You Can Run But...

@ castle.

"I know you want more than that. I know that there is something else that you are holding back on, something that would truly make you happy." James whispered back to Blake. There was no way that was all Blake wanted from life, that was all that he needed to do to truly make her happy. Though James was unsure what it was. He didn't know what Blake was holding back from him, and he was worried that she wouldn't tell him at all. But, for now, all James could do was point out the doubt he had in his words. As much as he wanted to know, it didn't feel right to force it out of her. And he would prefer if Blake told him because she trusted him again, or because she wanted him to know.

He lightly ran his fingers against the side of her cheeks as he continued to listen. This time, shaking his head at her words. "I am only alive because of your interference. And I think it is time that I remind my pack who is in charge. Time to show them that I may spend time with whoever I please during my personal time. They mean everything to me, but they do not control me. I let them make their own personal choices so they should do the same for me." James whispered to her. He hoped Blake understood that he meant that he just wanted her.

Slowly, James moved so he was sitting up. He looked down at Blake, taking in the full sight of her as she laid peacefully on the bed. After a few moments, he slid out, pressing his feet into the ground. Though, without a word, he reached over and lifted Blake out of the covers, moving her into his arms. Leaning down, he pressed a soft kiss against her lips before carrying her and setting her down into the chair at the table where the food was. Once he was sure that Blake was settled, James headed over to his chair and sat down. "Please, go ahead and fill up your plate," James told her as he set down a plate in front of both of them. He urged her again to start taking food, and once Blake had, James started to take some for himself.

"I have something important that I want to say. And I want you to know that I mean every word, that it is coming from a true place. I need you to understand that and to listen carefully." James looked up at Blake as he waited for any kind of response from her before he could continue.

Blake couldn't help the way that her body tensed when James called out on her answer. Her lips parted and she fought the urge to tell him the truth. She wanted to reason with him, to tell him that she was being honest with him but she knew that she wasn't. She had all but lied to him; to her master - to a wolf. She could only nod, worrying at her bottom lip as James continued to play with her hair. She nodded again at James' words. "You can do as you please, sir. You are the alpha. I think your pack will remember that after yesterday. You handled the situation well and you protected them, made sure they were all calm where it mattered," she murmured lowly. She hadn't been there in there when James had eaten dinner with his pack but she was sure that she had been able to figure out what James had done. He cared greatly about his pack. Maybe that was part of why Blake had started falling for him.

Squeaking as James lifted her off of the mattress. Her arms slid around his neck, keeping herself firmly against his chest. Blake let out a content hum when James kissed her, burying her face into his neck as he carried her across the room. She shivered as she was set down, crossing her legs as she looked up to James. Blake frowned slightly when James urged her to take food before him. She looked up to him, her confusion evident. She only started to fill her plate when James urged her again. "Thank you, sir," she murmured quietly, taking a bite of her pancake.

When James started to speak again, Blake's head snapped up so that she could focus her attention on James. She set her fork down, dropping her hand into her lap. "Of course, sir," she agreed softly, not wanting to take any of her attention from him while he said whatever he felt the need to tell her. Blake braced herself for whatever it was going to be, chewing on the inside of her lip.

The alpha took a few moments to look over Blake's face, to take in her expression. He rather liked that she was giving him her fully undivided attention... though it felt more like the master/slave relationship that he didn't want from her anymore. He wanted something closer to what they used to have, but not quite.... What James really wanted from Blake was a lover/lover relationship. But was it really right to ask her for that after everything? Probably not...

James cleared his throat a bit before beginning to speak. "I am not sure how to go about this." He told her gently. "How to make it clear to you want I want, without sounding selfish... how to get you to understand while also finding a way where you feel like you can speak freely about what I am saying. But that is what I want, for you to speak freely. I want you to tell me what you think, about how you feel. I hope you feel like you can do that, I understand if you don't, after everything that happened last week but.."

