Fic: ~Alpha Wolf~ NC-17
Title: Alpha Wolf
Chapter 7, Eta
Author: Snegurochka
Pairing: Remus Lupin/ Bill Weasley
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Remus feels the new werewolf in town is threatening his authority. He decides to teach the challenger a lesson.


~~Eta~~

At five a.m., the forest smells of damp and want. Moss clings to Remus's feet as he stumbles back to his own hut, the one he shares with the others like him, those tragic youth who have lost their friends and family and have nowhere else to go. Maybe he's here on Dumbledore's orders, or maybe he wants to be here. Maybe this is the only place he's allowed to be himself, to be free, to be part of a pack. Blinking back tears of anger and confusion and trying not to bleed, his progress across the wet earth is stilted. He is too sore to care, and still too aroused to even know which way is up.

"Remus," a low voice calls through the yawning light, on the heels of the sound of a metal zipper clicking back into place, reassuring him that it is over now, that his challenge has been defeated.

He pauses, head bowed low, t-shirt twisting in his hands.

"You must never challenge me, is that clear?"

He squeezes his eyes closed at the twitch in his cock at the words. He says nothing.

"You will understand," the voice assures him as it fades into the woods, "when you have your own pack to lead. Someday."

My own pack. The sheets twisted around his legs as he tossed and turned. My own pack. Cool shadows slanted through the bedroom window, and behind closed lids he saw an ale-rotted alley, a group of men wearing leather and brass, and underneath them, writhing in pain and kicking with desperation, a fiery young man with a scarred face and tangled red hair.

Remus sat bolt upright.

~~~~~

An hour later he left Bill immobilised on the hill behind the Burrow and Apparated back to London, finding himself stalking around without direction, angry and anxious, with a million thoughts running through his mind. He couldn't go back to sleep now if he wanted to, and he was too agitated from the fight to be near Tonks – Bill had worked him into such a state, he didn't trust himself to be alone with a woman right now.

He wandered the streets of London, shoulders hunched against the early summer breeze as he kicked at rubbish on the sidewalk. Stupid fucking kid. Images swirled in his head of Bill on his knees, begging Remus to touch him.

"Remus… please…"

He stopped to duck into a side street, sheltered from the main boulevard by a dumpster, then closed his eyes, leaning back against the cold cement wall. The way Bill had grabbed at Remus's belt, eager to have Remus's cock in his mouth again, just like in Molly's kitchen the night before… Remus struggled to control his breathing, his hand falling subconsciously to his trousers.

"Control yourself, wolf."

He heard the echo of his own voice uttering the angry words to Bill, but now here he was, unable to obey them himself. This thing with Bill had unnerved him more than he cared to admit. He had played pack politics before; he had engaged in sexual dominance battles and won, but there had always been more than two of them around in those instances. He had never been solely responsible for a young werewolf before, and he had never had a young werewolf's sexual aggression focused solely on him.

With a low groan he tore his trousers down, muttering a Silencing and Invisibility charm, just in case. His cock felt heavy in his hand, hard and ready and aching to push Bill Weasley into a wall again and fuck him senseless. He fisted himself roughly, imagining taking Bill in the very location of his beating earlier that night, maybe even immobilising the Muggle hooligans and forcing them to watch. If they thought they were so tough, they should see what a real werewolf battle looked like.

He hissed a breath in through his teeth at the thought, hearing Bill's defiant words in his head and recalling the feel of the young werewolf's cock in his hand, the young werewolf's arse clenched around him as he fucked him through the wall. Bracing himself against the cement he jerked and stiffened, silencing the growl that threatened to erupt as he came hard in his hand, legs trembling with the force of it.

No werewolf had ever undone him like Bill Weasley did, and that would not do at all. He was in danger of losing control, at the precise moment he was on the verge of gaining Bill's submission. He would have to be careful.

~~~~~

Close to sunrise, he finally trusted himself enough to return to the bedroom, angry, tired, and missing his favourite patched Muggle jacket. He peeled his ruined clothes off slowly, frowning at the blood on his shirt and the mud soaking his trouser legs. Tossing them into a pile in the closet, he sat down gingerly on the edge of the bed, staring at the wall.

