The Making of Mischief [Ginny]

[.Scotchy.]

It was a warm summer night, perfect for the werewolves to go out on a nice stretch causing some fun, and of course everyone went. Except for... well... one girl. She was stuck stranded in her room since her father never really let her do anything. Being a werewolf was almost like a curse to her. She was different from the other girls, so she didn't exactly fit in well with just plain wizards. She also also didn't fit in with the werewolves she grew up with. Well it wasn't that she didn't fit in, it was that she was the only female and her father refused to let her even try to. Rosalie was just one stuck girl.

Every werewolf, well every male werewolf, when they changed their clothes tended to rip off, so that made it difficult for her dad to let her run around with the males. Because, well, when they changed back they were completely naked. We couldn't have her sweet little innocent eyes bear witness to the male organs just yet now can we? Also, when she changed her clothes tended to either rip or slide off, she was born werewolf, so some things were different from the bitten ones. She didn't grow monsterously huge, but she was also a female. So when she changed back to a human she too wouldn't be decent, and her being a teenage girl (becoming a woman) she sports everything every other woman has and why would her father want her to exploit herself like that? That made it really difficult for her. When she was werewolf she was on her own, and when she wanted to change back she had to be in her room to do so. Otherwise if she did it outside she'd walk in naked and everyone see her, or her father would smell the pine from the trees and give her a lecture. A lecture Rose didn't want to hear.

So here she was listening to the howls from her room and sniffing the air, since her mother was making some sort of beef stew when they all came home. She made a soft howl of her own, something her mother wouldn't be able to hear and the other wolves were too far away to hear. Her bright blue eyes peeked out the window, searching to see how close the pack was. They were far enough she could slip out. She rolled out of bed and found her brown leather cowboy boots and slipped them on. Elle would be too busy to pay attention to footsteps. Plus, there was over twenty something people living in the house, whose to say not all of them went on the run? She put on a jean jacket over her white summer dress to keep warm, and hopefully to die down her scent. Rose also pulled her hair back into a ponytail to keep it flying around and releasing her scent even more. One whiff of it and it was all over. Cal to the rescue.

Rosalie stepped out of her room and slowly slipped down the hall. She quietly made her way down the stairs and along the hall, stopping once to peek into the kitchen. Her mother, her swollen stomach sticking out as she bent over to pull up a pan from underneath the seek. A loud racket happened and Rose slipped past quickly and out the door before her mother could hear the foot steps.

Once she was off the porch and running towards the woods she had a sense of freedom. She wanted to shout out and scream and leap, but she kept it all in. She had to get to the lake before she did that. She ran as fast as her human legs could go, she didn't really feel like loosing her dress just yet. Once she was there she stopped at the edge of the lake and looked around. Was he there yet? Anxiously she looked around, hearing a slight russle in the bush she stopped.

"Lucas?" She whispered stepping forward. Before she could say anything else a boy leaped out and pounced on her, making her land underneath him. He pinned her playfully and kissed down her neck. She started laughing and pushing at his chest. "My father is going to be able to smell you."

"I'm not scared of your father," he said confidently. The boy was tall, reaching about six feet and built like a tank. He had short black hair and black eyes, nothing like her pack. Her pack tended to be browns and greys, with her exception of sheet white. Lucas mentioned once how she was nothing he ever seen before either. No such thing as a white werewolf, or a born one at that. He had scars along his arm where the other wolf had bitten him, it was like a branding almost. No one, except for Oliver, in our pack went out and got people to join, they were all unlucky and just bitten.

"You many not be, but I am," Rose said sliding out from underneath him. "So are we swimming?"

"Yeah," The boy moved and sat down with a broad smile. "Skinny dipping?"

"Not yet," Rose's cheeks flushed to a deep red and he could feel the heat rise around her with embarrassment. He nodded and simply stood up. He, well sometimes, respected her wishes. Rose watched him as he took off his shirt and tossed it to the side, next his pants and he jumped into the lake, seeing as how he didn't like shoes. Rose slowly followed his lead, still a bit apprehensive about him seeing her in just a bikini. She took off her boots, then her dress and then let her hair down. She shook it out not really thinking of her scent being able to be carried in the wind.

Lucas waved at her from the middle of the lake and she smiled, waving back. This was it. She was free and her father didn't know a thing. She walked into the water and swam towards her boyfriend.

[Gin]

Running was so freeing. Everything just flew past in a wild blur of colours and scents. If you weren't used to it, all the sensations would seem like an assalt on your senses but after nearly 18 years of being a werewolf, Conner McKenzie was used to it. He closed his eyes, enjoying the evening wind as it ripped through his cream pelt. Conner was a fairly average sized wolf. Though his frame settled closer to small than large, he was no great deal smaller than the other wolves. His pelt was a wide range of browns, from almost black over his haunches to a light cream on his chest and underbelly. Another pack mate once commented to Conner that he was like a smaller Cal, in wolf form at least. Their alpha was quite different in every other way from the younger beta. Conner, however, had taken great pride in his brother's comment. He very much admired Calvin and had grown quite fond of the man's family.

