The packs back

Zeke was finally permitted to leave the infirmary, though his wounds were healing well after a visit from Alek he was still not at his best.

He lay sprawled out on a couch as he rested, walking here had been hard enough as it was, depending on one lung while the other repaired did not make life easy and he found himself constantly short of breath.

He lay on his back panting softly, trying not to move excessively and risking ripping open the stitches in his chest and back.

Coilean padded out of his room and down the hall towards the kitchen, braiding his hair over a shoulder.

He paused as he was passing the large house sitting room, glancing at Zeke sprawled out on one of the couches.

The Lycan carried on down the hall a few feet before his curiosity got the best of him and he turned around.

"What're you doing in this Wing?" he asked as he walked towards the younger man.

"Looking for you."

He replied, propping himself into a seated position with a slight groan as his stitches pulled slightly.

His voice was still raspy and choked from the injury done to his lung but now that the tubes and cords had been removed he found talking a bit more comfortable.

He gripped his chest softly as he huffed a few breaths.

"I needed to tell you something, something I don't think you're going to like.
Though normally when I talk to you it's about something you don't like so why break tradition."

He added with a half hearted chuckle.

"Well you've found me."

His eyes trailed over the taller man and he gave a snort. "You look like shit. What did you do?"

The man's arms crossed over his chest.

"I hat everything that comes out of your mouth."

He leaned back against the wall and motioned for the younger man to talk. "Say it quickly so I can go on hating you and get myself some breakfast."

"A psychotic vampire stabbed me through the chest with a silver dagger, that's not important.
Her name is Alexis if you want to go thank her."

He replied, shrugging it off before leaning back on the arm of the chair and smiling up at the man.
Regardless of what Coilean did to him for what he was about to say, he could not care less.

"I asked Moe to marry me."
He said bluntly in a casual voice, he was not going to dance around the subject and sugar coat it.

"I'll go find her out once I've eaten. I've taken it upon myself to congratulate everyone that tries to off you even if they fail."

He arched a brow when the younger man smiled.

He didn't like that.

He didn't like that one bit.

"No," he sad simply.

Was Zeke in his right mind? There was no way in Hell he was going to let him marry his daughter.

Zeke exhaled slightly in amusement and shook his head.

"That's the exact same thing you said to me when I told you that we were dating.
And that still carried on despite your objections"
He replied with a chuckle.

"She already said yes."
He added, clutching his chest slightly, it hurt too much to laugh, even a slight chuckle made his chest ache.

"Marriage is a little bigger than dating."

He pushed off the wall and strolled towards the younger man. "I allowed you to date because I saw a drive in you. I knew you'd look after her."

His eyes trailed over the man. "If you had come to me before I might have considered saying yes. I might have even said it with a smile; given you my blessing and all that shit."

He planted his hands on the couch and leaned over the man. "Why would I say yes when it's obvious you can't look after yourself? Coming to me looking like you've been dragged through a mine field really isn't screaming I can look after your daughter."

He shook his head. "So no. I wont let you get married to her."

"I would of come to you first Coilean, I wanted to get your blessing.
I had planned on waiting a few more months before asking her but to be honest I thought I was going to die. And I did not want to go out knowing I never got my chance to ask her, despite that, I have no regrets."

He said, gesturing to his injured body.
"This didn't happen because I couldn't look after myself, this happened because Moe and I were saving Taylor's life.
An elf who Moe considers to be her sister, as do I."

He looked up at Coilean as he leaned over him, his eyes flickering slightly as the older wolfs grip on the chair caused it to move slightly, making Zeke's wounds uncomfortable.

"That changes things entirely."

He pulled back, sitting on the ground in front of the man.

"Did you once think about what would have happened if you had died? It would have broken her; killed her." His silver eyes bored into Zeke's. "You would have been seeing her a lot sooner than you would have wanted to."

Was the man truly stupid enough to propose to someone when there was a chance he'd die moments later?

It was selfish. It was disgusting.

It could have made him lose his daughter.

"I know, it was the most stupid thing I have ever done, rash and not thought through.
Moe has already given me a scolding for it."

He replied, squirming slightly as Coilean pulled away.
He hung his head slightly, his voice deepening as he spoke more seriously.
"It was cruel of me to ask her then, but thanks to her I am alive."

He went silent as he thought about what Coilean had said, his actions really would have hurt Moe if he didn't make it, he would be responsible for her death. He could see now why Coilean hated him so much, in that moment he hated himself too.

"Stupid? No... That's too mild a word. Stupid is falling flat on your face as you got down on one knee."

His hard eyes pierced the man.

"You did get down on one knee, right?" He still wasn't happy with the engagement, but he was a romantic to the core and he liked things like that done right.

He sighed heavily and buried his face in one hand. "That's the type of girl she is. As long as there was a body, she'd keep trying to save its life; even if it had already passed. She'd chase you to the ends of the Earth and beyond to save your life."

How did his daughter love this reckless, idiotic, wreck of a man?

A smile quirked at the corner of his mouth.

"Did I get down on one knee? No exactly. I would of if I had the capability to stand.
If I remember correctly I was laying flat on my back."
He retold Coilean the entire story, from Taylor giving him the ring, how he got stabbed while trying to tear the vampires throat out, even how he stroked his daughters cheek as she tended to his wounds, choking the proposal as she begged him not to talk.

Now was not the time to hold back details, he chuckled softly.
"I knew I wasn't going to die, she told me I wasn't allowed to, and god help me if I ever go against what she says."

