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The Wild Hunt

Feet hammered against the forest floor. Water splashed, leaves flew, and dust kicked up in heavy clouds as the harshness of the pace disturbed the carpet of leaves. He slid down the slope, ignoring the mud soaking his hands, the knees of his jeans and boots, and dove into the woods. He ducked under thick, dripping branches of elms and branches. Ferns and looping briars brushed against his calves, and the leaves released the sweet odor of rot when he disturbed the carpet of leaves and weeds in his haste. He clawed at the wooden limbs hindering his path, them clinging to his arms and legs, trying to block his path to freedom.

Footsteps galloped behind him, too swift and silent to be human.

The sound was like wind moving through the shadows of the forest, swifter then any predator and more stealthy than any shadow. It was then he realized his mistake. His attempted cover would be his downfall. This was a creature of the night woods, a being born from the wild force of nature moving with the swiftness of a jungle cat, the stealth of the shadows, the skill of a hunter, and the cover of the woods.

But he had one thing his chaser lacked.

His eyes hardened as he increased his pace, fear gone from his step. Once he'd put enough distance between them, he dove behind a thick tree, and braced his hands against the rough bark. His nails extended to sharp, black claws. His canines sharpened and he smirked, feeling the weight of his fangs protruding over his lower lips.

The scents of the forest burned in his nose and eyes which had suddenly grown sharper. He could smell the damp wood of the tree when his claws scratched the bark, the pungent green of the shrubs, crushed beneath his boots. The sharp aroma of the hair burned his nose and sent a thrill through his entire body, thick with crumpled leaves, the smoke of some burnt ground, the rot of disintegrating wood, and the spoilage remains of animal storage from winter.

His ears began to grow, from their round human shape into a sharp rectangular shape, poking from the inky tresses of his black hair, tipped with crimson. His hearing doubled in volume, as the sounds of the forest echoed around him: the rustling of thousands of branches and leaves, the crunch of dead plants blanketing the forest floor, the churning of moles and creatures beneath the earth, the wail of the wind through the trees.

He remembered the first time this had occurred, how overwhelming the process had been, how painful. He could still remember the myriad of sensations, too many to filter out, and the screech and burning of his body when it completely changed its shape.

But he couldn't worry about that now. He'd come a long way from that lonely, timid child desperate to discover who he was, willing to do anything for answers. He was so much stronger now, wiser, more powerful. Now he was the hunter, and he wouldn't let his chaser forget it anytime soon.

He waited, ears open, senses on high alert, claws poised and ready for action, legs, bent and body positioned in a perfect pounce. He didn't need his true form for this challenge. He waited. A sound like the swoop of a bird echoed through the trees, barely a sound.

Found him. He pounced—

—Only to be forced on his back by a force pinning his chest and hips all at once to the ground beneath him. Clawed hands grabbed the wrists pinning him, eagle-spread beneath his capture, the wind knocked right out his chest leaving him breathless and panting. His eyes widened in shock and horror. Once he met the arrogant, triumphant smirk of his capture's eyes he realized his mistake. But it was too late.

He was helpless. Unsure what else to do he screamed.

"Boo!" His eyes flew open just in time to see the playful crimson orbs, set in a chiseled face, framed by a forelock of wild golden bangs. A crown of midnight black dipped in blood red and streaks with blond adorned his head, much wilder and harsher than his own silky spiked of gold, red, and black. A playful smirk like a child with a puppy danced across his face, and he chuckled at the boy beneath him. "Miss me, aibou?"

Growling, the boy braced his legs beneath his capture's hips, and pushed him up, effectively flipping him off him and—too shocked to recover from the surprise attack—was unable to stop himself from landing in a ditch where a pile of decaying wood, branches, and dead plants had accumulated.

The smaller lifted his legs in the air, and jumped using his hips to his feet, before turning around smirking as his lover crawled out of the ditch, hissing from the contact. Mud splotched his caramel skin, his hair fell to a mop atop his head, matted with sticks and leaves. And his eyes and smirk twisted into a look of discomfort, but returned the second his eyes me the large violet ones of his little love. "I'll take that as a no."

His smirk widened as he strolled and crouched to his knees, and balanced himself on his heels, while the older boy struggled to pull himself from the debris. "Don't you know not to sneak up on a werewolf, Yami?" He teased and flicked Yami's nose, as if he were a disobedient dog, then giggled. "They're known to attack."

The forenamed Yami grinned wickedly at the mischievous violet eyes of his lover. His crimson eyes lit up, recognizing the game. "Why Yes, Yugi, I do know that." Yugi's heart sank, recognizing that look, but before he could escape, Yami pressed his heels against the slope and lunged. Yugi screeched, as Yami pounced on him, the two rolled around trying to gain the upper-hand, but Yami won with ease, effectively pinning Yugi to the ground—his wrists level with his head and his lower body pinned with Yami's own. He hissed as his back made contact with the hard floor, and growled at the smirk on Yami's face.

"Yami!" Yugi half growled, half whined, squirming. "Let me up."

"Awe, why?" Yami whined playfully. "I like you right here," he teased, rubbing their nose together, "pinned beneath me." He nuzzled Yugi's cheek, smirking triumphantly when Yugi moaned, despite himself. "Unable to move…" Yugi shivered, trying to regain control of himself.

"Are you trying to seduce me?" Yugi asked, as his eyes fluttered closed, letting Yami's fangs nips at his neck and shoulders. It wasn't a question.

"It depends," Yami whispered against Yugi's skin. His kiss was slow and deliberate; his fangs gently graced the surface. "Is it working?" He abandoned Yugi's neck for his eyes. Rich ruby bore in to brilliant amethyst, before his lips descended to Yugi's.

Both were shocked and enthralled by the intensity of the kiss, their mouths and tongues combated the other for dominance, demanding the other to surrender. Their hands tangled in the other's hair, caressed their bodies and sank in to the ground. They rolled over and over, trying to dominate the other, but were too lost in their passion to care who won and who lost. When the kiss broke, they both panted like dogs in heat. Their eyes hadn't left the other's, blazing with love and intensity. Yami kissed his cheek then attacked his neck again. Yugi writhed against him, feeling his lover' s claws dance across his body and his fangs on his neck and shoulders. He writhed against him, his claws drawing lines on his back, while the other gripped at his hair. Yugi rolled them over, feeling his fangs and claws extend, his blood singing in his veins.

Yami ripped his shirt off, his ears and hair already becoming shaggier, as his fangs and eyes sharpened. "Come run with me beneath the moonlight."

Yugi smirked, revealing his own fangs, and shoved him off him, and rolled over on his feet. "Not so fast wolf boy. You want me, you gotta catch me first." They both howled as his blood sang. His body shattered as the Change rushed through him.

The first time had been horrible. He'd been so scared and unsure of what was happening. He'd screamed the entire time: his body exploded like it was on fire; his bones cracked and moved beneath his muscles, his skin ripped and fur shot like needles through his skin. Even with Yami's help it had been horrible, but had Yami not been there to calm him down and coach him through the unbearable ache of the first time he may have been one of the wolves who died during their first Change.

But he survived, and not only that, when it was finished, he'd run with Yami, faster than anyone in the pack ever had. He felt the moonlight in his blood, the ecstasy of the wild and the power of the forest inside him that night. When they reached the mountain he got there first—even beating the pack leader. He started the wolf's song, and everyone else joined in—either by force or choice.

That night he became a member of the pack. A werewolf who only months prior had been nothing but a lonely teen desperate for his place in the world and found it in the spunky Yami, the teenage werewolf who desperately wanted to escape the rules and authorities of his family ever since dominance of the pack shifted to his older brother, had joined the fiercest pack on the East Coast without breaking a sweat. Yami had been so proud of him that night, and most of the pack had welcomed him—the younger members anyway. The elders wanted to hold on to the fact that only blood should govern a pack but the times had changed and the Old Ways even though they still held a firm grip on the customs of modern society, the laws violating free choice has lost their power. Even the Alpha couldn't deny a wolf who'd proven himself superior.

But now he was the power of the wilderness. He thrived in the Change. He wanted to run for the joy of it, hunt for the thrill of the chase and the power of the kill.

His body felt raw, and powerful, and alive!

Already his skin prickled with the sprouts of fur and the joints of his fingers ached as they formed his claws and his ears pricked as they lengthened. Yami's rich pearls of laughter danced in his ears as he stood in all his naked glory. Yugi laughed as he dropped his boxers and kicked them to the side.

Their laugher turned to howls with the first ripple of their skin. His blood blazed with the heat of desire, his limbs and bones expanded with power, his jaw extended and his teeth sharpened. He doubled over as his arms lengthened and his legs shortened, and his muscles spasmed before becoming ripped with muscles and bone. His spine crunched as his tail formed. He felt the momentary pain and then the sweet release and howled!

A million sensations surged through him at once. He could hear, taste and feel every sound, taste and aroma of the forest. Fur ripped across his skin, his back arched and his muscles spasmed with power and force. His nails and claws extended and sank into the ground. His screams of pleasure and freedom turned to howls.

They ran with the wind. Tasting the damp earth, rotted weeds and water drenching the air. The soft earth and grass wrapped around their feet as they ran together. Yugi could feel Yami on him, chasing him as they ran the length of the river.

Running faster and faster: the Wind in their steps, the hunt in their blood; and the sweetness of the chase.

Yami pounced, barely missing Yugi by an inch, but he stopped and leapt over the wolf as he landed. The second his back paws hit the ground he took off running, but Yami was faster and with a swipe of his paws, Yugi lost his footing and Yami was on him again. But Yugi was never one to give up: it was why Yami loved him. Yugi rolled over and tried to kick him off but Yami's grip was strong and the two wolves wrestled, rolling around in a blaze of fur. They broke apart and lunged at the other again, as if bracing for a right but instead they nipped and played like two puppies lost in their fun. They rolled around again, before landing in a tumbled heap.

Yugi broke into a sprint with Yami behind him.

You little tease. Yugi chuckled, hearing Yami snort, but he kept running.

You want me you gotta catch me. Yugi teased, he could hear Yami smirking behind him, relishing in the challenge. He may have been stronger, but Yugi was faster. If Yugi gained enough speed, Yami was in the dust, but if he lost his balance and Yami was on him he was powerless. They knew their limits. Knew the other's strengths and weaknesses, knew how to use that to their advantage.

Especially during the hunt.

The kill was swift and fast. They found their prey before it even knew it was there. The buck had been grazing in a field while they were chasing each other. They both stopped silent the second the caught its scent. One look and they knew what to do. Yami vanished to the shadows, while Yugi took to the grass and moved like a cheetah. The buck took the bait and ran. Ran for his life. Ran straight into a trap. Straight into Yami's jaws.

They killed it together, satisfying their hunger and howling in delight as the night unfurled around them. Once they finished, they curled up together, nuzzling the others warm fur, until their noses rubbed together. The reverse back was like removing an outer layer of clothing that shed on its own, but neither noticed once their lips met. Yami braced himself on his arm, while the other wrapped around Yugi's waist, while Yugi wrapped his arms around him and slid beneath him. Their kiss deepened as they dueled for dominance, neither willing to relinquish their hold. Only the need for air separated them and Yugi lay in his lover's arms.

Then something pricked at both their sense.

Their fears were confirmed as the thunder of footsteps reached the clearing. Yami's head snapped up and he growled in both fury and annoyance. Yugi jumped and rolled around.

The wolves flooded the clearing like black, gold, white and russet shadows, all with glowing eyes. The brighter coats of the younger members glittered in the moonlight, some of them howling and snickering in approval of the scene while the older ones snorted. Yugi heard many of the females growl and resisted the urge to smirk—if only to rub it in that Yami was his. But that victory was hollow as a blown egg as the wolves—the ones in the front with more reluctance—parted ways for a large wolf that if not for the ruby outline of his fur, was so black he blended into the night with eyes the color of blood.

The fur on Yami's back bristled as he pulled Yugi close to him, but the younger growled at the action, not wanting to look weak in front of the arrogant wolf. Yami's pupils sharpened and his canines extended as he growled warningly.

The wolf's smirk was the only warning before the Reverse took effect and instead of an onyx wolf, a tall, muscular man with a lean, but strong build emerged in its place. Caramel skin pulled tight over his perfectly proportioned body; his face was chiseled and his eyes were sharp and defined. A jagged forelock of golden bangs framed his elegant face, and a wild crown of midnight dipped in blood adorned his head, even wilder and darker then Yami's. A tattoo-like mark shaped like a bloody closed-crescent of sovereignty adorned his brow. There was no denying it; he was Atem, the Alpha, leader of the pack: a taller, stronger, darker mirror image of the boy holding Yugi in his arms.

He smirked a smile that curled at the corners, though disgust burned in his burgundy eyes at the sight, the color of dried blood.  The sharpness of his gaze fixed on Yami. "You're late, brother."