Shadows collapsed around him, moving with the rustling trees outside as the first signs of dawn began to wake the outside world. He inhaled the calm, willing the adrenaline to settle and the wolf to go back to sleep. Bill was safe now. Drunk, shit-kicked, and unbelievably stupid – but safe.

"Hey," a sleepy voice whispered as a soft hand slid up his shoulder. "All right?"

He turned to look at her, the growing light catching her hair – more of a soft rose colour these days than an angry pink – and highlighting the angles of her pale face. He covered her hand with his, gazing at her fondly and wondering how this had all happened, why it had to be this way, and why they couldn't go off somewhere, away from Bill, away from everybody, and just have this.

You know why.

Surprising himself, he shook his head at her sleepy question. "No," he whispered sadly. "I'm not."

She pulled him down beside her then, stroking his hair and not asking questions. After several long, slow minutes, filled only with the chirp of waking birds, she spoke. "Must be tough as hell, having another one around again." Her voice was quiet. "In this life, I mean, not in the forest."

He tensed, then nodded, staring at the ceiling.

"Do what you have to do to get through this first moon," she added. "After that, it'll be better. You'll get used to him."

His lips pressed together as she curled up beside him, fingertips dancing across his bare chest. "Yeah," he replied quietly. "I'll get used to him."

~~~~~

The pounding came like a jackhammer.

Remus jerked awake, rubbing his eyes and struggling to make sense of his surroundings. What time was it? He must have slept late. What the hell was that incessant noise? Running his hands over his face, he sat up and noticed that Tonks was gone, but had left a cup of tea for him on the nightstand that now looked cold and curdled.

God, what a night. Haunted by dreams from the past, then living the nightmare of the present in that alley with Bill. The moon was less than twelve hours away, and he was heading into it already exhausted.

Bang bang bang.

"I'm coming," he muttered irritably, climbing out of bed and reaching for a pair of jeans on the floor. He took a half-hearted glance around for a pair of clean pants, then shrugged and pulled the jeans on without, zipping them up with extra caution. With any luck, it was just some delivery bloke, and he'd be back up here, in bed and asleep, in no time.

The pounding grew more insistent. He made it downstairs and pulled the door open just as a fist made to knock again. He backed up a fraction to avoid the punch, wincing. After taking one look at the younger man, however, Remus knew that Bill had done something again. Something terrible. He grabbed Bill's arm, yanked him into the hallway and drove him up against the wall.

"What's happened?" The demand was growled inches from Bill’s face.

"Fleur... gods... Remus... I couldn’t help myself!"

Remus immediately felt his stomach clench and a pointed fury rise in his chest. If you hurt that girl, I'll tear you limb from limb. His fist closed in the fabric of Bill's shirt front, his voice low and dangerous. "What have you done?"

Bill's eyes had taken on a glassy look, unfocused and fearful. When he didn't speak, Remus hauled him further inside and slammed the door closed behind him. "I'm sorry," Bill began to mutter, one hand in his hair. "I couldn't stop, I–"

Anger surging, Remus slammed him up against the door and pounded his fist on the wood, just beside Bill's ear. The younger man winced, squeezing his eyes shut, as Remus struggled to keep his voice low. "I've already saved you from your own stupidity once in the past twelve hours. What did I tell you then?"

Bill's eyes dropped to the floor. "Do it again, and you'll be angry," he quoted, not smiling.

"If you hurt that girl, I swear by the Order of the Phoenix, you will never again see wrath like mine." He took a deep breath but did not release the man. "Tell me what happened."

"I don't know, Remus – I've never felt like that with her before! I just wanted her so bad, I couldn't even think…"

Remus finally took a step backwards, releasing his hold but keeping his eyes trained on Bill. "You forced her," he whispered, feeling sick.

"No! I– not at first."

Remus stared.

"The moon, I don't know – I just, have these urges. Remus, I can't–"

"Urges don't excuse it, you filthy animal," Remus spat.

"Fuck you! You don't understand – she wanted to! She was good, she's always good, you know? Hot and wet, and she's got this stamina, Remus." A grin flashed across Bill's face. "She's an athlete," he continued, "and when she wants it, she can go all night…"

"What. Happened?"

Bill paused, then dropped his eyes again. "I woke up this morning and my cock was so hard I thought it would fucking pop off."

Remus pushed the groan down. God, not now.

"I had to have her. She was there, in that cute little skirt, and something just went off… She was into it, but she just wasn't–"

"Me," Remus finished, frowning and turning away as he finally saw where Bill was headed. Bill watched him for a moment before nodding.

"It wasn't tight enough – it wasn't rough enough… Fuck, Remus, it wasn't anything like you. All I could think about was your hands last night, and that fucking alley last week, and the way you–" He stopped abruptly, as though he had just realised he'd said too much. "I… wanted that from her – needed that – but it wasn't there. So I tried… something else."

Remus closed his eyes and exhaled. Exactly as he had feared. He fought to maintain his composure. "Tell me something," he began as Bill watched him carefully. "Did she challenge you?"

Bill's eyes went wide. "What?"

"Did she threaten your authority as head of your pack – you know, the one that exists in your mind, the one you think you're in charge of?" He cocked his head to the side and crossed his arms over his chest.

Bill was speechless for a moment, his mouth open, then he closed it and turned away. "Of course not," he muttered in a sulky voice.

"Yet you felt the need to assert your authority over a submissive female? There was no male challenging you for her attentions, and she herself never betrayed you." He chose his words carefully. "Is that how you think a pack operates – we attack our females when the urge to fuck hits us?"