As the pack reached the house, no wolf bothered to shift. Each made his way back into the house, snapping and growling as they fought with each other to get through the narrow door frame. Cal led the way in, no other challenging him for the first step into the house. Conner followed, unchallenged as well, but after that the mob swarmed in. Conner could see his leader stride into the kitchen, his sharp ears could hear the spark of Cal's change back to human and he could imagine the desire building in Cal's eyes as he looked at Elle, round once more with a baby. Cal made a few cooing noises and the cut off as he made his way in for a kiss. Conner rolled his eyes. As wonderful as Elle was, and as great as Cal was, Conner was still a bit put off with Cal's constant touches and affections on Elle. It was over-done, Conner thought. But he tried to ignore it as he leapt up the stairs to his bedroom. Once in, he brushed the door closed and felt the fire die down as he shifted back to human form. His tanned skin felt rough; he hadn't had a proper bath in days. But there wasn't time now. Elle was rattling around, putting out dishes for dinner. Conner dug around in his dresser for clothes, pulling out a pair of new black sweatpants.

"Rosie!" Cal's voice echoed in the house, calling to his daughter. It was a right she had earned as a lady, and as the alpha's daughter, to be served first at dinner. When silence filled the air for a good 20 seconds, Conner began to panic. She had run away before; It was never a good idea but she did it anyway. Her father would be very upset, as he always was, when she broke his rules. "They're to keep you safe," he always said. But Rosalie felt otherwise, always had.

Throwing his green t-shirt back on the floor, Conner raced down the stairs, hoping to catch Cal before he left the house in search of his rebellious daughter. With almost perfect timing, Conner cleared the last flight of stairs to land about three feet in front of Cal. Instinct kicked in and the man took a step back. Angry fathers were dangerous, especially this one.

"Don't--Don't worry about it, sir. I know where she probably went. I'll go find her." He gave his alpha a weak you-can-count-on-me smile and waited silently for Cal to speak. It took a second for Cal to calm himself, not that there was any danger of his changing... He had done it only a few times in the past couple years, all when a boy had dared get too close to his precious Rosalie. After a long silence, Cal nodded and Conner ducked out the front door. He had to find Rosie before Cal got suspicious and came after him.

Hidden in the trees, Conner sighed and stripped off his sweats, tying them securly to his ankle before shifting and darting through the forest. Her scent was heavy in front of the house. Of course she would know the wolves would stay in the back. But how they had managed to miss the sweet aroma, he had no clue. They had, that was all there was to it. After sneaking around as often as Rose did, she had picked up a few secrets.

He was closer, she wasn't far off now. His legs pumped harder as he kept the trail, still fresh and easy to follow. As he began catching up with the fresh scents, another scent caught Conner's attention. A man. A werewolf. Not. Good. Conner pulled back his ears, snarling at the thought of a strange man-- and a werewolf at that-- hunting Rosie down, hurting her.

Conner's claws dug into the ground, skidding him to a halt near a lake. Just past the trees... his ears pricked. It was Rosie, there was no mistaking her voice. But she was laughing, giggling actually. A few splashes here and there, and a man's deeper laugh. The brown fur bristled along Conner's back as he paced forward, slowly, coming upon the lake. He snarled, loudly, bracing himself against the shore, ears laid back menacingly and eyes fixed on the swimming man. Maybe it was good that he wasn't hurting her, but flirting just put of the hurt until later. Besides, Cal would be tiiiiicked.

[.Scotchy.]

It wasn't often that Rosalie was able to see Lucas, so when she did it involved a lot of playing, touching, kissing, you know the normal teenage things. Sometimes he even pushed for a little bit more, but the girl was able to put her foot down and draw a line. He might be more than just a little experienced in that area but she wasn't. One thing her father did really well on was making sure she was restricted from being near guys at all. You could say that was why she was so eager to be with Lucas, he was boy and she was a deeply deprived girl. Even if she didn't really feel any emotional connection to him, she still wanted to feel everything everyone else got to feel at her age. Small tingles in your stomach when you like someone. First kiss, first love, and of course first date. Though Lucas wasn't her exact plan, he was fun to hang out with.

Lucas made his way closer to her after just splashing her in the face. He wrapped his arm around her small waist and pulled her in close. Her entire body lurched in response to his touches. Of course it was just a normal hormonal reaction. No real desire to have a mental connection with him was she really experiencing. She smiled and pressed her body against him as he leaned in and kissed her forehead. He started out sweet. His kissed down her cheek and then to her lips, sliding his tongue in her mouth. As he distracted her with his kissing, Lucas' left hand reached up and slowly started to tug at her neck ties of her bikini.

Suddenly a scent that she all too well drafted up into her nostrils. Her stomach filled with flutters and her cheeks flushed. Lucas assumed it was him and pulled even tighter on her strings, making them come undone as his other hand slowly rose to her breast. She quickly jerked away, hearing the bushes russle, indicating he was there, and a slight growl showing his disapproval. She turned her back to him and Lucas, making sure they couldn't see anything as she tried tie her strings.

"Who is that?" Lucas said in a snappish tone.

"Conner," Rose said softly turning around. Out of all the people in the pack her father could have sent to find her, why him? He made her stomach go in knots, her cheeks flamed a type of red when he talked to her and she grew rather nervous. She was cool and confident around everyone else, but Conner? It was weird. Well it wasn't like she acted like a dumbfounded fool around him, she felt it all inside, and she was certain he could feel her vibrations of nervousness when he was around. She also liked him. She was the person she really wanted to be experiencing things with but she knew he wouldn't come close to her with a ten foot pole if Cal said not too. That was another thing, she couldn't like anyone in the pack, they would all be too afraid to be close to her since Cal would have them killed, peed on, and buried in the back yard.

Lucas growled and stepped in front of Rose as she started to move towards Conner. Time to go home. If she kept her father waiting, she might get Conner in trouble, and she didn't want to do that. "Why can't you just let her stay?"

