Thaddeus Rogue had seen many things in his day. He had been from one strange land to the other, one corner of the world to another, seen some good things and many bad things. But there is one consent in his life, and that is his family. He had not realized that until he had made his way back to them and found them in the thrall of happiness as the next generation entered the world. It was then that Rogue had been hiding the one thing he desired more then adventure and understanding, he wanted his own mate and pups; he wanted the one thing he did not thought he needed, love. And that small revaluation came to him as he watched the love of his life open up to the world around her. He was helped by non other then his litter mate, Gargoyle; and that hit Thaddeus's pride, she was the only thing he could think about since the day he meet her and he had left her, his traveling urges getting the better of him. But now? Now Thaddeus Rogue was done with his vagabond life style, well at least for long trips that took him far, or separated him from his Ayala. So it was time to tell his brother that he wished to stay, forever, and live out the rest of his days with his family and his love.

Thaddeus Rogue walked the length of the dens looking for his siblings, he wanted to tell them the good news, for not only will Crusade and Gargoyle get there wish of his eternal companionship but he was going to gift them with the news of him and his mate. Which always brought a bit of a twinge of guilt. Recently his family had lost someone very important to them, Rogue had not known her well but he knew that she had been adopted into the family, and that his siblings where mourning her. But he could not help it, Thaddeus had not wanted much in his life, he had been content with little food and the thought that he was going some good in the world to make up for his failures, but one thing was for sure, Thaddeus Rogue wanted that lovely black and white woman, with the shadowed red eyes, eyes that showed her soul at war with what she was told all her life. He had saw her beauty and had wanted to bask in it, to roll about in her scent and just look at her. He wanted what he never got from anyone other then family members; for that emotion was burning in him from the very moment he set eyes on her.

He wanted to tell his family that he was adding his love, the light of his life, sa lumi?re, his Ayala, to there family. Hoping beyond hope that they will accept him and his choices in this grave time and let just that bit of joy lift them up just that tinny bit, for even though he and his family is grieving Asheni, life will go on, and the bastard that had done it will die.

~*~ Crusade was doing her best to keep things running smoothly. Cifer was still MIA as far as she knew, and it pained her to have him gone... right when their family was begining to bloom, and yet it balanced out, knowing that at all times a capable warrior was out there searching for the cretan that had killed thier friend. Yet... his absence was becoming more and more a reminder of the loss of Asheni. And what if he died out there? The old she-wolf shook her head. What good did it do to think like this, huh? Absolutely none. It drained what energy she had left after running after pups all day. It just wasn't wise. Over the years she'd had to get pretty good at switching off the worry-center of her brain. It's really one of the first lessons any soldier has to learn, and Crusade was quite the vetran. Her pups were sleeping now, and though she'd never go far from the cave, she needed to seek out some good news - or even a friendly face. Out she went into the fine autumn sun and she stretched like a cat on the stone doorstep of the pack lair. Shaking out her fluff, she scented for any nearby company. Rogue! Crusade spun about - she was sure she smelled that naughty baby brother of her's. "Rogue!" she called happily enough, "How are you?" ~*~

Rogue had taken her not as his mistress, or as his harlot, not as a slave and not as a reciprocal for stress relief, but he had asked her to be his mate, his wife, and that combination of words still floored the ex-slave. he courted her nearly day in and day out, rarely doing anything without her aside for the pack tasks he was assigned. It was unheard of for a slave to take a mate and she was still having difficulties accepting such a gift, but damn it all if she wouldn't try her damndest to be perfect for him. She was broken, she was used and she was scarred and for some bizarre reason he had chosen her to share his life with and he would never know how much that meant to her. She had not the vocabulary to accurately explain.

Her thoughts were shattered by her beloveds call. A sweet song that filtered through the air, gentle and sweet calling for his family and for her. her heart would catch in her throat, fear momentarily paralyzing her, he would tell them the nature of his intentions and would obviously want their approval... but she was a slave, filthy and disgusting, would they accept her and would they deny his request? It wouldn't surprise her if they did and she was fine being his harlot, she loved him and as long as that remained true- No... no Mahniya, stop thinking like that. She scolded herself, willing her mind to stop over analyzing everything. Gargoyle had wanted to fix her hadn't he?