Yami held his ground. "I was unaware I needed to be someplace," he smirked at the fury barely there in his brother's eyes. Sometimes it was worth the damage to pull at his strings.

"You're Beta, Yami; your duty is to the pack," Atem's tone commanded, before it took a harsh bite, his glare turning to the smaller wolf. "Not roam about the forest with your pet."

Yugi was on his feet the second the insult left the leader's lips, but Yami caught him before he did something he'd severely regret. "I am not Beta yet, Atem." Yami matched his brother's tone; his face held no emotion and his eyes betrayed nothing. "And what my lover and I do when we are alone is our business; you only have no reason for concern unless the issue of mates is involved."

It took all of Atem's control not to flinch at Yami's retort, and all of Yami's will to resist the urge to smirk. "Not yet. But you will be and it would do you wise to accustom yourself to that fact, brother." Atem warned harshly; his voice dangerously low. "I expect to see you at the ceremony tonight. If you care at all for your benefit, you will be there on time." His tone held no argument and the force behind it made even Yami and Yugi flinch in fear.

Convinced he asserted his dominance; Atem turned on his heels, grabbing a black trench coat handed to him, and threw it over his naked body. The black leather shimmered in the night like the wings of a raven. Without another word the pack parted ways for the Alpha before following him in either wolf or human forms. Few stayed behind, and smiled at their companions with wide smirks.

Once the tension of the silent war ended, Yugi suddenly became aware of their situation. Realizing he was naked, he squeaked and jumped behind Yami hoping to hide his pale form. "Dammit," he snapped.

Yami just chuckled. Having grown up a werewolf, Yami was used to their lack of modesty, but he'd failed to reach that level of progress with Yugi. In Yugi's mind, his body was for Yami's eyes and Yami's eyes alone—a fact Yami took great pleasure in asserting.

"Oh relax, Runt. It's nothing we haven't seen before," A roguish white wolf teased.

Yugi went crimson. "Shut up, Bakura!" he snapped at the snickering white wolf, until a smack on the nose from a pale, slender white haired boy in a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt silenced him. "Be nice, you!" The white-haired youth ordered.

Bakura growled before a tanned, muscular youth with a shaggy mass of white hair, emerged. "What? I'm just teasing?" He snorted, throwing Yami a pair of leather pants.

He caught it with ease and slipped it on, while the youth handed Yugi a change of clothes.

"Thanks, Ryou," Yugi smiled. Ryou had been the first wolf aside from Yami of the pack to accept Yugi, having been one of the weaker members of the pack and already mated, Ryou adored the idea of having a new friend to talk to. It was even more of a delight to learn their new member was a fun-loving and spirited youth with a wild heart unlike the other stuck-up non-mated females of the pack.

"Hey, who started the party and didn't invite me?" A playful blond emerged from the forest.

"Hey Jou," Yugi smiled, slipping on a lavender shirt.

"This is your idea of a party?" Ryou teased.

"What, you're not havin' fun?" Jou teased the whitenette. "So Yug, ya ready for the party tonight?"

"Ready to see my boyfriend become servant to the boss from hell, hardly." Yugi snorted, while Yami just laughed.

"Now Yugi, I may not be happy about becoming Beta, but it does have its benefits," he playfully stroked Yugi's hair . "Once I'm second-in-command I won't have to answer to anyone, and I plan on using that power to make you my mate, officially."

"No one but Atem," Bakura mumbled, crossing his arms and blinked when four sets of glares landed on him. "Oh don't look at me like that, you all know Atem is just gonna use this as another way to try and keep Yami in check. If it weren't for all that traditional bloodline crap, he'd just come up with some other excuse."

"Hate to say it," Jou crossed his arms over his bare chest apprehensively, "But I gotta agree with Bakura. You know how Atem gets when he wants something done."

Yami snorted like an angry bull. "Atem can't control me. He knows that, he just likes to play with the illusion that he can."

"We know that, Yami, but be careful. Just because Atem can't do something doesn't mean he won't try." Bakura warned, purely out of concern. He may not have acted like it, but he respected and cared for his best friend a lot. Yami was happier with Yugi and he—and Atem—saw that, and if the elder wolf wasn't so dictatorial and deep-seated in those traditions and customs that dictated the wolves, he'd be happy for his little brother.

But it would never happen. Atem was Alpha, a born leader and a good one, no one could deny that, but one that commanded authority and power like his human form commanded sex appeal. That was the way of the wolves, the Alpha was by no means a dictator but he was very well respected, to a degree feared, and one who had no problem asserting his power if the need came.

"We better get ready," Bakura announced, noting the position of the moon. " The moon'll be in the middle of the sky soon, and if we show up like this Atem'll have a proxy."

"Yeah tha'd be the day," Jou howled with laugher.

Deciding not to bother with their wolf forms, the group bolted through the forest back towards the place, even Yugi. The wolves had sheltered their back in a large medieval monastery conveniently located in the heart of the woods, isolated from society. Having been abandoned centuries ago, the wolves had made the decaying stone fortress their home. It was perfect: a wide space with a buttress entrance, and enormous rose-window surrounded by flying buttresses and abutments supporting the roof. The roof was composed of spires and towers, and the crossing made entrance, exit, and runs both easy and enjoyable.

They had the buttress doors open, created with a clash of the ancient world order and Modern chaos. Buttress pillars formed the isles on either side of the nave. Tapestries of silk hung from them. The Transit and choir had been converted to a main room/ballroom/party for wolves. Rock music blared in the background, pouring from enormous speakers while the DJs argued and clawed through a storm of CDs and records, stacked in boxes in front of an enormous brass organ, caked with dust. Wolves were already there dressed like aristocrats and party goers sitting on leather couches and velvet lined chairs, drinking out of crystal goblets. Others drank straight out of beer or soda cans. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling lit with lights instead of candles while Disco balls in the corners spiraled around reflecting off the glossy surfaces bathing the entire room in a rainbow of neon lights. Rugs and carpets the color of burgundy covered the stone floors, while a red velvet carpet swept a line across the center to the dais.

At the heart of the chaos atop the dais Atem sat upon a throne of bone-like birch, one ankle gracefully crossed over his knee with a glass of wine in hand, looking commanding even in such a relaxed state. A form fitting trench coat with silver buttons all the way to his knees and a pair of silver-studded steel-toe boots adorned his figure. The darkness of the night and his clothes made his bloody eyes burn like a raging fire. His eyes cast a dark shadow when he turned to see the source of the commotion and he smirked with what he found. Yami glared at the other, meeting his glowing eyes before urging the rest of the group with his chin to keep going deciding another fight with his brother wasn't worth it.

The group ignored the gazes suddenly flying their way as they entered. Bakura snapped at anyone who looked at them and burst out laughing when they dashed away like kicked puppies. Yami growled at anyone who sent a glance at them, causing the members to retreat. Noticing some of the female members of the pack glowering at him, Yugi didn't know if he should glare back or smirk. Compared to the other glamorized wolves in the room, he knew for a fact he stuck out, but at the same time, he couldn't resist the thought of rubbing it in that he was a higher caliber because of his skills, and even more so because he had Yami, but at the same time he could see the disgust on their faces as if wanting to say 'you don't belong here, Earthsider!' but kept their tongues in check only to spare themselves the wrath of the Beta and the Alpha.

He was just as happy as everyone else when they left the parlor entrance. Once in the hallway the group parted ways and left to their respective quarters. From then Yugi and Yami raced the other to the largest room at the end of the hallway—Yugi won but Yami still swooped him into his arms before he could push the door open and instead kicked it open and carried his fidgeting lover inside.

Despite Atem's reluctance and his absolute fury at being unable to say otherwise, Yugi shared Yami's room. Not that Yugi minded. Unlike the traditional monk rooms, they'd converted several of the larger rooms into bed ones. As Beta Yami was rewarded with one of the largest rooms and was allowed to do with it as he pleased. The room itself was a cross between rectangular and circular and was composed of several arch-shaped flying buttresses. The walls, he'd rebelliously painted a rich scarlet to counter the dark presence of the castle. A large stain glass window consumed almost an entire wall. An iron chandelier hung from the ceiling, lit with dozens of flame-shaped light-bulbs filling the room with light once Yami slammed his hand on the switch.

The furniture was a mismatch of styles and ages. An enormous Oakwood wardrobe with carvings of mythical creatures stood proud against the wall. A modern-day iron and glass desk took up the back wall near the heart of the room with a slender laptop, a lamp, piles of papers and books and book-holders carved in the shape of lions on top. A huge plush chair, perfect for lounging around in, sat parallel to a long leather couch, both in front of a large, lean TV, resting top an iron table, in the corner where a ton of plugs were plugged into a portable generator. Several modern bookcases lined the walls backed with a plethora of books, DVDs and video games. Cases spilled over into a pile of video game controllers and different gaming stations. The cables and cords wrapped around its respective station like a coil of snakes.

The center piece was an enormous queen-sized bed lying horizontal against the opposing wall. An enormous canopy of red, black and gold curtains shielded the sleepers from the light of the stain glass window, over an iron bed-frame in the shape of a web of vines on all but one side of the bed. A excess of thick, fluffy pillows and fleecy blankets made up the mattress while several others formed the comforter.

Yami deposited his heavy burden on the inviting piece of furniture and pounced on Yugi before he could even squeak. Yugi glared at him, but Yami silence any retort he had with a kiss, to which Yugi melted into. The loose clothing they wore for the sole purpose of making it back to the Den, were easily lost as their hands and claws began to explore. They both fell back panting once the kiss ended, Yugi, eyes half-lidded, lied sinking into the pillows, and Yami on top of him panting like a dog in heat. Yugi hissed and bit his lips to keep from moaning as their bare heated skin came into contact. He gritted his teeth even more when Yami's lips left his neck and his fangs found his chest instead.

Sensing where this was going, Yugi forced himself into a sitting position even as Yami tried to push him back down again. "Yami, as much as I would love to continue this, we don't have time. Your ceremony will start soon and we need to get dressed."

"Aw..." Yami moaned like a kicked puppy. "We can make time."

"No we can't ," Yugi playfully pushed him off him. "I know you, even without foreplay we'll be here all night, and I don't need Atem finding another reason to dislike me."

Hearing his brother's name, Yami growled. "Good point." He finally gave in and walked over to the wardrobe, before throwing it open, and shifting through Yugi's clothes. "What are you in the mood for?"

"Nothing casual since this is a social calling." Yugi replied, hopping off the bed and searching through the combined wardrobe.

"You're lucky. I'd love to go casual all the time. Too bad part of the job as Beta is to 'look the part'." Yami snorted in annoyance. Yugi giggled, pulling out an emerald Renaissance frock with matching green fishnet legging. "I thought you loved leather?"

"I do, for me leather is casual, I was talking about these fancy Victorian get-ups Atem always insists on." Yami corrected pulling on a scarlet vest-like top that covered his torso and exposed his navel and matching pair of red leather pants that hugged his hips. Both tied with multiple black straps with gold buckles across the chest and legs. Over it he pulled on a sleeveless black trench-coat, the tail done in specific tatters, all lined with gold along the hems, with gold and silver points for the sleeves.

"Ya-mi," Yugi moaned blushing at his lover's choice of clothes. "Are you trying to seduce me?"

"May-be…" Yami smirked like a playful child, gently flicking Yugi's nose, when he growled, knowing full well it would tick him off.

"Oh, you just love to piss me off don't you?" Yugi growled, though Yami didn't even flinch.

"Can I help it if you look adorable when you're angry?" Yami grinned like a Cheshire cat, swaying his hips a bit.

"The rest of the pack already does that much better than you do." Yugi snorted, though bitterness seeped into his voice before he could stop is, marring the choke.

Recognizing the tone, Yami's mouth curved into a comforting smile, as he stroked Yugi's cheek. "I am forbidden nothing."

"But they don't want me here…" Yugi said without moving, his eyes focused on the floor. "Atem, everyone but you and our friends…they don't like me near you… Why?" He'd never asked before. He'd always assumed it was jealously, and maybe it was, but some of the older members of the pack, Atem especially, why was he so against Yugi being part of the family.

Yami's mouth formed a line. "It isn't you, aibou, it's me, and before you say anything, no I am not only saying that it is the truth. The She-weres want power, they want to be queen, but they also know only the strongest female gets to mate Atem and that's only if he approves of her. Even if a woman is the strongest of the pack, if the Alpha is displeased with her, she will never be queen. With me it is different. I am forbidden nothing, I may have whatever, whomever I wish so long as they are another wolf—whether turned or birth does not matter. Once I choose a mate, they know all their chances at power are lost. It's the same with some of the senior pack members. They see you,  a young wolf who can out shine them. That angers them because they feel they have worked hard for their position and now they are 'past their prime'. It is the same with me and Atem, they feel neither of us deserves our place and we only have it because of our blood—or rather they tell themselves that because they know if they were to challenge either of us to a fight there would be no competition."