Rose blinked as she noticed Lukas' body start shaking from anger. He was going to change, he was going to fight? Before she got to say a word Lucas turned into his jet black wolf and bounded towards the shore, and stopped in front of Conner, growling and snarling. Lucas was just a tad younger than Conner and has had his fair share of fighting, where as Rose wasn't really into the whole thing.

"Lucas! Don't!" She snapped moved out of the water and stepping between the two. Lucas growled at her to move and went to snap at her but she moved her leg. It wouldn't have drawn blood, but he definitely wanted her to let him have his way. She refused. Before she was able to say anymore to him he ran off, not looking back.

"Sorry, Conner," she mumbled quietly and moved over to look for her dress. She threw it somewhere....

[Gin]

Conner watched the pair with a set mind. He would be getting Rose away from this boy one way or another. And it wasn't just because Cal would be furious with her if he had caught the girl out with Lucas. Conner wasn't entirely sure about the effect the girl was having on him but he had some pretty good ideas. Having watched her grow up and having been her guardian at a young age, Conner was quite familiar with Rose, he knew her inside and out. But getting older had given Rose the idea that she didn't need a caretaker, that she could take care of herself perfectly well. Conner could see, as he glared at Lucas, that that was not true at all. However, he could see her desire to sneak around and get into trouble. It was only from Cal's over-protective rules that Rose's rebellious streak her come from. Conner could see that, he wasn't blind. But he wasn't about to stand up to the Alpha of the pack and tell him that.

Rose turned away from the two boys, tying frantically to keep her bikini top on. Conner scoffed. Lucas was as good as cat food now; Trying to tarnish Rose's innocence like that. How could she let him do that? Conner felt the betrayl as if she had slept with Lucas. Though he also knew that he shouldn't feel betrayed. Rose was not his; Cal would never allow that. And besides, Rose would never see him as anything more than her father's lackey and her babysitter. He was doomed.

"Why can't you just let her stay?" Lucas was shaking, eyes completly intent on Conner. Conner's body responded out of instinct. The black fur on his ruff stood on edge, head lowering to cover his neck as Lucas sprang from the water, black fur dripping and lips pulled back in a snarl. He stopped feet from Conner, both wolves mirroring the other's defensive stance. Rose, having retied her bikini, ran from the lake to stand between the two.

Get out, Rose, this is not your fight, Conner growled, though he knew she could not hear him. Lucas must have said something similar though he followed up his warning with a snap at her leg. Conner let out an angry yell and started forward, side-stepping Rose to get at the black wolf. As he did so, fire in his eyes, Lucas turned and ran. Conner ran a few yards behind the brute to make sure he continued before turning back to Rose, a complete opposite of the fierce wolf who had face Lucas.

"Sorry, Conner." He whined quietly and started walking back to her. Rose turned away, searching for something. Hopefully her clothes, Conner thought. It was about then he registered that she was wearing only a small bikini. He paused, staring as she dug around the area. She really was beautiful. He couldn't think like that, he'd only be torturing himself. With a reluctant dog sigh, Conner turned away, following her scent to a pile of clothes by the trees. He stood beside them like a guard dog, giving her a short bark to let her know the clothes had been found.

[.Scotchy.]

"Well, if Lucas ever shows his face around me again, I will be thoroughly surprised," Rosie said moving a bush over to check if it was where she had tossed them. "I don't know what would have scared him off more, the fact that I have body guards or that I wanted him to go. What do you think Conner?"

She heard a small whine escape from him and she turned around to see him sniffing the ground. In wolf form he could smell ten times better than she can, though she could smell pretty good outside of it as well, but she did have half non-wolf blood inside her so she wasn't as strong as the others. He stopped and stood like a guard dog and barked at her, letting her know he found something. She walked over, spotted her clothes instantly and grabbed them. She slipped on her white summer dress, then her boots and held onto her jacket.

"Do I smell like him? Or do I smell like the woods?" Rosalie asked, hoping to god she didn't smell like Lucas. If she did her father would have a huge fit and go on the hunt for him. Now the last thing everyone needed was to have a huge pack against pack fight. Or perhaps, if he did smell the boy, her mother would be able to come him down. Elle seemed good at that.

She knelt down so she was face to face with Conner, "If I smell like Lucas, can you make it that I don't? Rub against me? Or something? Cover is scent up? And then not mention it to my father, you know how crazy he'd get."

Rosalie looked at him with pleading eyes. She really wanted him to change now, he had pants tied to his ankle, why not change after Lucas left? It was ten times easier for her to communicate. Though, him in wolf form made her able to actually make words without stuttering or... blushing fiercely.

[Gin]

"Well, if Lucas ever shows his face around me again, I will be thoroughly surprised." Conner had been half listening to her as she rummaged around for her clothes. Yeah, he better stay away, Conner thought with a silent growl. "I don't know what would have scared him off more, the fact that I have body guards or that I wanted him to go. What do you think Conner?"

Definitly the bodyguards, he replied mentally as he dug around in the brush. Finding the clothes, he barked quietly. She came over to him, quickly slipping on the white dress, but holding onto her shoes and jacket. With only half the werewolf blood in her, Rose was still subject to the cold. Just means I can keep her warm. No. Can’t think like that. Conner shook his head roughly, making the fur stand up along his ruff before it settled itself back down.

