er clothes. They're just rags now. Of her hair she asks him, "Is this permanent?"

Windwalker shrugs, "I don't know. There's nothing in our history about anything like this that I'm aware of, sorry."

Talia releases a frustrated sigh. She's been held hostage for a night. At least she thinks it's only been a night. He scent marked her and bite marked her as his mate, yet he can't tell her if this change to her hair is permanent, "Great, just wonderful.. Are you going to let me out of here?"

Windwalker nods sadly as he answers meekly, "Yes my mate."

Talia throws a frustrated hand in the air. Now he gets compliant. She follows him to the stone disc, watches as he steps on some sort of lever in the groove in the floor, hears a click and watches him push the huge stone disc from in front of the doorway. Wildcat, Greywolf and Roar all jump up off the floor to their feet. They've been waiting outside the room all night.

Once the disc is out of the way, holding the blanket in place around her with one hand, Talia steps out of the room just as Breeze and Stinger arrive to check on the three men. They all pause to stare at her. Roar with his mouth agape touches her hair first as Greywolf steps closer to her slowly. Wildcat steps up in front of her. They can all smell Windwalker's scent mark loud and clear. Wildcat begins a careful inspection of Talia starting with touching one of the platinum blond streaks. He doesn't know what to make of it. He looks her face over, first turning it one way and then the other looking for signs of beating. He's relieved to find that Windwalker didn't beat her. But there are hickies on her neck in addition to the huge bruised swollen bite on her left shoulder.

"How are you," Wildcat finally asks her.

Talia looks up at him and nearly sobs, "I want to go home.. Can we go home now please?"

"Yes Dearest," agrees Wildcat, "we'll go home now."

"Here," offers Stinger stepping up to Talia and putting an arm around her, "Come. I'll help you get ready. There are many Air tribe women your size. It will be easy to find you clothes." She leads Talia away.

Windwalker is watching Talia walk away with Stinger and doesn't see Wildcat's fist coming. He stumbles back into a wall holding his jaw. The wall keeps him from falling on his butt.

Wildcat steps in front of him and tells him fearlessly, "You had no right."

Windwalker straightens up to his full height which is nearly seven feet, and responds, "But what's done is done and cannot be undone."

"What's the point in making a woman who won't live with you your mate," asks Wildcat. "You'll be sharing her with three others, and she will probably never return here after what you've done."

"I understand the circumstances," responds Windwalker. "I have my reasons."

"It has to do with her eyes, doesn't it," asks Greywolf.

Windwalker takes a deep breath as he continues to rub his jaw, "Air is allowed it's secrets.. That's quite a punch you've got there old man." He knows he earned it and more. His actions disrespected Wildcat's authority and the Animalistic tribe after they were generous enough to help Stinger and her children get here safely.

"Humph," Wildcat wishes he was guardian himself so he could take on the much younger man, "You deserve more than that pup. True-mates can be very possessive. When we get home, her true-mate Mist may punish her for this."

Windwalker hadn't considered such a thing and looks at Wildcat with wide eyes. Then he looks in the direction Talia went with Stinger and says, "Certainly he wouldn't. She's not defied him in anyway. I made myself her mate against her will. She has not marked me in return."

"He'll smell your scent mark on her before she's had a chance to explain," Wildcat tells him angrily.

Greywolf gives Wildcat's arm a tug, "Talia needs us. Let's go. I'll fight Mist if I have to."

Wildcat doesn't need to be told twice. He goes with Greywolf to Talia.

Roar steps in front of Windwalker, "I don't know what to say to you. We go through the trouble to guide your brother's mate and children safely to him.. And you repay us with this selfish act of disrespect." He shakes his head and turns and walks away.

"My brother and chief," Breeze says putting a hand on his older brother's shoulder.

"You saw her eyes," Windwalker reminds his younger brother. "What are the chances I'ld ever find another like her? You know I've tried every available female in our tribe and none have the extra ability."

"But you should of sought approval from all her mates," Breeze reminds gently, "gotten their permission, made sure they were willing to share her with you. Now there will be anger and resentment."

"And what if they said no," asks Windwalker. "I could not take that chance.. I love her.. When I took them to the garden, flutterbies swirled around her. Her reaction was so delightful. I wanted to be one of her mates at that very moment before I saw her eyes go white. She kissed Wildcat and I wanted those lips to touch mine. I want the swelling of her belly to be my child growing within her. I wanted all this before I saw her eyes turn white. Before I saw her eyes turn white, I had intended a social mount and to seek a place as her fourth mate properly.. Then her eyes turned white while she was with you and I knew she was the one. No other woman will do. I could not chance they would not accept me.. Come for me when they are ready to depart so I may say good-bye to my mate."