"But that doesn't answer my question. Why doesn't Atem want me to be with you?"

He looked like he was about to bite his lip, then ran a hand through his forelock. "Because Atem and I are gentry and you're…you're not," he said awkwardly, unsure how else to phrase it.

"Basically, I'm low class." Yugi rolled his eyes. "Nothing new there," he said in a bitter laughter. "And you know what's funny, even those guys treat me better than most of those assholes—Mai excluded—from foster care did. My life is just one big fuck-up, huh."

"Don't say that!" Yami snapped in a tone that made Yugi flinch, until he felt two strong arms pull him tight against a warm chest, and Yami's face buried in the mane of his hair. Yugi flinched a bit, feeling guilty. He felt Yami's fingers lift his chin to meet the loving ruby eyes he loved so much. "I have my own feelings on the subject, and I care not a wisp what anyone else thinks. Tradition is only as good as its needs to the people; and you are far more superior than any of those girls or other members of the pack, and fortunately there are those in both those categories who see it." He kissed his cheek, then the other, and for a moment Yugi relaxed into the touch. Relishing in the cradle of Yami's arms, and melt into oblivion and pretend none of this existed; yes it would've been so simple to do just that.

"Why me, Yami?" Yugi half moaned, half pleaded sadly. "I didn't even know what I was until I met you, I just always assumed I was some kind of freak, and yet the second I met you and met others of me, I felt like I belong for the first time since my sister adopted me. Why out of everyone on God's green earth, why me?" His amethyst eyes met his, almost pleading for an answer.

Yami said nothing, but he smiled, and then kissed him fiercely. "Because you care so much." His arm wrapped around Yugi's waist and pulled him close. "Despite all you've been through and all you've suffered, you care about every soul that comes your way and go out of your way to help them." His lips found Yugi's neck while Yugi's arms wrapped around his neck. His free hand moving to undo the lower buttons of Yugi's frock the moving to lift his fishnet covered hip.

"Because you're so willful and spirited—you care so much but you're never afraid to stand up for others, never afraid to fight back, never afraid to go after what you want." Yugi hissed at the contact. He felt his back move from the wardrobe, to open air, and then hit the brass of Yami's bed, but with the flick of his hips he jumped up and wrapped his legs around Yami's waist, pulling him back with him. A loud 'uuf' escaped them as they hit the pillows. Yami just chuckled and continued, gently grazing Yugi's milky skin with his fangs. "Have I ever told you how much I love that spirit of yours?" he lifted his head to meet Yugi's, looking for any signal for him to stop.

"Many times," Yugi panted, and his arms slipped free from Yami's back, lying flat at his sides, but his legs tightened, when he felt Yami's hand gently grazing his hips, than sliding down his fishnets. He knew exactly where this was going and he wanted nothing more than to continue. After all, this was what he wanted, what he always wanted, and what he thanked whatever heavenly being up there that the one he loved the most loved him just as much. These moments when it was just the two of them and no one else, free to express and share what they had between them; yes these were the moments where even Atem's wrath was nothing but a disturbing rumor.

"Because you're so innocent, but never naïve. Because you're so smart and strong, and you have the bravest heart I've ever seen—and because you walk and act and have the heart of a pharaoh." Yami smiled, gently pinning Yugi's wrists together with his free hand. Once he had Yugi's tights down to his thighs, he undid his pants and belts while his mouth nipped and kissed Yugi's collar, making the Were beneath him moan and squeak, borderline scream.

He settled himself in Yugi's lap, leaving his neck to meet the flushed, panting face and half-lidded eyes of his lover, the look his eyes giving him one last chance to say no. Yugi's only response was a fervent kiss on the lips. "What else?" Yugi asked, once the kiss broke.

"Because you have the most impossibly beautiful eyes I have ever seen," he said before he thrust inside Yugi, completely with a snap of his hips. Yugi's scream broke two octaves, whether it was from pain or pleasure Yami couldn't tell. His jaw clenched, and his arms on both Yugi's wrists and his hips shook, as if biting back the urge to completely break his control.

Unable to hold it back any longer, they both panted, trying to replenish their empty lungs.

"And…because…" Yami continued between heavy breaths. "You are so…so…impossibly…tight…and I can't…can't…for the life of me…figure out why."

"That's…" Yugi tried to glare but couldn't. "A physical thing."

"Hardly," Yami responded by nuzzling Yugi's neck with his nose. "They say there is no greater pleasure then making love to the one you love the most and vice-versa. I'm inclined to agree…wholeheartedly," He silenced any reply Yugi might make with a sharp roll of his hips, making him scream.

Yugi couldn't move, couldn't think. Couldn't speak. His mouth flew open in a voiceless scream. Yami was already inside him, pounding into him, massaging and caressing his insides so forcefully yet gently that all Yugi could feel was the whirlwind of immense pain and indescribable pleasure. His hips bucked and his legs tightened, desperate to replenish the warmth he lost when ever Yami pulled out of him. They moved in perfect rhythm, deepening their thrust whenever they moved. Yami released Yugi's hands and braced himself on Yugi's hips, changing the angle of his thrusts, his eyes dark with lust as he continued to drive into his little one over and over at different angles.

Yugi screamed again, louder than ever; Yami smirked knowing he'd found his prize and shifted his hips, and repeatedly thrust into that one spot that sent Yugi to heaven and back. Yugi's arms gave way and his legs trembled to the point they almost lost their grip on Yami's hips. He screamed and moaned; his entire body writhing each time Yami's forceful thrusts massaged his insides as another burst of smoldering pleasure consumed his entire body. He arched his back and bucked his hips, his arms flying to gain purchase of the man above him, before trapping Yami's lips in another fiery kiss. Yami pinned his arms and hips to the bed and deepened the kiss without disturbing his work. Yami broke the kiss and thrust harder inside Yugi, making him collapse and writhe in a voice-less scream.

Memories of their first time filled Yugi's mind, making him smile. He'd been so nervous and unsure that night but Yami had been so gentle, so loving and so encouraging, never once forgetting to ask him if he was alright or if he wanted to stop or keep going. Now he could only laugh at the thought of himself ever being shy in a situation like this.

He screamed again as Yami sent another wave of pleasure through him. How could he be so forceful and so gentle at the same time? How could he make Yugi feel things he didn't think were possible for any one—even one in love to feel? He wasn't sure he cared to know.

Neither cared about the spectacle waiting for them, momentarily forgetting the anger of the Alpha and the impossible demands and out of place feelings, in the warmth of their kisses, the joy of the other's touch and the rhythm of their love-making.

One final scream and one final union of them thrusting against the other and they found heaven again. Yami felt his entire form shatter when he heard Yugi scream his name one last time, before he released; the action causing the unbearable tightness to massage his own pride until he too joined his lover in bliss, with a howl of Yugi's name. They sighed in bliss and collapsed against the other, letting the blissfulness of filling and being filled wash over them like a warm blanket.

Once they'd recovered. Yami gently brushed one of Yugi's bangs out of his face, and kissed his forehead, wanting nothing more than to stay intertwined with Yugi like that forever, but as reality weighed heavy on his mind he knew it was impossible. Gently as he could, he pulled out of Yugi and leaned down to grab one of the scattered clothes on the floor started to clean and redress his little one. "You want to know why I really love you, Yugi?" he asked, fixing his own pants.

"Tell me." Yugi half moaned, eyes still clouded from love and bliss and he sat up.

Yami pressed his forehead to Yugi's and gently stroked his cheek. "Because…You're the only thing I have that is not duty or obligation. You're the only thing I have that is mine by neither blood nor birthright, the only I have I choose for myself and that is mine and mine alone…the only thing I want."

"Really?" Yugi cocked his head with a teasing smile, though the statement almost brought him to tears.

"More than you shall ever know," Yami replied, placing one last chaste kiss on his lover's lips before pulling him to his feet.

"Now let's make haste, before my brother has an episode."

The party had silenced for a second when Yami and Yugi finally arrived. Sharp eyes caught the marks on the armrests of Atem's throne. A few snarls and glares of jealously broke through the cacophony of music, when they caught their conjoined hands. Then a moment later the music roared to life and the party continued. Wolves from all over had come to the ceremony, filling the entire hall. Heralds and Messengers from other packs, ambassadors, even rogue males and females seeking a position in the pack, none of whom Yugi recognized.

The two sandy-blond haired weres managing the music broke their make-out session when they saw them walk in. The smaller threw his bulkier mate off him, causing him to crash into a pile of record boxes, and jumped over the DJ to see them.

"Yugi!" Yugi spotted the lavender eyes, copper-skinned werewolf before they even entered the room, and so did Yami. He grabbed Yugi's arm and gently tugged him towards him once last time before they parted ways. "Remember, don't come near the dais or me during the ceremony. We can't have anyone mistake you for part of Atem's court, and you're not my official mate—yet." He added the last word with pure certainly. "and please." He whispered both pleadingly and begging. "Do not swear. Promise me; that is the one thing that is always turned around for the worst."

"I won't, I promise," Yugi said, gently shoving Yami towards the crowd. "Now go entertain your guests." Yami gave him a half-pout, half-glare, before doing so. Satisfied with his accomplishment, Yugi let himself be tackled by his sandy-haired friend. "Easy Malik," He hissed when his lower back hit one of the food tables, than panicked when he saw Malik's smirk curl.

"No wonder you two took so long." Malik teased. "I would too, if I had to quickly."

" Shut up, pervert!" Yugi whispered heatedly, clenching the front of the laughing boy's shirt. "Tell Marik and you're dead!" he said gesturing with his eyes to the taller werewolf, at the DJ with his hair up in and explosion of white-blond spikes.

"Like I'd tell him anything." Malik chuckled. "He doesn't know the meaning of the word discrete."

Yugi growled and released him, and pinched the bridge between his nose, wondering what possessed him to befriend the perverted were. "Now come on!" Malik grabbed his cuff and dragged him towards the food table, where Joey was devouring a pyramid of acorn cakes and Bakura was getting half-wasted on wine. Ryou barely had time to tell him what was happening before the white wolf swore loudly and grabbed Marik from behind the DJ and dragged him towards the back where Yami was.

The entire room erupted in howls as the court finally took its place, followed by silence.  Atem swung his leg over his knee and rose from his throne. The music halted and the artificial lights dimmed. Someone turned a wheel, pulling a chain that opened the sky-light overhead revealing the flaming moon, a beautiful scarlet sphere illuminating the darkness in a blaze of bloody light.

Finally the court took its place. A tall tan-skinned man dressed in purple, who Yugi recognized as Mahado the Messenger emerged ahead of the rest, his long purple hair blazing in the moonlight. He offered the younger a smile as he passed, which Yugi returned. Mahado was one of the elder wolves who'd accepted him with open arms when he'd arrived. After him came Ishizu, one of Atem's Guards and Malik's older sister, though how Yugi couldn't fathom. The woman's face was a mask unreadable of emotion, and she glared at Mahado when he flashed Yugi a smile. Malik always said his sister cared more for "playing courtier" then anything else, especially "frivolous" things like emotions and happy times, and other things that distracted others from their duty—Yugi learned that the day he arrived. Next marched Yugi with Bakura and Marik on either side of him exactly three paces away. A tall brunette with sharp blue eyes, dressed in silver, who Yugi recognized as Seto, Jou's mate, took his place beside Atem's throne, and primary Guard. An old man dressed in so much linen on his aged violet eyes appeared, stood on the left side of Atem's throne, holding a scroll of paper and a feather pen.

Marik and Bakura both took either side of the vacant throne, while Yami approached the moss-carpeted dais before the vacant throne of contorting birch branches, black with decay but as hollow and shinny as polished bone. He turned to the crowd before going to his knees, and leaned forward, his tri-colored tresses blazing like black fire in the moonlight. The second Atem took a step from his throne the old man opened the parchment and began to scribble furiously everything that happened.

The Alpha stopped on the last step of the dais before his younger brother. "Do you take the oath?" he spoke in a powerful voice, commanding the silence.

"I do take the oath." Yami said, formally, following the declaration. However, the second he spoke the words, he lifted his head and met Atem's eyes, ruby fire blaring into bloody garnets.

"Do you accept your position as Beta, second in the chain of command only to me, the Alpha. Do you promise you loyalty and leadership to this pack and all its youth, to provide for it at all times and see that it is well, to lead and govern it during Hunts and Harvest, and above all, to protect it and its youth with your life and if necessary…" his eyes darkened and his gaze lowered as he met Yami's eyes, blazing even more fierce then Yugi thought possible, the force making him shiver. He considered it a miracle of his lover's will, when he saw Yami hadn't flinched. "To replace its Alpha if he steps down or meet his end before his time and govern this pack with the wisdom and strength of its predecessors. Do this, you swear?"