"Do I smell like him? Or do I smell like the woods?" Conner padded over to Rose, lifting his nose to sniff at her. Her clothes hadn’t had his scent on them until she put them on. Now they reeked. As he stopped, pressing his nose against her already wet calf. He pulled back, snorting, as if to tell her she smelled like the boy.

But as Conner had pulled back, Rose knelt down, meeting his grey eyes on his level. His tail gave one beat and his maw cracked open in a friendly grin. "If I smell like Lucas, can you make it that I don't? Rub against me? Or something? Cover is scent up? And then not mention it to my father, you know how crazy he'd get."

Conner’s tail froze, his wolf grin fading when his maw closed. She wanted him to do what now? Rub against her? Had he been in his human form, his cheeks would have flared red. As it was, in wolf form, he didn’t have to worry about that. He silently wondered if she knew what she had just asked of him. Could he do that safely? That is, could he cover Lucas’ scent without getting himself in trouble with Cal… and his hormones?

Rose kept his eyes, begging him to help her. He huffed out a sigh and lay his ears back, tail dropping. At least if it was his scent, it would be someone from the pack. Rose wouldn’t get in trouble for sneaking off with a strange wolf. Conner would most likely get accused of doing things he hadn’t done; However much he wanted to do those things, he wasn’t pleased with the idea of getting punished for doing them if he didn’t actually get the pleasure of doing them. But it was for Rose. He would do anything for Rosie.

Trying to remember he was doing it for Rose, Conner came closer. Very slowly. He was cautious as he approached, first craning his neck to take her boots and jacket in his mouth. Carrying them, he pulled back a few feet, lay them in the dry grass and lay down over them, rolling to cover Lucas’ scent with his. After only a few rolls, Lucas’ scent was masked and Conner stood up, shaking his body as if ridding himself of germs the clothes her rubbed off on him. He looked back at Rose, blinking as he stared at her. So beautiful…

He turned and darted into the trees, quick as a flash and he was hidden in the foliage. He stepped out a minute later, chest bare, legs covered in his black sweat pants. Conner came back toward Rose. As a wolf, there was only so much you could do to mark things with your scent. Rubbing against someone was always great but you couldn’t really establish your scent on a human without being human.

Close to Rose now, he slowly held out his arms, offering his scent as an alibi.

[.Scotchy.]

At first, Rosalie wasn't going to do it, the look on his face even said no. Something must have changed because before she even got the chance to say 'nevermind, it's ok' he opened his mouth and reached out, grabbing her boots and coat. She watched carefully as he placed them on the ground and proceeded to lay down and roll all over them. Before she knew it, she could smell his scent coming up from her boots and jacket as she stepped closer when he moved away. It smelled so good and inviting. When he moved away from her she closed her eyes and inhaled the scent. It was heavenly. Lucas smelled musty and odd, Conner smelled perfect. He smelled sweet and inviting as well as... well... manly. There really wasn't another word for it.

Rustling in the trees and bushes made Rosie stand up and turn around. Her eyes quickly found themselves staring at a half naked Conner, who quietly stepped closer to her. Rosie lost her breath. He was gorgeous, if a man could be such a thing. He was nothing like she has seen, Lucas was still a young teenager, not fully in his man self, whereas Conner here was full... grown. He had slight muscle tint on his chest and arms, that just screamed to her she was safe with him. He stepped closer and held out his arms, it took her a few seconds to understand what he wanted her to do.

"Oh," she said quietly, her cheeks flushing to a beat red as she felt his heat press against her. He wasn't even touching her, but the wolf inside him gave out so much heat she could just feel it coming off him. She loved it. She stepped inside his arms and wrapped her arms around his chest for a second, before she looked up at him with a small smile. "Thank you."

Rosalie could feel everything, hear everything, it was so sensual that she was almost wanting to twitch away from the completely new feeling. Her small hand slid down his back slowly and felt along his side as she drew her hands closer to her. Her fingers could feel his slight muscles underneath her and she brushed against them gently. Curiosity took over. She was shy, and tentative as she moved her hands along his chest, but she still did it. She was sure that they didn't need to do this to get his scent, but she was also positive that she would never get the chance again.

She swallowed hard as her soft eyes traveled along his body and made their way back up to his eyes. She bit her lip and smiled a tad and leaned into him a bit more. Rose wasn't sure how he was feeling about the whole thing, but she certainly knew what she was feeling. It was great. She liked how he felt against her and how warm he was to her cold wet body. He also felt sturdy, stable, something Lucas didn't feel like at all. With Lucas there was a lot of fumbling around and pushing and grabbing, this was different. This was nice.

[Gin]

"Oh." Conner still stood at a safe enough distance. She could reject his offer if she wanted to but for now, she didn’t seem inclined to run nor step closer. He stared at her curiously, wondering what her choice would be. Her light skin turned red as something like embarrassment took over. But before he could think twice about the flash of colour, she moved closer, arms wrapping around him. He responded almost out of instinct, his own arms pulling her in against him, gentle but secure. "Thank you."

Rose was warm, despite her recent dip into the cool water. Or maybe it was just Conner who was burning with so much heat. His mind raced, trying to reason with himself that he could keep a cap on his hormones, he could control himself. He had already lived this long without jumping Rose, why should now be any different. Sure, now she was in his arms, more than just his charge. This time she had come willingly to him. But he couldn’t allow that to change anything. Cal was going to be mad enough knowing Conner’s scent was covering his daughter. It would not bode well for the man if Cal found out what Conner was thinking about his daughter.

