Four days had passed since the twins birthday celebrations and thankfully, I hadn't seen nor heard from Olivia. Gabriel had commanded her to stay away from Kennedy and I, that she was to keep her distance if she wanted to remain part of the pack.

I couldn't help but feel unhappy with the situation but at the same time I could understand why Gabriel didn't want to exile Olivia from the pack. It wasn't in our nature to abandon our pack members so easily especially when you're an Alpha. He felt a responsibility to her and made it clear, it was her last chance.

I almost felt sorry for her, she had concluded in her own mind that Gabriel wanted her, that he viewed her as his mate, his chosen one.

Their relationship had been a sexual one but nothing more, she had obviously caught more feelings than he had.

But continuously causing a drama between Gabriel and I was unacceptable, she needed to be put into her place. The audacity of inviting herself to Gabriel's sisters birthday party while lying about the invitation that Gabriel had invited her, pushed the boundaries.

There was no denying that their relationship had caused me a lot of hurt, she was part of the reason why he rejected me. He relished in having causal relationships, one being with her. Gabriel had constantly gone back and forth with her; she must have seen it as much more than just a hook up.

I had moved on after the rejection when I found Nate. We were both in our own right allowed to move on, and I had accepted that Olivia was part of his past as Nate was part of mine.

Gabriel and I spoke further about our previous relationships and decided to keep them in the past and to move on.

I was taken back by his admission of love for me, I hadn't said it back, but I felt it in my heart. He meant his words and he was showing me he did.

Gabriel had even asked me on a date, he was taking me out for dinner tonight, to a restaurant which was owned by a pack member.

I had around two hours to get ready, I was still staying in the spare room with Kennedy. Although, I was beginning to struggle with maintaining the mate pull, it was almost impossible now, the closer Gabriel and I got, the harder the undeniable connection was.

The mate pull was incredibly strong.

Gabriel had found himself struggling from the fierce and dominating instincts of his wolf. His wolf wanted to complete the mating process, starting with his bite mark to claim me as his mate.

The first step is the marking, it is when your true or chosen mate bites you between your neck and your shoulder blade, it identifies you as their mate, changing your scent to match theirs. The last step is the mating process, the sexual act in making you fully theirs, your connection to their pack solidifying you as one of their own, along with feeling and sensing each other's emotions enabling you to comminute through a mind link.

Usually, the female would join the male's pack unless there were factors which affected the situation, whether one wolf had a higher rank or if they were in a same sex relationship which allowed them to choose which pack, they wanted to stay with.

Alpha's usually passed down their Alpha titles to their first-born sons, on occasions if their first-born daughters wanted to keep their title, they would. It wasn't common for Alpha's to have daughters before having a son.

Gabriel's wolf had made it known how much he wanted to complete the mating process, the control between Gabriel and his wolf had been diminishing, Gabriel's wolf often taking control, his eyes contorting into their black shade, showing the presence of his wolf.

Gabriel and I had been keeping a little distance the past day or two since our kiss at the birthday celebrations.

His wolf and mine, had both made it known that they wanted to complete the mating process.

We had to stop touching and kissing as much since the pull was becoming unbearable, my wolf would growl at me every time I pulled away, but I wanted to be confident that a rejection wouldn't happen again.

It was fear that was holding me back, but as the day's continued to pass by, I knew soon, I would allow him to claim me as his, as I would claim him as mine.

~*~

"You ready to go?" Gabriel asked as he entered the bedroom, dressed in black jeans and a fitted black t-shirt which clung to his chest and arm muscles.

"Yeah, I just need to put my shoes on." I replied, reaching down to grab my shoes as I sat down on the bed, tying my shoelaces.

"I got Eli to drop Kennedy off at my parent's house, they asked if she could stay the night at theirs, I said I would double check with you?"

I looked up at Gabriel and nodded. Kennedy loved staying with Lilly and Aiden, she had stayed at theirs last week too. They had been making a lot of effort, wanting to get to know their granddaughter.

Kennedy had also been spending a lot of time with Dan and Charlie along with their daughter Tilly. Dan had been taking a break from his Beta duties while Eli took over a few of his in the meantime.

I had spoken to Taylor the other day and she seems happy; she had officially moved all her belongings into Eli's home. Eli's house was only half a mile from Dan's property.

Gabriel and I drove past their properties on the way to the restaurant downtown, it took around twenty minutes to get there. It was owed by one of Gabriel's close friends and he hired the restaurant out for the night, only the two of us occupying the venue.

The restaurant was cute and niche, candles and fairy lights hanging loosely from the ceiling.

Dinner had been perfect; Gabriel and I couldn't stop laughing and we never run out of conversation. He spoke a lot of his teenage years with Dan and Eli.

It was intriguing to hear especially when he mentioned that he had completed his Alpha training with another pack, since his father had been dealing with the death of his father when Gabriel came of shifting age.

I spoke about my time in Texas, about my teenage years with Grace, Julian, and Dylan. Gabriel already knew the situation with my parents and how it came about that I lived with a Beta's family.

After I mentioned about my title of a pack warrior, he suggested with go on a run.

We hadn't been on a run together for a few days, and Gabriel said he had the perfect place to take me.

Once dinner was over, he led me towards the forest, and I ran behind a tree to remove my dress, shifting into my wolf but not without clutching my dress between my teeth.