He forced himself to straighten up a bit before continuing on. "The truth is, Blake, that I don't want what we have right now. What I mean is I don't want to have this master/slave relationship with you anymore. I don't want you to call me Sir, or to say that you only want what I want. Or that you are only here to serve me. Honestly, it makes me... sad when you do that. Because I know that you must want more, and I want more too. I hope that we both want the same things but I understand if that is not the case."

"Truthfully, I want so much more with you. Last week, how things went down, I freaked out. I thought you were manipulating me. Like you had figured out how to play with my emotions and that your grand scheme was finally starting and I didn't listen, I reacted badly. Worse than bad, I acted like a monster. But I regret it all. I regret what I did, I regret that I pushed you away, that I didn't believe you."

James took in a deep breath before continuing on. 'The truth is, I care about you. I want you to truly be mine. I want us to become a real couple... Honestly, Blake, I think I love you."

Blake listened, a slight frown on her lips when James started to speak about wanting her to be free to speak her own mind. She tilted her head to the side but she didn't say anything because she wasn't sure what exactly James was getting at. But then he was speaking again and her heart came crashing down. Blake hung her head slightly, biting down on the inside of her lip. She was sure that James was wanting to tell her he planned to sell her. That he had to get rid of her because she was interfering too much in his life with his pack. Blake swallowed, willing herself to calm down. She wasn't the one in charge. Right? She knew that. She had to know that, even if she didn't want to be under anyone's command.

James kept speaking though and she could hardly believe she was hearing him right. She jolted slightly as she looked up, a frown tugging at the edges of her lips. Blake tilted her head slightly, blinking dumbly as she squinted up at him. She wanted so badly to believe what he was saying and truth be told, she did. But that didn't make this any easier, did it?

"I... but.." Blake choked out the words, whining in the back of her throat. She couldn't seem to think properly. "Y-You.. it.. won't.. work. You.. You almost lost your pack before. I'm not worth that risk again. It.. It'll cause problems. Humans and wolves aren't meant to be together. People won't like it. They will react again and... what if someone isn't able to stop it then? What if you lose more than just your pack the next time?"

@ castle.

"As I said, it is time that I remind my pack who is in charge. Time that I show them that what I do in my personal time shouldn't matter to them." James said softly. He reached over to Blake, taking her hand into his gently. "I don't want you to be worried about my pack right now. Let me worry about them, let me deal with everything on that side. I know I can get them to calm down and to understand. And I think they might be too shaken up with what happened last night to care about this."

He shook his head and held onto her hands a bit tighter. "They shouldn't even be on your mind right now. I am asking you how you feel about this, about the possibility of us." James said as a frown came over his face. "So please do not be thinking about my pack, think about us, think about how you feel about that."

James hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Is it that you don't want that? Do you not love me back? Or are you scared? Or even mad at me after everything?" He asked her, his voice now softening. "I will understand but I need you to explain Blake. What do you want, what will make you happy? Do you even see us as a possibility? Please just be honest with me, darling. I promise I won't be mad. I promise I won't punish you even if the answer is no. The truth is, I just want you to be happy... but I do selfishly hope that you can be happy with me."

Blake wanted so badly to lean into James' touch and to find comfort there but she was terrified that this was just some awful trick that was being played on her. She didn't have any supernatural abilities to detect a lie like James did. She had no way of knowing whether this would all come back to bite her in the end. She prayed that it didn't but she had never thought that it would turn out the way that it had when she came to James with what she had overheard.

"You would be a part of us. Not thinking about what could, or would, happen to you would be foolish," Blake pointed out. She shrugged, letting out a shaky breathe. She didn't know what the hell she was even supposed to say to James. There were so many things on her mind but his safety was at the forefront of it all. "My.. my presence is the reason you were nearly killed. I don't.. get to decide what is important if it means your death, James."

"That is.. I won't do it," Blake added, her voice sounding far less hard than it had a moment again. She had been able to contain her emotions but she knew she was so very close to the ledge. If she was pushed just a bit more, she knew she would break down with no control to stop it. "We can't be an us without you."

@ castle.