The younger man swallowed hard. Clearly, Bill had not quite thought of it that way. "Uh. Well, not attack, no, but they're with us because they like to fuck us, aren't they?"

"Don't you dare push that girl away!" Remus shouted. "No, she is not there to be your fuck toy. She loves you, Bill, and you better start appreciating how lucky your are to have her. She is your humanity, don't you see that? If you destroy her, there's nothing I can do for you. She's the one you need by your side, if you're going to live with this condition."

Bill threw his hands up in exasperation. "Then what are you for?" he cried. "I'm sick of this, Remus! You tell me one thing one day, and another thing the next." He looked away, shaking his head. "I don't know who I'm supposed to be anymore, or how I'm supposed to act."

"It's very simple," replied Remus. "I told you before: you are free to live your life as you did before, with one small difference."

Bill stared at him.

"At times like this, so close to the moon, you must stay away from Fleur, do you understand me? I told you that if you didn't learn to control your anger, and your lust, someone you loved was going to get hurt. And I was right."

Bill slid down the door slowly, landing in a pile on the floor with his knees pulled up to his chest. "God. I hurt her, I love her like crazy, and I fucking hurt her." He glanced up, his face in anguish. "What do I do?" he whispered.

Remus crouched down in front of him, eyes focused sharply as his right hand grabbed Bill's jaw and forced the man to look at him. "You come to me," he declared. "I told you this before. Are you ready to listen now?"

Bill nodded slowly.

"This close to the moon, when you're looking for a fight, or desperate for a fuck – you come to me. You don't go to a Muggle nightclub, and you do not go anywhere near that girl, is that clear? That's the difference."

They stared at each other for another few seconds, the room thick with tension, before Bill grabbed him. Catching Remus off-guard, he hauled the older man down, hands gripping either side of Remus's head as Bill pulled him in for a rough kiss. Bill's lips were urgent and unyielding as they crushed into Remus's, a gesture of attempted dominance that set Remus's blood on fire, enraging the wolf in him as heat seared through his lips to the rest of his body.

No.

With a struggle he shoved Bill away, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth and rising to his feet. He glared at Bill, still curled up on the floor. "Not like that," he warned. "You will get what you need from me, but only on my terms. Just like before."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" Bill hollered. "That's what caused all this in the first place!" He jumped to his feet, jabbing an index finger at Remus's chest. "You keep playing with me, and playing with me, getting me fucking hard as nails, then shoving me off and walking away. You want me to stay away from Fleur – to come to you for a fuck?" His eyes blazed. "Then fuck me."

Remus pushed down his own surging arousal at the words. Oh, to give in, to take his young werewolf upstairs right now and strip him bare, flip him over, and mount him like an animal. The urge to sink into Bill's tight body again, rough and hard, but as a reward this time, not a punishment… it was almost too strong for Remus to resist. But the moon wasn't until later that night. There was still one more test for the young wolf to pass before he would earn the right to feel his alpha's cock inside him again. Patience, Remus instructed himself. Do this right today, and it will all pay off tomorrow.

"You want me to fuck you?" he repeated quietly, holding Bill's gaze as the man swallowed hard. "Like before, in the alley that first time?" He paused, but Bill remained silent. "Or a different way, perhaps – like in your mother's kitchen, bent over that counter, getting worked over like a common whore?"

Bill closed his eyes, a soft groan escaping his lips.

"The first time was to get your attention," he continued, "and the second time was to reward what I thought was good behaviour. I see now that such rewards are wasted on you."

Bill threw his hands up and shook his head, eyes wide. "They're not!" he protested. "I– I earned my reward," he finished in a mumble.

"I thought you did, but now you are completely out of control. You think beating up Muggles and forcing yourself on your fiancée shows how strong you are, how dominant? You are weak, Bill – acting like a spoiled child." Remus leaned in closer, feeling his face flush as his anger rose. "You know who pulls stunts like this? Pups. Teenagers. Werewolves that are so far down the pack hierarchy the alpha would never even think to spare a glance at them." He grasped Bill's collar tightly. "Not strong, young werewolves like you should be. No one who has earned the attention of the alpha for even a fraction of a second behaves this way, do you hear me? You're a disgrace to us both." He waited to see if Bill would take the bait.

Bill's chest heaved underneath Remus's fist, the younger man's lips sealed in a tight line. Remus could almost see the thoughts racing through Bill's mind. He still wanted to challenge, to argue with Remus, to defend his actions… but he didn't dare. After a long, tense moment, Bill dropped his eyes in submission. "I know," he whispered.

Remus's fist unclenched in Bill's collar and he let his fingers spread out over the younger man's chest, sliding down slowly. He paused halfway down to run a thumb over Bill's nipple, taut even under his shirt, and relished the gasp that escaped Bill's lips. He smiled and leaned in close again, letting the rough growth of his beard scrape over Bill's cheek as his lips reached Bill's ear. "Good boy," he murmured, and felt Bill immediately collapse into his arms.

"Fuck me, please," Bill begged into his shoulder, hands clawing at Remus's bare chest. "I can't wait anymore, I'll behave, I promise, god, just–"

Remus grasped Bill by the back of the neck and gently raised his head to look into his eyes. The man was sincere, and troubled, and… utterly consumed with lust. Remus wrapped his arms around his young protégé, closed his eyes, and trained his thoughts on his destination. "Come with me."

