Protect what you love

She knew she was being hormonal and was overreacting to the fact that she literally spilled her guts in the snow. The heat at her back nearly made her crumble, a lump worse than bile rising to clog her throat and make her whimper.  Her entire body shook as he came to her and wrapped himself around her. He had told her of the pack scent on the rainbow bitch, but she thought the wolf dead. Lucifer rarely left things breathing. Solara left them to tackle Noctus, roughly biting him on the scruff in an effort to bring the larger male down. She knew better than to stick around, one snap was enough.

Vianni listened to her husband as his voice massaged her back with its deep, rumbling tones. Panic rose and she felt it grip her soul for the second time, what if she had lived? It was this paranoia that had them on the move. She dared not speak, his unusual warmth toward her made her uneasy, and it felt more like an omen than a gesture to appease a hormonal pregnant female. Her dark king, he broke her heart with his words. Hissing through her teeth softly, but she stayed silent. Reclining into him, she spoke with a thick lump in her throat, and she could hardly breathe. "Lucifer...you came looking for a queen. You found a queen. No matter the mantle I must wear, I will wear it to prove this is so. I love you because you taught me just how strong I am. You showed me that I had a stronger will to survive, that I can take on wolves nearly twice my size and still hold my own. I've pushed you repeatedly to the edge, just as the rainbow bitch did. You snapped and hopefully killed the cur. You've snapped at me, beat me. You've raped me, forced me to bear witness to your infidelities. I only see a male who is looking for love when he already has it." She wasn't afraid of him,  the time for that had passed when she learned he wouldn't kill her for her obstinance.

"I love you, and if I could hear it from you...just once, Lucifer...I could be myself again. Please, I am begging you, say it!" Vianni moved then, but not to stand. She turned sideways and buried her face in his pelt as she felt herself breaking. Fear for the father of her children was weighing her down. She needed to hear him tell her those three words, if the rainbow had made it to the pot of gold, then there would be pack wolves sent to avenge her and kill him. Her mother and father had dealt with her in the same manner, and she knew all too well the dangers of hunting pack wolves. If anything did happen, she wanted to know he felt something for her. She had to hear it. A weak whimper escaped her before she could clamp her throat around it and silence the noise, fear came off her in droves, a smell he would have only smelled on her once before and never this strong. It was clear that she stressed over him.