I should've known we wouldn't get so much sleep.

As soon as we cleaned ourselves in his shower, Alexei led me straight to his bed and fucked me on my knees.

We then proceeded to eat ourselves full of the snacks he had stocked in his cabinets before he tugged me onto his couch where he tortured me with his tongue until I came twice on his tongue.

Alexei didn't stop there. He bent me over his balcony and drove his cock into me over and over until I screamed his name, it made the leaves rustle. I instantly folded myself into embarrassment because I had been outrageously loud. Of course, Alexei just chuckled into my neck, combing his fingers through my hair. "At least they know I give it to my mate good." He had whispered against my flushed skin.

"I'm going to make you scream louder." I challenged.

Let's just say when I grabbed his cock and led him back inside to the couch, Alexei hadn't screamed when I punished him with my pussy and mouth, he fucking roared, rattling the windows as he came on my tits.

I swiped a drop of his release against my finger, smirking up at his ravaged face. "I win this round."

"Get over here." He pulled me up, trapping me against his body. He turned so my back pressed against the back of the couch. He slid his bicep beneath my cheek, playing with my hair with his free hand. He lowered his lips, taking in a sweet, almost innocent kiss that was such a contrast to all the dirty fucking we did all over his space, it made my heart sing. When our lips were bruised from all the kissing, sucking, and nipping, he reluctantly pulled away, squeezing my ass.

"You have a beauty mark on your thigh." I said quietly. "And a zigzag scar on your left ass cheek." I added with a laugh.

Mirth coated his features as he brushed a finger along my cheek. "I fell down the stairs as a kid. One of my sisters left their metal knitting needles out. It grazed my ass on the way down. I can still remember how much it hurt when I finally landed at the foot of the stairs. Almost cried the hearing out of everyone's ear that day."

"Want me to kiss it better?"

Alexei laughed. "No, if you start kissing my ass, I won't be letting you go for another hour."

"I don't mind."

I felt his cock stir as he held me close. "Woman, aren't you sore?"

"No.'" I was. Only a tiny bit but my body craved his.

I was afraid I was no addicted to Alexei's beautiful cock.

My belly grumbled.

"Let's get something in that belly of yours." Alexei sat up.

I barely restrained myself from leaping off the bed.

An hour later, Alexei mixed up something delicious to eat.

"It's called Kurnic." Alexei slid the plate of steaming pies in front of me. I inhaled the scent of steamed chicken and vegetables that wafted from the flaky pastry tops. "Try it."

I was going to try all of it.

I held out my fork but paused when Alexei made no move to grab one for his own.

"Eat with me." I invited, "We can both enjoy it. You must be hungry."

"Ravished actually."

"Then come eat. You did everything. All I did was clean up after you but even that was hard work since you keep trying to cop a feel."

"Even I can't control my impulses sometimes when I'm around you, especially now that I know exactly what I'm missing." He rolled that plump lip between his teeth.

Alexei hadn't bothered with a shirt. He just pulled on a pair of comfy shorts and called it good as he strolled out of his room with his hair still tousled from my hands.

When I glimpsed his bare back, I was surprised by the pink finger marks I left behind. His skin hadn't split open, but some of the marks I left behind stood out, triggering an onslaught of memories. I could still feel the rough stubble of his jaw sliding against my thighs as he languidly licked his way up the inner flesh of my legs. If anything, the man was thorough. He left no surface of skin untouched.

Since my clothes were ruined, Alexei pinched one of his shirts from his drawers, drowning me in his scent as he guided the soft material over my head. It covered all my lady bits, so I had no complaints as he tucked my hair behind my ear and stared down at me.

When Alexei had pulled out the kitchen knives and ingredients from the fridge, I watched as he moved around with sure movements. This was a man who was no stranger to his own kitchen.

I was hypnotized by the way his biceps flexed when he reached for the higher cupboards. When he bent to grab some mixing bowls, of course I stared the hell out of his perfect ass.

Frankly, I was no angel.

"Need help with anything?" I asked, rounding the kitchen island so I stood by his side as he sliced into a bundle of fresh mushrooms. His knife work would make a Michelin star chef drool at the sight.

"You sit. Let me cook and feed you."

"I'll clean then." I suggested, pretending not to hear his sound of protest.

Unfortunately, Alexei was the type of person to clean up after himself. By the time he finished pouring the stuffing into the prepared pastry sheets he made, there was only a plastic spatula and mixing bowl left to scrub clean.