Yami was silent for a moment, and then he spoke. "Yes, I swear so long as breath is in my body and the wolf in my heart to protect this pack and its youth with my life, to provide it with all it may require and to lead the Hunt and the Harvest and to replace my leader as Alpha should fate wish it so. By the blood of the Hierarchy that runs though my veins and the Wolf that is my other half, I bind myself this pack as its Beta on this, the First Night of the Hunter's Moon."

Atem extended his fangs and bit into his left wrist, then dipped his finger in the blood, before kneeling down to Yami's height. "Then by the blood of the Hierarchy to which we both belong, and as Alpha of this pack, I, Atem, name you, Yami, my Beta." He said while drawing a full-moon shaped mark upon Yami's brow with a sharp claw—it would not become a crescent unless he became leader.

"Behold!" Mahado announced. "Our Undoubted Beta, Yami, Lord of the Hunt as our Alpha is Lord of the pack, make your obedience known to him and call him sovereign."

A great joyful howling and song exploded. Yugi smiled and voiced his own pleasure, joining the wolf's song. It ended with Yami and Atem howling together, as Yami got to his feet, the mark on his brow, forming a blood-colored mark, identical to Atem's. Having done his job, the Alpha returned to his throne, while Yami collapsed in the vacant throne between Bakura and Marik, his face blank.

One by one the wolves rushed to make their pleads, hoping to make rank. Atem simple laughed at their gestures while drinking blood-colored wine from a crystal goblet. Yami just shook his head and remained still, silently hoping the evening would end. The mob swarmed, sweeping the teens up in the chaos. Having been bumped into, snarled and attacked anyone who came near him, creating his own personal circle as he searched for Ryou and Malik.

"Why are you not looking?" a sugar-coated voice sneered, make Yugi whirl around. Back at the dais, the court sat cross-legged among the dais, the elder Scribe at Atem's side scribbled each supplement fiercely as a rogue she-wolf knelt before the throne. Atem laughed, a cross between humor and something dark, while Yami's nails gripped the rims of his throne, his jaw clenched in rage.

Yugi blinked, but turned to the source, a young woman with black hair who he knew wasn't part of the pack. "What am I not looking at?"

"You've never seen a Pledge, boy?"  She sneered in both surprise and slight horror. Yugi wanted to ignore her but couldn't shake the feeling he was missing something.

"You're the Earthside boy, aren't you?" a young blond-haired she-wolf emerged from behind the older, with a sneer of disgust in her green eyes.

"I guess so." Yugi rolled his eyes and turned to leave, but something else they said stopped him. "He's not yours you know." The blond sneered, triumphantly. Yugi froze in his step.

"What are you talking about?" he growled warningly. The girls giggled. "He doesn't know?"

"Oh poor boy, being the Beta's toy, how pathetic."

Yugi clenched his fists in rage demanding an answer. "What. Are. You. Talking. About?"

"The Beta isn't yours," They jested in a way that matched rubbing salt in an open wound. The blond girl, swirl around wrapped her clawed hand around his arm, and making a face. "You haven't made a Pledge to him nor, he you—regardless of what Pack of Alpha thinks, you are only a toy."

"A Pledge?" Yugi asked, half bewildered. Yami had never told him such a thing.

"To be his mate, foolish boy!" The black-haired she-wolf laughed, but spoke slowly as if speaking to an idiot. "For lesser members it matters not, and the Alpha mates the strongest of the pack, but to be the Beta's mate one Pledges their love, and then the Alpha will give them a challenge to prove one's worth."

"A Challenge?" Yugi shuddered feeling lost and hating it. He knew Yami wished to be his mate, but why had he not told him all this? He said he wanted to wait until he was Beta, was this why? "How do I Pledge myself?" He asked, trying not to sound as nervous as he truly was.

The girls burst into laughter. He growled and threw them both aside, sending them to the ground with a howl of shock and mortification at being treated in such a way. He ignored the stares he knew were aimed at him and took careful steps toward the dais, each step proud and confident, just like he wanted to appear. After all what did he have to fear? Yami loved him. He would Pledge himself as his mate and they could finally be together, officially.

When he approached the rim of the dais where Yami was watching as each delicate finger tapped the rim of his throne, his claws and the wood clicking in an unfamiliar tone. He looked even more resplendent in that red, black, gold and silver outfit in the flaming moonlight then he did back in his room. Yugi shook his head, dispelling the tepidness of his old self—the one who was lonely and shy and would've never had the strength to even say hello to Yami—let alone kiss him, hold him, make love with him…

His frock waved behind him like a banner of green; the emerald color against the darkness and sunset of the court made him shimmer like an emerald. Marik noticed him first and gently elbowed Yami's side. He turned and met Yugi with a smile, raising one lovely black brow. "Will you come and sit beside me?'

"Sure," He said a bit bouncily, before taking a seat next to the throne at Yami's feet, and leaned against his legs. Before he could get comfortable, he let out a yelp as Yami unexpectedly scooped him bridal style into his arms. He opened his mouth to protest, but before he could Yami set him in his lap and ran his clawed fingers through his hair.

Marik and Bakura both snickered behind the throne. The crystal goblet in Atem's hand shattered. The four looked over to meet him, Yugi rearranging himself in the throne of Yami's lap. Crystal fragments and wine spilled at Atem's feet, his free hand sank indents into the throne, his eyes blazed as if to burn a hole through those who dared act so frivolous in front of court.

"Yami, you know as Royals we do not flirt openly, correct?" he commanded, in a tone that held no room for protest.

"I am aware of that, brother," Yami said, unafraid, running a hand down Yugi's side. "But you know I do not flirt, and it is not flirting if I am with my mate." Yugi resisted the urge to smirk at Yami's counter.

He expected Atem to curse or growl in fury or even rise and grab them both and drag them from the room. Anything but what he did do—he smiled. "That is true, but he is not your mate, brother."

A shiver chilled Yugi's entire being to the core. So the she wolves hadn't been trying to mess with his mind. Their words suddenly filled his heads like gongs, bitter laugher filling his mind so much his head felt like it was in pain. Had that rogue girl already done so? Was that why Atem had laughed while Yami looked so furious. Were they all laughing at him, thinking because he grew up with humans he was ignorant of werewolf customs? What if someone else had already sought Yami's heart? Atem hated him, he'd never let Yami choose Yugi willingly, did that mean he was just waiting for someone he liked to take Yugi's place?

A growl of determination escaped him, as he jumped from Yami's lap. The surprised Beta opened his mouth to question the action but before he could Yugi had already walked across the dais, determination in each step, and stood on the lower dais, before Atem. The Alpha's smirk from earlier dropped, replaced by confusion, not expecting such an action from the younger Were.

"Then make me his mate," he said neutrally, not letting a drop of confidence bleed into his voice. Yami's eyes widened with something like panic, he moved and opened his mouth to speak, but Yugi was faster.

"I, Yugi Motou," he paused, suddenly realizing he didn't know what he was suppose to say. Recalling what the girls said earlier, and what he'd learned of Werewolf custom and wung it. "Pledge my love for Yami, the Beta. I want to be his mate."

For the first time in as long as anyone could remember Atem was silent, his face a combination between disbelief and uncertainty of whether to take the words seriously. Yami was shaking in horror as he realized what Yugi was doing, he rose from the throne, but Bakura and Marik both grabbed him before he could move.

Somewhere in the crowd, Ryou, Malik, and Joey clawed their way to the front, praying they hadn't heard what they thought they did.

Yugi's eyes were only on Atem, bare of emotion.

Atem snarled, showing his fangs. "You mock-"

"I'm totally serious!" Yugi cut him off, whether ignoring or not realizing the danger of such an action, no one noticed. "I love Yami, whether you believe it or not and I want to prove it. I don't know the proper words, but I will do whatever it takes."

The Alpha rose from his throne, voices spoke in hushed whispers as he stepped down the dais.

"He will reject it," Ishizu sneered, making Mahado growl, his concerned eyes praying for Yugi's safety. Yami struggled harder against his friends grip but the two sank their claws and feet in place, knowing if Yami interfered it would only be worse for Yugi.

It took all of Yugi's willpower not to sway and shake as Atem approached him. Dominance and authority radiating off him like a sudden wave of heat threatened to completely overpower him.

Finally he stopped; burgundy eyes of dried blood, hollow of emotion, bore into Yugi's rich amethyst, bright with determination. "This is no laughing matter, Yugi." He spoke in a softer but nonetheless commanding tone. "Wolves mate for life and unfaithfulness is punished severely."

"I love Yami," Yugi said again. "I want to be with him and only him. I know the costs and they mean nothing. Whatever challenge you have for me I'll take it to prove I love him. Whatever it takes."

Atem said nothing. Those single moments of his silence were the longest of his life.

"I will not allow it!" Yami roared.

"I have already recorded it," the scribe said, flinching when Yami's murderous eyes flashed between him and his brother. "He must either accept it or reject."

Suddenly, a smile slit the Alpha's face. A smile that made a shiver run up Yugi's spine. "Yugi Motou, I accept your Pledge." A silence more terrible then any before settled across the room. Bakura and Marik both dropped Yami in their shock, who had to steady himself on the throne to keep from collapsing. "And as Alpha," Atem continued, taking a step towards Yugi who hesitantly took a step back. Atem's eyes darted to Yami over his shoulder, hating the murderous blaze in his eyes. The fury behind his those eyes spoke more than word, making it perfectly clear, though he was powerless to stop it, nor his loyalty to Alpha or their bond as brothers would allow Yami to forgive the betrayal. "And I seal this pact in blood." Before Yugi could flinch Atem seized him by the shoulders and pulled him forward. The extension of his fangs was the only warning he got, before Yugi felt those fangs sink into his neck and an exploding pain erupted, making him scream as the life essence was drained from his being.

"No!" Yami exploded, lunging forward, grabbed by Bakura and Marik at the last second before, using all their power to restrain their savage friend. Yugi's friends lunged forward but Mahado was faster and blocked them from doing so, knowing interference would only make things worse for Yugi. Fear for the young one danced in his eyes.

Yugi couldn't scream anymore, his entire body started shaking as he tried to push Atem off him but he knew the effort was fruitless. Atem who was Alpha, so much stronger then he, then Yami, then anyone. What has he done? Just as he felt like his life would slip into darkness, the fangs left his neck, making him gasp. His legs unable to hold him up any longer, Yugi collapsed at the Alpha's feet, trembling.

Atem whipped the blood from his lips with his thumb, before kneeling down to meet Yugi's eye level. "I accept your Pledge, Yugi Motou, and seal it with your blood; now my challenge is this: tomorrow night is the Wild Hunt, the Night of the Hunter's Moon," he began.

Despite his dizziness, Yugi knew what he was talking about. The Wild Hunt, was the even that took place on the night  of the Hunter's Moon, the last Hunt of Autumn when the prey gathers its food for the Winter. Every year it was led by the Beta, but on the year of the Beta's coronation, the Beta challenged the Alpha to prove his worth as the best Hunter of the pack; a test for the Beta to prove his role. The Beta was Protector and Hunt, The Alpha was leader and Warlord.

"However," Words rolled off Atemu's tongue. "Instead of the Beta challenging me to the Hunt you shall act in his place. Should you defeat me in the Hunt, then until death takes you or him and until the end of your existence in this life, you shall sit at my brother's side and be his mate."

Yugi felt his heart flutter at the words.

"However," the coldness in Atem's voice made everyone freeze, his claws gripped Yugi's chin to make him meet his eyes. The moment he gazed into those bloody jewels, Yugi had never felt more terrified in his entire life. "If you fail, then you are banished from the pack."

Shrieks, roars and laughter emerged from the watching crowd. Someone was screaming, probably Atem, maybe Ryou. Others were silenced by their horror and shock. Others just laughed, murmuring something about "an impossible challenge".

But to Yugi everything was muted after Atem said the word "banished". The weight of what he'd just done hit him like a tsunami and he was unable to rise from the impact. He was frozen even after Atem released him and turned around. The elder didn't even flinch as Yami bolted past him, having freed himself from his Guards, twin statues of shock.

Yugi barley felt Yami's arms around him. A wave of something far worse than dizziness consumed him. He swayed and collapsed in Yami's arms, praying and wanting nothing more than for this to be some horrible nightmare and to wake up in Yami's room, safe and loved. But the reality crashed against his mind, paralyzing him, even as Yami gently tried to pull him to his feet, but his body betrayed him.

"Mark my words," Yami hissed, comfortingly in his hear. The last thing he heard before he finally fell into darkness was Yami declaring "When I find who put this idea in your head, they will pay for it with their own."