"We can't be an us unless you want it either," James whispered to Blake. It broke his heart to hear those words come out of her mouth. She was only saying no to keep him safe, to prevent anything from happening to him but that wasn't what he wanted. James wanted her to say yes, and then they could figure out what to do about the rest. There was a chance for them to be happy and for his pack to be fine with it, they just needed time to figure it out.

"Please, Blake." His voice was soft, yearning for her. "We can work together on my pack. Us being together does not mean my death. And you weren't the sole reason why they tried to kill me by any means. It is... it is just that sometimes, pack members get greedy. They want to be in charge but they don't want to fight for it the right way or they don't want to wait for me to die naturally. They knew they couldn't beat me in a fair battle, so they tried to cheat."

Reaching up, James took Blake's face into his hands, his thumb running over her skin gently. "It sounds to me that you are just afraid that something bad will happen. But something bad might happen even if you say no. At least, if we are together, we can be a team, we can work on keeping both of us safe and happy together. If the only reason you are saying no then please don't say no. Say you want to be with me."

Blake's heart was breaking because she was sure that by the end of this, they would be separated and she would have no part in each others' lives. The thought killed her but if it was better for James... she just hoped that whoever she ended up being owned by wasn't too terribly cruel. Then he was speaking again and she realized her resolve was crumbling even further. She shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself as she listened to him. "They weren't very good wolves if they didn't realize I was there... both times," she mumbled, unable to contain a tiny giggle.

James' hands cupped her cheeks and she knew even before he opened his mouth again, that she was gone. What little resolve she still contained was gone, just like that. Blake's bottom lip wobbled slightly before she let out a choked sob. Blake couldn't bring herself to speak, nodding at James' words.

"I do," Blake mumbled. "I do. I just.." she trailed off, shrugging her shoulders. Blake didn't care about the food set out in front of them any more. Blake pushed to her feet, stepping around the table so she could drop into his lap. She didn't say anything else, burying her face into his chest. Her arms slid around his neck, holding onto him tightly.

"D-Don't.. want you h-hurt a-ag-again," Blake explained in a low voice, her nails grazing against the baby hairs on the back of his neck. "I'd sooner die," she huffed, pressing herself closer into him.

@ castle.

Relief flooded James as Blake dropped down into his lap. He was quick to wrap his arms around his body, not wanting to miss a single moment with Blake. Pulling her in, James kept her close and buried his face into her neck. Once Blake was fully on his lap, he started to rock her slowly. "I won't get hurt. You won't get hurt. We will both keep each other safe." James whispered in her ear. "Together, we can keep each other safe, and we can give each other what we need, love."

He let out a small sigh as he pressed a kiss against her neck. Though once he pressed the first kiss against her skin, James couldn't stop. He pressed kiss after kiss against her, covering her neck, her face, her lips. James almost wanted to let out a sob but all he was so overcome with love that he couldn't stop to do anything else.

Once James was sure that Blake was completely covered in love, James pulled away from her slightly. His eyes lifted up, meeting hers. His hand came up and cupped her cheek gently. "I only want you, Blake." He whispered to her. James leaned in and pressed his face against hers gently. A slight urge started sinking in with his teeth. With how emotional he was being towards Blake, he could feel the need to bite her, to claim her for his. Though he had to calm himself down slightly. That would come soon enough.

"Is there anything that I can do for you today? Anything at all?" James whispered to her. For once, he wanted to do something for her. Blake was always taking care of him. Now he wanted to return the favor.

Blake's chin dropped as she tilted her head to the side, allowing James even more access to her neck. She let out a shaky breathe, wondering just how far he wanted to take this. Even though he had told her she was more or less his equal in other words; Blake did't think she could ever tell him no. That she wouldn't want to see what would happen if she did, even if James admitted to loving her. He was used to getting what he wanted, without ever being told 'no'.

"Promise me," Blake uttered, not wanting to leave James' presence at all. She reached down, tugging his hands out so that they rested on her hips. She let out a content sigh, shaking her head slowly at his words. "Just me," she spoke softly, wondering if she was asking for too much from a wolf. Blake had never been in a relationship with someone other than him. The thought of James laying with anyone else, it soured her stomach in a way that she hadn't been prepared for.

