Dawn woke up the next morning with stiff muscles and even a much stiffer neck. He had claimed her, marked her. She brushed her finger on it and a smile spread on her lips. She turned over and found him peacefully sleeping beside her like a baby. His hair was all mussed up and falling on his forehead. Warmth filled her heart and cruised through every pore of her body when she remembered how she kindled beneath his touch, how they made love together. She touched his heart with her palm and felt how hers pounded in tandem with his. It was wonderful.

Her Alpha.

Her husband.

She raked her fingers through his hair very gently and had an urge to kiss him on his tattoo, so she went down and lightly brushed his lips on the moon, the mark of his clan. Does she also have to bear it? Daryn stirred. He held her, brought her up and took her lips between his. After teasing her playfully, he made her lie down and removed her hair from the shoulder to inspect if she had recovered. There were two black spots on the base of her neck, reminiscent of their previous night. He stroked his fingers there and said in a sleepy voice, "Thank you."

"I am sorry," she whispered.

"About what darling?" a frown formed on his forehead.

"About making you wait for so long. I didn't — I didn't know that not marking me was this painful for you."

He raised his hand on his elbow and then supported his head on it. He looked so much at peace, very calm and composed and full. He said, "You were worth all the wait Dawn. Even if I had to wait a thousand years to be with you, I would have done that."

"Daryn…"

He leaned over, kissed her and then embraced her tightly. She lay quietly as her face nestled in the crook of his neck. He caressed her back, her arms and proudly glanced at the mark.

"I would love to go to The Silver Manor with you from here," she said.

"That would be wonderful, my dear," he replied softly. Finally his home would get someone it had long deserved.

"What does Silver Manor look like? Is it as big as your penthouse at The Silver Arcade?" she asked softly.

Daryn chuckled. "It's a stately place. It belongs to us for over three hundred years now. There's a river, River Lifye that flows next to it. So you can practically spend your entire day boating, swimming, kayaking or simply watching it."

"River Lifye?" she asked. She remembered Quetz. She had to tell him that she was married. How would he take that information? She missed him.

"Yes, why?"

She brought her hands on his back and shook her head. "It's nothing." Suddenly she recalled that she had dug her claws in his flesh. She sprang up, leaned over and checked his back. There were red bruises that clearly showed her marks on him. "Shit!" she froze.

Daryn laughed. "Trust me, I loved what you did to me," he said softly.

But she pulled away.

"Don't be mad," he said. "It is nothing," he reiterated. This was normal amongst the werewolves. If she were a pure blood, he would have done worse things with her.

Dawn wasn't convinced. How could she not control herself? She got out of the bed.

"Dawn?" he called her.

"Let's go to that lake for a swim," she said to change the topic. "Besides, I am extremely hungry." He had to heal before she lost control again.

"But—"

She didn't let him complete the sentence and shut herself in the bathroom.

Daryn turned over on his back and placed his hand on his head. How should he convince her that this was something that was expected? They weren't humans. But in retrospect, how could he blame her? She was a human till eighteen years and it had been only five years since she was bitten. It was obvious that her human nature would intervene with her thoughts. Who bit her���?

An hour later, they went out of the room. Since she didn't know that there was a lake in the Ulfric, she wasn't carrying her swimwear, so she wore her blue denim shorts and a white tank top. "See this is why you should pack a lot," she justified her large suitcase by pointing at her outfit.

"I think on our honeymoon, I will pack things for you," he replied.

"Why?"

"Because you wouldn't need much to wear, and whatever you'll wear, I will tear that off."

Dawn slapped his shoulder.

Daryn wore his boxer shorts. His moon tattoo was stark against his white marble skin and chiseled abs. He looked so sexy that almost every pure blood female turned to look at him. He was practically beaming with happiness showing off his bruised back to the werewolves. Dawn walked beside him with a pink blush. "At least wear a shirt," she chided.

"No!" He picked her up from behind, kissed her neck and trailed his tongue over his mark. She was filled with such a sensuous feeling that her body quivered in carnal pleasure. This was new and sensational and she wanted more of him right now, right there.

He sensed her shuddering and lightly chuckled. "Those are one of the perks that come with your mark."

As he was carrying her outside, she saw Brantley and they stopped. He was grinning at the lovey-dovey couple.

Daryn placed Dawn on her feet and smiled at him. The two gave each other a bear hug. "How are you doing?" Brantley asked in a teasing manner.

"Never better," Daryn winked.

"Are you off somewhere?" he asked him as he glanced at Dawn.

"Yes, we are going to the pool."

"Oh! Have a nice day!" he said and walked away.

Daryn held the small of her back and guided her to the pool. Dawn had become quiet and listened to his chirping all the way when suddenly a voice knocked inside her brain. It was like a soft thud on a wooden door, like a tendril of a thought that wanted to penetrate her mind. She let her guard down and the tendril passed through.

"You have something that belongs to me, and I want it," the voice hissed.

She froze on the spot. Brantley. He could communicate with her mentally. How was that possible? She jammed her hands into her pockets. Her heart nearly exploded with nervousness.

"If you don't give it back to me, I will seize it from you," the voice hissed again.

"No!" she shouted and blocked her mind. The tendril wriggled out.

Daryn stopped and stared at her. He said, "It's okay baby. We can have only four babies. I won't push you for more."

She stared back at him as blood drained from her face. She grasped his arm and shook her head in denial. Did she just hallucinate?

"Darling, I have come down from six babies to four. This is not done," he sounded flustered.

She shook her head and focused on what he was saying. Wait. "Four babies?" she exclaimed. "Are you out of your mind?" she chided him. "We will have only one child."

Daryn's face was droopy. He stopped feeling utterly dejected. He had planned on having at least three babies with her ever since he had mated with her.

The lake was only a few feet away.

None of them heard the rumble of the ground beneath them.