Description
The Wild Hunt

Feet hammered against the forest floor. Water splashed, leaves flew, and dust kicked up in heavy clouds as the harshness of the pace disturbed the carpet of leaves. He slid down the slope, ignoring the mud soaking his hands, the knees of his jeans and boots, and dove into the woods. He ducked under thick, dripping branches of elms and branches. Ferns and looping briars brushed against his calves, and the leaves released the sweet odor of rot when he disturbed the carpet of leaves and weeds in his haste. He clawed at the wooden limbs hindering his path, them clinging to his arms and legs, trying to block his path to freedom.

Footsteps galloped behind him, too swift and silent to be human.

The sound was like wind moving through the shadows of the forest, swifter then any predator and more stealthy than any shadow. It was then he realized his mistake. His attempted cover would be his downfall. This was a creature of the night woods, a being born from the wild force of nature moving with the swiftness of a jungle cat, the stealth of the shadows, the skill of a hunter, and the cover of the woods.

But he had one thing his chaser lacked.

His eyes hardened as he increased his pace, fear gone from his step. Once he'd put enough distance between them, he dove behind a thick tree, and braced his hands against the rough bark. His nails extended to sharp, black claws. His canines sharpened and he smirked, feeling the weight of his fangs protruding over his lower lips.

The scents of the forest burned in his nose and eyes which had suddenly grown sharper. He could smell the damp wood of the tree when his claws scratched the bark, the pungent green of the shrubs, crushed beneath his boots. The sharp aroma of the hair burned his nose and sent a thrill through his entire body, thick with crumpled leaves, the smoke of some burnt ground, the rot of disintegrating wood, and the spoilage remains of animal storage from winter.

His ears began to grow, from their round human shape into a sharp rectangular shape, poking from the inky tresses of his black hair, tipped with crimson. His hearing doubled in volume, as the sounds of the forest echoed around him: the rustling of thousands of branches and leaves, the crunch of dead plants blanketing the forest floor, the churning of moles and creatures beneath the earth, the wail of the wind through the trees.

He remembered the first time this had occurred, how overwhelming the process had been, how painful. He could still remember the myriad of sensations, too many to filter out, and the screech and burning of his body when it completely changed its shape.

But he couldn't worry about that now. He'd come a long way from that lonely, timid child desperate to discover who he was, willing to do anything for answers. He was so much stronger now, wiser, more powerful. Now he was the hunter, and he wouldn't let his chaser forget it anytime soon.

He waited, ears open, senses on high alert, claws poised and ready for action, legs, bent and body positioned in a perfect pounce. He didn't need his true form for this challenge. He waited. A sound like the swoop of a bird echoed through the trees, barely a sound.

Found him. He pounced—

—Only to be forced on his back by a force pinning his chest and hips all at once to the ground beneath him. Clawed hands grabbed the wrists pinning him, eagle-spread beneath his capture, the wind knocked right out his chest leaving him breathless and panting. His eyes widened in shock and horror. Once he met the arrogant, triumphant smirk of his capture's eyes he realized his mistake. But it was too late.

He was helpless. Unsure what else to do he screamed.

"Boo!" His eyes flew open just in time to see the playful crimson orbs, set in a chiseled face, framed by a forelock of wild golden bangs. A crown of midnight black dipped in blood red and streaks with blond adorned his head, much wilder and harsher than his own silky spiked of gold, red, and black. A playful smirk like a child with a puppy danced across his face, and he chuckled at the boy beneath him. "Miss me, aibou?"

Growling, the boy braced his legs beneath his capture's hips, and pushed him up, effectively flipping him off him and—too shocked to recover from the surprise attack—was unable to stop himself from landing in a ditch where a pile of decaying wood, branches, and dead plants had accumulated.

The smaller lifted his legs in the air, and jumped using his hips to his feet, before turning around smirking as his lover crawled out of the ditch, hissing from the contact. Mud splotched his caramel skin, his hair fell to a mop atop his head, matted with sticks and leaves. And his eyes and smirk twisted into a look of discomfort, but returned the second his eyes me the large violet ones of his little love. "I'll take that as a no."

His smirk widened as he strolled and crouched to his knees, and balanced himself on his heels, while the older boy struggled to pull himself from the debris. "Don't you know not to sneak up on a werewolf, Yami?" He teased and flicked Yami's nose, as if he were a disobedient dog, then giggled. "They're known to attack."

The forenamed Yami grinned wickedly at the mischievous violet eyes of his lover. His crimson eyes lit up, recognizing the game. "Why Yes, Yugi, I do know that." Yugi's heart sank, recognizing that look, but before he could escape, Yami pressed his heels against the slope and lunged. Yugi screeched, as Yami pounced on him, the two rolled around trying to gain the upper-hand, but Yami won with ease, effectively pinning Yugi to the ground—his wrists level with his head and his lower body pinned with Yami's own. He hissed as his back made contact with the hard floor, and growled at the smirk on Yami's face.

"Yami!" Yugi half growled, half whined, squirming. "Let me up."

"Awe, why?" Yami whined playfully. "I like you right here," he teased, rubbing their nose together, "pinned beneath me." He nuzzled Yugi's cheek, smirking triumphantly when Yugi moaned, despite himself. "Unable to move…" Yugi shivered, trying to regain control of himself.

"Are you trying to seduce me?" Yugi asked, as his eyes fluttered closed, letting Yami's fangs nips at his neck and shoulders. It wasn't a question.

"It depends," Yami whispered against Yugi's skin. His kiss was slow and deliberate; his fangs gently graced the surface. "Is it working?" He abandoned Yugi's neck for his eyes. Rich ruby bore in to brilliant amethyst, before his lips descended to Yugi's.

Both were shocked and enthralled by the intensity of the kiss, their mouths and tongues combated the other for dominance, demanding the other to surrender. Their hands tangled in the other's hair, caressed their bodies and sank in to the ground. They rolled over and over, trying to dominate the other, but were too lost in their passion to care who won and who lost. When the kiss broke, they both panted like dogs in heat. Their eyes hadn't left the other's, blazing with love and intensity. Yami kissed his cheek then attacked his neck again. Yugi writhed against him, feeling his lover' s claws dance across his body and his fangs on his neck and shoulders. He writhed against him, his claws drawing lines on his back, while the other gripped at his hair. Yugi rolled them over, feeling his fangs and claws extend, his blood singing in his veins.

Yami ripped his shirt off, his ears and hair already becoming shaggier, as his fangs and eyes sharpened. "Come run with me beneath the moonlight."

Yugi smirked, revealing his own fangs, and shoved him off him, and rolled over on his feet. "Not so fast wolf boy. You want me, you gotta catch me first." They both howled as his blood sang. His body shattered as the Change rushed through him.

The first time had been horrible. He'd been so scared and unsure of what was happening. He'd screamed the entire time: his body exploded like it was on fire; his bones cracked and moved beneath his muscles, his skin ripped and fur shot like needles through his skin. Even with Yami's help it had been horrible, but had Yami not been there to calm him down and coach him through the unbearable ache of the first time he may have been one of the wolves who died during their first Change.

But he survived, and not only that, when it was finished, he'd run with Yami, faster than anyone in the pack ever had. He felt the moonlight in his blood, the ecstasy of the wild and the power of the forest inside him that night. When they reached the mountain he got there first—even beating the pack leader. He started the wolf's song, and everyone else joined in—either by force or choice.

That night he became a member of the pack. A werewolf who only months prior had been nothing but a lonely teen desperate for his place in the world and found it in the spunky Yami, the teenage werewolf who desperately wanted to escape the rules and authorities of his family ever since dominance of the pack shifted to his older brother, had joined the fiercest pack on the East Coast without breaking a sweat. Yami had been so proud of him that night, and most of the pack had welcomed him—the younger members anyway. The elders wanted to hold on to the fact that only blood should govern a pack but the times had changed and the Old Ways even though they still held a firm grip on the customs of modern society, the laws violating free choice has lost their power. Even the Alpha couldn't deny a wolf who'd proven himself superior.

But now he was the power of the wilderness. He thrived in the Change. He wanted to run for the joy of it, hunt for the thrill of the chase and the power of the kill.

His body felt raw, and powerful, and alive!

Already his skin prickled with the sprouts of fur and the joints of his fingers ached as they formed his claws and his ears pricked as they lengthened. Yami's rich pearls of laughter danced in his ears as he stood in all his naked glory. Yugi laughed as he dropped his boxers and kicked them to the side.

Their laugher turned to howls with the first ripple of their skin. His blood blazed with the heat of desire, his limbs and bones expanded with power, his jaw extended and his teeth sharpened. He doubled over as his arms lengthened and his legs shortened, and his muscles spasmed before becoming ripped with muscles and bone. His spine crunched as his tail formed. He felt the momentary pain and then the sweet release and howled!

A million sensations surged through him at once. He could hear, taste and feel every sound, taste and aroma of the forest. Fur ripped across his skin, his back arched and his muscles spasmed with power and force. His nails and claws extended and sank into the ground. His screams of pleasure and freedom turned to howls.

They ran with the wind. Tasting the damp earth, rotted weeds and water drenching the air. The soft earth and grass wrapped around their feet as they ran together. Yugi could feel Yami on him, chasing him as they ran the length of the river.

Running faster and faster: the Wind in their steps, the hunt in their blood; and the sweetness of the chase.

Yami pounced, barely missing Yugi by an inch, but he stopped and leapt over the wolf as he landed. The second his back paws hit the ground he took off running, but Yami was faster and with a swipe of his paws, Yugi lost his footing and Yami was on him again. But Yugi was never one to give up: it was why Yami loved him. Yugi rolled over and tried to kick him off but Yami's grip was strong and the two wolves wrestled, rolling around in a blaze of fur. They broke apart and lunged at the other again, as if bracing for a right but instead they nipped and played like two puppies lost in their fun. They rolled around again, before landing in a tumbled heap.

Yugi broke into a sprint with Yami behind him.

You little tease. Yugi chuckled, hearing Yami snort, but he kept running.

You want me you gotta catch me. Yugi teased, he could hear Yami smirking behind him, relishing in the challenge. He may have been stronger, but Yugi was faster. If Yugi gained enough speed, Yami was in the dust, but if he lost his balance and Yami was on him he was powerless. They knew their limits. Knew the other's strengths and weaknesses, knew how to use that to their advantage.

Especially during the hunt.

The kill was swift and fast. They found their prey before it even knew it was there. The buck had been grazing in a field while they were chasing each other. They both stopped silent the second the caught its scent. One look and they knew what to do. Yami vanished to the shadows, while Yugi took to the grass and moved like a cheetah. The buck took the bait and ran. Ran for his life. Ran straight into a trap. Straight into Yami's jaws.

They killed it together, satisfying their hunger and howling in delight as the night unfurled around them. Once they finished, they curled up together, nuzzling the others warm fur, until their noses rubbed together. The reverse back was like removing an outer layer of clothing that shed on its own, but neither noticed once their lips met. Yami braced himself on his arm, while the other wrapped around Yugi's waist, while Yugi wrapped his arms around him and slid beneath him. Their kiss deepened as they dueled for dominance, neither willing to relinquish their hold. Only the need for air separated them and Yugi lay in his lover's arms.

Then something pricked at both their sense.

Their fears were confirmed as the thunder of footsteps reached the clearing. Yami's head snapped up and he growled in both fury and annoyance. Yugi jumped and rolled around.

The wolves flooded the clearing like black, gold, white and russet shadows, all with glowing eyes. The brighter coats of the younger members glittered in the moonlight, some of them howling and snickering in approval of the scene while the older ones snorted. Yugi heard many of the females growl and resisted the urge to smirk—if only to rub it in that Yami was his. But that victory was hollow as a blown egg as the wolves—the ones in the front with more reluctance—parted ways for a large wolf that if not for the ruby outline of his fur, was so black he blended into the night with eyes the color of blood.

The fur on Yami's back bristled as he pulled Yugi close to him, but the younger growled at the action, not wanting to look weak in front of the arrogant wolf. Yami's pupils sharpened and his canines extended as he growled warningly.

The wolf's smirk was the only warning before the Reverse took effect and instead of an onyx wolf, a tall, muscular man with a lean, but strong build emerged in its place. Caramel skin pulled tight over his perfectly proportioned body; his face was chiseled and his eyes were sharp and defined. A jagged forelock of golden bangs framed his elegant face, and a wild crown of midnight dipped in blood adorned his head, even wilder and darker then Yami's. A tattoo-like mark shaped like a bloody closed-crescent of sovereignty adorned his brow. There was no denying it; he was Atem, the Alpha, leader of the pack: a taller, stronger, darker mirror image of the boy holding Yugi in his arms.

He smirked a smile that curled at the corners, though disgust burned in his burgundy eyes at the sight, the color of dried blood.  The sharpness of his gaze fixed on Yami. "You're late, brother."