~~~~~

They landed in the alley with a decided lack of grace, tangled together as the whipping wind of Apparition faded and the dizziness subsided. Remus released Bill and glanced around, silently casting an Invisibility charm even though the place was deserted.

"This place…" Bill said slowly, eyes roving over the brick walls and muddy ground.

"Yes," Remus replied. "You remember it, I'm sure?"

"Oh yeah." Bill glanced up. "You want to do it here again?" He walked over to the space on the wall where Remus had shoved him the week before, tearing his trousers down and claiming him as part of his pack. Bill's fingers slid down the brick as he closed his eyes and inhaled. "Okay. Do it here." He reached for his belt.

The growl was almost out of Remus's mouth before he could stop it. Patience. "Soon," he promised. "First, there's something I want to tell you. A story, if you'll listen." He gave Bill a pointed look, and the man frowned, but nodded.

"Yeah, all right," he replied after a pause, only a trace of sullenness in his voice. "I'll listen." He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the wall.

"I was probably younger than you are now, the first time I went out into the forests with a real pack," Remus began, leaning against the opposite wall of the alley and watching Bill carefully. "Maybe nineteen, twenty at most. It was during the First War." He swallowed. "Dumbledore sent me, to try to gather some contacts among the werewolves before Voldemort could get to them."

Bill cocked his head to the side a bit, and Remus could tell the younger man was listening. "Dumbledore sent you?" he inquired, eyes wide. "A bit dangerous, wasn't it?"

Remus smiled gently at him. "Where do you think I've been going for the past two years?"

"Oh." Bill gave a low whistle of admiration. "I didn't know that." His brow furrowed. "And you were just– like me, when you first went?"

"I don't know about 'like you,' but I was young, yes. They weren't very welcoming at first, as you might imagine, and it didn't help that being in the forest for the first time, with my own kind… brought out the worst in me."

"What happened?"

"That's what I thought I'd tell you." Remus glared at him.

"Oh, right. Go on, then."

