My head was heavy, and I was surrounded by unfamiliar scents; for a moment, it had my chest tight and my heart pounding with fear. Then my mind started to clear, and I realized all of those strange scents were wound through with one which was very, very familiar. That musky, woodsy scent helped to ease my panic.

“Viktor…” I mumbled his name, still half asleep, as I tried to work out what had happened. The memories came back as I propped myself up on one hand, rubbing my eyes with the other.

I’d found out my mother was alive- something I still couldn’t processed- and she and my father had fought. I’d been afraid they were going to hurt each other. So afraid everything had gone fuzzy, and I couldn’t remember what I had said. I had a moment of clarity, a picture in my head of Alyx’s eyes wide and his awed expression as he reached out for me, and then I lost it again. It was strange, though it was something I had heard happened to children of the stars; their wolf was so strongly attuned to them that it would block memories which would harm them. It had never happened to me before thanks to an omega’s tenuous hold on their connection with their wolf.

I frowned for a moment before shaking my head and giving up on that. It was more important to remember everything else. The forest was the next thing I could remember, and my face turned red when I realized how Viktor and I had curled up in the rain. That was incredibly intimate, at least for me; packmates often slept together, but I’d never been included in that, so it felt… meaningful. Not quite as ridiculously intimate as his grooming my fur had been, though.

“What was I thinking?” I groaned, rolling over to mash my face against the carpet- only to pop up to my knees with a yelped apology when my movement was met with a whimper. For a moment, I was completely lost as I stared at the little ball of fur which was wiggling in circles in front of me. It took me way too long to remember what the hell I was looking at.

I think he’d called her a coton- whatever the hell that meant. A dog, a pet living with a werewolf, something I had been told was impossible. But she looked totally comfortable as she bounced over to put her paws up against my legs. A soft, curious bark punctuated her eager whining. I reached out slowly, and she closed the distance, her tongue lashing across my fingers.

My shock gave way to a soft laugh, and I picked her up to put her in my lap properly. “What did he call you… Camellia?” Her wiggling grew more intense, and I was sure I had it right. “You’re pretty darn cute, aren’t you?” I ruffled her ears, and she all but collapsed as if I had hit some sort of off button. Rolled over on her back, all four paws in the air, she shoved her head against my hand so that I scratched where she wanted.

I only had a minute with her before a sharp bark made me jump, and another wriggling ball launched into my lap. My laughter rang out as they tussled without bothering to get off me. It was cute, watching them fight over my attention, every once in awhile one of them winning and getting their ears ruffled before they were back to wrestling again. They were adorable. I could understand why Viktor would keep them.

“Viktor…” I mumbled his name aloud again, and wrapped one of the dogs up in my arms so I could bury my face against her velvet soft fur. It felt like I was on fire, but how could I not be? He’d said such sweet things, taken the time to dry and brush out my coat while I refused to shift back to my human form, and he’d let me curl up in a ball with his dogs. A part of me was sure it was all a game and he was going to turn on me at any moment.

No, that wasn’t right. Viktor’s kindness was genuine, and I only knew that because of the cruelty I’d experienced at the hands of my packmates. I could tell when people lied, and Viktor never lied to me. Though I wasn’t sure what he actually wanted, it wasn’t to hurt me, that much I knew.

And I really should thank him for everything he had done for me after I ran away from my fighting parents. I struggled to my feet only for heat to wash over my face again. Cursing mildly, I wondered why the hell I was acting like an idiot. Sure, I’d shifted back while I was sleeping, but nudity was a common thing and part of the reason why we were so adamant about keeping humans out of pack towns; it wasn’t like we had no modesty, but clothes didn’t survive the shift.

Viktor wouldn’t think anything of it, so there was no reason for me to be embarrassed. But I was, damn it, and I wasn’t going out of that room until I had some kind of clothing on. Rooting through Viktor’s closet, I was amazed that it was mostly full of button-down shirts and neatly pressed slacks; I hadn’t seen him in anything but jeans and faded shirts, so I never would have expected it. I yanked down one of the shirts, slipping it on and doing up all of the buttons except the top one so I wouldn’t feel choked. It was loose on me- damn Viktor for being so tall- but that just meant it was long enough to fall midway down my thighs and cover the important things.

Satisfied, I crossed the room to open the door, and frowned when I realized the sleeves hung too low and I had to roll them up before I could grab the handle. Grumbling, I yanked the door open and padded out into the hallway with the dogs at my heels.

