Her eyes twinkled in wonder, as if they held the very shining stars that hung above her when it was Darkness's turn to rule the night. His home was spacious, much smaller than the castle, of course, but it wasn't small by any means.

She ignored the limp and sway in her step and the way her body ached, she was blinded by astonishment as Maverick trailed behind her carefully, ready to catch her, he was worried that she would fall if she wasn't careful.

And indeed, she wasn't careful. She practically dragged her body, forcing it to move, paying no mind to the fact that she looked like a newborn foal, wobbly and weak, unsteady on its feet as it took its first few steps.

He had offered to carry her out of the infirmary upon seeing how horrible she walked - her permanent limp wasn't making the situation better. She practically was a cripple, but in her mind, she didn't think so, and for that, Maverick looked up to her. Well, technically he looked down at her because of their vast height differences, but he still found her to be an inspiration.

He toddled behind her, arms out and ready to catch her if she were to fall. He tried his best not to treat her like a child, but he struggled not to when she was the size of one - that may have been an exaggeration but she was indeed much smaller than the wolves. Humans usually were a lot smaller than werewolves, and that concerned him because he was afraid he'd crush her if they slept in the same bed - when they slept in the same bed and engaged themselves in.....other things.

He directed her to the bedroom, where she would be staying and where they would sleep. It was customary for wolves to sleep in the same bed immediately after finding their mate, of course, the mating wouldn't take place until later, the completion of the bond was a step by step process.

A process in which he dreaded to tell Adalia, not because he was prude or embarrassed, but because of how Adalia would react.

Adalia suddenly stopped in the middle of the hallway to take in and observe the place with wonder. An opening in the hallway gave way to the kitchen and Adalia just had to see that. She stopped so abruptly that Maverick ran right into the back of her.

She stumbled, her skinny arms thrashing through the air as she tried to catch herself. Maverick gasped, his heart racing in his chest and his wolf was howling and yapping in despair as he dreaded Adalia's violent plunge to the floor.

He was certain that if his wolf could speak English or Laecry, he would be screaming at him to catch her, possibly cursing at him for his clumsiness, too.

Adalia gasped, too, fearing the worst when she tried to catch herself. She gasped even louder, though, when strong, thick arms wrapped themselves around her waist and shoulders, catching her from making a painful plummet to the hard ground below. Maverick, without thinking, smashed her to his chest, not wanting to let go this time because he feared the worst.

On the inside, he held turmoil. Part of him was disgusted with himself for being so clingy, he blamed it on the mate bond, which was still just a baby in its maturity.

"A-air.....I-I.... need...breathe." Adalia muttered against his shirt, wriggling back and forth in his grasp as she begged for air.

"Oh!" He exclaimed, loosening his grip and letting her move about freely. He kept his hand latched in hers, though.

He certainly didn't need a repeat of that type of incident.

Once stabilized, they finally made it to their room.

Maverick couldn't believe that she had made it to the bedroom without hurting herself, by the time they had reached the bedroom, a cold sweat was dripping down his back, showing just how anxious and worried he really was. Adalia was oblivious to that, if she knew she would've blushed.

Adalia took in the sight around her once more. A bed with various skins and thick, white and brown furs were stacked atop of it. It looked really cozy and warm to her, back at the castle everything was made of silk which was never very warm. The room was large, the walls were made of wood and several antlers of bucks that must have been huge were mounted on the wall. A fire pit sat beneath a large chimney and bear skin rugs littered the ground.

This place couldn't compare to anything she had seen before, most of her people had dirt floors and slept in haystacks with nothing more than a ragged blanket.

The castle had luxuries, yes, but those luxuries she never got to enjoy. All she could do was stare at the riches the royal family had so selfishly kept to themselves but she could never touch them or taste them.

Here, it was different. No, nothing was made of silk but in this place, their luxuries were different from the castle's luxuries, and she found herself in awe of the world she had never known existed.

"Let's get you into bed, shall we?" He asked, walking her over to the furry bed.

Adalia huffed, she had been bedridden for what felt like an eternity, it felt unnatural for her to not be doing something throughout the day. He helped her up on the bed but she swatted his hand away as she crawled, clutching onto the blankets and fur as she pulled herself atop the bed.

She had been so used to working sun up till sun down that it all felt odd to her, sitting around and waiting for her body to heal.

He chuckled, amused by his little mate's actions. She was such a funny creature, one moment she was fragile and scared and the next he could see the fire in her eyes.

He was relieved that the kingdom hadn't managed to destroy the fire she carries, a growl erupted in his chest, his wolf angry when he thought about the abhorrent conditions she had come from.

They would all perish, he would make sure of it.

"W-why do you do that?" He was interrupted in his thoughts when a small voice spoke up. That small voice belonged to his mate, and immediately, his anger vanished.

"Do what?" He asked, scratching the top of his head and raising not one but both of his eyebrows in confusion.

"Growl.....like a dog." Adalia replied, looking at him with bewilderment.