As he placed the finished product into the oven, I took the utensils and ran them under the hot stream of water.

"Must I tape you somewhere, so you listen to me?" He crept up behind me, grasping my hips. His thumbs traced lazy circles over the thin fabric of his shirt on me.

I placed the bowl and spatula onto the drying rack once they were cleaned from the bits of food clinging to it. "You could try but you know it won't hold me down for long."

"I'm starting to see that." He flashed me a quick wink.

When the over timer went off, Alexei drew the steaming pies out and deftly scooped them onto two different plates with three in each.

Now I was faced with his freshly made creation, it smelled heavenly.

I plucked up one palm sized pie and bit into it. The warm, seasoned ooze of chicken, mushrooms and onions made me moan in delight. It was official, my taste buds were experiencing nirvana.

The crunch of the thin pastry added another layer of texture that made me want to stuff the whole thing into my mouth.

"That good huh?"

The smug idiot.

"You know I love your cooking. First Pelmeni, and now this thing you call Kurnic? If you open up a restaurant, I will be a lifelong customer. I'm serious Alexei."

"Cooking is a hobby. I like being an Enforcer more."

"Why are you so good at this?" I took another bite. When I opened my eyes, his eyes were twinkling down at me as I took another bite.

"My babushka taught me. She raised me and my sisters too."

"I didn't know that."

"We haven't really spoken much about ourselves."

"Yeah." I finished my pie.

"Don't think I haven't noticed how much you shut down when I share things with you Solnishko. I don't mean to make you comfortable, but I feel restless not knowing about you."

"You know I was a Rogue."

"I know the way you like your pussy licked and sucked, including just the right amount of pressure. I know the way you like to be fucked. I know the way you taste all over. I know that you're insatiable. I know what makes you come so hard on my cock and mouth..."

Damn, my thighs clenched trying to halt the urge of rising pleasure in my abdomen.

"I know you get too proud sometimes to ask for help."

I lowered my head.

"I know you shy away when I get too personal."

"It seems like you already know me pretty well then."

"I know you're funny with an arsenal of sarcastic remarks hidden away."

"Well, I do have a lot of funny things to say..."

Alexei chuckled, "I also know you have a big heart. I see the way you love Aella and Kian. The friendship you all have is different, bonds made from hardship."

"Isn't that enough? There's nothing else really that would interest you."

"I don't care what titbit of information is given. As long as it's about you, about my Penelope, I want it all even if it's just your favourite colour."

I knew this would eventually come.

I just hadn't been prepared for the sweet delivery of his words. I didn't expect to feel at ease from the prodding.

Alexei had the type of voice that reeled you in, charmed you and then bewitched you until you were nothing but limp muscles and bones, left to heed his orders.

I reached for another pie, holding it in my palm. "It's gold."

There was a stunned silence on Alexei's end. I glanced up and saw his surprised face. I didn't know how react. It was clear he had assumed I would hide my answers rather than share it with him, but I was ready.

I didn't feel panic climb up my throat when I repeated my reply. "My favourite colour is gold."

Slack jawed, Alexei could only take my response as a sign that I was going to share parts of me I never did with anyone else. I was still willing to open up, even about the topics I would rather keep tucked away.

I should have known he would bury me in questions when given the chance.

"Favourite food?"

"This now." I held out the pie, taking a bite.

A smile jerked his lips up.

"Hobbies?"

"Not much. I like listening to music. I would be happier if I knew how to play an instrument, but I've never had the time or money to do it yet. I like painting, even though I suck. It's therapeutic though so I do it and I like learning new things when Aella helps me train."

"How about the pink in your hair?"

I stopped nibbling on the crust of my pastry, "You don't think I did it just because?"

"No."

I chuckled, surprised. "You're right."

"Then tell me."

"For the first fourteen years of my life, I grew up in a human orphanage. People didn't know where I came from really. It was the typical baby got dumped on the doorstep and left in a bundle of blankets. There were no notes. No feed on the surveillance of the person who dropped me off. Just me. Yet, those fourteen years were the best years of my life. I had lots of girls and boys to call family. I was close to one of the girls. We used to just call her Meemee. I never did get her full name. She was cute, a few years younger than I was. We claimed each other the moment she came to the orphanage. She was like a little sister to me. Life was pretty good until I realised, I was different. I used to ignore the signs until it became too much."

Alexei took my hand and led me to the long sofa in his lounge. He settled onto it quietly, pulling me down to sit on his thighs. I acquiesced his silent request, melting onto his lap.

