top of her shapely rump, holding her body pulled taut to his while he poured forth all the love, lust, and passion he held for this perfect woman through their kiss. With a little bit of insistent pressure, Maverick's lips pushed to Venom's, deepening their kiss by parting his lips to tease hers with flicks of his tongue, seeking entrance to her maw in search of her taste. They finally had some alone time together and Maverick was going to thoroughly enjoy every second he could get with Venom.

"Venom & Maverick"

Somehow Maverick had molded himself to her life like he had been made to be at her side. There was no such thing as a perfect relationship, but she hadn’t felt anything but rainbows and butterflies when it came to her ruffian. As much as she enjoyed his place in her life, what she loved the most was how much the inverse was true. Part of her still wondered how he’d come to love her so when their first meeting she had been anything but pleasant. Having just been left by Hattori, and feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders… Then he had both infuriated her and made her laugh. Maybe they were meant to be here together now. Seeing the fruits of their relationship only solidified that fact. Never would she have guessed a man like that would be the future father of her children.

Laying here with him now was a treat, relaxing in the lush furs and warmth of their cozy bedroom. Her attention easily lingered on the affections that she was giving the soft fur against his neck. While she kissed him teasingly his own mismatched paws roamed the curves of her body, the corners of her lips pulling back into a grin that mirrored his own. He rumbled in absent response, but Venom had already forgotten the unimportant conversation. The feeling of his toes through her fur and the way he traced the quills that weren’t hidden from him anymore. "Mmm…” Was all she could muster as her attention continued to meander up his jaw to his chin.

Maverick teased her as she sought his lips, and she couldn’t help but return the good natured grief. "Are you saying you’re not?” Venom couldn’t mutter much more as he shifted, their eyes meeting briefly before he took the kiss that she had been hinting at. Claiming her lips and mouth in passion that hadn’t been possible since the pups were born. She’d missed being like this with him. The press of his body against her, the closeness of her partner and other half. Her murmurs echoed his own deep hums as she relaxed in his grasp. One of the few places where she felt entirely safe was in his arms. Venom trusted Maverick completely, and that was why he was both father of her children, and future husband. Her mate.

Any semblance of conversation seemed to disappear as they fell into each other, and Venom was swept off her feet by Maverick’s unhindered touch. A soft little gasp interrupted their kiss as he eagerly grabbed her rump and pulled her closer. The breathy sound was followed by charmed little giggles. "I don’t think we’re close enough yet.” She whispered to him as she looked up from beneath dark lashes as she renewed her grasp around his neck.

"Venom & Maverick"

Whenever Maverick reflected back on his relationship with Venom, if anyone asked him when he knew he was smitten with the elegant, white-gloved Empress, he would say from their first interaction. Venom had been such the polar opposite of him—haughty, aloof, high-strung, stern. It might have bewildered anyone else to know that was the woman a renegade like Maverick had fallen for, but the answer was actually very simple in nature. Venom was the yin to his yang, the balance to his chaos. Where he had helped her recover from a broken heart by letting go of the uptight monarch she had forced herself to become, the same was equally true for himself as Venom brought him back together, kept him grounded and stable, steadied him against uneven seas. Apart they were extremes of opposite ends of the spectrum, but together they created a beautiful harmony that made the sky and snow brute wonder how he had ever lived his life without her in it before now. Maybe he hadn't been alive at all, and Mav's life only truly began that sunny summer day on the Ashen coast.