Yami held his ground. "I was unaware I needed to be someplace," he smirked at the fury barely there in his brother's eyes. Sometimes it was worth the damage to pull at his strings.

"You're Beta, Yami; your duty is to the pack," Atem's tone commanded, before it took a harsh bite, his glare turning to the smaller wolf. "Not roam about the forest with your pet."

Yugi was on his feet the second the insult left the leader's lips, but Yami caught him before he did something he'd severely regret. "I am not Beta yet, Atem." Yami matched his brother's tone; his face held no emotion and his eyes betrayed nothing. "And what my lover and I do when we are alone is our business; you only have no reason for concern unless the issue of mates is involved."

It took all of Atem's control not to flinch at Yami's retort, and all of Yami's will to resist the urge to smirk. "Not yet. But you will be and it would do you wise to accustom yourself to that fact, brother." Atem warned harshly; his voice dangerously low. "I expect to see you at the ceremony tonight. If you care at all for your benefit, you will be there on time." His tone held no argument and the force behind it made even Yami and Yugi flinch in fear.

Convinced he asserted his dominance; Atem turned on his heels, grabbing a black trench coat handed to him, and threw it over his naked body. The black leather shimmered in the night like the wings of a raven. Without another word the pack parted ways for the Alpha before following him in either wolf or human forms. Few stayed behind, and smiled at their companions with wide smirks.

Once the tension of the silent war ended, Yugi suddenly became aware of their situation. Realizing he was naked, he squeaked and jumped behind Yami hoping to hide his pale form. "Dammit," he snapped.

Yami just chuckled. Having grown up a werewolf, Yami was used to their lack of modesty, but he'd failed to reach that level of progress with Yugi. In Yugi's mind, his body was for Yami's eyes and Yami's eyes alone—a fact Yami took great pleasure in asserting.

"Oh relax, Runt. It's nothing we haven't seen before," A roguish white wolf teased.

Yugi went crimson. "Shut up, Bakura!" he snapped at the snickering white wolf, until a smack on the nose from a pale, slender white haired boy in a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt silenced him. "Be nice, you!" The white-haired youth ordered.

Bakura growled before a tanned, muscular youth with a shaggy mass of white hair, emerged. "What? I'm just teasing?" He snorted, throwing Yami a pair of leather pants.

He caught it with ease and slipped it on, while the youth handed Yugi a change of clothes.

"Thanks, Ryou," Yugi smiled. Ryou had been the first wolf aside from Yami of the pack to accept Yugi, having been one of the weaker members of the pack and already mated, Ryou adored the idea of having a new friend to talk to. It was even more of a delight to learn their new member was a fun-loving and spirited youth with a wild heart unlike the other stuck-up non-mated females of the pack.

"Hey, who started the party and didn't invite me?" A playful blond emerged from the forest.

"Hey Jou," Yugi smiled, slipping on a lavender shirt.

"This is your idea of a party?" Ryou teased.

"What, you're not havin' fun?" Jou teased the whitenette. "So Yug, ya ready for the party tonight?"

"Ready to see my boyfriend become servant to the boss from hell, hardly." Yugi snorted, while Yami just laughed.

"Now Yugi, I may not be happy about becoming Beta, but it does have its benefits," he playfully stroked Yugi's hair . "Once I'm second-in-command I won't have to answer to anyone, and I plan on using that power to make you my mate, officially."

"No one but Atem," Bakura mumbled, crossing his arms and blinked when four sets of glares landed on him. "Oh don't look at me like that, you all know Atem is just gonna use this as another way to try and keep Yami in check. If it weren't for all that traditional bloodline crap, he'd just come up with some other excuse."

"Hate to say it," Jou crossed his arms over his bare chest apprehensively, "But I gotta agree with Bakura. You know how Atem gets when he wants something done."

Yami snorted like an angry bull. "Atem can't control me. He knows that, he just likes to play with the illusion that he can."

"We know that, Yami, but be careful. Just because Atem can't do something doesn't mean he won't try." Bakura warned, purely out of concern. He may not have acted like it, but he respected and cared for his best friend a lot. Yami was happier with Yugi and he—and Atem—saw that, and if the elder wolf wasn't so dictatorial and deep-seated in those traditions and customs that dictated the wolves, he'd be happy for his little brother.

But it would never happen. Atem was Alpha, a born leader and a good one, no one could deny that, but one that commanded authority and power like his human form commanded sex appeal. That was the way of the wolves, the Alpha was by no means a dictator but he was very well respected, to a degree feared, and one who had no problem asserting his power if the need came.

"We better get ready," Bakura announced, noting the position of the moon. " The moon'll be in the middle of the sky soon, and if we show up like this Atem'll have a proxy."

"Yeah tha'd be the day," Jou howled with laugher.

Deciding not to bother with their wolf forms, the group bolted through the forest back towards the place, even Yugi. The wolves had sheltered their back in a large medieval monastery conveniently located in the heart of the woods, isolated from society. Having been abandoned centuries ago, the wolves had made the decaying stone fortress their home. It was perfect: a wide space with a buttress entrance, and enormous rose-window surrounded by flying buttresses and abutments supporting the roof. The roof was composed of spires and towers, and the crossing made entrance, exit, and runs both easy and enjoyable.

They had the buttress doors open, created with a clash of the ancient world order and Modern chaos. Buttress pillars formed the isles on either side of the nave. Tapestries of silk hung from them. The Transit and choir had been converted to a main room/ballroom/party for wolves. Rock music blared in the background, pouring from enormous speakers while the DJs argued and clawed through a storm of CDs and records, stacked in boxes in front of an enormous brass organ, caked with dust. Wolves were already there dressed like aristocrats and party goers sitting on leather couches and velvet lined chairs, drinking out of crystal goblets. Others drank straight out of beer or soda cans. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling lit with lights instead of candles while Disco balls in the corners spiraled around reflecting off the glossy surfaces bathing the entire room in a rainbow of neon lights. Rugs and carpets the color of burgundy covered the stone floors, while a red velvet carpet swept a line across the center to the dais.

At the heart of the chaos atop the dais Atem sat upon a throne of bone-like birch, one ankle gracefully crossed over his knee with a glass of wine in hand, looking commanding even in such a relaxed state. A form fitting trench coat with silver buttons all the way to his knees and a pair of silver-studded steel-toe boots adorned his figure. The darkness of the night and his clothes made his bloody eyes burn like a raging fire. His eyes cast a dark shadow when he turned to see the source of the commotion and he smirked with what he found. Yami glared at the other, meeting his glowing eyes before urging the rest of the group with his chin to keep going deciding another fight with his brother wasn't worth it.

The group ignored the gazes suddenly flying their way as they entered. Bakura snapped at anyone who looked at them and burst out laughing when they dashed away like kicked puppies. Yami growled at anyone who sent a glance at them, causing the members to retreat. Noticing some of the female members of the pack glowering at him, Yugi didn't know if he should glare back or smirk. Compared to the other glamorized wolves in the room, he knew for a fact he stuck out, but at the same time, he couldn't resist the thought of rubbing it in that he was a higher caliber because of his skills, and even more so because he had Yami, but at the same time he could see the disgust on their faces as if wanting to say 'you don't belong here, Earthsider!' but kept their tongues in check only to spare themselves the wrath of the Beta and the Alpha.

He was just as happy as everyone else when they left the parlor entrance. Once in the hallway the group parted ways and left to their respective quarters. From then Yugi and Yami raced the other to the largest room at the end of the hallway—Yugi won but Yami still swooped him into his arms before he could push the door open and instead kicked it open and carried his fidgeting lover inside.

Despite Atem's reluctance and his absolute fury at being unable to say otherwise, Yugi shared Yami's room. Not that Yugi minded. Unlike the traditional monk rooms, they'd converted several of the larger rooms into bed ones. As Beta Yami was rewarded with one of the largest rooms and was allowed to do with it as he pleased. The room itself was a cross between rectangular and circular and was composed of several arch-shaped flying buttresses. The walls, he'd rebelliously painted a rich scarlet to counter the dark presence of the castle. A large stain glass window consumed almost an entire wall. An iron chandelier hung from the ceiling, lit with dozens of flame-shaped light-bulbs filling the room with light once Yami slammed his hand on the switch.

The furniture was a mismatch of styles and ages. An enormous Oakwood wardrobe with carvings of mythical creatures stood proud against the wall. A modern-day iron and glass desk took up the back wall near the heart of the room with a slender laptop, a lamp, piles of papers and books and book-holders carved in the shape of lions on top. A huge plush chair, perfect for lounging around in, sat parallel to a long leather couch, both in front of a large, lean TV, resting top an iron table, in the corner where a ton of plugs were plugged into a portable generator. Several modern bookcases lined the walls backed with a plethora of books, DVDs and video games. Cases spilled over into a pile of video game controllers and different gaming stations. The cables and cords wrapped around its respective station like a coil of snakes.

The center piece was an enormous queen-sized bed lying horizontal against the opposing wall. An enormous canopy of red, black and gold curtains shielded the sleepers from the light of the stain glass window, over an iron bed-frame in the shape of a web of vines on all but one side of the bed. A excess of thick, fluffy pillows and fleecy blankets made up the mattress while several others formed the comforter.

Yami deposited his heavy burden on the inviting piece of furniture and pounced on Yugi before he could even squeak. Yugi glared at him, but Yami silence any retort he had with a kiss, to which Yugi melted into. The loose clothing they wore for the sole purpose of making it back to the Den, were easily lost as their hands and claws began to explore. They both fell back panting once the kiss ended, Yugi, eyes half-lidded, lied sinking into the pillows, and Yami on top of him panting like a dog in heat. Yugi hissed and bit his lips to keep from moaning as their bare heated skin came into contact. He gritted his teeth even more when Yami's lips left his neck and his fangs found his chest instead.

Sensing where this was going, Yugi forced himself into a sitting position even as Yami tried to push him back down again. "Yami, as much as I would love to continue this, we don't have time. Your ceremony will start soon and we need to get dressed."

"Aw..." Yami moaned like a kicked puppy. "We can make time."

"No we can't ," Yugi playfully pushed him off him. "I know you, even without foreplay we'll be here all night, and I don't need Atem finding another reason to dislike me."

Hearing his brother's name, Yami growled. "Good point." He finally gave in and walked over to the wardrobe, before throwing it open, and shifting through Yugi's clothes. "What are you in the mood for?"

"Nothing casual since this is a social calling." Yugi replied, hopping off the bed and searching through the combined wardrobe.

"You're lucky. I'd love to go casual all the time. Too bad part of the job as Beta is to 'look the part'." Yami snorted in annoyance. Yugi giggled, pulling out an emerald Renaissance frock with matching green fishnet legging. "I thought you loved leather?"

"I do, for me leather is casual, I was talking about these fancy Victorian get-ups Atem always insists on." Yami corrected pulling on a scarlet vest-like top that covered his torso and exposed his navel and matching pair of red leather pants that hugged his hips. Both tied with multiple black straps with gold buckles across the chest and legs. Over it he pulled on a sleeveless black trench-coat, the tail done in specific tatters, all lined with gold along the hems, with gold and silver points for the sleeves.

"Ya-mi," Yugi moaned blushing at his lover's choice of clothes. "Are you trying to seduce me?"

"May-be…" Yami smirked like a playful child, gently flicking Yugi's nose, when he growled, knowing full well it would tick him off.

"Oh, you just love to piss me off don't you?" Yugi growled, though Yami didn't even flinch.

"Can I help it if you look adorable when you're angry?" Yami grinned like a Cheshire cat, swaying his hips a bit.

"The rest of the pack already does that much better than you do." Yugi snorted, though bitterness seeped into his voice before he could stop is, marring the choke.

Recognizing the tone, Yami's mouth curved into a comforting smile, as he stroked Yugi's cheek. "I am forbidden nothing."

"But they don't want me here…" Yugi said without moving, his eyes focused on the floor. "Atem, everyone but you and our friends…they don't like me near you… Why?" He'd never asked before. He'd always assumed it was jealously, and maybe it was, but some of the older members of the pack, Atem especially, why was he so against Yugi being part of the family.

Yami's mouth formed a line. "It isn't you, aibou, it's me, and before you say anything, no I am not only saying that it is the truth. The She-weres want power, they want to be queen, but they also know only the strongest female gets to mate Atem and that's only if he approves of her. Even if a woman is the strongest of the pack, if the Alpha is displeased with her, she will never be queen. With me it is different. I am forbidden nothing, I may have whatever, whomever I wish so long as they are another wolf—whether turned or birth does not matter. Once I choose a mate, they know all their chances at power are lost. It's the same with some of the senior pack members. They see you,  a young wolf who can out shine them. That angers them because they feel they have worked hard for their position and now they are 'past their prime'. It is the same with me and Atem, they feel neither of us deserves our place and we only have it because of our blood—or rather they tell themselves that because they know if they were to challenge either of us to a fight there would be no competition."

