I was just applying my nude pink lipstick, the final touch to my subtle and glowy make-up look, when my phone dinged as it received a text message. I dropped the lipstick on the bathroom counter and retreated to my bedroom, grabbing my phone from off my bed to see a text notification from Xavier.

"Are you ready?"

I typed back that I am.

Barely two seconds later, the doorbell rung. The sound echoed through our barely furnished apartment all the way to my stomach, where it twisted into a knot.

This wasn't our first date, but for some reason, I was so nervous my hands were trembling.

Breathe.

I forced myself to inhale deeply, feeling the cool air travel through my windpipe to expand my lungs and wash the trembles away.

"You ready?" Ariel's head popped through my bedroom door, her eyes taking in my appearance. I wore a red flowy dress that fell a little above my knees with black boots, and was going to top it off with my black leather jacket. My hair fell down into loose locks, and my make-up was subtle with only mascara and some highlight and light blusher on my cheeks.

Ariel's lips formed an O-shape, and when she inhaled I knew she was about to blow a whistle, but I was quick to shush her. She stared at me confusedly, but I just shrugged my reaction off.

It's not like I could tell her Xavier had superhuman senses and would inable him to hear her from two walls down.

I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder, and as I passed her on my way out my bedroom, I leaned in and whispered, "wish me luck."

Ariel winked at me. "Blow his mind away."

I giggled giddily, like an excited school girl whose finally scored a date with her high school crush.

When I reached the front door, I inhaled deeply to prepare myself to face the man whose eyes could send my knees shaking, and my heart erupting into a thousand butterflies. When I finally opened the door, Xavier stood patiently with his hands in the pockets of his black dresspants. He wore a clean black tuxedo, looking ravishing.

When his silver gaze fell on my brown ones, my heart melted in my chest.

His lips curved up into a small smile. "You look as beautiful as ever."

I felt a warm blush creep up my cheeks, and was glad I had gone easy on the blusher - my natural blushing will be more than enough for the evening.

"Thank you."

Xavier offered his hand, and I took it. The moment our touches came in contact, I felt the familiar sparks ignite beneath my skin, traveling across the length of my arm. I followed in his steps as he led me to the elevator, and motioned for me to go in as he held the door open. And when I passed by him, a gush of air brought to me his mahogany scent, and its familiar warmth wrapped around my heart and reminded me of all the reasons moving to this place was the right choice for me - it meant I'd be that much closer to the man I was beginning to fully accept as my soulmate.

Because what other title could you give to a person who makes you feel things you never imagined to be humanly possible?

When we reached the ground floor, Xavier and I walked past the front gates and found his black Range Rover parked right at front. He was quick to hold open the passenger door for me, and I smiled at his never-ending chivalrous acts.

When we began driving down the roads, Xavier's voice filled the space around us.

"How was your day spent?"

I shifted in my seat to face him better. "It was very good. We got a few things done around the place, then I spoke to my parents on the phone."

Xavier's eyes lit up, and he glanced at me from the corner of his gaze. "How is their trip going?"

"Very well. They might come to visit my new place next month."

"That's wonderful. I hope I'll have the pleasure of meeting them then."

My heart skipped a beat. I never thought of introducing Xavier to my parents - he would be the first man I'd introduce to them. Although the thought made me nervous, it also thrilled me to some extent. I had a feeling my dad would enjoy his company very much.

"I hope so, too." I admitted, an excited grin sneaking its way up my face.

We continued the drive down the familiar streets in a comfortable silence. Xavier tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, and as I studied his motions, I came to realize that ever since I'd first met him this is the most relaxed he's been. There was a ghost of a smile playing on his lips, and he radiated off a feeling of great contentment.

I had decided then that this was my favorite image of Xavier to day - with no grim nor frown lines covering the smooth skin of his features, with that ghost of a smile playing on his lips, and that little extra sparkle in his shimmery gaze.

I wanted to make sure that he remained as so.

"So what are our plans for tonight?" I asked as soon as we took a turn from the busy streets of the city and towards the silent and empty roads that led to his estate.

"We'll dine in our open garden," Xavier responded, glancing at me from the corner of his eyes.

My face lit up just imagining the scenery.

"I hope you've dressed warmly," he remarked in sudden realization, his eyes roaming over my leather jacket and a slight frown creasing between his eyebrows when his eyes fell on my exposed knees.

"I have," I replied instantly, wishing that frown away.

Xavier hummed in contemplation, his eyes returning back to the road as he took a couple more turns.

A few minutes later, we arrived at the wide golden gates of Xavier's pack home. As we neared the entrance, my gaze took in the beauty of the flowing fountain set in the center of the driveway, as it glowed with a fairytale-like elegance.

Xavier parked the car by the front of the wide stairway leading to the double doors, and within seconds, as I had barely unbuckled my seatbelt, he'd arrived at my passenger door and opened it. Involuntarily, I flinched as I was taken aback by his sudden speed.

A cheeky grin spread across his face as I scowled at him.

"Sorry."

"It'll take some time to get used to that, for sure." I mumbled with a small smile as I stepped out of the car.