"The alpha was a man named Stefan, one of the most powerful werewolves I've ever met, even today. He was slight, and wiry – didn't look strong at all, but of course, looks can be deceiving. I was young, and stupid, and on my own for the first time, though, so there was a lot I didn't know."

Bill's mouth fell open. "You challenged him?"

"I did," Remus confirmed. "Wasn't the smartest moment of my life, of course, but you've no idea how freeing it was to be away from James and Sirius at last." He raised his eyes skyward without even meaning to, silently paying tribute to his lost friends. "As soon as I was able to do as I pleased, out in that forest on Dumbledore's mission, I bit off rather more than I could chew.

"I approached him one day," he continued, memories swirling in his head now, "and I told him I wanted a place in the pack, that I deserved a place in the pack. At first he laughed at me, which just made me angry, and I took a shot at him."

Bill's eyes danced. "Game on," he said with a grin.

"Indeed. We fought – I'll spare you the details – but I wouldn't give in, so he tried another tactic to demonstrate his status to me."

Comprehension dawned on Bill's face, and Remus could almost see the gears working in his mind. Bill glanced back at the wall he was leaning against, his cheeks flushed. "Tell me," he whispered, his voice hoarse.

"It was early morning, a week before the moon. I thought I could catch him with less strength, since he was older than me. I thought he'd be weaker, waiting for the moon, and I would be able to beat him in a fight. I was quite wrong. The others were milling about, heading back to their tents to sleep after hunting, but several stayed to watch when the fight began."

"And when the fighting didn't work," Bill urged, "tell me what he did."

Remus smiled to himself. Oh, I will, my young werewolf. And when I finish, you'll be so hard you'll beg me for it all over again. "He grabbed my wrists and held my arms behind my back, wrenched in place so hard I couldn't have moved if I'd wanted to."

"Did you want to?" Bill breathed.

"At first. But not for long." He narrowed his eyes at the younger man before continuing. "He pushed me up against a tree and tore at my trousers. They were just cotton, nothing with resistance, and they were at my knees before I knew it. I remember the tree bark on my face, scratching at my cheek, and I remember being so angry with him, I could barely control it."

Bill let out a small noise.

"He held my arms and leaned against my back, chanting in my ear all these things about getting hard for him, and doing anything he wanted, and how I should never challenge him." Remus glanced up at Bill and noticed the man's knuckles turning white where his fingers dug into his crossed arms. "It was humiliating," he continued in a careful voice. "The second he touched my cock, I wanted to sink through the earth because I knew that he'd won. I knew I would never be able to resist him, that I didn't want to resist him."

Bill moaned softly, one hand dropping to his groin. He closed his eyes as he pressed the bulge in his jeans, and Remus bit his lip.

"Go ahead," he offered, and Bill's head jerked up in surprise.

"I– can?" he asked. "You won't– make me stop after a minute?"

Remus almost laughed at the desperation in the other man's voice. "No," he replied. "I think I'd rather like to watch you."

Bill let his head fall back against the wall as he reached for his buttons, unfastening them with lightning speed and closing his eyes as his fist wrapped around his cock. "Go on," he murmured.

"He told me he was going to teach me a lesson about challenging him," Remus continued, his voice softer now, "that he was going to show me how a real dominance battle went, and how I'd better learn to play with the big boys if I wanted a place in his pack. He took my cock in his hand and started working it like no one ever had before, rough and exactly how I wanted it. I almost couldn't stand up, my knees were so weak."

Bill's parted lips were reddened from his intake of breath, short stabs of air that he couldn't seem to swallow fast enough, as his own hand moved firmly up and down his cock.

"You may touch yourself," Remus added as he watched, "but I didn't tell you that you could come yet."

Bill dropped his head, slowing his strokes to a light touch but saying nothing. Remus felt the resistance rolling off the other man's body in waves.

"Now, where was I…?"

"You almost– couldn't– stand up," Bill panted, his voice trembling.

"Ah yes, thank you. So, can you picture it, Bill? I'm nineteen, twenty at most, and full of attitude. I've challenged my new alpha to a fight, and he's responded by shoving me up against a tree in the forest, with any number of other werewolves looking on, and he's torn my trousers down and wrapped his hand around my cock. I'm so angry, so humiliated, and so fucking turned on I almost can't stand it."