And now here they lay, wrapped up in each other and cuddled so close it was impossible to tell where one body began and another ended. Their coats mingled and meshed, charcoal and navy and white all over blending together where they touched. The humming sounds of delight Maverick was able to pull from Venom when he played with and teased the quills in her scruff made his grin widen. He loved doing things that made his love feel good, and these secret little shows of intimate knowledge of her body were the perfect way to obtain them. Just before his mouth claimed hers in a deeply passionate kiss, his lover had teased him back, asking if he was not as needy as she was. Maverick hadn't responded in the moment, but as the two wolves fed at each other's mouths like horny yearlings, the dire brute couldn't help but cop a feel of his Empress' shapely rump, squeezing her supple flesh between his toes while he tugged her hips closer to his. He pulled Venom's body taut to his, so close she would no doubt feel the press of his arousal and need against her slender belly, teasing her with the feel of warm flesh on flesh. Their lips only parted once both of them needed to breathe, Mav sucking in a deep, urgent gasp of air and reveling in the pleased gasps he pulled from Venom as he manhandled her.

"I bet you can feel how needy I am," teased the lustful rogue with a grin and a hungry look in his deep teal eyes. He knew Venom couldn't see the grin on his face, but he knew she could hear it in his low, rumbling tones, just as she could feel his desire pressing into her lower stomach with a subtle push of his hips toward her. Without her sight, their lovemaking would be all touch and sound and taste, navigating one another by familiarity. Venom's whispered words drew enticed hums from her brute, and Maverick gingerly brushed the side of his muzzle against Venom's while his paws moved over her body, never letting them part from her so she could feel where his touch was on her at all times without surprises. "Mmm I think you're right..." he mused in sultry purrs. One paw moved to wrap around Venom's waist, holding her by her hips while the other slid down her supple thigh to hoist her hind leg up over his waist and draw her closer to him.

Maverick could have maneuvered Venom into any position for their lovemaking and he was sure she wouldn't resist him in the least, but for their first time being intimate in a while and knowing it would be their first time mating since the loss of her sight, Mav wanted the highest amount of intimacy and closeness he could give his goddess. So he shifted their bodies to align their hips like this, wrapped up around one another on their sides amongst the plush furs. He wanted to be facing Venom the entire time, to watch the pleasure and love as it danced across her beautiful face. He wanted to be even with her, lost in her as they entangled themselves together. And so he gave his Venom just that. Once he felt their bodies align, Maverick pressed his hips forward and sank home, gritting his teeth against the sudden hot wave of pleasure that crashed into him from that initial connection. A deep groan resonated in the dire brute's chest, his paws clutching possessively and lovingly around Venom's waist and thigh, holding her to him while he brought them together.

Mav only stopped once they were fully joined, gasping for breath and staring deeply into unseeing sunset jewels while he basked in her perfection. "Close enough now...?" he teased her between gasping breaths, planting a playful lick over her nose before he began to build that slow, steady rhythm with his hips withdrawing and rolling back into hers, holding her perfect body to his all the while he took her and claimed her, making love to Venom in the way the Empress always deserved to have.

"Venom & Maverick"

Without her sight Venom was forced to rely on her other senses, making it feel like they had become heightened with the loss of one. That was a difficult curse most days, but as Maverick’s paws roved her skin and carefully touched her body she was alight with incredible sensation. There wasn’t a visual input to distract from the way he caressed and held her, his tantalizing touch bringing thrilling waves of pleasure over the surface of her skin. There was no need to suppress or hide the way she felt either, and Mav was rewarded with her little murs and hums of pleasure as he held her more tightly to him, and they both lost themselves in each other’s kiss.

She was no stranger to the obvious signs of his desire for her, obvious as he pressed himself against her soft belly and they broke apart with soft gasps for breath. She could hear the deep primal need that lingered in his voice as he answered her, speaking of the undeniable evidence between them. However close they were, she didn’t feel like they were close enough yet, and he agreed with her. Maverick’s paws manipulated and moved her form to fit against his, pulling her leg over his own and fitting himself against her.

He pulled a groan from deep within her chest as he aligned their hips, keeping them on an even playing field. He could have had her any way he pleased, but he held her tenderly and emphasized the intimacy of their actions. That didn’t stop him from pulling the breath straight from her lungs as he filled her and made them as one. Her muscles contracted and she tensed for a moment as gasped for breath as she clung to him and adjusted, slowly relaxing into him again as he teased her comment from earlier.