"I won't ever tell you no. I swear. But I just.. I don't want to share you," she admitted, her cheeks heating up at her words. Blake's eyes were screwed shut at her admission, realizing just how embarrassed she felt. Jealousy wasn't a liked trait and she had truthfully never had a reason to be jealous before.

Blake straightened slightly, not looking at him still. "I.. am sorry. I know. It's not fair of me to ask of you."

@ castle.

James lifted his head up and met his eyes with her as she started to speak. His head tilted to the side slightly as Blake spoke. His mouth remained closed for a long moment as he thought about how to respond. It was clear to him that Blake didn't know much, if anything, about wolfs and their mating happens. He wondered if she knew anything about mates at all. James dropped his head down a bit. Should he explain mates? Would that scare her? He would to explain it at some point but was now really that point?

He cleared his throat a bit before lifting his head up and looking over at Blake. "There are probably some things I should explain to you about wolves and how they mate." He said softly before continuing on. "But we can continue that another time, okay?" James leaned forward and pressed another kiss against her head before leaning back. He cleared his throat before continuing on.

"Anyways, you don't have to worry about that. I promise you, it will be only you. You don't have to share me with anyone else if you don't want." James whispers to her before rewrapping his arms around Blake, even tighter than before. If Blake didn't want to play with others, if she didn't want to do a threesome, if she didn't want him to play with others, he wouldn't. There was no way that James would be able to do that. It was incredibly difficult for mates to do much outside of their relationships. Once Blake was officially his mate, she would be the one. That was all there was to it. He reached out and took her face into his hand, holding onto her chin lightly as he brought her head back to his. "It is more than fair for you to ask things of me, okay? Tell me you understand that."

Blake could have cried all over again with the force of relief that washed over her when James told her that she wouldn't have to worry herself with the idea of sharing James. She nodded slowly, unsure of herself as he spoke quietly. She fisted her hands in his shirt, running her tongue over her bottom lip. "Whenever you please," she agreed softly. Blake didn't mind when James opened up to her about wolves and mating because she knew nothing but the horror stories she had known before her capture. She didn't know what was true and what wasn't, at this point.

Lifting her head when James cleared his throat, she raised an eyebrow. Blake shifted slightly in his lap so she could look up to him, his hands on her chin all but made her melt into him. "I.. I don't know," Blake huffed slightly, shrugging her shoulders. She looked around, resting her hands against his chest.

"I haven't.. I don't know. Even what I would ask of you," Blake admitted shyly. SHe pouted as she turned to him, reaching up to cup James' cheek. Blake gave a small smile, brushing her thumb over his cheek. "I am just happy that you are safe," she said. Blake wanted to lean forward and kiss him but she wasn't brave enough to, not quite yet. Was it appropriate to or would James not like that at all? "I was worried that you would.. not be. And I didn't want that. I don't ever want you to be hurt."

@ castle.

James gave her a small nod. It would be a conversation that James would be sure to have with her soon. Though today was not that day for that, and maybe not tomorrow either. But this week, he would explain it all to her. That would give him time to figure out what to say exactly and it would give them both time to just enjoy what they had right now. Besides, James really didn't want to move too fast for either of them. He had Blake and he wanted to enjoy that.

"I can't promise I will never get hurt. As an alpha, I need to fight sometimes to protect my pack, and you. But as long as I have you to take care of me, I promise that I will always heal." He leaned down and pressed a light kiss against her lips. James then leaned down a bit more and pressed another kiss against her cheek. "But you will always be safe, okay?" He told her, his voice lowering a bit. "There is nothing that you have to worry about anymore."

Leaning down, James pressed his forehead against hers for a long moment before letting out a sigh. As much as he wanted to stay with Blake all day, he knew he needed to take care of his pack. There was a lot he needed to do to continue to make them feel safe and calm again. He let out a small sigh before leaning back against the chair. "Blake, I will need to go soon, to take care of my pack. They are still a bit frazzled after yesterday."

