A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

A few moments later, a lightly smirking Erik and grumbling Naeku were walking through the halls.

"Why the glum face?" Erik chuckled knowingly. "Didn't you promise my mother you'd give it a shot?"

Frustrated, Naeku snorted. "Yeah, but she used the fact I wanted her to like me against her! She guilted me into it! I had no idea she could be so underhanded…"

"Hehe, that's my mother," Erik chuckled meaningfully. "When she wants something…" Rather than finish his thought, he shrugged helplessly. She'd never been above using guilt tactics when she tried to get him to train with her, back before the awakening.

"Ugh," Naeku groaned and rolled her eyes. "Anyway… I was hoping she wouldn't tell you before I went into seclusion… or that you'd forget."

An amused Erik laughed and shook his head as they continued walking side by side. "No such luck, I'm afraid! Mom and I both have a vested interest in this."

"But why?!" Naeku cried out, helplessly throwing her arms up in the air. "Why do you want me to talk to them so badly?! I've no interest in rekindling that relationship! They betrayed me, my family, and my people!"

"Besides," she continued, now glaring sideways at him suspiciously. "Why would you want me to get closer to a man? I thought you were the possessive type."

A scary grin flashed across Erik's lips. "Oh, I definitely am that…" he muttered in a terrifying growl that sent shivers down Naeku's spine.

He bounced back to normal and smirked at her. "But that doesn't mean I'm insecure. There's nothing and no one who could take you away from me," he chuckled with an absolute confidence that caused Naeku to purse her lips.

"It's more like a predator's territory thing, you know?" he shrugged. "I've marked you as mine, so I won't let any other predators near you. And that's not just men, either. There's plenty of female predators out there, after all—just look at my mother."

Naeku's pout grew. She wanted to object to his macho behaviour, but… he had literally marked her, and she had said she was okay with it. If she'd wanted to object, she really should have spoken up before. Plus, the werepanther part of her brain actually liked animalistic behaviour like that…

"This Kudzai kid is no predator, though," Erik continued, not in a demeaning or disrespectful way, but simply in an amused way. "He's prey. Not prey I'm interested in, but prey nonetheless. There's nothing wrong with being prey, either. It just is what it is."

Turning to him, Naeku rolled her eyes. "It's weird when you call him a kid, you know? He's about the same age as you!"

Erik's lips curled up playfully as he glanced at her. "Oh? So would you consider him a man? Or me a kid?"

Naeku wanted to respond… but nothing came out. She returned to pouting. "I'm just saying its weird…"

"It sounds to me like you're defending him," Erik smiled meaningfully. "Perhaps there's still a little care left for your friend?"

Naeku scoffed but didn't answer. Instead, she glared at him again. "You still haven't told me why you and mother-in-law care about this."

Erik stopped walking, grabbed Naeku's chin, and pushed her against the wall. Surprised and in her werepanther form, Naeku's eyes widened. Pressing her back against the wall, she began to pant a little. "W— Wha—"

"Is it really so hard to believe I'm doing this for you?" he asked sternly, interrupting her. "I know you care! How could you not? Kudzai was your friend, and Nobuntu your god-mother—one of the few remaining connections you have to your mother!"

Feeling a little intimidated and miserable, Naeku instinctively turned back to human form. Fortunately, the palace corridor was empty.

"I know they hurt you," Erik continued, a little softer, "but avoiding them won't heal that wound, and it won't just affect your relationship with them, either. It'll remain a scab on your mind, affecting not only your relationships with others, but also your meditation. All I ask is that you talk to them. Once. Hear their story and then decide."

Naeku blinked rapidly, her eyes moistening a little. "I—" Then, she glanced away. "F— Fine…"

Instantly, Erik surged forward to press his lips against hers. Hungry for comfort, Naeku responded passionately.

When they separated again, Naeku quickly changed back to her werepanther form, then nervously glanced around to see if anyone had seen her in human form. When she didn't see anyone, she coughed awkwardly, and they continued walking.

It was silent for a moment. Then, she grumbled. "When did you become such an expert on the psyche, anyway…?"

"Oh, I'm not," Erik chuckled unapologetically. "I literally just repeated Elora, word for word. She may have her evil tendencies, but her insight in the psyche is second only to her talent in genetics, for good or bad."

He shrugged with only a hint of nerves. "Honestly… I sometimes worry how I'd interact with people if I didn't have her. I may be the face of our family, but you won't believe how much she does behind the scenes."

Frowning, Naeku nodded. She quickly saved this clearly important information about her new family. A part of her wondered how much Elora had to do with Erik successfully winning her heart, but she decided not to dwell on it.

"What about your mother, then?" she suddenly asked, raising a mildly sceptical eyebrow. "Is she doing this for my mental health, too?"

"Partly, sure," Erik smirked with pursed lips.

Naeku immediately narrowed her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

Erik chuckled awkwardly and scratched his hair, unsure how she'd react to this. "Well… It seems Mom has some… interest in Kudzai." Instantly, Naeku's face darkened as Erik continued. "Apparently, she's promised to help get you to talk to him… and in return, he'd go on a date with her. Although, I don't believe she worded it like that to him."

Runa had told him this last night, after the dances were over. Since she promised Erik to help him get Naeku to talk to them, she decided to hit two birds with one stone.

Naeku stopped in her tracks and glared at him. Storm clouds gathered over her head. "Mother-in-law is taking advantage of him!" she complained. "She's like twice his age!"

"Look at that," Erik grinned, happy with her reaction. "You do still care about him!"

Seeing that her expression didn't clear, Erik pursed his lips. "Come on, Naeku. My mother isn't that bad. Kudzai could do a lot worse! I've told you about this duplicitous girlfriend he has, right? Plus, what does age matter to us now! If Arcanists are any indication, we'll already live for hundreds of years, even at just our current power level."

His arguments caused Naeku's glare to waver a little. She couldn't deny he had a point, but she still wasn't happy about it.

"Fine, but I'm having a talk with mother-in-law about this, and I expect you to back me up!" she growled threateningly.

Erik froze for a moment, but then sighed miserably and nodded. "Of course…"

Fortunately, Runa had already made it clear she expected him to side with his wives in all things, as it should be.

Meanwhile, they'd reached the room occupied by their guests from Azania.