"But that doesn't answer my question. Why doesn't Atem want me to be with you?"

He looked like he was about to bite his lip, then ran a hand through his forelock. "Because Atem and I are gentry and you're…you're not," he said awkwardly, unsure how else to phrase it.

"Basically, I'm low class." Yugi rolled his eyes. "Nothing new there," he said in a bitter laughter. "And you know what's funny, even those guys treat me better than most of those assholes—Mai excluded—from foster care did. My life is just one big fuck-up, huh."

"Don't say that!" Yami snapped in a tone that made Yugi flinch, until he felt two strong arms pull him tight against a warm chest, and Yami's face buried in the mane of his hair. Yugi flinched a bit, feeling guilty. He felt Yami's fingers lift his chin to meet the loving ruby eyes he loved so much. "I have my own feelings on the subject, and I care not a wisp what anyone else thinks. Tradition is only as good as its needs to the people; and you are far more superior than any of those girls or other members of the pack, and fortunately there are those in both those categories who see it." He kissed his cheek, then the other, and for a moment Yugi relaxed into the touch. Relishing in the cradle of Yami's arms, and melt into oblivion and pretend none of this existed; yes it would've been so simple to do just that.

"Why me, Yami?" Yugi half moaned, half pleaded sadly. "I didn't even know what I was until I met you, I just always assumed I was some kind of freak, and yet the second I met you and met others of me, I felt like I belong for the first time since my sister adopted me. Why out of everyone on God's green earth, why me?" His amethyst eyes met his, almost pleading for an answer.

Yami said nothing, but he smiled, and then kissed him fiercely. "Because you care so much." His arm wrapped around Yugi's waist and pulled him close. "Despite all you've been through and all you've suffered, you care about every soul that comes your way and go out of your way to help them." His lips found Yugi's neck while Yugi's arms wrapped around his neck. His free hand moving to undo the lower buttons of Yugi's frock the moving to lift his fishnet covered hip.

"Because you're so willful and spirited—you care so much but you're never afraid to stand up for others, never afraid to fight back, never afraid to go after what you want." Yugi hissed at the contact. He felt his back move from the wardrobe, to open air, and then hit the brass of Yami's bed, but with the flick of his hips he jumped up and wrapped his legs around Yami's waist, pulling him back with him. A loud 'uuf' escaped them as they hit the pillows. Yami just chuckled and continued, gently grazing Yugi's milky skin with his fangs. "Have I ever told you how much I love that spirit of yours?" he lifted his head to meet Yugi's, looking for any signal for him to stop.

"Many times," Yugi panted, and his arms slipped free from Yami's back, lying flat at his sides, but his legs tightened, when he felt Yami's hand gently grazing his hips, than sliding down his fishnets. He knew exactly where this was going and he wanted nothing more than to continue. After all, this was what he wanted, what he always wanted, and what he thanked whatever heavenly being up there that the one he loved the most loved him just as much. These moments when it was just the two of them and no one else, free to express and share what they had between them; yes these were the moments where even Atem's wrath was nothing but a disturbing rumor.

"Because you're so innocent, but never naïve. Because you're so smart and strong, and you have the bravest heart I've ever seen—and because you walk and act and have the heart of a pharaoh." Yami smiled, gently pinning Yugi's wrists together with his free hand. Once he had Yugi's tights down to his thighs, he undid his pants and belts while his mouth nipped and kissed Yugi's collar, making the Were beneath him moan and squeak, borderline scream.

He settled himself in Yugi's lap, leaving his neck to meet the flushed, panting face and half-lidded eyes of his lover, the look his eyes giving him one last chance to say no. Yugi's only response was a fervent kiss on the lips. "What else?" Yugi asked, once the kiss broke.

"Because you have the most impossibly beautiful eyes I have ever seen," he said before he thrust inside Yugi, completely with a snap of his hips. Yugi's scream broke two octaves, whether it was from pain or pleasure Yami couldn't tell. His jaw clenched, and his arms on both Yugi's wrists and his hips shook, as if biting back the urge to completely break his control.

Unable to hold it back any longer, they both panted, trying to replenish their empty lungs.

"And…because…" Yami continued between heavy breaths. "You are so…so…impossibly…tight…and I can't…can't…for the life of me…figure out why."

"That's…" Yugi tried to glare but couldn't. "A physical thing."

"Hardly," Yami responded by nuzzling Yugi's neck with his nose. "They say there is no greater pleasure then making love to the one you love the most and vice-versa. I'm inclined to agree…wholeheartedly," He silenced any reply Yugi might make with a sharp roll of his hips, making him scream.

Yugi couldn't move, couldn't think. Couldn't speak. His mouth flew open in a voiceless scream. Yami was already inside him, pounding into him, massaging and caressing his insides so forcefully yet gently that all Yugi could feel was the whirlwind of immense pain and indescribable pleasure. His hips bucked and his legs tightened, desperate to replenish the warmth he lost when ever Yami pulled out of him. They moved in perfect rhythm, deepening their thrust whenever they moved. Yami released Yugi's hands and braced himself on Yugi's hips, changing the angle of his thrusts, his eyes dark with lust as he continued to drive into his little one over and over at different angles.

Yugi screamed again, louder than ever; Yami smirked knowing he'd found his prize and shifted his hips, and repeatedly thrust into that one spot that sent Yugi to heaven and back. Yugi's arms gave way and his legs trembled to the point they almost lost their grip on Yami's hips. He screamed and moaned; his entire body writhing each time Yami's forceful thrusts massaged his insides as another burst of smoldering pleasure consumed his entire body. He arched his back and bucked his hips, his arms flying to gain purchase of the man above him, before trapping Yami's lips in another fiery kiss. Yami pinned his arms and hips to the bed and deepened the kiss without disturbing his work. Yami broke the kiss and thrust harder inside Yugi, making him collapse and writhe in a voice-less scream.

Memories of their first time filled Yugi's mind, making him smile. He'd been so nervous and unsure that night but Yami had been so gentle, so loving and so encouraging, never once forgetting to ask him if he was alright or if he wanted to stop or keep going. Now he could only laugh at the thought of himself ever being shy in a situation like this.

He screamed again as Yami sent another wave of pleasure through him. How could he be so forceful and so gentle at the same time? How could he make Yugi feel things he didn't think were possible for any one—even one in love to feel? He wasn't sure he cared to know.

Neither cared about the spectacle waiting for them, momentarily forgetting the anger of the Alpha and the impossible demands and out of place feelings, in the warmth of their kisses, the joy of the other's touch and the rhythm of their love-making.

One final scream and one final union of them thrusting against the other and they found heaven again. Yami felt his entire form shatter when he heard Yugi scream his name one last time, before he released; the action causing the unbearable tightness to massage his own pride until he too joined his lover in bliss, with a howl of Yugi's name. They sighed in bliss and collapsed against the other, letting the blissfulness of filling and being filled wash over them like a warm blanket.

Once they'd recovered. Yami gently brushed one of Yugi's bangs out of his face, and kissed his forehead, wanting nothing more than to stay intertwined with Yugi like that forever, but as reality weighed heavy on his mind he knew it was impossible. Gently as he could, he pulled out of Yugi and leaned down to grab one of the scattered clothes on the floor started to clean and redress his little one. "You want to know why I really love you, Yugi?" he asked, fixing his own pants.

"Tell me." Yugi half moaned, eyes still clouded from love and bliss and he sat up.

Yami pressed his forehead to Yugi's and gently stroked his cheek. "Because…You're the only thing I have that is not duty or obligation. You're the only thing I have that is mine by neither blood nor birthright, the only I have I choose for myself and that is mine and mine alone…the only thing I want."

"Really?" Yugi cocked his head with a teasing smile, though the statement almost brought him to tears.

"More than you shall ever know," Yami replied, placing one last chaste kiss on his lover's lips before pulling him to his feet.

"Now let's make haste, before my brother has an episode."

The party had silenced for a second when Yami and Yugi finally arrived. Sharp eyes caught the marks on the armrests of Atem's throne. A few snarls and glares of jealously broke through the cacophony of music, when they caught their conjoined hands. Then a moment later the music roared to life and the party continued. Wolves from all over had come to the ceremony, filling the entire hall. Heralds and Messengers from other packs, ambassadors, even rogue males and females seeking a position in the pack, none of whom Yugi recognized.

The two sandy-blond haired weres managing the music broke their make-out session when they saw them walk in. The smaller threw his bulkier mate off him, causing him to crash into a pile of record boxes, and jumped over the DJ to see them.

"Yugi!" Yugi spotted the lavender eyes, copper-skinned werewolf before they even entered the room, and so did Yami. He grabbed Yugi's arm and gently tugged him towards him once last time before they parted ways. "Remember, don't come near the dais or me during the ceremony. We can't have anyone mistake you for part of Atem's court, and you're not my official mate—yet." He added the last word with pure certainly. "and please." He whispered both pleadingly and begging. "Do not swear. Promise me; that is the one thing that is always turned around for the worst."

"I won't, I promise," Yugi said, gently shoving Yami towards the crowd. "Now go entertain your guests." Yami gave him a half-pout, half-glare, before doing so. Satisfied with his accomplishment, Yugi let himself be tackled by his sandy-haired friend. "Easy Malik," He hissed when his lower back hit one of the food tables, than panicked when he saw Malik's smirk curl.

"No wonder you two took so long." Malik teased. "I would too, if I had to quickly."

" Shut up, pervert!" Yugi whispered heatedly, clenching the front of the laughing boy's shirt. "Tell Marik and you're dead!" he said gesturing with his eyes to the taller werewolf, at the DJ with his hair up in and explosion of white-blond spikes.

"Like I'd tell him anything." Malik chuckled. "He doesn't know the meaning of the word discrete."

Yugi growled and released him, and pinched the bridge between his nose, wondering what possessed him to befriend the perverted were. "Now come on!" Malik grabbed his cuff and dragged him towards the food table, where Joey was devouring a pyramid of acorn cakes and Bakura was getting half-wasted on wine. Ryou barely had time to tell him what was happening before the white wolf swore loudly and grabbed Marik from behind the DJ and dragged him towards the back where Yami was.

The entire room erupted in howls as the court finally took its place, followed by silence.  Atem swung his leg over his knee and rose from his throne. The music halted and the artificial lights dimmed. Someone turned a wheel, pulling a chain that opened the sky-light overhead revealing the flaming moon, a beautiful scarlet sphere illuminating the darkness in a blaze of bloody light.

Finally the court took its place. A tall tan-skinned man dressed in purple, who Yugi recognized as Mahado the Messenger emerged ahead of the rest, his long purple hair blazing in the moonlight. He offered the younger a smile as he passed, which Yugi returned. Mahado was one of the elder wolves who'd accepted him with open arms when he'd arrived. After him came Ishizu, one of Atem's Guards and Malik's older sister, though how Yugi couldn't fathom. The woman's face was a mask unreadable of emotion, and she glared at Mahado when he flashed Yugi a smile. Malik always said his sister cared more for "playing courtier" then anything else, especially "frivolous" things like emotions and happy times, and other things that distracted others from their duty—Yugi learned that the day he arrived. Next marched Yugi with Bakura and Marik on either side of him exactly three paces away. A tall brunette with sharp blue eyes, dressed in silver, who Yugi recognized as Seto, Jou's mate, took his place beside Atem's throne, and primary Guard. An old man dressed in so much linen on his aged violet eyes appeared, stood on the left side of Atem's throne, holding a scroll of paper and a feather pen.

Marik and Bakura both took either side of the vacant throne, while Yami approached the moss-carpeted dais before the vacant throne of contorting birch branches, black with decay but as hollow and shinny as polished bone. He turned to the crowd before going to his knees, and leaned forward, his tri-colored tresses blazing like black fire in the moonlight. The second Atem took a step from his throne the old man opened the parchment and began to scribble furiously everything that happened.

The Alpha stopped on the last step of the dais before his younger brother. "Do you take the oath?" he spoke in a powerful voice, commanding the silence.

"I do take the oath." Yami said, formally, following the declaration. However, the second he spoke the words, he lifted his head and met Atem's eyes, ruby fire blaring into bloody garnets.

"Do you accept your position as Beta, second in the chain of command only to me, the Alpha. Do you promise you loyalty and leadership to this pack and all its youth, to provide for it at all times and see that it is well, to lead and govern it during Hunts and Harvest, and above all, to protect it and its youth with your life and if necessary…" his eyes darkened and his gaze lowered as he met Yami's eyes, blazing even more fierce then Yugi thought possible, the force making him shiver. He considered it a miracle of his lover's will, when he saw Yami hadn't flinched. "To replace its Alpha if he steps down or meet his end before his time and govern this pack with the wisdom and strength of its predecessors. Do this, you swear?"