I walked out to find Gabriel in his wolf form, he was waiting for me as I rushed towards him, my wolf brushing herself against him. His eyes catching mine, and I could tell he was smirking as he bumped me lightly before racing off.

I immediately chased after him, unwilling to allow him to run ahead of me, I kept his pace which slowed down considerably once we got to clearing, it was surrounded with flowers and trees that swayed in the wind, the stars in the sky shining brightly above them.

He directed us towards a large white house, it was enormous with large pillars at the front of the house, along with a huge driveway and foundation which was situated at the front of the property.

Gabriel nudged the side of me, pointing his snout in the direction of some trees, he wanted me to shift and I followed his order. Once I had pulled my dress over my body, I walked towards Gabriel who was waiting on the outside porch.

"I built this house over two years ago, and I only just completed it yesterday." Gabriel began to say, once I sat down, my thigh brushing against his.

I frowned slightly; I wasn't aware that he had been building a property.

"I built it for us." He stated with a grin on his face, his eyes finding mine. "I came up with the idea when I began to struggle with the thought of never finding you again. My father took over the pack, forcing me to stand down since I couldn't control myself or be in a stable state of mind. So, during that time, I built this, in the hope I would find you and fix the mess I had made."

"You built this for us?"

He nodded. "I did. For you, me, and Kennedy now. I slowed down the work a few months ago but the moment I found you, I restarted the work again. I would like us to all move in together, to start what we should have started four years ago."

I was in a state of shock and I could barely think or get a word out. Gabriel and I had been working our relationship out, and regardless of how hard it was to resist him, I did.

I wanted to respect myself and make sure that this wasn't a game for him. I didn't want a repeat of the rejection, and this only confirmed that he was keeping his word.

"Can I look around?" I questioned excitedly, my eyes trailing the property. Bubbles were bubbling inside my stomach and my hands sweaty with eagerness.

He agreed, a large grin gracing his lips as he led me inside, showing me around the house, taking me to the master bedroom last.

I looked around the room, mesmerised by the beauty of it all, the whole house was modern and stylish. I couldn't believe that Gabriel had helped build this for me, for us. His actions were pure and hopeful, wanting to prove that I was worthy of him, that he was worthy of me.

"It's-" I began to say, my words unable to leave my mouth from how speechless I felt.

"Beautiful." Gabriel finished for me, I turned around to smile at him to find him staring at me intently, his words having a different meaning. I found myself blushing slightly from his unconcealed compliment.

I swallowed the nervous lump that sat in my throat whilst Gabriel took steps towards me, the atmosphere turning tense and sensual, his eyes never leaving mine, his hands reaching out to grab my neck, his finger brushing against my cheek.

Our eyes stayed connected, both reflecting each other's thoughts.

I wanted him as much as he wanted me in that moment, our humans and wolves wanting the same thing, to be claimed as one.

His hands moved down to my waist, tightening his grip on my hips as he pulled me closer, his lips meeting mine, sparks and excitement spreading throughout my body.

Our kiss deepened, the butterflies in my stomach creating a frenzy as he trailed kisses down the side of my jaw before going down towards my neck and between my shoulder blade where his mark would lay.

He playfully nipped at the sweet spot, a moan leaving my mouth from his action, the sound causing Gabriel to lift me up, his hands moving down towards my bum, holding me tightly on my waist.

Gabriel growled when I moaned again, his kisses leaving me all hot and bothered as he dropped me onto the bed, his hands immediately going for my dress, to put it over my head before throwing his t-shirt off and slowly removing my underwear.

His eyes trailed down my body causing my heart rate to speed up. He hovered above me, his hand moving my head to the side, his canines appearing as he looked at me one more time for confirmation.

I nodded and he leaned down, his lips slowly kissing my neck, continuously teasing me until his canines bit down, the sensations causing an intense pain which quickly went away as he continued to hold it before letting go, the scent of blood invading my senses.

Our chests pressed tightly against each other's, his hands effortlessly pulling me towards him, wrapping my legs around his waist before turning us over. My body now straddling his, my hands pressed on his muscled chest. "Your turn." He whispered darkly, the sound making my body react lustfully.

I bit down on my bottom lip, pulling it in then smirking at him, my hands roughly pulling his head to the side, my head moving to the crook of his neck, the same area where my mark would lay. I grazed my teeth along the sensitive skin which caused a groan to escape his lips.

He narrowed his eyes at me when I pulled away, deciding to push his hips up connecting them with mine, chills erupting across my entire body. "If you tease me Lara, I'll tease you right back." He whispered, a low growl sounding through.

"Hmm," I moaned, my eyes catching his before leaning down, my teeth biting down onto his neck, staking my claim on him. Gabriel froze for a second as the pain intensified before spinning us back round, my back against the bed with his body over mine, his hands now roughly pinning my hands above my head, my body pinned against the mattress.

One hand slowly trailed down my body, teasing and playing with me, the sensitive skin pulsing as he brushed my sensitive spot, a wave of pleasure rolling through me as I squirmed beneath him.

His fingers rubbing me all in the right places, my body becoming tight before he suddenly stopped and smirked, his eyes glistening in amusement as he tortured me.

I groaned and narrowed my eyes at him, my own hand reaching down to clasp him, slowly pumping. He growled lowly at me when I suddenly stopped and smirked back up at him.

He grinned deviously at me, his smile growing wide as I bite down on my lip, slightly nervous about him teasing me. I knew he would get me back worse and that's exactly what he did.