Winter. Snow. Ice. Cold. Heat. All things which meant that the seasons had changed again. Though it was only the first day of the season, he figured he would invite his mate into their newly shared den. He had told her the night before, when the winds were coming in hard and thick, he knew what was approaching. In the wake of the silence, his silver hues watched as the snow swept across the ground. It clung to the rocks, trees, leaves, branches, bushes and anything in its path. Taking a single step out, he felt the snow roll over him. It covered his paws almost immediately, yet he did not care. Walking full out, he stood with his back to the wind, feeling it cut through his coat and cover his back in the white powder. Steele moved from his den, heading for the outer territories to search for a succulent meal. If he was careful, he would be able to find the perfectly fat morsel for his beloved. His body hunkered low to the ground, shifting his weight gently with each step. His eyes watched the grounds as he moved, scanning left to right as he approached. His ears were alert and forward, listening to the sound of anything which alerted him to a prey around him. Steele quickly found a fat little rabbit trying to get into its hole. He watched it for a long while, scurrying and digging as it broke through the snow to the depths of its home. Quickly he pounced on it, pressing his paws against its body and wrapping his jaws around its neck. The rabbit struggled, kicking and shaking as it tried to break free. But the hunter had hunted this kind many times before. He knew how to over power it, how to bend it to his will. Smashing the face into the ground with a massive paw, he applied his weight to the creature, snapping its neck. His teeth choked the rabbit, gripping hard until blood flowed into his mouth. When the rodent froze and no longer moved, Steele cleaned his mouth and coat of the blood splatter.

Picking up his trophy, he walked towards the pack clearing once more. The white rabbit hung in his mouth, covered in the life it once had. The snow continued to blow against him, but he did not care. Steele walked back to his den, entering it by a very small bit. He shook his coat, forcing the snow to fall at the entrance. Carrying the carcass, he moved to the back of his den. Laying it carefully on the ground, Steele laid behind it, waiting patiently for Katyusha to come home.

Katyusha carefully moved through the pack clearing. several heavy furs rolled carefully onto her back. Last night the unimaginable happened to the young fae, and she had been asked to be the one and only mate to her beloved alpha. It was all a dream come true. Now the season had changed, and her body had as well. Physically she was ready to make it official, to belong to him both in body and mind.

However, there were a few things left to do, and one of those was move her prized furs to her new den, where they could be shared with her mate, something she would be very happy about in the coming cold months. As Katyusha walked into the alpha's den she still had to fight the feeling of trespassing, all of this was just so great she could hardly believe it was true. As the fae entered the den she would spot her alpha, a broad smile coming to her lips, having not expected to see him back for quite some time. Happily she dropped the furs near the rest and walked over to him, nuzzling into his neck gently the little fae would give a few soft licks under his chin "I wasn't expecting you to be home so early." she said honestly, having a pretty good idea why he was.

With the change of season's the fae had also entered her heat, and having been so close last night, she was certain he could smell her sweet scent, and was just as eager to make their relationship official.

"The thought of being away from you, it was too great. I would not want any males to get any ideas I did not wish for you to encounter. I love you." As she came to him and licked his chin, he smiled and picked up the carcass. He placed it between her paws and licked her cheek in return. "I came home early so I could give you two gifts." He smiled and brushed his body against hers. He sniffed her coat, taking in her whole scent and smell of her heat. "Once you finish your meal, I would be more than happy to share my second gift with you. But that is entirely up to you. We can talk first or whatever you want. I just want you to be happy, and me to be happy with you." He continued to clean her fur, rasping his tongue over her coat with a smile. Finally Steele was happy with her.

Katyusha would smile softly at his words, having never really seen this side of him before the last few days, and honestly she loved it. All of their time together seemed like a dream to her, she had worked so hard just to prove she was strong enough to serve him, but she could have never imagined he would fall for her in such a way, nor that she would ever deserve such a thing as his affections.

After their short exchange of affections Katyusha would glance down at the kill, smiling and licking his cheek in return "Thank you Steele, I appreciate it." she said softly, honestly slightly taken back by the gift. Everything was still so fresh for her, the idea of her idolized alpha bringing her gifts was almost inconceivable. Slowly she would lean down to begin eating, feeling him lick and sniff against her coat gently. A small grin would come to her lips as she lifted her head from the kill "And am I to assume my second gift is a surprise?" she spoke playfully.

Slowly her tail began to swish gently behind her as she dipped her head to take another large chunk of flesh from the kill, downing it quickly before speaking to him again "I will happily receive any gift you wish to give me whenever and where ever you wish to deliver it, and since it is your gift, I think you will know when to best give it to me." she spoke sincerely. Even though she knew Steele loved her, and they were mates, Katyusha felt submissive to him. He was always going to be her alpha, her superior, and she loved him all the more for it. She could never make sense of it, but something about his dominant nature and the air of authority he held made her heart race each time she was near him, it was what had made her want him the minute they met, and every moment she was with him since only worked to reinforce those feelings.

Steele laid beside Katyusha, breathing deeply. "So tell me something... Why didn't you say it back?" He asked as he looked to her. It concerned him because Esmeralda had not been very cuddly or caring towards him. He was hoping that Katyusha would be different, that there was one who would actually love him in return. He did not want to be in another relationship where he would just be "tolerated". It really worried him that she had not said it back, but perhaps she was just taken over by the things which they both knew were going to happen? Maybe she was in shock? Steele tried to keep his thoughts positive as he did not want to stress either of them out, but he had to know. What was going on through his Elite's mind? What was she thinking about?

Katyusha laid close against him, head resting in his paws in an affectionate and submissive manner, her body aching slightly from what they had just done, but she was still in total bliss. As her mate spoke Katyusha would perk her ears up, lifting her head slightly and taking a moment to think, before a sudden realization hit her "I-I'm so sorry Steele." she said, the realization of her mistake reaching the front of her mind "I love you greatly, more than I could ever hope to express with mere words... and honestly this is all just so new...so overwhelming, It slipped my mind to return those words." she admitted, leaning in to nuzzle him tight "I love you more than anything in this world...in fact, before you showed me affection I thought love was only a myth...a wall the weak hid behind so they didn't have to face life alone...you showed me how wrong I was." she admitted, hoping to make up her mistake to him and prove she truly did love him.

Firmly Katyusha would nuzzle against his neck, burying her muzzle against his warm fur for a moment before speaking again "It is still just baffling to me how I was lucky enough to be chosen by you...For so long you have been an idol to me, the great Alpha Steele...the brute I could only dream of being with...now that I have been given such a gift... I find myself often lost in awe of how great you are... and how much I can't believe this is all real, that I am laying here with you...hearing those words." she admitted, resting her head on his paws again, pressed against his chest gently so she could hear the beating of his heart "And I shall love you with all of my heart, and all of my passion until the day I take my last breath, always grateful I was ever able to please you...And to make up for my mistake, I shall do anything you request, be it now, or later." she smirked, knowing all too well he knew she would happily do anything he requested anytime he requested it.