Yami was silent for a moment, and then he spoke. "Yes, I swear so long as breath is in my body and the wolf in my heart to protect this pack and its youth with my life, to provide it with all it may require and to lead the Hunt and the Harvest and to replace my leader as Alpha should fate wish it so. By the blood of the Hierarchy that runs though my veins and the Wolf that is my other half, I bind myself this pack as its Beta on this, the First Night of the Hunter's Moon."

Atem extended his fangs and bit into his left wrist, then dipped his finger in the blood, before kneeling down to Yami's height. "Then by the blood of the Hierarchy to which we both belong, and as Alpha of this pack, I, Atem, name you, Yami, my Beta." He said while drawing a full-moon shaped mark upon Yami's brow with a sharp claw—it would not become a crescent unless he became leader.

"Behold!" Mahado announced. "Our Undoubted Beta, Yami, Lord of the Hunt as our Alpha is Lord of the pack, make your obedience known to him and call him sovereign."

A great joyful howling and song exploded. Yugi smiled and voiced his own pleasure, joining the wolf's song. It ended with Yami and Atem howling together, as Yami got to his feet, the mark on his brow, forming a blood-colored mark, identical to Atem's. Having done his job, the Alpha returned to his throne, while Yami collapsed in the vacant throne between Bakura and Marik, his face blank.

One by one the wolves rushed to make their pleads, hoping to make rank. Atem simple laughed at their gestures while drinking blood-colored wine from a crystal goblet. Yami just shook his head and remained still, silently hoping the evening would end. The mob swarmed, sweeping the teens up in the chaos. Having been bumped into, snarled and attacked anyone who came near him, creating his own personal circle as he searched for Ryou and Malik.

"Why are you not looking?" a sugar-coated voice sneered, make Yugi whirl around. Back at the dais, the court sat cross-legged among the dais, the elder Scribe at Atem's side scribbled each supplement fiercely as a rogue she-wolf knelt before the throne. Atem laughed, a cross between humor and something dark, while Yami's nails gripped the rims of his throne, his jaw clenched in rage.

Yugi blinked, but turned to the source, a young woman with black hair who he knew wasn't part of the pack. "What am I not looking at?"

"You've never seen a Pledge, boy?"  She sneered in both surprise and slight horror. Yugi wanted to ignore her but couldn't shake the feeling he was missing something.

"You're the Earthside boy, aren't you?" a young blond-haired she-wolf emerged from behind the older, with a sneer of disgust in her green eyes.

"I guess so." Yugi rolled his eyes and turned to leave, but something else they said stopped him. "He's not yours you know." The blond sneered, triumphantly. Yugi froze in his step.

"What are you talking about?" he growled warningly. The girls giggled. "He doesn't know?"

"Oh poor boy, being the Beta's toy, how pathetic."

Yugi clenched his fists in rage demanding an answer. "What. Are. You. Talking. About?"

"The Beta isn't yours," They jested in a way that matched rubbing salt in an open wound. The blond girl, swirl around wrapped her clawed hand around his arm, and making a face. "You haven't made a Pledge to him nor, he you—regardless of what Pack of Alpha thinks, you are only a toy."

"A Pledge?" Yugi asked, half bewildered. Yami had never told him such a thing.

"To be his mate, foolish boy!" The black-haired she-wolf laughed, but spoke slowly as if speaking to an idiot. "For lesser members it matters not, and the Alpha mates the strongest of the pack, but to be the Beta's mate one Pledges their love, and then the Alpha will give them a challenge to prove one's worth."

"A Challenge?" Yugi shuddered feeling lost and hating it. He knew Yami wished to be his mate, but why had he not told him all this? He said he wanted to wait until he was Beta, was this why? "How do I Pledge myself?" He asked, trying not to sound as nervous as he truly was.

The girls burst into laughter. He growled and threw them both aside, sending them to the ground with a howl of shock and mortification at being treated in such a way. He ignored the stares he knew were aimed at him and took careful steps toward the dais, each step proud and confident, just like he wanted to appear. After all what did he have to fear? Yami loved him. He would Pledge himself as his mate and they could finally be together, officially.

When he approached the rim of the dais where Yami was watching as each delicate finger tapped the rim of his throne, his claws and the wood clicking in an unfamiliar tone. He looked even more resplendent in that red, black, gold and silver outfit in the flaming moonlight then he did back in his room. Yugi shook his head, dispelling the tepidness of his old self—the one who was lonely and shy and would've never had the strength to even say hello to Yami—let alone kiss him, hold him, make love with him…

His frock waved behind him like a banner of green; the emerald color against the darkness and sunset of the court made him shimmer like an emerald. Marik noticed him first and gently elbowed Yami's side. He turned and met Yugi with a smile, raising one lovely black brow. "Will you come and sit beside me?'

"Sure," He said a bit bouncily, before taking a seat next to the throne at Yami's feet, and leaned against his legs. Before he could get comfortable, he let out a yelp as Yami unexpectedly scooped him bridal style into his arms. He opened his mouth to protest, but before he could Yami set him in his lap and ran his clawed fingers through his hair.

Marik and Bakura both snickered behind the throne. The crystal goblet in Atem's hand shattered. The four looked over to meet him, Yugi rearranging himself in the throne of Yami's lap. Crystal fragments and wine spilled at Atem's feet, his free hand sank indents into the throne, his eyes blazed as if to burn a hole through those who dared act so frivolous in front of court.

"Yami, you know as Royals we do not flirt openly, correct?" he commanded, in a tone that held no room for protest.

"I am aware of that, brother," Yami said, unafraid, running a hand down Yugi's side. "But you know I do not flirt, and it is not flirting if I am with my mate." Yugi resisted the urge to smirk at Yami's counter.

He expected Atem to curse or growl in fury or even rise and grab them both and drag them from the room. Anything but what he did do—he smiled. "That is true, but he is not your mate, brother."

A shiver chilled Yugi's entire being to the core. So the she wolves hadn't been trying to mess with his mind. Their words suddenly filled his heads like gongs, bitter laugher filling his mind so much his head felt like it was in pain. Had that rogue girl already done so? Was that why Atem had laughed while Yami looked so furious. Were they all laughing at him, thinking because he grew up with humans he was ignorant of werewolf customs? What if someone else had already sought Yami's heart? Atem hated him, he'd never let Yami choose Yugi willingly, did that mean he was just waiting for someone he liked to take Yugi's place?

A growl of determination escaped him, as he jumped from Yami's lap. The surprised Beta opened his mouth to question the action but before he could Yugi had already walked across the dais, determination in each step, and stood on the lower dais, before Atem. The Alpha's smirk from earlier dropped, replaced by confusion, not expecting such an action from the younger Were.

"Then make me his mate," he said neutrally, not letting a drop of confidence bleed into his voice. Yami's eyes widened with something like panic, he moved and opened his mouth to speak, but Yugi was faster.

"I, Yugi Motou," he paused, suddenly realizing he didn't know what he was suppose to say. Recalling what the girls said earlier, and what he'd learned of Werewolf custom and wung it. "Pledge my love for Yami, the Beta. I want to be his mate."

For the first time in as long as anyone could remember Atem was silent, his face a combination between disbelief and uncertainty of whether to take the words seriously. Yami was shaking in horror as he realized what Yugi was doing, he rose from the throne, but Bakura and Marik both grabbed him before he could move.

Somewhere in the crowd, Ryou, Malik, and Joey clawed their way to the front, praying they hadn't heard what they thought they did.

Yugi's eyes were only on Atem, bare of emotion.

Atem snarled, showing his fangs. "You mock-"

"I'm totally serious!" Yugi cut him off, whether ignoring or not realizing the danger of such an action, no one noticed. "I love Yami, whether you believe it or not and I want to prove it. I don't know the proper words, but I will do whatever it takes."

The Alpha rose from his throne, voices spoke in hushed whispers as he stepped down the dais.

"He will reject it," Ishizu sneered, making Mahado growl, his concerned eyes praying for Yugi's safety. Yami struggled harder against his friends grip but the two sank their claws and feet in place, knowing if Yami interfered it would only be worse for Yugi.

It took all of Yugi's willpower not to sway and shake as Atem approached him. Dominance and authority radiating off him like a sudden wave of heat threatened to completely overpower him.

Finally he stopped; burgundy eyes of dried blood, hollow of emotion, bore into Yugi's rich amethyst, bright with determination. "This is no laughing matter, Yugi." He spoke in a softer but nonetheless commanding tone. "Wolves mate for life and unfaithfulness is punished severely."

"I love Yami," Yugi said again. "I want to be with him and only him. I know the costs and they mean nothing. Whatever challenge you have for me I'll take it to prove I love him. Whatever it takes."

Atem said nothing. Those single moments of his silence were the longest of his life.

"I will not allow it!" Yami roared.

"I have already recorded it," the scribe said, flinching when Yami's murderous eyes flashed between him and his brother. "He must either accept it or reject."

Suddenly, a smile slit the Alpha's face. A smile that made a shiver run up Yugi's spine. "Yugi Motou, I accept your Pledge." A silence more terrible then any before settled across the room. Bakura and Marik both dropped Yami in their shock, who had to steady himself on the throne to keep from collapsing. "And as Alpha," Atem continued, taking a step towards Yugi who hesitantly took a step back. Atem's eyes darted to Yami over his shoulder, hating the murderous blaze in his eyes. The fury behind his those eyes spoke more than word, making it perfectly clear, though he was powerless to stop it, nor his loyalty to Alpha or their bond as brothers would allow Yami to forgive the betrayal. "And I seal this pact in blood." Before Yugi could flinch Atem seized him by the shoulders and pulled him forward. The extension of his fangs was the only warning he got, before Yugi felt those fangs sink into his neck and an exploding pain erupted, making him scream as the life essence was drained from his being.

"No!" Yami exploded, lunging forward, grabbed by Bakura and Marik at the last second before, using all their power to restrain their savage friend. Yugi's friends lunged forward but Mahado was faster and blocked them from doing so, knowing interference would only make things worse for Yugi. Fear for the young one danced in his eyes.

Yugi couldn't scream anymore, his entire body started shaking as he tried to push Atem off him but he knew the effort was fruitless. Atem who was Alpha, so much stronger then he, then Yami, then anyone. What has he done? Just as he felt like his life would slip into darkness, the fangs left his neck, making him gasp. His legs unable to hold him up any longer, Yugi collapsed at the Alpha's feet, trembling.

Atem whipped the blood from his lips with his thumb, before kneeling down to meet Yugi's eye level. "I accept your Pledge, Yugi Motou, and seal it with your blood; now my challenge is this: tomorrow night is the Wild Hunt, the Night of the Hunter's Moon," he began.

Despite his dizziness, Yugi knew what he was talking about. The Wild Hunt, was the even that took place on the night  of the Hunter's Moon, the last Hunt of Autumn when the prey gathers its food for the Winter. Every year it was led by the Beta, but on the year of the Beta's coronation, the Beta challenged the Alpha to prove his worth as the best Hunter of the pack; a test for the Beta to prove his role. The Beta was Protector and Hunt, The Alpha was leader and Warlord.

"However," Words rolled off Atemu's tongue. "Instead of the Beta challenging me to the Hunt you shall act in his place. Should you defeat me in the Hunt, then until death takes you or him and until the end of your existence in this life, you shall sit at my brother's side and be his mate."

Yugi felt his heart flutter at the words.

"However," the coldness in Atem's voice made everyone freeze, his claws gripped Yugi's chin to make him meet his eyes. The moment he gazed into those bloody jewels, Yugi had never felt more terrified in his entire life. "If you fail, then you are banished from the pack."

Shrieks, roars and laughter emerged from the watching crowd. Someone was screaming, probably Atem, maybe Ryou. Others were silenced by their horror and shock. Others just laughed, murmuring something about "an impossible challenge".

But to Yugi everything was muted after Atem said the word "banished". The weight of what he'd just done hit him like a tsunami and he was unable to rise from the impact. He was frozen even after Atem released him and turned around. The elder didn't even flinch as Yami bolted past him, having freed himself from his Guards, twin statues of shock.

Yugi barley felt Yami's arms around him. A wave of something far worse than dizziness consumed him. He swayed and collapsed in Yami's arms, praying and wanting nothing more than for this to be some horrible nightmare and to wake up in Yami's room, safe and loved. But the reality crashed against his mind, paralyzing him, even as Yami gently tried to pull him to his feet, but his body betrayed him.

"Mark my words," Yami hissed, comfortingly in his hear. The last thing he heard before he finally fell into darkness was Yami declaring "When I find who put this idea in your head, they will pay for it with their own."