Author's note: this is from Seraphina's point of view

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Duke and I had dinner in bed and made love deep into the night, both needy for intimacy that allowed us to forget our troubles.

I wished that we could stay like that forever. Just the two of us.

With my finger, I drew invisible circles over Duke's abdomen and enjoyed the sight of his muscles rippling under my touch.

When I looked up at him, I noticed that his brows were slightly furrowed. He does that when he is deep in thoughts.

"What's on your mind?", I asked.

"I want to buy the house and the land where I grew up."

"Do you know who the owner is now?"

Duke shook his head, indicating that he doesn't. "The last thing I heard was that it was auctioned because a year passed, and no one claimed ownership. But no matter who has it now, I will get it. Everything has a price."

He looked at me and smiled dreamily. "I want to get it for us, Serina. You will love it. The mansion is huge, and it can accommodate whatever you want. I will let you decorate it. There is a nice garden and a lake, and it's all surrounded by a forest that stretches in every direction as far as your eyes can see. About half an hour hike from the mansion, there is a waterfall with a hidden cave behind it. I used to hide in there when my parents scolded me, and I didn't want to listen. I can't wait to show you around."

I was touched by the fact that he was planning for our home, and he wanted to show me his hiding spot. "Sounds beautiful."

"It is.", he said happily.

The topic of home made me think about the future and I forcefully pushed the thoughts about Duke's mate to the back of my mind. I will not allow that to spoil any other moment, not until we find out what are the chances of awakening Duke's wolf, and if Duke even wants to go through it.

Duke was talking about buying a house, and me decorating it, so this might be a good time to bring out one point that was bothering me.

"Duke, I don't think I can have children."

Duke's smile fell. "Are you sick?"

"No. I don't know. I don't have periods and that usually means I'm not ovulating so… I can't have kids." His expression was unreadable. Does he love me less now? "I'm sorry for not telling you earlier. I know you mentioned kids and I can't give you those."

Duke shook his head. "Don't overthink things, Serina. Kids or not, it will not change how I feel about you. If you want to get pregnant, I'm sure we can find the best doctors to make it happen. Or we can adopt some. Besides, don't you already have three kids? We will get married and get Zoe, Ash, and Luca to have the same last name, making them officially members of our family. And if you want someone who will keep you up at night and ask to be fed, you have me. I'm always available to suck on these two delicacies...", he ended with a cheeky grin while groping my breasts.

He was outrageous and adorable at the same time, and I smiled as another burden came off my chest. I worried if Duke will take it against me, yet he made everything sound so easy.

His hold on me tightened and he spoke close to my ear, "We will save a fortune on condoms and other birth control. If you don't have periods, that means we don't need those pesky monthly breaks. Not that I mind if you are bleeding, I'm ready to go anytime, and we can easily wash off the mess or just replace what was ruined with stains…"

I stifled a laugh at his jokes. He was joking, right?

…

In the morning, we dressed up for the day, and after breakfast, I called Aldus to inform him that Duke is willing to proceed with testing.

"Good." I could hear the approval in Aldus's voice. "If his schedule allows, let's meet in Munich tomorrow."

I knew that Duke was available. We were planning to spend a few days in Paris. Paris or Munich, won't make a difference.

"We will be there."

"Let him know that this will take time and after tomorrow he probably won't get any answers. For our first session, I will collect initial samples and do exams to determine what machines and procedures we will need for the next time. I might also need to bring in a few other people, but I don't want to contact anyone unless it's necessary. Until then, stay low-key."

I was surprised by this last request. At Magda's birthday party I was ready to announce to the world that Duke and I are a couple, and now my father sounded against it. "Do you want us to hide?"

"Serina, you know that there are people watching us, and there is a reason why Sergio kept Mateo's existence a secret. Assuming that those are two separate forces, it's only a matter of time before they realize their goals align, and they turn into allies. Don't make that happen faster than it should."

I understood his point. Safety first. "Yes, father."

"Problem?", Duke asked when I ended the call.

"We are to meet my father in Munich tomorrow. Until then, he asked us to stay in this apartment."

Duke smiled slyly. "I have no problem with that. I will give you plenty of chances to confirm with certainty that no flowers bloom as I'm sheathed deep inside you."

I was flabbergasted. There he was, talking naughty again.

Duke burst into a hearty laugh, obviously entertained with my reaction.

I slapped his shoulder and tried to push him away, but the handsome devil pinned me under him on the sofa and his kisses melted my irritation away.

"Not here…", I protested weakly when his hand slipped under my dress and the tips of his fingers brushed against the fine fabric of my panties.

Duke groaned in protest and jumped to his feet. He threw me over his shoulder and dashed to the bedroom while my top half hung on his back like a sack of potatoes.

It gave me a nice view of his firm ass that stretched his jeans, but I didn't appreciate being manhandled.

I slapped his back and got spanked in return.

"Stay still, or I will drop you.", Duke grumbled, but I could hear that he was smiling.

"Uuu… Is that the dominant Alpha I hear?", I asked teasingly, and I got spanked again, but this time his hand lingered on my butt as he gave me a squeeze.

After closing the door of the bedroom behind us, Duke flung me on the bed and stood in front of me smugly.

"Get naked.", he commanded.

I narrowed my eyes defiantly. "Make me."

His expression changed and I knew I made a mistake, but it was too late as my dress was torn into shreds within a second. What the hell?

Calista and I got matching dresses directly from the designer. What will I say if Calista mentions the dress?

"That was expensive!", I shouted in outrage the first thing that came to my mind.

Duke got on top of me and pushed me back on the mattress.

"It's a good thing that your man is rich, and we can buy more."

He kissed me passionately and his hands were all over me, setting my body ablaze.

I wanted to be angry and to quarrel, but it took less than a second for all those thoughts to get lost in the lusty haze that muddled my mind.

I was absolutely under his spell.

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