"Then he fucked you, didn't he?" Bill whispered desperately. "Tell me, Remus. Tell me how he did it, what it felt like…" His fingers trailed over his cock, shaking with the urge to fist himself roughly until he came, but unable to do so until Remus allowed it.

"Yes," Remus confirmed, his voice low, "he fucked me. He released my hands, but pushed my face further up against that tree. I had cuts for a week," he recalled, reaching up to touch his cheek. "What I remember most was the sound of the zipper. He pulled it down slowly, so I could hear every click, every touch of the metal teeth grinding together. Then I felt him press against my back, pushing all his weight down on me, and that's when I realised he was much stronger than I had ever thought. His mouth came right up to my ear, and he whispered, 'Submit, wolf,' and I remember shaking, just waiting to feel him inside me."

"Remus," Bill whispered, his face pale. "Please."

Remus licked his lips, recognising the desperation on Bill's face, and gave in. "I'm not done my story yet," he warned.

"I don't care!" Bill cried, then thought the better of his outburst. "I mean, I care, and I'll listen to the rest, I swear I will, but just– please, come over here…"

In three strides Remus was across the alley, pressing his bare chest against Bill's and locking him against the wall, hungry mouth on Bill's neck. "Like this?" he growled, hands working at his own trousers.

"God, yes…"

He tore his trousers open and wrapped a warm hand around his cock, groaning with relief as he breathed in Bill's scent. The lust and energy and youth on the man was intoxicating as he arched up against Remus's body. "I'm not finished yet…" he repeated as he felt Bill's cock against his own, his breath almost stolen as the pull of the moon, and of Bill's hard body, threatened to suck him under.

"Finish, then," Bill whimpered. "Tell me the rest. Just don't stop…"

"Stefan," Remus continued breathlessly, "turned and spat into his hand – no spells out there in the forest, so no lube. I felt him press against me, hard and rough. I wanted him so badly I almost cried." He kept one hand around the back of Bill's neck, whispering filth in his ear, while the other reached between their bodies, grasping both their cocks together in his fist.

Bill arched against him and gasped as Remus fisted them both, his strong hand moving slow and steady.

"He pushed inside me, Bill, in one hard thrust – all the way inside. It hurt like hell, like nothing I'd ever felt before, but then he kept whispering in my ear, 'Submit, wolf. When your alpha is fucking you, you need to submit.' He had his cock up my arse, and his hand on my cock, and I couldn't even stay angry with him, not like that, not when all I could think about was coming all over his hand, with him inside me."

Bill's fist fell on top of Remus's, squeezing more tightly and following the rhythm Remus had established between them. The intensity was punishing, the way Remus's blood swirled and his cock ached in pleasure at the memory rolling off his tongue, and the feeling of Bill's cock together with his in their hands.

Remus moved his lips over Bill's neck and jaw line, ghosting against his ear again. "Do you know what happened then, Bill?" he purred as Bill's head fell back against the brick.

"You – god Remus – you submit, didn't you… fuck, don't stop…"

"Yes, wolf," Remus confirmed. "I submit. He was pounding into me, hitting that place inside – well, I think you know all about that, don't you?" He felt Bill tremble as his release neared. "I couldn't resist if I wanted to – and I did not want to. I felt him coming inside me and I had no strength left to fight. He felt so good, and smelled so good, and as soon as I felt him come I was done, Bill – I came harder than I ever had before in my life, all over his hand and shouting his name."

"Remus!"

Remus felt the warmth in his hand before he even finished his last words, Bill stiffening against his body and coming with a strangled cry into their joined hands. The warm wetness felt incredible, and his own story – not to mention pushing his cock against Bill's – had worked Remus into a rather serious state of arousal. "Suck me," he ordered the younger man as Bill came back to himself, and without thinking, Bill dropped to his knees.

All attempts at restraint or control were abandoned as he felt, and watched, Bill fall down in front of him and lick his own come off Remus's cock, then take the entire shaft into his mouth. Oh, the young man had learned well last time, Remus admitted before drowning in the sensation of the young wolf's lips stretched around him. "Harder," he urged, and groaned as Bill obeyed, wrapping a fist around the base and taking Remus's cock deep into his mouth, tongue pressed firmly against the underside. "Are you ready to submit to me yet?" he breathed, and in response, Bill doubled his efforts, shockwaves echoing throughout Remus's body.