Once he had finished his story he went quiet again, sitting up on the chair with a soft wheeze.
He had been told he should still be in bed, Lyssum would probably scold him if she saw him walking around.

He grit his teeth but listened to what the man had to say.

Through the entire story his hand stayed on his face, hiding his expression from view. But the more Zeke told the less angry his expression became.

"I don't know whether to call you brave or stupid," he finally muttered.

"Stupid."
He said with a chuckle, as his rubbed his chest softly, the pain was dulling down slowly.

"Definitely stupid."

He ran his hand through his hair, sighing softly as his eyes locked with Coilean's again.

"I don't want to fight with you Coilean, the way I see it we both want the same thing, for Moe to be safe and happy.
I know it's your right as a father to be protective but..."

He trailed off for a moment, breathing deeply.

"I know I have fucked up in my life, more times then I can count, but please just give me a chance to prove to you that I am more than just some misfit.

I love your daughter and for what ever reason she loves me too, and I know that it would mean the world for her for our marriage to have your blessing.
And I don't care if i have to work tooth and nail everyday to make you see that I am a better man then you give me credit for, I will do it."

He managed to get all the words out, and leaned back, panting softly, his lungs hated him for that little speech but he swallowed dryly and ignored it.

"I'm not a nice man, Zeke. I'm cruel; I'm a warrior; and I have very few morals after eighteen hundred years."

He sighed and let his hand drop into his lap, looking up at the man.

"And because of that I'm a hard man to impress. I have high expectations and I strive for nothing but the best in all aspects of my life."

Coilean hissed an annoyed sigh. "Your breathing is really pissing me off. What did Alek do while he was trying to heal you, stare at you in hopes it'd make you heal faster?"

He pushed himself to his knees. "You're lucky your father-in-law has patched up punctured lungs before," he muttered under his breath as he touched his hand to Zeke's chest.

"This isn't going to fix it completely but it'll help enough to stop that damned breathing of yours," he grumbled before he began chanting quietly in Irish.

Zeke froze as the man placed his hand on his chest though a slight smirk twitched at the corner of his mouth as he heard Coilean mutter the words father-in-law.

"I thought he patched it up alright, at least I haven't got those damned tubes in my chest any more."

He fell silent as Coilean chanted, slightly shocked by the fact that the man was actually helping him, even if it was just so his breathing wasn't so irritating.

"Thank you."
He muttered softly as he felt his ability to breath become progressively better.

"Alek far too concerned with exterior wounds," he sighed as he pulled back away from the man. "And he refuses to let me teach him some healing spells."

He waved his hand dismissively. "You're on your own from now on. It shouldn't take more than a few days. Definitely not past the Full Moon."

His lip twitched. "You can handle three days of rest before you start fighting again, right?" The older Lycan smirked. "You'll be fighting me. If you can come close to beating me I'll be impressed."

A chuckle rumbled in his throat. "I heard that Aodh dragged you through the dirt."

Zeke groaned softly and rolled his eyes,
"Did everyone hear about Aodh kicking my ass?
I guess I shouldn't be surprised, few things are kept secret in packs."

He chuckled softly and nodded.
"Yeah he put me in my place pretty quickly, I went in hot headed and not thinking so I was doomed from the beginning, not that it matters any more."

He smiled softly.
"You'll have to wait for your chance to fight me, Moe's beaten you to it.
Have you ever tried telling that girl no when she gets and idea in her head? Absolutely impossible."

"In this pack if you lose a scuffle you never hear the end of it." He laughed and leaned back against the coffee table. "Especially if its Aodh you lose against. He tells everyone and their mother when he wins a fight."

He nodded. "Next time you go in for a fight with Aodh, go for his legs. They've been broken so many times that they're his weakest points. As soon as he feels jaws around them he goes belly up."

"You're her favourite person of the month." He snorted softly. "I wonder why."

He picked up his braid and began fiddling with the end of it. "It's pretty difficult, isn't it? That girl has the whole pack wrapped around her little finger..."

"Got any tips on how I am meant to beat you?"
He asked with a chuckle, that kind of explained why Aodh was so hard to take down, he was going for the wrong part of his body.

"Favourite person huh, that's what Alek said too."
He added with a shrug, he didn't mind why Moe wanted to fight him, it was more he was worried about hurting her.

"It is extremely difficult, I find letting her have her way is far less painful in the long run."

He laughed loudly. "You're not that lucky, kid. You've still gotta try beating me going in blind."

Coilean began picking apart his braid.

"Moe picks her favourite person of the month to fight first on the Full Moon. Usually she goes for the person who's treated her the best in the last month. Aodh gets picked a lot. And when Alek's in a good mood, she picks him."

He smirked. "She's going to go at you like she means it. Good luck trying to win against her."

Zeke rolled his eyes slightly.
"I was worth a try at least, lets hope I can give you a run for your money old man."

He chuckled and smirked cheekily.

"I really don't look forward to fighting her, not one bit."

"Good luck, pup."

His fingers ran through his hair, combing out the braid.

"You really don't want to fight her." He grinned widely. "She's beaten Aodh more than a couple of times. Don't let him tell you he was going easy on her."

"I don't think Aodh is capable of going easy on someone,
even if he wanted too."

Zeke said with a chuckle.

"If that's the case then I suppose I can stop worrying about hurting her."

He had a feeling it wasn't going to be a play fight, that pricked at him more than anything, there was a strong chance that he would hurt her. But then again, she could hurt him.