"Keep going." He gently encouraged.

"One night, I turned into this big wolf. Meemee cried when she saw me. She woke everyone up. I had to jump out the window and hide before someone spotted me."

I'd been scared too. I stayed outside all night, even when I turned back into my human skin, I had been afraid to enter the orphanage again, but Meemee came outside and dragged me back inside by the hand.

I still remember the trepidation in her big, blue eyes when she told me I could change into a big dog. At first, I had laughed then cried big fat tears because I didn't know what the hell was going on. She gave me her little shoulder to lean on when the tears wouldn't stop. Eventually, I stopped but my face had been excessively red and splotchy.

"I shifted a total of four more times while I was at the orphanage. I thought it was this strange superpower I had until one of the girls in the orphanage mentioned she knew some people that could change into wolves. Of course, no one believed her. Meemee and I had though, so we spoke with her to get more information out."

"I didn't realise you knew next to nothing about being a wolf changeling. That must've been hard." Alexei whispered against my shoulder, caressing my waist.

"It was bearable because I had Meemee. She didn't treat me any more different because I could suddenly shift into my own version of a cuddly animal, but I was always careful around her. I always kept my wolf suppressed so I wouldn't harm her or anyone else in the orphanage."

"You thought you would hurt someone?"

"I don't know. I always took precautions. I never felt out of control in my wolf form nor did I feel like I wanted to do anything bad. I was always just cautious. Just in case."

"I get it."

"The girl who knew about wolves knew a location where teen wolves would gather. I guess she must've hung out with them a lot. She told Meemee and I the place where we could find them. The girl just thought we wanted a thrill or something at seeing some people change into wolves since she had hung out with them a few times already."

"Makes sense. You can never really steal fun from shifters."

"So Meemee and I went to see the others like me."

And it had been a big, fucking mistake.

"As soon as they spotted me, they called me Rogue. I didn't even know what it meant but they instantly loathed me on sight."

"What happened?"

"They tried to kill me."

Alexei cursed.

"So, I ran. They didn't even take a single glance in Meemee's direction because she was human. They chased after me, threatening to kill me. I yelled at her to go back to the orphanage as I led them away from her. I really don't know how I got away. I just did. When I lost them, I returned to the orphanage. Meemee was already back, a complete sobbing mess on my bed. She didn't know that while I was running for my life, I had formulated a plan to leave."

"You were only fourteen." Alexei whispered, distressed about my younger self.

"And I was a danger to Meemee and everyone else in the orphanage. I really thought I could stay but the following night, the teens found me. It freaked me out. No one knew what was going on. Only Meemee."

"Do you remember their faces?" Threat laced his question.

"This happened years ago Alexei. They would've matured and look quite different from what I remember."

"I would kill those idiots myself."

"I knew I had to go because they began pestering the girls. Meemee was almost stolen away by them. So, I made a choice. I had to leave quickly. I didn't pack anything with me. I had nothing to take. Meemee didn't want me to go but I had enough. I was the cause of all the issues going on, I had to remove myself before things got worse. I was scared out of my mind of leaving the only place I called home but there was nothing else I could do."

"I don't like picturing you so young and making this big decision that could have costed you your life."

"I survived, didn't I?"

"Of course, you did. You're Penelope Rivers."

My heart fluttered. "I hugged Meemee and all the girls goodnight the night I left. Since I did it every night, no one suspected a thing, but Meemee did. She caught me crying. She wanted to come with me but even I knew that wasn't plausible. Two young girls on the run? Yeah, no. It didn't sound appealing to me. If it was just me, I had less to worry about."

Alexei squished me into a hug. "So brave."

"I went when she was sleeping. I was too much of a coward to look her in the eye to say bye. I couldn't manage saying bye to someone I considered my little sister. The first thing I did when I left was grab a box dye to colour bits of my hair pink. It was Meemee's favourite colour. If I couldn't take her with me, at least I had this. She was with me in my own way."

Alexei took one lock of pink from hair, rolling it between his fingers. "Meemee."

"I haven't seen her since. I ended up living closer to wolf Territories and further away from the human cities. You could say I was avoiding a run in with Meemee but I felt like I needed to explore on my own. I was a shifter too and I wanted answers. In a way, I was ready for more."

Alexei nuzzled my neck, "My mate is brave."

"Of course." I huffed, snuggling into his side. "You underestimate me."

"Never." He whispered.