"Dog? Hmph. Like a fierce dog or a....puppy? I hope you mean like a fierce dog because I've got a reputation to uphold....." He said, cracking a small smile, which also caused Adalia to smile.

His smile was contagious, as was hers.

A look of thought crossed her features, her finger touching her lips as she did so. "I think you growled like a puppy. It sounded cute." She teased playfully.

"Cute?" He chuckled in amusement, "No, no and no....I think you've got it all wrong, Mi Lakraya," He approached her, bending down at her sitting form and looking her close in the face, "I'm not cute, I'm fierce. Roar." He teased back, making Adalia giggle and feel awkward.....

She felt....funny in her heart region. It was a good feeling, she just wasn't used to it and it made her feel nervous and awkward, especially when a man such as he was so stunning in every aspect.

Silence engaged them both for a few moments, capturing them in its silky, enthralling arms and holding them tightly.

He knew she had questions, and she knew she needed to address those questions but she didn't know how to.

Did one go about these types of things bluntly or with force?

Adalia played with her fingers in her lap, peeking up at him shyly. "I-I have some questions....."

The playfulness in their moods vanished and seriousness set in. He nodded his head, understanding that she would have many questions. It all must be so overwhelming for her, he hadn't explained a single thing since she had got here and she was taking it so well.

"I.....well....are you the wolf that I've see? That saved me from the stake?" She asked timidly, part of her feeling stupid because part of her believed that there was absolutely no way any of this was possible. She thought he'd laugh at her, perhaps mock her for her foolishness but he did nothing of the sort.

He nodded. "You were not mistaken for what you saw. Indeed I am the wolf in which you layed eyes on, you weren't conjuring up things, what I am - what my people are, are not fables."

She almost didn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it, but she had seen it with her own eyes - the way his wolf flesh tore as it grew human skin across the expanse of his body, the way the bones cried out as they broke, the way the wild was stripped from his eyes as they morphed into that of a human's.

She had seen it all and yet still struggled to believe it.

What little faith she had, but she couldn't help it. It was only natural one would think the way she does in the midst of uncertainty.

"Can you do that again.....change into your wolf just so then I can truly believe." She asked of him, feeling nervous as he shifted in his stance. She had to be sure what she really saw when she was on the brink of death that day.

He didn't say anything but she knew he silently agreed to her wishes. Adalia watched as he stripped himself of his shirt, then went to untie the pants that clung to his hips. Her eyes widened, face flushed when she realized what he was doing. "I-I....you don't have to do that-"

His pants fell to the floor.

Adalia gulped, feeling so embarrassed that there was a completely naked man standing before her with no shame. The last time she had seen him naked she was completely out of it, on the verge of dying so she didn't pay much attention at all - she was too focused on when or if she was going to take another breath.

But now that he stood before her in all his glory Adalia was forced to look away, he was too stunning and too naked to be looked upon with her innocent eyes.

Though she would be lying if she said she didn't steal a peak of....down below. In fact, she had even squeaked when she saw what she saw.

He stole a glance at her, chuckling to himself before he shifted in front of her. He felt bad when she had seen her reddened face and ears, he was worried that he had scared her and cursed himself because of his inconsiderate actions.

He should have remembered that the humans reacted to nudity different than werewolves do, though he had to admit that he thought his mate looked cute when she was drenched in the redness of her embarrassment.

With a deep breath, he gave himself over to his beast. His face morphed into that of agony, and he fell to his knees shaking and breathing heavily as his body rattled with the sound of his breaking bones.

Adalia covered her mouth in shock, her heart hurt as he shifted, it looked like he was in pain. She forced herself to watch on as his skin split open and tore, it was gruesome and the sounds were horrid. Fur burst through the thin layer of skin that stretched across his new, animal-like skeletal frame. His jaw broke, canines retracted and paws were pushed forth.

It was like the birth of an animal, pushing, screaming as it entered its new world that offered much pain and Adalia was witnessing it all again.

Moments later, a large, beautiful wolf was lying at her feet, whimpering like a puppy, his soft, thick auburn fur shimmered in the light and his eyes were still closed.

His fur was the same shade as his hair when he was in human form, Adalia had noted. She remembered seeing this wolf from a distance, watching her with his gorgeous, swirling eyes of wonder that would make even the most beautiful gems look pathetic.

He opened his eyes, gazing right up at her. Tail lifted high in the air and black nose twitching as he took in her scent. He was massive, His shoulder came up to her own shoulder when he stood on all fours.

He was very fluffy, too. He needed to be to survive in the harsh, blistering climate such as Winterfest.

Gently, she reached her hand out to him, watching with caution as he sniffed her hand. A warm tongue came out to lick her, and she giggled, pulling her hand away. "Ew, now your slobber is on me."

He just wagged his tail.

She bit her lip, reality was sinking in and she was forced to believe exactly what that reality was.

Wolf-men exist.

"I believe." She spoke to the wolf who yowled in response.

"Now I believe."

Her kingdom would be built on faith and her destiny written in the foundation of Life. But oh how cruel fate could be who came in the form of a black cloud that was quickly approaching.