Our hands brushed as we stood side-by-side, ready to ascend the flight of stairs, and Xavier took opportunity of that short contact to trail his fingers across the back of my hand, before entwining them with my own. His warm hand engulfed mine and he led me to the front doors of his house.

The first thing to capture my attention as we entered was the fact that the place was much louder than the last time I'd been here. Contrary to my last visit, the house felt full of life as faint chattering and laughter echoed from all around the place.

When I glanced at Xavier, he offered me a reassuring smile, before leading me to where the open living-room space was. When we got closer, I found a group of people sitting around the couches conversing joyfully. They sensed our presence from a small distance away, and their voices lowered as their eyes came to study us nearing them. Instantly, they all stood from their places to greet us respectfully, their faces brightened by wide smiles.

"Alpha," some of them greeted, before turning and acknowledging me by the name I had yet to get accustomed to hearing. "Luna."

I then recognized Vincent as he stepped forward, stopping a couple feet away from me. "Luna Nora, it's a pleasure to have you back."

My eyes widened as my heart skipped a beat.

Luna Nora.

That sounded very foreign to my ears, but it had a nice ring to it, and carried a thrill that excited me to the bones.

I felt the slightest bit of pressure as Xavier squeezed my hand in reassurance, no doubt sensing my unease. I glanced up at him only to take a double take at his expression.

His silver gaze stared down at me standing beside him with a newfound emotion that melted my heart - pride.

"It's good to see you, too, Vincent." I spoke after too long, a small blush creeping up my cheeks. Everyone's attention was fully fixated on me, and all I wanted was to cower back into a hole and hide within the comfort of the darkness forever.

"Come," Xavier saved me by tugging at my hands, pulling me away from the curious crowd. Everyone gave me kind smiles, some people of which I had the pleasure of meeting before but most of whom were new to me. All I could do was smile back awkwardly as Xavier led us past the grand staircase and towards the open glass doors that led to the gardens.

"I apologize if that made you uncomfortable."

"No, not at all." I tried my best to cover my nervousness with a big smile, but I feared it might have come out as a grimace instead. "I just wasn't expecting to meet so many people."

Xavier let out a small noise, and when I glanced at him in confusion I found him trying to hold back a smile. My eyes widened.

"What?"

"That was only Vincent's family."

If possible, my eyes widened even bigger than before. I had thought those were everyone, but I guess I was the fool to think so, since Xavier had already told me three families lived in this large estate.

"Don't worry," he quickly spoke, trying to ease my nerves. "Baby steps."

I smiled at that, liking the way it sounded.

Only then did my gaze shift to the scenery ahead of us, and my jaw slackened and fell in amazement. The large garden was illuminated by bright fairy lights that hung loosely between various trees, and they cast their glow on the hundreds of blooming flowers that led the trail to a small table in the far distance.

"Woah..." I trailed off, unable to form any coherent words that would describe the astonishment I felt. The scene was right out of a fairytale, and I was waiting to be pinched awake.

"Come," Xavier offered his hand to me again, which I gladly took without a second of hesitation, and he began to lead us towards the table at the center.

The dishes were already set, covered to keep warm, with long lit candles set in the center between our plates. The drinks were already poured, and if I listened carefully enough, I could hear a faint classical music playing somewhere in the distance.

"We shouldn't be disturbed," Xavier informed me, a small smile playing on his lips and a sparkle shimmering in his eyes. "We have the night to ourselves."

I smiled giddily, enjoying the sound of that.

Then suddenly there came a tapping of four paws, something approaching us. For a second, I was alerted as I stood straighter and examined my surrounding, but when I turned to face where we came from I saw the source of the noise.

A light grey pit bull came charging at us, his mouth hung open - lifted at the edges in what appeared to be a little smile - with his tongue out panting for air. I flinched when he passed me in a blur, attacking Xavier's legs and letting out a couple barks that were too loud for my comfort.

To my surprise, Xavier broke out into a chuckle, falling to his knees to grab the pit bill and scratch behind his ears. The tail never stopped wagging, and the tongue never stopped licking.

In complete awe, I stood back and watched Xavier's genuine and affectionate manners as he patted the pit bull and chuckled at his attempts to jump on top of him. When Xavier moved his hands from the pit bull's torso to his ears, my eyes fell on the spot his hands had covered seconds ago, and an involuntary gasp escaped my lips.

That caught both their attentions.

Xavier looked up at me, a knowing smile on his lips, while the adorable creature stared up at me with intrigue. My gaze trailed from the innocent eyes to the countless bite scars decorating its torso, and my eyes widened.

Xavier stood to his full height, his eyes studying my reaction before he commanded the dog with a simple 'sit', to which he immediately complied.

"Nora, meet Zander," Xavier spoke, his eyes trained on me.

I gulped down the emotions swirling inside of me, and cracked a smile. "He's adorable."

Xavier nodded his head, glancing down at the dog and patting his head once.

"What happened to him?" I couldn't help but ask.