Blake wanted to argue with James, both when he couldn't promise not to be hurt and when he said he needed to go soon. She forced herself to nod, knowing full well that she couldn't ask him to stay with her all day long. It was the only thing that she really wanted to do but it was selfish and she couldn't do it. James' pack was important to him and if it was to him, then it was to her. "Should I.. come with you?" She asked, sounding infinitely unsure of herself.

She tilted her head to the side, raising an eyebrow. Blake continued to run her fingers over his skin, wherever she could reach because it was calming to her. it grounded her because she knew that James was safe with her right now and that she didn't have to worry about a thing because no one would hurt them here. In James' room.

"Or would it be best for me to stay here?" Blake added, figuring that the decision was ultimately up to James. This was a completely unheard of situation. A wolf and human did not care for each other in the way Blake and James cared for each other. Was it best to stand as a united pair now, in front of James' pack after everything that had happened yesterday or would it be better for them to stay apart? "What.. do you think?"

@ castle.

"You can come to join me if you would like," James told her. He reached up and started to run his fingers through her hair slowly. "I do not you to feel like you can or can't but I want you to make this decision for yourself. I would be happy if you came with, but I would also be happy if you stayed here and rest and ate. So, tell me darling, which do you prefer? Would you like to come with me or would you like to stay here?"

James continued on before she was able to fully answer. "If you stay here, I will make sure that they bring you food and you can rest, watch tv, shower, read or anything else you would like. If you come with me, you'll stay by my side as we talk to the pack. We will go around and speak to everyone that is here, try to calm them and reassure them. And we will call some of those that left the night before to go home." He just wanted Blake to know what her choices were.

Of course, James would be a bit more pleased if Blake decided to come along with him. He didn't really want to leave her. He wanted to stay by her side, to hug and kiss her more. To keep him all to himself. But despite his wishes, James still had a pack he needed to take care of. It was important that he maintained both relationships. He couldn't just be Blake's lover, he needed to be an alpha too.

It was so strange to Blake for James to be giving her such freedom to make a decision for herself. In the past, he had given her a fair bit of freedom but never something so crucial. Or was it crucial? Blake's face scrunched a bit as she thought about it, focusing on the options that James gave her. In truth, the idea of staying in his room and resting, it sounded wonderful but she felt like that wasn't the right option. Like she had to go with James because if she was going to be standing by his side for the rest of her time, then she should be there in the hard moments. The moments where his pack would question her the most. She needed to show them that she cared for them just as much as James did.

Exhaling slowly, Blake chewed on her bottom lip as she leaned into his chest. "I should come with you," she answered after several moments of consideration. Blake nodded as she leaned back, looking up to him with a small smile. It was evident that she was nervous but she knew what she had to do.

"But," Blake paused, frowning slightly. "What do you think the pack would prefer though? Would it be preferable for me to stay behind? I don't want them to be too overwhelmed with everything after yesterday's drama," she explained softly. She reached up, slowly pulling her fingers through his hair. "Because this is about them. Not you or me."

@ castle.

"I do not think my pack will have an opinion on you coming with me or not. I imagine that they will assume that you are there to help me. And they will continue on with whatever they want to do or say to me when I speak with them. I know my pack is going to be overwhelmed, upset, stressed but I do not believe that you will be the reason why they are pushed over the edge." James told her gently. "This is about them, so we will not make it about us... just try to comfort them when you feel like it is appropriate. And, if not, then just stay by my side."

Leaning down, he pressed a light kiss against her forehead before slowly and gently moving Blake off of his lap and onto her feet. "Now, I need you to shower and get ready. I am going to do the same and then we are going to talk to my pack. Make sure not to take too long." He pressed a light kiss against her forehead. "I'll shower first, you sit here and eat breakfast. You haven't touched a thing."

Taking her hand, James gently lead her to the chair and made sure that Blake sat down before he headed into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Normally, he would want Blake to join him but none wasn't the time. It was important that James tend to his pack during this critical time. Sex should not be at the top of his mind.

After a few minutes, James came out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. "Bathroom is open. Please do not take long." James said softly before he headed over to his closet to change.