Good boy.

He came with a fierce growl, one that only rough sex on the day of a rising moon could ever produce, when lust poured from his skin and pulsed through his body like no other day of the month. "Swallow, this time," he ordered Bill, groaning again as he looked down to watch the young wolf suck back every drop, Bill's throat working as Remus's release washed through him.

One hand braced against the wall as his chest heaved, Remus ran the fingers of his other hand through Bill's loose hair. After allowing Bill a moment to compose himself and wipe his mouth, Remus tilted the man's chin up to look at him and found the younger man neither angry nor confused, as he had been after their past encounters, but eyeing Remus with a look of contentment and wonder on his face.

"Yeah," Remus told him, nodding. "You see, now?" Bill said nothing, but rose to his feet and pulled his hair away from his face, arching his head back and shaking it out behind him. Remus watched him, eyes wide at this demonstration of strength and confidence. Bill hadn't properly shown his face to anyone so openly since the attack, always looking to the side, or at his feet, or ensuring his hair hung loose around his face, obscuring the worst of his scars. They both fastened their trousers, muttering cleaning charms on themselves.

Bill glanced over at Remus when he was done, a curious smile spreading across his face. "You always go out without a shirt on?" he teased, and Remus glanced down, suddenly feeling rather indecent. He was in the middle of London wearing only the jeans he had hastily pulled on that morning when Bill banged on the door.

"Depends what's on the agenda," he shot back, throwing an arm around Bill's shoulder in a protective, but friendly gesture.

"Listen," Bill ventured. "You, uh… you want a beer or something? Not sure I can face Fleur just yet…" He chewed his bottom lip and looked away, unhooking himself from Remus's arm.

One step forward, but still an awful lot of shit to deal with at home. Remus took a deep breath and tried to think of ways to fix Bill's situation. "Yeah," he agreed. "Let's go back."

~~~~~

The two of them were comfortably ensconced on the sofa with half-drunk bottles of Hogsmeade's best Dragontooth stout in their hands when Tonks came home.

She dropped her wand on the hall table and kicked her boots off, sighing and running a hand through her spiky hair. "Well, look who it is: Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum," she quipped. "You two stopped beating each other's heads in yet?"

Remus smiled, rising from the sofa and crossing over to squeeze her arm and give her a quick kiss on the nose. "Yes, love, I think so." He glanced back at Bill. "Haven't we?"

Bill snorted into his bottle, taking a long swig, then nodded. "Oh yeah, definitely."

Tonks looked perplexed, her eyes darting to Remus to give him a questioning look as he leaned in close, guiding her by the elbow out into the hallway.

"Things are better, I think, and he's going to be all right," he whispered to her, "but we've got a bit of a situation."

She folded her arms over her chest and frowned at him. "What now? Getting up in the middle of the night again to go off with him isn't enough of a situation?"

He winced, but kept his calm. "No, love, it's not, and I'm sorry about that, but this is worse. I can't explain right now, but I need you to go talk to Fleur, make sure she's all right."

Tonks glared at him. "All right? What the hell did he do?"

"Shh, look, just… tell her he's very sorry, and I will personally make sure it doesn't happen again, and that she needs to make sure he stays away from her during the two or three days before the moon, and especially the day after. He's not himself right now, and he'll be even worse tomorrow."

She took a deep breath and shook her head. "You're a lot of work, Remus Lupin, you know that?" She reached down to pull her boots back on, then straightened up to give him a long look, cocking her head to the side. "You worth all this trouble, by the way?"

Remus laughed, pulling her into his arms and placing a light kiss on the top of her head. "I hope so, love. I really hope so."

After she had left again, Remus returned to the sofa and gazed down at Bill. "She's taking care of Fleur," he told the younger man. "You can talk to her tomorrow, when your mind is clearer. But for now, you need to get yourself home, and make sure Fred and George have their wands ready and their wits about them."

"What's going to happen to me tonight?" Bill asked, watching Remus like a scared pup seeking advice from a tired old lion.

"I don't know, Bill," he admitted, running a hand over his face. "I just don't know. Go home now, and get ready. Whatever it is, we'll deal with it tomorrow."

~~

to be concluded in Chapter 8