Conner had managed to convince himself that he was strong enough to overcome this. He took in a deep breath, hoping it would help clear his head. His plan back fired when his keen nose caught Rose’s scent. Conner’s eyes turned down to look at her. It was about that time he felt her light hands moving down his back. His mind sent a flare of warning signs but somehow he could not push her away. Her hands continued to move, exploring his warm skin. His spine crawled, knowing Cal would definitely not approve of this. Her hands came forward, around to his chest, gentle and tentative, as if she were unsure of what she was doing.

The only thing that was really necessary for a werewolf in human form to transfer his scent was to hold the scent-receptor close to his body. The scent would simply rub off, simple enough. Rose was not making this simple. He knew he should move away, keep things from going too far. He knew Cal would kill him if he could see what was going on. But he also knew that he would never again get the chance to hold Rose so close, to feel her warmth, and feel her skin on his. And at that moment, he knew he couldn’t move away from her. He was prisoner to her wishes; Lucky for him, at that moment, their wishes seemed to coincide.

Her eyes seemed to be getting just as much of a work out as her hands were. She looked him up and down, and finally came to rest on his face. His dark eyes turned down on her, unable to hide the pleasure that had always been there when he looked at her. Conner felt his face light in a smile, something he had not consciously thought to do. Somehow, it just seemed to happen when she was around. She leaned in to him and he drew his arms tighter. For the present, it was no longer his job to guard and protect her, it was his choice.

Conner held her closer but soon let his arms loosen, gently separating their bodies. He felt her coolness fade as he kept her a few inches back. But before she could have a chance to voice a protest, a warm hand rose to lift her chin and his head dipped to her level. Lips met hers for a quick moment and he pulled back, mentally slapping himself for having fallen from sense. This was something Cal would know about. Holding her was one matter entirely but Cal would know he had kissed Rose. Conner immediately dropped his hand and took a few steps back, separating himself from the temptress.

“I’m…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. Forgive me.” His body chilled at the thought of the punishment he would receive. And yet, through it all, his mind couldn’t work out a good excuse for the distance he had put between them. His body ached to be close to her again. Every piece of logic he had told him to get away and get away fast. But every nerve in his body told his brain to quite simply, shut the hell up. He had to obey. And after all, he was already screwed, why not make it worth while?

Conner took two quick steps forward and pulled Rose against him again. He lowered his lips to hers and stole another kiss, slower this time, before he pulled back and rested his head against hers. “He’s going to kill me,” he muttered, not really caring.

[.Scotchy.]

Conner made no movements to indicate that he didn't want or didn't like what she was doing. So naturally, Rosalie, kept going. She loved the feel of his skin underneath her fingers and his muscles tight beneath her. She wanted to feel more and explore, something she never felt with Lucas. With Lucas it was surface only, she had no urge to go deeper and find out, but with Conner, she wanted more. Her blue eyes followed her fingers as they trailed down past his naval. Just as her finger tips touched his belly button he pulled away. Quickly, Rose turned her head up to see exactly what was wrong. There was no worry in his facial expression, just calm loving eyes staring into hers. She could have sworn she just felt her knees buckle in. As soon as she started to straighten herself up, his fingers grazed her chin gently and tilted it up to face him. She closed her eyes as soon as she felt his lips touch hers.

It was like being kissed for the first time all over again. She had butterflies in her stomach, a dizzy sensation flying over her head, and of course her cheeks were flushing deeper than ever. Though, it was a lot better than her first kiss, it was more meaningful, more loving than greedy. It was what a first kiss should be like, minus the quick pulling away leaving her standing there with her face tilted up and her lips out from his kiss. She opened her eyes and looked over at him. Why did he stop?

“I’m…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. Forgive me.”

Rosalie watched him back away as if she was some sort of disease. It was like she was just slapped in the face. Her heart had a huge jab into it. Why would he say that? Ruin a perfectly good moment and then just tear it apart with those cruel words? She knew exactly why he was off around her, why he was uncomfortable being close, but she really wished it wasn't true, or at least that someone would not care what her father thinks.

"Don't do that," she growled, her eyes narrowing darkly at him. "You can't do something great and then take it back because of someone stupid. I mean really, I liked it and I'm not going to ta--"

Conner had moved in closer before she could say anymore, his eyes hot on hers, his arms pulling her in close to him, and then his lips pressed into hers slowly as if he was savoring it. She kissed him back and pressed her whole body into him. She loved the feel of him near her, and there was nothing her father could do to prevent her from being with him. At least, if that's what Conner wants too.

“He’s going to kill me,”

Conners forehead was pressed against hers, and his eyes were looking down at her as if he was in complete bliss. She smiled up at him and kissed his cheek. "I won't let him."

The crickets were chirping and signaling how late it was getting, and the moon was high in the sky. It had to at least been one in the morning, and her fun had just started. She looked back at where the house was, where her family was sitting there and waiting for her, as well as the pack. It was time to get home. Time to face her father. She bit her lip and hugged Conner tightly, not wanting to let go.

"We have to head back, I guess," she said quietly as she pulled back. She turned around and grabbed her boots and jacket. She slipped them on and then looked at Conner, "Here, turn around and let me climb on your back. That way my dad will think I have your scent on me from the piggy-back ride."

She moved closer and looked over at the lake one last time. She honestly wished she could just run away, leave the pack, and possibly make her own. Rose turned and looked over at Conner, if she ran away she wouldn't want to go alone. But would he want to go with her?