Inhaling deeply, Xavier glanced at the table, and motioned with his hands for us to take a seat. I complied and followed his steps as he pulled back my chair and helped me down, before taking his own seat across from me. His eyes trailed over to where the dog sat patiently, his eyes trained on Xavier, shining, and his tongue draped out as he continued panting.

"I found him a couple years ago," he told me, his eyes still trained on the dog. "We rescued him from an underground dog-fighting ring."

My stomach sunk when those words echoed to my ears, my eyes moving to the adorable creature that sat beside us patiently and quietly. My heart ached for him, taking in the angry scars that covered his torso.

"Anyway, he's in a much better state now," Xavier spoke, trying to change the subject. He reached forward and lifted the cover off my plate, followed by his own.

The dish, to my complete surprise, was Italian.

I stared at Xavier in astonishment, and he gave me a knowing smile. He remembered.

Alright, hormones, calm down.

"Please," he motioned towards the dish, and I lifted up my fork to begin eating.

Throughout the next couple hours we ate our dinner and conversed joyfully, asking questions about the things we had yet to learn about one another. And I found that talking to Xavier was easy, like it was second nature. We joked and we laughed not like we had known each other for only a month or so, but as if we had known each other for as long as we had been alive.

After dinner, Xavier offered that we take a walk in the garden to a place he wanted to show me. My excitement was at its peak as I kept asking him what it was, but the only thing he gave away was the fact that I'd really enjoy it, which only increased my intrigue.

His fingertips trailed across the sleeve of my leather jacket, wrapping gently around my wrist then sliding down to wrap his hand around my own. I watched the action take place and felt another involuntary smile spread across my lips, and I shifted our hands to entwine our fingers.

Gently tugging my hand to pull me forwards, Xavier guided me to follow a step behind him further from the house and deeper into the gardens, taking a trail we hadn't had the chance to walk down together before.

The brightness began to fade as we parted ways with the fairy lights, and soon the only light that shone down on us was that of the bright moon's. Xavier seemed to have the path memorized like the back of his hand, as he confidently led us to where his destination was.

Soon we reached a small clearing, and when Xavier slowed his pace and pulled me forward to stop beside him, I found that in the center of the clearing lay a large pond. An involuntary gasp escaped my lips, my eyes taking in the natural beauty.

I glanced at Xavier with bewildred eyes. "Are you kidding me?" I had to hide back my laughter. This place was beyond the extraordinary.

Xavier's eyes twinkled under the glow of the moon, and he led me closer to the pond. When I sneaked a glance inside I saw dozens of large koi fish swimming in the clear waters, the water which reflected the brightly lit moon and the millions of shimmering stars.

"This place is breathtaking," I sighed in content. If I had this as my view, I'd never grow bored.

My gaze moved from the natural beauty of the earth to the spectacularly infinite sky, and as my eyes traveled across the vast expanse it suddenly hit me how perfectly this night has unfolded, with Xavier and I ending our date by standing under the glow of the full moon and the twinkling of a million stars.

As I felt the fingertips trail over my arm again, I moved my eyes from the sight above to the striking silver orbs of the person standing a couple inches away from me. Only when I felt Xavier's exhale on the side of my cheek did I realize how close we were in proximity, with his warmth radiating off his layered black tuxedo and wrapping around my senses, his mahogany-scented aroma being all that I could smell as I stood among hundreds of blooming flowers. He was all over my senses, and when his hand lifted to trace an index finger across my cheek, my knees nearly buckled beneath me, so I had to clasp onto his arms for support.

His gentle touch lowered from my cheeks to my jaw, where he rubbed soothing circles that only rushed the blood to my cheeks. My gaze was captivated by his, and his by mine, and I felt as if all my surrounding was melting away into the complete void and the only subject that grounded me to my present was the man standing before me, my mate.

"May I kiss you?"

And as if my heart could not race any further, his soft words echoed through the darkness of the night and my heart beat against my rib-cage, begging for escape from the confines of my chest. I grew more impatient by the second, my hands gripping tighter onto Xavier's arms as he leaned down, but not close enough.

"Yes," I whispered the consent I knew he needed to hear, my heart sinking to my stomach and bursting into a thousand butterflies that rejoiced in the feelings, the admiration, that was blooming all around us.

Xavier gently began to lean in closer, inches apart from my face, and my eyes fluttered closed as the seconds turned into minutes, and the minutes felt longer than hours as I impatiently awaited the feel of his lips on mine; and when the contact was finally made, all I could sense was the sparks that ignited from the tip of his touch and traveled to every inch of my skin, wrapping around my body and igniting a feeling of completion I never sensed I'd missed.

My hands moved from his arms to the back of his neck, where I pulled him closer to me with all my might, crushing my body into his so tightly that I felt an inch closer and our hearts might meet.

When we finally pulled away, I had never felt warmer in my entire life. Xavier's eyes opened to reveal his silver gaze, tinted a hint darker than the usual, but glimmering with a spark that could burn the entire world around us. His arms curled around my waist and pulled me closer to his chest, the only place where I felt I completely and truly belonged.