Shit I posted this chapter on Dan's shoppe lol!

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It took almost three hours to convince Gwenice to come out of the closet, in the end, it required a blood sealed pact overseen by the headmistress saying that they would not harm her in any way or force her to do anything she didn't want to. And even then she basically hid behind the headmistress at all points in time, wary of everyone and everything that they said.

“Why would you make me do this?” she asked, tears forming in her eyes, as of yet unshed, but the threat of the waterfall was there hovering just at the edge of possible, like a threat that was not voiced but everyone could clearly hear.

The headmistress looked at her, one eyebrow cocked higher than the other and a small smile on her face, “It was a decision your mother and I made,” she explained softly, “The reason she sent you to the school in the first place was so that you could connect with people, but in these past years you have not been doing that, instead you have grown more and more distant and became more and more of a loner.” she said it softly, almost motherly to the Dryad, even though Gwenice was much much older than she was, it would seem that the headmistress was the more mature one of the two. “I know Leon and the rest of them are, well an acquired taste, but they are also good people.” she leaned into the Dryad, resting her face against the other woman’s. “You should give them a chance.” Gwenice glanced over at the door to her right. They were in a hall in the house, everyone was waiting for the two of them to resolve some issue that had caused Gwenice to pull the headmistress out of the room. “Tell me, how do you feel about Leon?” she asked looking over at Dryad, watching the women's cheeks darken.

“I uhh-” Gwenice shuffled around nervously.

“Please, tell me, I need to know this is the correct decision.”

“Its, well I am honestly confused.” She sighed, a strand of long green hair catching the current of her sigh and fluttering before settling back amongst its peers. “When I first saw him, I looked into his eyes, and it was like he cast some spell on me like I was fixated on those eyes alone and nothing else in the world mattered.” she shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. “And then That one, that fluffy growled and, something in me broke, I don't know, I got confrontational and I felt well the only way I can describe it is territorial.” she looked up at the now smiling Headmistress, “What is wrong with me?” she whispered.

“Nothing,” Laughed the headmistress, “Nothing at all.” she giggled to herself and was about to usher the two of them back into the room when the overheard a conversation going on in the other room.

“Honestly, Fluffy are you going to try and fuck everything that catches your fancy?” Lira asked her voice miffed.

“How- How could you suggest that?” Fluffy practically wailed, her voice sounding wounded and close to tears. “Leon is my mate, I would never mate another man- i- Direwolves mate for life I-” she started whimpering.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“Oh I don't know, it might have been the whole ‘I’m going to eat you’ thing.”

“I was just joking- and she is going to join the family and-” she sniffled and whimpered some more.

“That's Ok Fluffy,” the sound of a chair scraping and the sound of heavy footsteps could be heard, “Come here,” Fluffy yelped, “Its fine,” Leon’s voice was a dull soothing baritone. For a long time, there was no sound besides Fluffy’s crying and whimpers, but as they calmed down Leon spoke. “Listen, we don't know if she will become family, on top of that while we know your antics and attitude she has only seen you briefly twice now, you actually scared her.”

“I diiii- I did-- I” Fluffy stumbled through a few words, getting them out between the occasional whimper or sniffle.

“I know, I know you didn't want to scare her, I know you were just playing around, but she didn't ok? So we have to be on our best behavior, teasing is fine, but don't push it too far with her just yet ok?”

“Ok,” she sniffled, “And I mean it, Leon, I never would mate or even think of mating with another male, or another female outside of our family I really do-”

“I trust you,” he said.

“Mama is a terrible spy,” Eva called out, swinging open the door and causing both Gwenice and the headmistress who were leaning on that door to fall into the room. “Eva is much better, does Mama want her to show her how?” Eva asked, her little face smiling wide as she looked at her mother who was at this moment burning with shame and pinned under a dryad who had also been eavesdropping with her.

The scene in the room froze, like time itself had stopped, Leon was standing cradling Fluffy up against his chest who had her face buried in his robes, Lira was sitting at the table, looking both surprised and upset and Krya was sitting there, her blank mask back in place.

“No baby,” The headmistress muttered, picking herself and dusting off her robes. “I don't have much use for spying,” she spoke softly, cheeks red with embarrassment.

“Are you sure mama? I got really good when I was spying on you at night.” Eva chirped out with a triumphant smile.

“Oh? And what did your Mama get up to at night?” Leon asked Eva turned to him her face bright and excited.

“She has this purp-” the headmistress’s hand shot out and covered the little girl's mouth hauling her back to her.

“That is enough from you!” She snapped.

“A purple what?” Leon asked with the fakest innocent smile She had ever seen plastered on his face.

“I-” Fluffy unburied her face from Leon’s chest. “I'm sorry Gwenice, I won't call you Roey and I’ll not tease you like that an-”

“It's fine,” Gwenice cut her off, her heart broke when she saw the large sad puppy eyes the wolf girl had, all liquid blue and bloodshot from the tears she had shed. “If I am going to work here I am going to have to get used to the way you all act, and you can call me Roey if you want, I- I have never had a nickname before-” she stumbled slightly on her words.

“I- I can?” she asked softly once again using her puppy eyes to great effect.

“Sure.” Gwenice nodded more confidently this time, she almost cried out as Fluffy practically flung herself out of Leon's arms and onto her, the wolf girl wrapped her arms around the Dryad, and once again started to cry. Gwenice really didn't know what to do in a situation like this so she froze, though only for a second, before she wrapped one soothing arm around the crying she-wolf and reached up with the other hand and started patting her head.

“You need to apologize to,” Leon said looking over at Lira, who hung her head in shame and nodded.

“Im sorry Fluffy, you know it's hard for me to trust, it, it's a flaw of mine, but that is no excuse, we have been a family for some time and I have no reason to doubt you an-” she didn't get to finish her next words as a weeping Fluffy flung herself from Gwenice’s arms, across the table that divided them and into the arms of Lira, nocking the chair she was sitting in over and causing the two of them to land on the floor, with Fluffy on top nuzzling the startled Lira.

It took several minutes for her to calm down again, well that and Leon picking her back up and allowing her to burrow into his clothing again.

“Well then, now that that whole issue is over, let us discuss the upcoming tournament,” the headmistress spoke formally, pulling out a seat at the table and looking at the rest of them indicating they should do the same. “It starts this upcoming Monday after all...”