[Gin]

As he kissed her, Conner could feel his temperature rise. His skin felt like it was on fire; Not the normal simmering of the werewolf blood. No, this was something more; Something deeper. Rose learned into him, totally pressed against him now. She was so soft against him. Conner found himself unwilling to leave her. He had always known she was a special girl but there was not one woman that compared to her now. Rosalie James was no longer a girl. She was a woman. He knew that now as he held her against him.

When he broke the kiss, he didn’t move away. The heat of her body was almost nonexistent in the shadow of his own but he could still feel it seeping into his skin. His dark eyes fell down on hers. Like her mothers, Rose’s eyes were light blue. As much as Cal had loved the contrast of seeing Elle’s blue eyes after looking at his pack’s brown and black eyes all day, Conner was in total ecstasy looking down into Rosie’s light blue eyes. Her face brightened in a smile and Conner couldn’t help the one he gave in return. She stretched up to him again. He could feel the smooth slide of the dress fabric against his chest as she moved. Her lips grazed his cheek and he let out a quiet sigh.

"I won't let him."

The forest was noisy. To any human ear, it would seem quiet but to the sharp wolf ears, it was alive with life. Crickets alerted him to the temperature and hooves crackled the dry leaves. Other bugs joined in the band, striking up a nice rhythm with their various noises. Even the wind added in its breath through the trees. Many nights Conner had come out of the house and sat in the woods, just to enjoy the sounds. But having done so, he knew that the sounds he heard were only another signal to the late hour. He tilted his head back, face glowing with the faint beam of the moon. It was high in the sky, just past being straight up. Guessing, it was getting close to 1 or 2 in the morning. The pack would be waiting. Conner had told them he would bring Rosie home. If he kept her away much longer, he would be punished, whether from inferior tracking skills or because he had lacked the ability to bring home his charge. Knowing he faced enough trouble for the scent that hung on her body, he didn’t want to risk anything more.

Rosie hugged him close once more and his arms reacted instinctively. His grip tightened around her, sheltering her from anything that might hurt her. But her hold loosened, telling him she wanted to break the hug. He sighed and kissed her forehead as she spoke. "We have to head back, I guess." Her arms fell and Conner mirrored her, suddenly feeling the cold of the night on his bare skin. She walked away and Conner’s dark eyes followed her. She was his. Or had been. For a brief moment, he had given into his dream. But now his dream was over and things had to go back to normal. She returned donned in her boots and jacket, both heavy with his scent.

"Here, turn around and let me climb on your back. That way my dad will think I have your scent on me from the piggy-back ride." Conner chuckled as he turned, squatting down slightly so that she could climb on his back. She was a clever girl.

When she was securely on his back, he pulled her legs around him, securing his arms under her legs to make sure she wouldn’t fall. Her arms were around his neck and she held on tightly. Conner was a decently fast runner although he was no where near the quickest in the pack. In fact, Rose was faster than he was. They had raced often enough. But, regardless, they were back at the house in minutes. Conner sighed, wishing it had taken him longer so that he could have held her longer but that was not an option, he realized, as Cal came out the front door.

Cal stood at the window, eyes keen on the darkness, waiting to see his daughter appear. Conner was a good boy. He would bring Rose home safe and sound. If there was one of the wolves he could trust with his baby girl, it was Conner. Of course, had he really been paying attention all those years, he might have noticed the sparkle in Conner’s eyes when Rose was around. But Cal hadn’t given much attention to Conner when Rose was around. Everything was about keeping his little girl safe. And as he saw Conner appear at the edge of the trees, he realized that Conner had done that.

The alpha rushed out of the house, not bothering to close the door as he came to meet the pair. At first he hadn’t seen his daughter and a flare of panic struck him but within half a second he saw her head behind Conner’s shoulder, her arms around his neck, her legs wrapped around his waste. But Cal didn’t think twice. This was Conner, not some hormone-drive teenager. Conner stopped in front of Cal, instantly releasing Rose’s legs and letting her slide to the ground.

“Found her, sir,” he reported. His voice was even, a good Beta reporting business as usual. Satisfied with Conner, Cal ignored him. He turned his sharp gaze on Rose instead.

“Where did you go?! We were worried sick about you! You can’t keep doing this to us, Rose! What are we suppose to think when you just disappear from your room? What if you had run into a strange wolf! You can’t defend yourself like the boys can! From now on, you don’t leave your room without Conner, is that understood?!” His face seemed frozen in a glare as he fumed. At the last command, Conner paused in his walk back to the house. This argument was between father and daughter but if Cal was going to bring him into the girl’s punishment, he should be there. He turned and cast a wary look at Rose. If Cal were going to put him in such a position of… proximity to Rose…. Would he be able to let things go back to normal?

[.Scotchy.]

Rose settled herself on Conners' back comfortably. Her arms wrapped around her neck while her legs were tightly wrapped around his waste with the support of his arms holding onto her. Conner started moving into the woods and Rosalie rested her head on the back of his neck, as he picked up speed she closed her eyes as the wind toyed around with her hair. This was heaven to her. So was with the one she loved and nothing else seemed to matter. For a few moments her mind wandered and let her think that she wasn't going home to an angry father and frustrated pack, but to a nice quiet home where she could spend the time with Conner and only Conner. She blushed thinking of things she'd definitely would like to do with him and she curled into him more, holding him tighter as she wished they were actually doing what she was thinking of. Her small fantasies were crushed with the slowing down of Conner's feet and the door being burst open.