Rising to her pads the woman would carry her bodice across the snow at a heady gallop. Crimson eyes seeking the familiar form of Rogue while her nose delicately tracked his scent. Crusade's intermingled with it and she gulped as she came upon the two, her gait slowing to a soft walk as she slowly moved to stand beside rogue, pressing the tip of her snout to his shoulder in a soft greeting. "Good morning." Soft and gentle her tones would fall before her attention moved to the ex-chief. Respectfully, she dipped her head, eyes sliding shut as she bowed. "Its lovely to see you again Crusade, it's been a long while." Her tones were soft and quiet, she was nervous and it showed. She stood at Rogue's side and waited for him to speak his news.


Speech!

Thaddeus Rogue did not have to wait for long. His sister came bounding out, no doubt wanting a little rest in her old age of running after pups, and well by god he will entertain her with all his might. This should be good news, he hoped it was good news. He did not know what his sister thought of Ayala, but he knew his brother accepted her already, he was the main force in her reawakened soul, and without him she may have never accepted his love or her love for him, she may have locked it up within her heart thinking she was dirty and nothing, that he could not love her. Rogue was sure Gargoyle will accept his love into the family. But Crusade was another matter, he was not sure what she thought about Ayala, but he was more then sure that she would not deny her. "Hello sister, I am well, a bit more then well acutely, there was something I needed to tell you and...."

He was cut off as the main factor of the conversation came up to him and twined herself with him, she pressed her face under his chin, murmuring soft hellos. He breathed her scent deeply as it wafted about him, her scent was always intoxicating, always and forever his. He brushed her with his tail and then turned back to his sister. "As I said, I have something to tell you both, I would like to present you to Ma Lumi?re. She is my mate now sister." With that Rogue eyed Ayala, his green blue eyes full of happiness. "At long last, let me tell you Crusade her shell was not easy to break open." He laughed then licking Ayala's two-toned cheek in such a loving and affectionate way. "But you know what they say, right sister, the battle is half the fun."

With that Thaddeus Rogue looked up into his elder sisters eyes, well eye, seeing that she was missing one, and watched her, trying to tell her mood, was she happy? Outraged? Indifferent? He could not tell, but it matter not, for he was going to have the love of his life, weather his family liked it or not, but he wanted them to be part of his happiness, to celebrate with him. Speaking of. "Where is Gargie, he should be here too. I got something related but different to tell him."

I met an old man, dying on a train, No more destination, No more pain He said, "One thing before I graduate:" ~*~ It was hard to say at first whether or not Crusade was pleased by Rogue's news. For more than a minute it seemed she was just trying to get over the shock of seeing this lovely marbled fae slide up alongside her brother and greet him like that. And then even more surprising was the sight of those red eyes. Mahniya? ..... What? Crusade blinked. She was getting to old for this. How many times did the world have to rearrange itself? And... she was Rogue's mate. Crusade did her best to pull herself together and stop dribbling drool into the snow. She licked her old grey nose and shook her head. Incredulity faded to Humor as Rogue unfurled how he'd won her heart. It was a happy moment - a tender, blissful miracle in the middle of a world that had begun to seep once more into a grey saddness. Crusade had wanted well for Mahniya since the younger fae had joined. But the ex-slave had struggled so long about the 'ex' part that Crusade had more or less resigned any thoughts of her ever having a family like a normal wolf. (Then again, heck, Crusade had a family and she was the last thing from normal) "Creator Above," was all they could get out of her for a bit, but her eye absolutely sparkled with joy. They certainly had her good will, that was clear. She was just about to add, in return to Rogue's question, that she didn't know where Gargoyle was, when a flurry of snow and a familiar oncoming scent let her know her answer wasn't necessary. ~*~ "Never let your Fear decide your Fate"

~*~ Gargoyle rarely ever had time to catch a bit of shut eye. As Alpha it was natural that he be the last to curl up in the den at night and the first to crawl out of it, but often times he was organizing night patrols or off being a sentry himself - particularly with.... well, with recent events. He didn't remember the last time he'd had a full night of sleep. Even when he did get the chance he had pups bouncing along his spine. All of this the wolf reminded himself as he laid out on one of his favorite sentry perches above the pack cave. He told himself he was only a mortal, he could be allowed one tiny little doze. And when he'd finally, finally settled in... that was when his dang flanged howl broke out. With a sigh and growl, Gargoyle tried to sleep again, telling himself it was only his brother. Rogue could wait. But then he caught Crusade's voice, and Mahniya's scent as she started up. This was getting to be a regular family meeting. Fine. He'd come. As the great wolf came bounding down the tail end of the mountain slope, he did so in sluggish leaps. His yellow gaze had flickered back to it's normal, alert state, however, as he reached the bottom - especially when he heard the words coming out of his crazy brother's mouth. "Dog gone it Mahniya, why'd you have to go and do a thing like this. A lady with your brains? Certainly you can do better." In most wolves, statement like that would've been accompanied by a twist of the head or a grin or a chuckle, but this was Gargoyle, it was delivered, slate-eyed and steel-jawed. He was the sort that tended to be dead pan even when he wasn't trying. His family of course, knew all that by now. He caught Crusade's loving but disapproving eye before training back onto his brother. "But tell me Rouge, what secret news are you holding?" ~*~

