True to my word, I walked back upstairs to my room, armed with a loaded plate of food. Knocking on the door before entering, I waited until I got a response, but none came. Concerned, I slowly opened the door and peered my head inside.

"Malia?" I called out quietly before entering the room. All of the lights had been turned off but the television was playing on a low volume. I recognized the familiar cartoon characters dancing and singing across the screen about being their guest. Quietly walking over to the bed, I set the warm plate down and the eating utensils.

Smiling to myself, I noticed that Malia had her back to me and had taken the liberty to change into one of my shirts, sleeping soundly on our bed. The comforter had been pulled over her body and over her nose and she was cuddling with on the plush pillows. Brushing my thumb gently across her cheek, I gently shook her with my other hand.

"Malia." I quietly called out to her once more. "Wake up, Sweetheart."

She mumbled something incoherent and slowly sat up. My heart throbbed at the sight of her, how much beauty she radiates without even trying. Her hair was slightly messy and her face was a light shade of pink from sleep. When she reached her her hands up to rub her eyes, I thought that she was absolutely adorable. Mid yawn and stretch, she finally noticed my presence and jumped.

"I-I'm sorry." She panicked and frantically began to dig through the bed, as if looking for something.

"No, you're not."I sat next to her on the bed, grabbing the remote before she could grab it. Leaning back, I turned up the volume and set the plate in between us.

"What?" She asked me, eyes widened.

"You're not sorry because there is nothing to be sorry about." She looked as if she wanted to protest against me but she stayed silent. Grabbing on of the forks, I stabbed a piece of steak and held it in front of her.

"What are you doing?" Eying the fork in front of her face.

"Feeding you." I said and brought the fork closer to her face. She eyed it warily before trying to take the fork from my hand. Pulling it back, I waited for her to put her hand down and I brought it back to her face. Knowing not to reach out again, she opened her mouth and took the piece of meat. Finally handing her the fork, I took one of my own.

"What are you doing?" She asked again, after she swallowed the good that was once in her mouth.

"We are going to eat and watch this movie." I said and plucked stabbed a piece of steak. "Then, I'm going to hold you and talk until we fall asleep."

"But, why?"

"Because that's what mates do." I responded, almost as confused as she was. Did she not understand?

"What exactly do they do?" She asked, scooping up some mashed potatoes.

"Well, they do a lot of things." I said, not really knowing how to start. "They are very special to each other. They care for each other and make sure the other is safe and happy at all times. They comfort each other when they are sad, scared or when they just want to hug or cuddle. Mates complete each other and make each other happy." I finished.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. I would never lie to you, Malia."

"Do I make you happy then?" Her eyes wouldn't meet mine. Rather, they focused on her hands that were nervously playing with her fork. Reaching forward, I tucked a stay piece of hair behind we ear, so I could see her face better.

"Yes, Malia. You make me very happy." I had the joy of watching her face turn a very light shade of pink, making her freckles stand out more.

"You make me feel different." Malia said quietly, a few second after my response.

"Different how?"

"I don't really know." Her eyebrows pulled together. "It's very strange to me."

"Is it a good weird or a bad weird?"

"A good weird, I think."

We are in silence for a while after that, just enjoying each other's company. While her eyes were focused on the movie, I was barely paying attention to the screen. I was to distracted on how good she smell, how beautiful she was, the feel of her skin and the touch of her lips. My hands twitched to pull her closer, feeling as if she were to far away from me. Once the plate was empty, I set it on the nightstand and did just that.

Gently, I pulled her into the center of the bed and into my arms. I made sure my grip was loose so that she may pull away if she did not want to do this. Though, she did not oppose to this. Rather, she settle easily into my arms as we both watched the end of the movie. Absentmindedly, my hand ran through her hair, taking in its soft feeling.

"I stripped Rebecca of her title today." I confessed, feeling as if I were keeping it from her.

"Why?" Her hand started tracing the lines of my chest that were testing beneath my shirt.

"She kept acting out of line." I mumbled into her hair. "For her previous actions I had given her simple punishments but her behavior kept getting worse." I pulled her closer. "I feel horrible for not telling you this sooner but she came into my office while you were sleeping the other night. She-she demanded that I leave you and tried to force the act of mating her into me."

"What did you do?" She asked, her voice guarded. Her muscles more more tense then before, making me feel guilty for making her feel this way.

"I refused and she became angry and violent. In her fit of rage, she began stripping and I turned away, commanding her to leave." I sealed harshly before continuing and I could feel her relaxing into my arms. "Just the though of seeing her made me feel disgusted, sick even. I also feel horrible having to tell you this."

"Did anything happen?"

"No! Of course not! I would never!"

"Then you have no right to feel bad. You did nothing wrong."

"Before she left, I told her that if she were to act out again, she would be severely punished. Tonight, she spoke illy of you and would not stop when asked. I was fed up with her disrespectful actions. To be a high ranked warrior means that younger people will aspire to be them. They are looked up to. Rebecca was a bad influence and with her going against my orders would only cause more trouble."

"What happened. now, then."

"You will be taking her place, only is you want to, of course." Shifting in my arms, she pulled away to look me in the eye.

"Why me? I haven't been through any proper training."

"That may be true but you have beaten her. Also, you know how the rouges fight and you know their ways better than we do. You can learn from us just as much as we can learn from you."

"Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't have told you or asked you to do it if I didn't think you would be worthy. Also, like I said before, I would never lie to you." I gently pulled her face down to rest against my chest, holding her close. "Will you be up for it the first training will be tomorrow."

"Okay."

Eventually, the end credits to the movie began to scroll up on the television. Though, none of us moved to change the channel, being to comfortable in each other's arms. Whilst mine were securely wrapped around her, her small hands were planted on my chest. Her breathing was slow and even, the warmth brushing against my neck. I held her like that in my arms, contented that she was peacefully asleep. Another movie came on but I wasn't paying any sort of attention to it, fading away, letting sleep overcome me.