Rosalie opened her eyes and peeked out from behind Conner. There, standing in a heat of rage, stood her father staring down at the two of them. Well more at her with so much anger she could feel the frustration burning on her from his eyes. Why did he have to get so angry? Why couldn't he let her live a life that every teenager lives? None of the other girls are sheltered this much. It was already bad enough that she was different because she was a werewolf, but her father made it worse with all the restrictions.

Conner gently put her down, even though she gripped tighter hoping he wouldn't do so. As soon as he let go over her he moved forward, making enough space for Rose to feel abandoned in a time of need. In her mind he should have totally stayed and stuck up for her and what she did, perhaps Cal would listen to Conner instead of his own daughter.

“Found her, sir,” Rose hated that tone, she even grimaced as he said it. She sounded like package, or nothing worth much more than just business. He certainly didn't think the kiss was like that, did he? She watched Conner swiftly move past Cal and up the stairs towards safety.

“Where did you go?!"

Rose averted her eyes away from Conner and met her fathers. He was glaring down at her, definitely trying to make himself bigger and something to fear. She stood up a little straighter and glared right back, "I just went to the la--"

"We were worried sick about you! You can’t keep doing this to us, Rose! What are we suppose to think when you just disappear from your room? What if you had run into a strange wolf! You can’t defend yourself like the boys can! From now on, you don’t leave your room without Conner, is that understood?!”

Rosalie's cheeks flared to a deep red as her fathers words ripped right through her. Using Conner as a punishment was hardly fair to her or him, and it worried her. It would make her seem more like a job than someone he can hang out with for fun. She crossed her arms and stuck out her foot, glaring her father down as equally as he was her.

"I'm afraid, it's not understood," she started, her tone wavering a bit as tears were welling up in her eyes. "First of all, you shouldn't say we, since YOU are the only one that cares if I go out and have fun. Mom would let me go without a babysitter if you weren't so paranoid! And I am pretty sure, that the rest of the pack doesn't give a d**n as to what I do, as long as I don't bring any harm to them, and if you know me, I wouldn't do something like that! Thirdly, the only reason I don't know how to fight is because you REFUSE to teach me! You hardly let me go in my wolf form as it is, and when I am the guys are freaked because you have them pissed scared of me if I am in my wolf form around them."

At this point she was moving her arms around wildly and pacing back and forth, her eyes darkening with anger as she focused on her father, "News flash, dad! I am a werewolf, I am one of the pack, and making me not live out who I am is never going to help! Neither is making Conner babysit me twenty-four seven. Have you ever considered he has a life outside of babysitting me? I am sure he'd like to date a few girls every now and then!"

She stopped breathing heavily and gritting her teeth. Her whole entire body was shaking from anger, threatening to transform her into a the wolf she truly is. "You know what? I am tired of fighting with you! I am tired of arguing with you! I am done with this place!"

With that she stormed past her father and quickly moved past Conner so he couldn't see her red puffy eyes and cheeks as the tears came down more vigorously than before. She side stepped her mother who had started coming over to stop her, in hopes to calm her down. They weren't going to stop her. She was getting out of her. She didn't look around as she felt eyes looking at her with fear written all over them.

Once at her door, Rose opened her door and slammed it shut, grabbed her duffle bag and started shoving clothes inside it. She was leaving. She couldn't handle this anymore.

[Gin]

Conner remained near the front door, watching the fight cautiously. Cal trying to pin him to Rose would not go over well. What was Cal thinking? Sure, Conner was no sex-crazed teenager but he was still a man. And looking at Rose, he was even more of a man. But Cal didn’t know that. Conner shifted his weight to one foot and continued to listen. There were only a few faint noises from inside the house. No doubt the rest of the pack knew what was going on. They could probably hear the argument at the other end of the house. But Conner could hear light footsteps coming down the stairs. It had to be Elle.

"I'm afraid, it's not understood. First of all, you shouldn't say we, since YOU are the only one that cares if I go out and have fun. Mom would let me go without a babysitter if you weren't so paranoid! And I am pretty sure, that the rest of the pack doesn't give a d**n as to what I do, as long as I don't bring any harm to them, and if you know me, I wouldn't do something like that! Thirdly, the only reason I don't know how to fight is because you REFUSE to teach me! You hardly let me go in my wolf form as it is, and when I am the guys are freaked because you have them pissed scared of me if I am in my wolf form around them."

Cal stood motionless the entire time. His eyes burned as his daughter talked back to him. She did this all the time, she would cool down eventually and see things his way. Conner hadn’t made a sound since Rose had started. She had good points but he knew better than to think Cal was actually listening to her. He never did. He only just stood there. Sometimes he would argue back but mostly he just let her get her argument out and she would stop off angry and he would do the same, in an opposite direction.

"News flash, dad! I am a werewolf, I am one of the pack, and making me not live out who I am is never going to help! Neither is making Conner babysit me twenty-four seven. Have you ever considered he has a life outside of babysitting me? I am sure he'd like to date a few girls every now and then!"

What? No I don’t, Conner thought defensively as if Rose could hear him. He really had no life outside the pack. Being the beta was his life. It was what he lived for. He loved serving Cal and having responsibility. There were no girls that flocked after him at the store, no sly winks at the bars, no flirtatious waves as he walked down the street. None that he noticed anyway. Conner had a bit of a one track mind and only one girl seemed to keep rolling down the track.