I could vaguely remember the layout of his home, since I’d investigated most of it before hearing the whining which had scared me. The bathroom was first; though I didn’t trust to put any of the three toothbrushes in my mouth, I could at least wash my face and take care of the rest of my business, running a brush through my tangled hair to try to bring some sort of order to the fine strands. I was presentable and fully awake when I turned to hunting down Viktor.

His scent was so strong in his home that it was hard to pinpoint him. And that scent… I’d always been drawn to the scent of children of the stars, but the pull only seemed to get worse as I spent more time with Alyx and his pack. I closed my eyes, breathing deeply and enjoying the pleasant lightheaded feeling I got from it; it reminded me of nights spent with Neo, when I was three drinks in and just tipsy enough to be giggling over everything. Focused so closely on my senses, I was able to find where the scent was ever so slightly stronger, and pad my way to his sitting room.

Viktor was laid out on his couch, obviously having fallen asleep in the middle of something as the laptop in front of him was open with the screen dark, and papers were scattered across the low coffee table. He was only half on the couch, his feet on the floor- he must have simply tipped sideways when he fell asleep.

Cute. That probably shouldn’t have been my first thought, but at the moment I was consumed by the sight of him like that. Though he’d dressed at some point, his shirt was rumpled and had been dragged up in his sleep to show skin. With his sweatpants low on his hips, I had to swallow hard to fight a sudden urge to get a better look. Shaking my head, I crossed the room to crouch on the floor next to him.

Really, really cute. I inched a little closer, my gaze taking in his peaceful expression, the rich hair which was usually tied back splayed across the couch. His mouth looked sweeter without his constant attempts to look comforting or reassuring. Heat came to my face again as I remembered how that mouth felt against mine.

It was as if the thought changed something. I’d thought his scent was enjoyable before, but it brought me a sort of pleasure as I took long, slow breaths and leaned against the couch. My eyes shut to enhance the feeling, I leaned forward until I could feel the warm breaths from his slightly parted lips. It was probably wrong of me- enjoying myself while he was sleeping peacefully. My face was too close to his. And I was burning.

I’d never experienced anything like it before, this urge, this need, but my wolf was restless and clawing like it had when I’d been trapped in bed. I wanted more. I wanted-

“Ow,” Viktor grunted the word, and I jerked back, nearly tipping myself over the coffee table. The source of his pain was the dog on his side, jumping as she barked at him, the poodle doing her best to wake him up. “Oh… Tsuki, you’re finally awake.” He sat up slowly, one hand out to catch Cindy as she slid down his side while he was up. The sleepy smile he gave me was like a drug.

I wrenched my gaze away from him, keeping my breathing as shallow as I could without alarming him while the effects of… whatever the hell had happened wore of. “Uh… y-yeah. Sorry. I didn’t mean to pass out on you.”

“It’s okay,” he said, ruffling his hands through my hair and oh god did he stretch like that on purpose? He seemed confused as I quickly got to my feet, backing away a few steps, but didn’t question me. “I had work to do, anyway. And you must have needed the sleep- it’s been almost a whole day since you fell asleep.”

“It what? Viktor!” I groaned his name, worried and embarrassed. “You should have kicked me out of your bedroom, at least. You need sleep too- and that doesn’t mean on a couch!”

Viktor’s laughter stopped me mid-tirade. “I forgot what it’s like to have someone worry about me. It’s kind of nice. Are you going to be mad that I haven’t eaten, either, because I was waiting for you?”

“You- you-” I struggled for words, knowing he was teasing me but still unable to believe the gall of that man. “You go make food right now!”

“Fine, fine,” he sighed, standing and pulling himself into another stretch. “Am I making food for one, or two?”

I would have liked to tell him I was done imposing on him, but my stomach betrayed my. Viktor snickered at the growling sound, and I cut him a nasty glare. “I’m going to hit you, you know.”

“After all I’ve done for you? You’re breaking my heart.” He was joking again, a light dancing in his eyes, but I couldn’t help getting flustered.

“Whatever! I’ll make breakfast then! You feed the dogs- I’m sure they’re hungry if you neglected them, too.”

That, of all things, was what had Viktor looking stricken. He cooed apologies to the dogs, and they jumped all over his legs like they planned on climbing up him as he left the room. I stayed where I was for a moment, letting out my breath on a sigh as I shook my head. It was easier to think clearly without his scent swimming in my senses.

Not that it made anything better. Viktor had stayed up for me, waited to eat because he wanted to eat with me- what was he? Nobody was this nice. It just wasn’t possible. He had to want something from me, and I would feel much better once I figured it out.