Sleep eluded him, but when did it not? He was unable to recall the last time he had slept from sunset until sunrise. In some ways he missed the bliss of a good night's rest, but on the other hand he had more hours in the day to stew about life- his favourite past time it seemed.
Tonight had been cold, and with Sage's absence upon the mountain ridge he didn't feel the need to explore and hope he might bump into her. She had told him she was leaving, if only for a bit. He had watched with a feeling of sickness in his stomach as she left to do her duty better than any other might have- she did not just scout their border, but the very lands they lived within to bring them news from the world they have made a point to shut out. After all, you could never be too careful when you lived next door to so many enemies; he hoped she would return sooner rather than later. He could not ignore her absence for much longer.

The bitter sting of the wind and lack of things to do had finally called him home to the empty depths of his den. The cave was narrow, perfect for his thinner frame. The entrance wound from the mountain face, bared right where his chamber lay. It was bare of course, he found no need for a soft bed or light. The wind could not enter, and he was hidden away from the world- that was all that mattered. He had laid with a thud upon the stone floor, allowing the hard surface to bruise his bones, a welcome pain which he needed to clear his thoughts from the topic of the silver siren who had ensnared his darkest needs to the point of madness.

His home was dark, were it not for a sliver of light which crept in from the wet rock surfaces, bouncing from the entrance to his chamber, he would spend his day and night in the dark. It was only the dry feeling upon his eyes that told him he was staring into space, that his eyes were not closed and he was still fighting slumber. With an agitated growl, he stood, circled the floor and fell again, harder than he needed to, to try and find a more comfortable position for sleep that would not come.

Naira.
Her scent hit him like a fly to the face. The unmistakable taint of the youth she was now carrying caused his very bones to shudder, but he could not be sure why. It probably didn't help the matter that this first born children were either missing, perhaps dead, or had no idea who he was. He hadn't exactly been father of the year so another brood to fuck up wasn't on his ideal list of things to do this year. Still, he had a responsibility to her and to the pack, new cubs meant new pack members, more strong sons to carry on his legacy and he could not scoff at that. So long as he had no more daughters...

She made no noise as she scurried forwards, perhaps she thought he was asleep and he made no motion to prove otherwise. He was still perplexed by their situation, by her ever changing moods that left him unsure of whether he was coming or going. She was driving him crazy, making his life more chaotic than he required it to be. He had to wander what she was doing here, she had not sought him out in his den since they had founded this new pack... perhaps after their last encounter she had realised her place beneath him, not beside him once more.
He remained stationary as she pressed her muzzle to his chest, and found himself holding his breath; not out of excitement but to suppress a growl that threatened to escape his lips as she touched him without his permission. Instead, he took a deep breath to find some self control and uttered in his drawl, "What do you want, Naira?"

He did not look at her. She was not worthy of his gaze. His God complex (and beginnings of following in his fathers mad pawprints) might be new, but it was certainly taking root within him. Her very face annoyed him at the moment, for she did not look like his Sage, she looked like his Naira- his past, his downfall. Naira, the wolf who had shown him a world of power and then snatched it away when she ran from him. Naira who had caused his crown to fall, left their daughter to his own pathetic parenting when she abandoned them. Naira, who made a point of chomping on his balls in front of the pack, making him look weak in the eyes of the males who clearly were focussing on his throne with wanton eyes. Naira.

She dropped to a grovel, a crawling wreck who coward at his feet, despite the fact he lay on his side and flat as a pancake. She wanted to be beneath him even though, and whilst it did wonders for his ego, he did not want to touch her. Her scent had been the only thing to tip him over the edge, he was a man after all and no male would turn it down when offered on a silver platter, but now that smell was gone and all that remained was the reminder of the act they had partaken in and the sick feeling he got in his gut when he looked at her.

He words caused him to visibly shudder, and he rose to his belly with his head erect in a swift motion whilst his eyes sought her face. In the darkness, she was but a brown blob but he knew very well every detail of her countenance. She wanted them to be okay? How fucking funny. They were anything but okay and that was her fault. He had come to her, to try and sort their problems. For a brief time he thought that they would find themselves again, but the more time they spent apart the more he realised how much she dragged him down and away from himself. Not like Sage, who made him feel alive and energised, around Naira he just felt weak and needy- something he was sick of feeling. Still, that didn't mean he would dismiss her. He was no fool and with Sage gone he needed something to occupy his mind to stop himself wandering if he might see her again. Naira would make a good puppet for now until his real queen returned.

"We will never be okay, Naira." he began, turning his face with a grim expression upon his mug whilst he carefully chose his words. "You have made sure of that, but I will give you one more chance to redeem yourself." he offered, his tone almost bored as he spoke without meeting her gaze, though liking that she looked to the floor in such a submissive way. "Who am I, Naira?" he asked, lowering his nose to reached the underside of her muzzle where he pulled her gaze up to meet his own. It was not of love, or even of want, but of dominance and strength. "Tell me, who I am to you." he demanded.