Breeze nods his agreement and walks off to check on their now disgruntled guests. He finds them in the room he put them in after they arrived. Roar is sitting at a table with Stinger talking. Greywolf is packing the rations they'll need for their trip back. Breeze understands that the others are giving Talia and Wildcat time to comfort each other as they sit together on the furs. Wildcat is gently and lovingly laving the sore bruised swollen bite mark with his tongue. Talia's eyes are closed, but her hand unerringly slides up Wildcat's thigh to find his erection for her.

Talia looks Wildcat in his electric blue eyes and asks him afraid, "You and Cougar won't leave me will you?"

"Never, Dearest, never," Wildcat assures her.

"Richy," Talia's afraid to even ask the question.

"Mist won't ever leave you either," Wildcat assures her. "He'll be mad, but his anger will pass. There are advantages to being Windwalker's mate. From now on when a male wants to be social with you that you're not interested in, you can refuse without it being rude. You can just tell him that they need to get permission from your mate, Chief Windwalker. You won't have to submit to anyone you don't want to again, not even another chief."

"May I keep Greywolf as my consort," asks Talia.

"Of course, Dearest," assures Wildcat. "Greywolf come over here please."

Greywolf joins them on the thick soft furs, "Yes, Wildcat."

"Your lady needs your attention just as much as she needs mine," Wildcat informs Greywolf, "So we're going to make love to her."

Greywolf's a quiet man who doesn't have a lot of confidence, "She doesn't need me like she needs you. I'm not a mate, I'm just her consort."

Talia's bottom lip trembles, "But you're not just a consort. I love you too. Yet I can't make you mine. It wouldn't be fair to you to be tied to a woman who already has more mates than she can handle, who cannot give you the time and attention you deserve. So I leave you free, free so you may find someone who can be the proper mate you deserve."

Greywolf wipes a tear from Talia's cheek. He knew he loved her, but he thought she was just tolerating his presence as her consort. He hadn't known she loved him in return and he tells her, "I don't need a proper mate. I love you. And you always manage to give me the time and attention I need."

"Then you will stay with me," Talia asks Greywolf, "even if you're not an official mate to me?"

"I'm not going to leave you Tali," then Greywolf gives her a reassuring kiss. Then he and Wildcat make love with her.

Breeze retrieves Windwalker when they're ready to leave. They meet them in the welcome area and walk them outside. Breeze and Windwalker breathe in deep through their noses. They don't get outside enough, but that's going to change because Windwalker will soon begin to visit Talia.

"Thank you, once again for bringing my mate and children to me," Breeze very grateful, "Maybe one day I'll find a way to repay you."

Roar shrugs, "We're family now, brother. Families take care of each other. We'll see you soon, brother." Then he hugs Breeze. For Windwalker, Roar has a sad sigh and a handshake.

Breeze hugs Talia who rubs his broad back as she returns his hug, and he tells her, "We'll see you soon."

"I look forward to your visit," and Talia kisses Breeze's cheek. She tenses up when Windwalker steps in front of her. Her eyes flash white with anger for a second.

Windwalker inhales her scent as he touches her hair. He gently cups her face in his large hands and lovingly kisses her forehead, her temple, her cheek and finally her unyielding lips and tells her "I'll see you soon my heart."

Talia's eyes flash white again as she tells him way too calmly, "I hate you."

Windwalker manages to only flinch internally at the sting of her words as he straightens to his full height and watches her whirl away from him.

"Stay with her," Wildcat orders Greywolf. Then he turns to Windwalker, "She's angry. She isn't actually capable of hating anybody. If the love in her heart was an ocean of water, the world would drown in it.. Give her time, her anger will pass.

I wish you would have gone about this properly. Mist would have objected initially. But he wants what's best for her. Cougar and I would have been able to talk him into seeing how this will benefit her. Instead, now there are angry painful wounds of the heart that need to heal." Then he and Roar turn and jog to catch up with Talia and Greywolf.

Windwalker marches straight to his room. He rolls the stone over its entry way. He takes a few steps backward away from the stone, turns and releases a frustrated roar as he raises his fists high in the air. He's finally found a mate, even if it's one he has to share, and she hates him. He smelled the truth of it in her scent as she told him to his face with a flash of angry white eye, she hates him.