"You know what? I am tired of fighting with you! I am tired of arguing with you! I am done with this place!" She was trembling, and it wasn’t from the chilly air. The white wolf within her threatened to escape, testing her ability to keep control of herself. She had achieved the skill with almost an inborn talent though when she fought with her father, it seemed she still had trouble controlling her temper. Conner couldn’t blame her. Cal was a tad bit controlling over his daughter. But he could see how Cal would want to keep his baby girl safe.

Rose stormed past him, catching him off guard. She had been pacing in front of Cal just milliseconds ago. But nonetheless, the swift breeze tickled his skin as she rushed past into the house. Elle had made it to the door in time to watch her daughter brush past her on her way to her room. Conner watched her go, wanting to follow to make sure she wouldn’t leave and put herself in any more danger. But he tore his eyes away from the door frame to look back at his Alpha. He would follow the girl only after he knew Cal had no more need of him. The pack came first.

But Cal seemed content without Conner. His body trembled, the rocks around him shaking slightly at the surge of energy that suddenly erupted with Cal’s change. The dark mass thundered into the trees, cutting a clear path of dust as the darkness swallowed him. Evidently Conner was not needed. He turned on his heels and approached the house, quietly laying a hand on Elle’s arm for a split second and glancing up toward Rose’s room. When he moved away, he took the stairs two at a time, climbing to the top before turning to the right and down the hallway. He had heard the door slam though other noise in the house had picked back up slowly.

Conner rapped on the door quietly, knowing she would hear. The sounds of moving cotton and jean met his ears and he let the door creak open, peeking his head through the opening to see Rosie throwing clothes into her duffel bag.

“Rosie, don’t leave. We’ll talk to Elle. She’ll convince Cal that you need more freedom. He’ll change, you’ll see.” Okay, it was a total lie and he knew it but he had to find some way to get her to stay. Living here wouldn’t be the same without her.

[.Scotchy.]

Ellendie had come out of the house fast enough to see her husband change into a wolf and dart off. She stood there, wanting to reach out and follow him, but she knew better. He wouldn't be pleased if she went into the woods by herself, even if it was to only meet up with him later. She felt a hand gently graze her shoulder and her blue eyes followed the trail up his arm to his face to see Conner looking at her sympathetically. The poor boy always got stuck in the middle. Elle could tell he liked Rose and really wished to be more than just a babysitter, but he was forced to watch her because of his orders, and Conner never refused an order from Cal. She watched him slip into the house and go up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and smiled. Conner was a good kid, always trying to help.

Elle went back inside after giving the woods one last glance to see if Cal would come back any time soon. Probably not. He was angry enough to change into his wolf, there was no way he had cooled down by now. She shut the door behind her and went towards the kitchen where she saw boys trying to get second helpings as well as act like they didn't hear anything.

"Excuse me," she said grabbing a bowl and taking ahold of the spoon from a younger werewolf that was trying to grab scraps. "My daughter hasn't eaten yet."

With that the boy backed off as well as the others that were in the kitchen. Everyone in the house, with the exception of Rose, has had their first helping so it was only natural that Elle made sure her daughter got some as well. She got a few good spoonfuls and scooped out big chunks of meat for Rose. She carefully went up the stairs holding onto a spoon and napkin against the bowl. She turned the corner and went down the hall, hearing some muffled shuffling around and a calming tone coming out of Conner.

“Rosie, don’t leave. We’ll talk to Elle. She’ll convince Cal that you need more freedom. He’ll change, you’ll see.”

"No he won't, Conner!" Rose opened the door and looked up at Conner angrily. She had pieces of clothing in her hands that were getting wrinkled from her tight grip. "You know, just as well as I do that he is as stubborn as a mule and will never change, not even if mom talks to him." She pulled back and went into her room, opening drawers and slamming them as she closed them.

Ellendie looked at Conner, his eyes watching Rose with a bit of sorrow tinged in there. She felt bad. He didn't need to babysit Rose, it wasn't even fair of Cal to ask. Though she did know that Conner loved to watch her, he liked being around her and Elle could tell Rosie liked being around him too. She sighed and stepped forward looking at Conner and nodding her head towards the room to indicate for him to step inside.

"Let me talk to ze boz of you," She moved in, her stomach pushing Conner in a tad more as she placed Roses' dinner on her dresser. "Now, ze boz of you know zat I weel never be able to change Cals' mind. But leesen." She shut the door behind her and pointed to the food for Rose to eat. Rose didn't move, she just stared at her mother with red puffy eyes and tears rolling down her cheeks. "I know you want freedom Rose, but unteel your father isn't around anymore you will be treated as a child. But leesen, your fahzer has now made eet so zat you can go out weet Conner anywhere you want. Zat means anywhere. Cal won't know what you do or where you go, and nor will 'e know eef Conner 'as been giving you fighting lessons. I would 'ope zat you take what you are given for now and per'aps push for more later."

Rose sat on her bed wiping her tears. She didn't want Conner to be forced with her, she wanted Conner to be with her on his own terms. She also wanted to be able to go anywhere she wanted without her father going nuts. She looked away from her mom as Elle got up and kissed her on the forehead, whispered for her to eat her dinner, and walked out. Elle was giving her an option. Never once did she say 'you can't leave', it was a 'I hope you just live with what you got and make the most of it and stay, but if you have to, then leave'. Rose stood up and shoved more things into her bag.

"I can't stay here," she said softly she jammed more things into her bag and slowly sank to the ground, tears flowing down her cheeks now. She was completely torn. She wanted to stay here with her family, but she had no desire to live on under Cal's rule.