The beast can feel the turn of her lips upwards as she presses her velvet lips against his skin. Emerald eyes glisten, amused by the thoughts that cross his mind. She thought she had power over him. She thought that the curve of her lusty body against his own and the rise of hormones that the very sight of her tended to stir within him was enough to twist him around her slender hooves like some prized pet. He can feel it in the confidence of her smile and the bat of her lashes as she blinks so innocently up into his own eyes. Despite his denial, she would not be entirely wrong. He did fold to her desires, hungered by the drive of her femine wiles and seductive smile. She had become queen of paradise despite the lies and deceit that had taken her far from his grasp for so long. And yet even in her victory, he had his own. Her rise to power was met by an expectation that had never been voiced. Day in and day out, he watched her work hard to prove that the crown he had gifted her was meant to stay firmly planted on her refined head. Despite the large swell of her belly, she had managed to secure Titania for him, spoken up to rally the herd together to defend his bloodline and even traveled to the common islands to secure new members of their pack. Even when she had been heavy with child, she spent many days patrolling the borders of Paradise, easing the weight upon his own shoulders and counseling him into the late hours of the night as to what their plans ought to next be. Despite his doubt, Vanya had become a true queen. Though these days the twins kept her closer to the herd, still she carried the air of authority around her that only seemed to dissolve when he was close. Truly they were a perfect match.

Intently she listens to the plan that had formed in his mind and for the most part remains quiet as he voices his reasons. A playful smirk tugs at the corners of her lips as she taunts him and despite himself, Rougaru finds an amused grin sliding effortlessly across his own whiskered lips as the large stallion chuckled in good natured humor. Thickly muscled next coils as the stallion tilts his head to fix her in the iridescent faucets of his emerald eyes. ”Perhaps she just is not my type. My taste is quite particular.” he quips, snaking his lips forward to tug a straying strand of her silken forelock.

Small ears tilt backwards in mock anger as she teases him again with a threat of joining Xiomara. They both know all too well that there is little to no risk of that happening. Not only does Vanya relish the attention that her position as his queen gives her over the other mares of Paradise, but as a part of the Shore, she would once more find herself at odds with himself and they both have become used to the closeness that their rule has brought them. ”You will find her bedside manner lacking in the certain areas that give you the most pleasure my queen. I doubt I have much to worry about in that area.” he teases, his long cream and caramel tail flicking idly against his hip.

As expected, she rises to the challenge and the beast purrs pleasure deep in his breast. She winks at him and the smile across his whiskered lips broadens as she trots away at a brisk pace. Though he had hoped Monster might have been able to quell the fires that burned in Faolain and Rivaini, somehow, he felt almost certain that Vanya would be far more skilled at diplomacy than he or his painted viper. No doubt he would catch the venomous eyes of his fire queen later when she learned that he had given Vanya such an important task. However times were changing and fire was not always best used to smolder the burning embers.

For a moment he finds himself lost in his thoughts. It had been some time now since Monster joined the rest of the herd. Even Alpha seemed to have taken to his mother’s heels and disappeared into the dark jungle. A small quiet voice worried for them, and yet the wolf scolded that voice with a vicious growl. His viper would care very little for his concern and was more than likely trying to once again show her displeasure at appointing Vanya as queen in Zjeena’s place. The former ice queen had a special bond with Monster and it was one that they had not needed him to complete. There were times even that he felt like an intruder into their relationship regardless of how his heart ached for her. For a while, he and Monster managed to continue on in Zjeena’s absence, resting assurances in the fact that she had left of her own accord and though she was still troubled from the horrors Liland had left on her mind, she left in the company of her eldest children whom Rougaru felt certain would care for her if something were to happen. Rougaru still found his heart calling for her to this day but somehow, Vanya was managing to slowly sew the pieces she had left back into place.

The soft rustling of brush behind him causes him to rise from the depths of his memories. Dark ears swivel forward as muscular mahogany neck arches back to catch the pale alabaster flash of Rae as she stepped from the shadows and into the dappled sunlight. As always, a soft, tender smile curves across his lips when she draws near. Though what had happened to her with Faelyn still caused a dagger of pain to wrench further into his breast, somehow, the gentleness of her smile managed to soften the guilt. He turns to meet her approach, neck coiling to gently trace his lips down the length of her silken neck, finding comfort in the knowledge that no longer was she a skeletal shell of a creature like the one that had found him that night on the main island. Health and wellness glowed in every fiber of her speckled coat and aside from the single stain of crimson along her shoulder, she was complete. He sighs heavily into her skin, the strain of his thoughts released by the mere presence her gentle nature brought him.

She settles into place at his side, murmuring a soft hello that warms his soul. Though the wolf preferred the fiery, fierce woman that had made the jungle pack legendary, there was a quieter part of him that somehow found himself needing the soft spoken gentle mare. She asks how he is doing and despite himself, he feels the chuckle rising in his throat once more as his lips once again reach for her, pressing against her cheek tenderly. ”I believe that is the question I should be asking you.” he teases inhaling a deep breath of her sweet scent. ”I have been neglecting you lately….” he begins, pausing for a moment as the sorrow and guilt glimmers in her emerald eyes. ”For that, I am very sorry.” he finishes, pausing again to let the words settle between them for a moment, savoring the feel of her cheek against his lips.