Mahniya was a tiny, dainty thing. She was comprised of slender, lithe muscle, built for endurance rather than brute strength, her torso was deceptive and she could fight well when properly motivated... but it was rare she displayed such a skill unless commanded, but compared to Rogue's family she was hardly a threat. They towered over her, monstrous in their size while she stood at a generous thirty-six inches. She was nervous and she was frightened, she didn't think that her mating with Rogue would be approved and she had no desire to cause a rift in the family. A part of her wanted to flee, to never appear and vanish into the frosty white snow to become the phantom, the shell of the wolf that had once been a slave. She was good at that... but she loved Rogue, she adored him with every broken piece of herself and for some unfathomable reason, he had chosen her, and that trust was not something she cared to break, so when he had called for her, she answered, and with every beat of her limbs her heart grew more laden with lead. They would hate her, she was used, she was filthy, she was unworthy of their bloodline and she knew that. She didn't deserve Rogue's love. She felt the weight of every task, every duty, every assignment ever commanded of her. Public humiliation, torture, she would drag their good name through the mud and by the time she had reached her mate, it was all she could do to breathe out the few words she had, pressing gently against Rogue for comfort.

Rogue wasted no time in telling his sister, his tongue brushing her cheek and shyly she looked away, a small smile tugging at the corners of her maw, his easy tone and laughable demeanor visibly calming her, her muscles relaxed if only slightly, her tail for the first time brushed out behind her, she remained silent but her blood colored eyes would look to Crusade, watching her for her reaction. Shock seemed to be the primary reaction from the woman and that seemed to linger probably longer than it should have. Fear settled in her heart, her body drawing wire tense, bracing herself for the venom, the hatred that was sure to spew her way. She had anticipated the worst and at this point expected no less, her gaze would lower, a sign of submission, it was instinctual, second nature to her and she returned to her slave-like antics now faced with someone so much greater than she. She should not have been so selfish, she should have told Rogue to find someone truly worthy of his love and his affection. Two words would spill from the woman's maw, but nothing more. A shiver would trace her spine that had nothing to do with the cold.

A moment later, Gargoyle would appear and before any of them could move to make a sound, he was speaking... to her of all people and the steeled tone that would escape him, shut her down. Crimson eyes slid shut, her head lowered, dipping beneath the level of her spine, her tail curling inward, to linger between her thighs and believing the words a hesitant step backwards was taken. She fought the urge to bow, remembering that Gargoyle's first lessen to her would be to stop such nonsense. "I... I have displeased your Grace, I apologize." The words were stuttered, broken, fear laced in her voice as she fought the urge to simply run... but she loved Rogue and if he had asked her here than she would stay, so long as he still wished her at his side, she would stay.



Speech!

~*~ "You misunderstand me, Mahniya." the Chief said in the same manner of voice. A good part of her mind, it seemed, was still thinking in terms of slavery. He should've been conscious of that. In another pack she would've been something akin to omega, perhaps even lower for most omegas eventually have a chance of escaping or redeeming herself. Looking from those eyes, this match was a forbidden one. Glaciem's very own Romeo and Juliet. Rogue, the brother of the Alpha - a direct line to the throne of Glaciem - mating with a commoner? A slave? In another pack this would never have been born, Rogue would've been asked and then forced to resign from his affections and the offending low-life would be punished, perhaps to the point of death if there was resitance. Gargoyle had been around the block long enough to know the interworks of many kinds of packs. Perhaps he should've realized this and approached the subject with more sympathy. But Gargoyle was who he was, he certainly never felt regret. And dash it all, Mahniya had been in Glaciem long enough to know that that just wasn't how they worked. As it was the Chief felt niether guilt or frustration. If anything, there was a bit of grim humor. After all, the situation could be easily remedied. "You are both valued members of Glaciem, and, at different degrees, my family. I am proud of your choice in eachother, and I wish the greatest luck to your union." And to think when Rogue had come he'd resented the idea of finding a mate among Glaciem's pretty she-wolves. "My meaning was that I thought you were deserving of a better mate - But This is simply the humor between myself and my brother, I must crave your forgiveness for the joke" he added. Well he'd have to watch his words around Mahniya it seemed. When it came to the two boys, they tended to show their love through abuse, sometimes verbal, sometimes phsyical - the more the merrier, but this would be difficult to explain. To anyone really. Espically since the Chief usually was so serious. It was just around a seldom few that his more puppish side came out. Rogue was obviously one of them. But Gargoyle bit his tongue and resisted adding to the other male "At least now, maybe you'll keep your eyes off my wife." ~*~