Blake nodded when James explained that he didn't think her presence would be an issue. That was the most important thing to her; she knew that everyone was going to be on edge. She didn't want to be the reason that things got anymore out of control than they had been the night before. Blake smiled shyly when James lifted her onto her feet, nodding as she was led over to the table. She crossed her ankles, reluctantly watching as James retreated to the bathroom. She wanted to follow after him, she didn't want to be separated from him for any length of time but she knew that was a bit drastic. Blake turned her attention back to the food in front of her, starting to dig in. It wasn't until she was a few bite in that she realized just how hungry that she had been.

Looking up when James emerged from the bathroom, Blake smiled as she nodded. She pushed to her feet and was quick to head into the bathroom, climbing into the shower after letting the water warm back up. It wasn't more than ten minutes before she climbed out, a towel wrapped tightly around her body. Blake chewedo n her bottom lip as she stepped out of the bathroom. She looked up to James, offering him a tiny smile.

Blake glanced around the room, blushing when she realized the only clothes she had was the dress from the night before. She headed over to the small pile of clothes, pulling the items on carefully to not aggravate the wounds that were still healing on her back. Blake turned back toward James, smoothing down the material of her dress. "Are we leaving the house? Is it okay if I don't wear shoes? At least for now?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

@ castle.

James was quiet for a moment as he thought over her question. Though once he was sure he had an answer, he started to speak. "Well, we are going to stay at the house for now and speak to everyone who decided to stay here tonight. I think most did, considering they wanted to be close after the commotion... And I know that some will make their way back here sometime today. In that case. I will end up calling those who do not drop by and plan on going over to see them tomorrow to ensure that everything is okay." After he was done speaking, James took another moment to think over his plan before he gave a nod. It seemed rather solid to him. Besides, those who were here were the ones who were in more need of support than those who left and wouldn't come back.

"So, no, you do not need to wear shoes." James told her as he lifted his head back up. The man's eyes met with hers and a large smile came over his lips. Slowly, he made his way over to Blake and slowly wrapped his arms around her waist. With a low hum, James leaned down and pressed a light kiss against her forehead. Though as his eyes continued down to her lips, he leaned down and pressed the second kiss against them. It was short but soft and loving. "I am so glad that I have you." After that moment, James' hands slid from her side. One hand moved back to the small of her back, now leading her out of the room.

Now, going through the rest of the house, James moved away from his bedroom area and towards where the other members of his pack would stay. He was rather sure that most of them would be in clusters, staying close to those they trusted most. Now it was just a question of who he should swing by first. He glanced down at Blake after a moment. "I am thinking we might want to see the young ones first as they might be the most affected by what occurred last night. Are you good with kids?"

Blake all but melted into James' arms, her eyes fluttering shut as she set her hands on his biceps. She smiled as he kissed her, trying to remind herself that it was okay to just... act natural. Whatever came to mind, it was okay to do. She didn't think hse would ever want to actually hurt him or anger him enough that he felt the need to punish her again.. or so she hoped. She swallowed at the thought, wondering if there was anything she could do that would push him to that point. She didn't know and she certainly didn't want to find out either.

"I thought I was crazy when I first realized how much I cared for you," Blake explained quietly. A light blush crept over her cheeks as hse opened her eyes, reluctantly moving away from him long enough to turn, following his lead into the house. Blake leaned into his touch, wondering already if she could help the slaves' lives be better. James had never been a particularly cruel master but that had been where she started and.. she wanted to help them. Perhaps a bit of a rotation so that they could have days where they could rest instead of working.

"I.. hope so. We didn't have many before I came here. Being pregnant was a risk and children were always so loud.. easier to detect," Blake explained quietly. She wrung her hands together, glancing up to him with a slight frown. "I've always wanted to have.. to be able to interact with children more. Are there many in your pack?" SHe asked, suddenly realizing that she didn't know all that much about his pack. She knew the adults well enough because they mostly worked for James but outside of that, she didn't know their families. "Will.. we.." she trailed off, realizing she couldn't bring herself to ask the unspoken question.