"Yes,” Venom returned in a gasping whisper before he began to gently build friction between them. Her mental faculties were shattered, overwhelmed with the all encompassing pleasure of Maverick’s actions. He kissed her nose, and Venom began to kiss him softly in return as her white gloved paws ran through the thick fur of his neck. The gentle push and tug of him against her brought her own instinctual movements, falling into the primal dance along with him. Her heart raced in her chest as fire consumed her and built higher in her belly. Maverick completed her and reinvigorated not only her love for him but the very real need to share herself with him like this.

"Venom & Maverick"

There would never be a time when Maverick wasn't so insanely turned on by the sounds Venom made for him, each breath and sigh, every gasp and hum and moan sending spikes of hot arousal stabbing through his core. He lived for these intimate moments of passion he got to share with his Empress, his goddess, his love. The brute craved the reactions and the touches of his fae, wrapping himself up in her and losing his senses to her so completely and easily. Venom set his body aflame, sent his heart and soul soaring into nirvana like she had always been meant to do so. She was his ecstasy, his cloud nine, his everything. A giddy grin played on the dire brute's navy lips as he basked in the pleasure he was giving her, delighting in her responses to his every touch and movement of their bodies together. He loved pleasing her and making love to her was his favorite activity of all time, one they had been deprived of for much too long. They had plenty of catching up to do, and as their pups continued to grow and explore, Mav fully intended on making the most of their private time together.

The sounds of Venom's groans and gasped words spoken in whispered tones made Maverick's fur stand on end as electric waves of pleasure rolled through his body from where they were connected. Their position was a bit unconventional, but in this moment Maverick had just wanted to be in Venom as quickly as possible, the urgent need and aching hunger he’d kept repressed down while they worked their way through her affliction and their children’s births demanding the sweet relief and satisfaction only she could bring him. He held her close, no inch of their bodies left not touching while they build the steady rhythms of rolling and grinding hips against one another, Venom making love to him as much as Maverick was making love to her. He could have had her any way and he knew it, just as he likely would have her again so long as their alone time permitted, but this first time had a desperate urgency and needy passion to it that Mav had to sate right away, keeping both lovers on an even playing field together. Besides, it was just fun to try new and unorthodox positions with his beloved fiancée.

Maverick gave a rumbling murr as his paws roamed freely over the planes and dips of Venom's body, following every feminine curve of her slender form with an appreciative touch like she were a priceless work of art, and to him she was. His senses and sensibilities were washed away and replaced with exquisite warm pleasure that washed over him like a bath in a hot spring. The steady friction created between their bodies in their rhythmic movements coaxed groans and moaning sighs from the giant man while he cradled his lover's perfect svelte body to his, one daring paw following the subtle curve of Venom's spine until strong digits squeezed over her rump right around the base of her tail, using his hold to adjust his leverage on her and deepen each steady stroke of his hips. The dance the two wolves lost themselves in together was a primal, carnal roiling of bodies amongst a bed of luxurious furs, a bonding of their flesh and souls as old as time and yet still so heady and incredible. The way Venom clung to him, wrapping her white-gloved paws around his neck to tease the thick fur of his scruff while her leg wound around his waist set his blood on fire, every nerve in his body burning and yearning for his Empress.

The giant white paw of the dire wolf trailed his digits through Venom's scruff while she covered him in her sweet kisses, careful paw pads stroking around the bases of each of her hidden quills. His breathing labored, his muscles tensing and relaxing with each buck and roll of his hips into Venom's, her grinding motions pressing him deeper and deeper still. Neither of them spoke, letting their sounds and bodies speak for them. The ecstasy was indescribable, a relief as sweet and profound as that first sip of water in a scorching desert. In the close intimacy of their mating, Maverick gave himself over completely to Venom while he took her as his, teal eyes rolling behind fluttering lids as the familiar pressure began to build within his belly, growing stronger and tenser with every move they made together and against one another.

"Venom & Maverick"