Thaddeus Rogue watched his sister digest his words. He understood her shock on the matter, he was not one to give his heart out and Ayala was so shielded in her shell that if he was not the one pinning for her affection he would have thought the other party insane, for one so lost could not understand love. But Rogue was the one pinning for Ayala's love and he was not going to take no for an answer, never, he knew what he had wanted and he had and still wanted her love. "Come sister, if there nothing else you can say to me? After all my hard wo...."

And that is when his kingly brother chose that moment to join them, and cause problems. Like always. At first Thaddeus chuckled at his brother's teasing, but that quickly faded as he watched Ayala's mask of slavery slid back into place. He watched in horror as she moved away from him, sliding lower to the ground, making herself look small, making her look less then the beautiful wolf that she was. He turned enraged eyes onto his brother, a growl deep in his throat. If it was just the two of them Rogue would have been amused, and in turn said something back, teasing in return. But saying someone was not worth someone else was not something you should say to someone who still think they are dirt, not worthy, and Gargoyle should have known that, he should have considered that Ayala would not understand the joke that existed between the brothers. Rogue moved his body closer to Ayala, pressing his weight against her, sharing his support, he would not let her go, never.

Before Thaddeus Rogue could say anything more, Gargie tried to mend what he created. Rogue was not sure if it will fix the mess his brother had put him in, but he hoped it helped. Rogue turned to Ayala then, moving close to her and placing his nose on her forehead. "Ayala, do not listen to my idiotic brother. He was joking with you at my expense, he meant nothing by it. And do not worry about my sister, she is happy for us." Rogue turned his eyes to Crusade then, telling her with his eyes to agree, or else. "Right Crusade."

With that Rogue turned back to Ayala and licked her face, trying to take her slavery mask off again, trying to fully fix what his brother had broken. "Come, Ma Lumi?re, I love you, and my family think you are great. Show me your eyes and smile again, please?" Rogue just wanted to see her happy, if he had known Gargoyle would have revered everything he had worked to create, he would have told Crusade and Gargoyle without Ayala in tow, ah, but he wanted to show her that his family and her Alpha approved of them, that she was going to be one-hundred percent part of his family... Maybe there was time to fix this. If Gargie could take a hint.

Mahniya trembled, her elongated tail curving between her hind limbs, instinctively she stepped back, her maw aligning with Gargoyle's hind limb as she dipped her head. The familiar posture came to her without her consent, it was habitual, when words or tensions rose high her mind locked down, such submission was the only roll she knew how to play and she felt the full weight of her punishments bare down upon her now. Gargoyle was a part of the royal family and she... she was a slave. She remembered that now and she remained utterly still and silent. She had done something vile, something horrendous by making such a claim with Rogue.

Their words barely registered in her scattered mind, both Gargoyle's monotone and Rogue's pleadings, she felt lower than she had in a long time, skittish, afraid, dirty. She truly wasn't worthy of any of the things Rogue had promised her, Slaves were whores, not wives. Slaves were weapons, tools to be utilized as one saw fit. They bore no soul, no free will, they stood as martyrs for the use of a greater cause, someone else's greater good. Crimson eyes slid shut and she forced herself to steel her expression. She stood before royalty, not another commoner, she was not an emotional wreck, she had long ago learned how to hide her own emotions.

She stepped forward, blood colored eyes sliding back open to gave at the four wolves that towered over her. "I'm sorry, my intention was never to cause any... trouble, I have no desire to be the source of discontent amongst your family." She paused here, considering her words for a moment, she didn't smile, her eyes did not sparkle, but her words were not disrespectful, merely devoid of anything save for the softness of respect. "I should have begged your permission first, I apologize for this breech of conduct, someone so important to Glaciem should have had a say before we acted impulsively, I am truly sorry."



Speech!