Dimitri's hand was wrapped firmly around my throat, strong enough to assert his authority over my wolf but not too much that it hurt. His aggressive control over our current kiss was turning me on and Layla, for once was quiet about it. It was truly just him and me in this moment and I became lost in the heat of it all. The kiss was like nothing I had ever imagined and it seemed to be true what they say about your Mate's kiss being second to none, as I had felt nothing like this before.

He was the first to break the kiss however and leaned his forehead against mine for reprieve. Apparently he had a willpower I did not posess. Our eyes were closed and all that could be heard was our rapid breathing between us. We both needed a moment to calm ourselves down and think logically and not just in the moment. I was thankful for the slight space he gave me as I felt him pull back, I opened my eyes to look at him to see him already looking at me. He was studying me and i was dissapointed to see that his face was a complete mask. He was careful it seemed to not show me any emotion other than his sexual desire of me. It was the cold water of reality I needed. I slapped his hand away from my kneck and glowered at him...

"You seem to have recovered just fine" it was dripped with sarcasm and just because I saved his life did not mean things would change between us.

Almost 12 months of distance could not be closed with a 'kiss' and I refused to over look his treatment towards me. I knew I must have come across hostile and somewhat bi polar in that moment. I was crying over his injured body a few hours before hand and I was scolding him now. I watched him slowly roll his shoulders back and he seemed to envelope the entire space of the cave with his body as he preceded to hover over me with his height.

He growled low in his chest and with his torso being so close to my own I felt the vibrations of his warning growl shiver through my entire body.

"Don't challenge me Violet... this is your only warning as your Alpha".

I scoffed... " you're not MY Alpha anymore"... I emphasized the 'my' and his eyes widened with recognition as to what I was implying. He also looked amused that I continued to defy him.

I wanted to hurt him just as much as he hurt me. For him to know that I no longer respected him as my mate or my Alpha.

His eyelashes fluttered and he looked down at the 'small' space between us before looking back up to me slowly and as a small grin appeared with his red hot gaze...

"I think we both know the truth here Violet... as I said... don't challenge me".

His voice carried the promise of him actually carrying through on whatever punishment he would delve out if I continued to defy his position as Alpha. His wolf saw my attitude as a blatant disrespect for his rank and he wanted Dimitri to assert his will over me. Like hell....

I went to push him off me but he caught my wrists in a vice like grip and pinned them above my head so once again I was trapped on the floor with him above me. His satisfied smirk made my heart skip a beat. Then he said the one word that made me burst out into flames and then laughter.

"Submit"

I chuckled and looked away from him.

He pushed down harder and put his Alpha command into his voice.

"Submit"! He was serious this time. All playfulness aside he was indeed a powerful Alpha and no shewolf could disobey her mate and he knew it. I dropped my smile.

The tension in my arms where I was 'barely' putting up a fight against him relaxed and I sighed... defeated. There was no point in fighting him anyway. After all was it not him who started all of this?

"Look at me Violet" his voice softened and he sounded sad that I refused to look at him.

I turned my head towards him and stared at his kneck.

He chuckled to himself and without warning he nuzzled his nose against mine affectionately which left me dumbfounded.

"Still stubborn are we"?

He was taunting me and my traitorous self was falling for it. I rolled my eyes and stared daggers into his skull. Now he was really laughing, an honest laugh. He removed the wall he had erected between us and I finally saw his smile and those beautiful pearly white teeth that he had. If It was possible, it only made him even more handsome. I looked away as i realised i started to blush in the darkness of the cave. My heart was beating so loud inside my chest I knew he could hear it and nothing embarrassed me more than showing him my weakness.

********

I kept one arm holding both of hers above her head and used my right arm to stroke her cheek with the back of my hand. Her face blushed crimson and I struggled to remove my satisfied grin. Her heart was racing a mile a minute and I knew I was playing with her innocence but I was even more elated to find that I did indeed have an effect on her. It affirmed that she was attracted to me and that knowledge made me the happiest wolf alive and I was at a constant internal war with myself trying not to show it, she was trembling slightly beneath me and I was unsure if she was just nervous or cold. I was going to ask her which one she was when she said....

"You're Mate is probably missing you"... she whispered.

I searched her eyes to find no malice there. She just stated a fact. I was expecting her to try and push me away again but her resistance and struggle against my arm which held her down ceased. I drew my eyebrows together in confusion. What do I say to that? Milly had found her Mate and they were both expecting a pup soon and considering I exiled her mate from the pack the likely hood of her following him was 10 to 1. But Violet didn't know about any of this. She thought the pup was mine and Milly and I were living together happily. I was no longer obligated to Milly but to confirm this to Violet would mean giving her hope of a reunion between us and that couldn't happen just yet. Not with her safety still at risk, so I decided to play along and feed into her already bad opinion of me and my character. Remembering the last time she let me into her head I decided it was best to play with her...

"Just like that runt of the litter from Liam's pack, he's probably pinning for you as we speak right? What was he now?

I pretended to think hard about it...

"..... a Gamma? Your standards have dropped Violet".

I popped wayyyy more venom into my voice when I referred to that wolf's status than I liked. Revealing my true feelings on the matter.

"Alec, is the Beta and second in command to Alpha Liam's pack, so hardly a down grade".

I was riled about how her voice lingered on the mongrels name. I wanted to strangle him quite frankly and it was obvious that she cared for the Mutt which seriously aggravated me. Alot more than I had thought.

"A guy with a 'second' in his title is most certainly a down grade". My voice was neutral but low. I was on the verge of snapping and looking at her satisfied smirk she knew it too.

"Well it's not like theres anything to compare him to and you can't miss what you never had".

My grimace dropped and I swallowed the bile in my throat. The thought of his hands or anyone elses on her sickened me. She must have seen that her teasing rebuff affected me and her own smile dropped aswell. I released my hold of her and put some distance between us. I put my back to her and she scrambled to retrieve the blanket to cover her body. I couldn't blame her, after all... it was my fault that she wasnt with me right now. I sighed and attempted to calm down my wolf 'Midnight' after Violet implied that this other wolf and her had a sexual history together of sorts. He was telling us to go to Alpha Liam's pack, hunt down that dog and rip his throat out. I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth trying to reason with him. It's not like I had any right to her now anyway.. not after I took Milly as my 'chosen mate'. It would be hipocracy to ask her to leave the Beta. So I decided to change the subject...

"Thank you... for saving my life".. I said.

*******

His voice was sad and even a little lonely. He put his back to me but his shoulders had dropped significantly since our argument a few moment before. He seemed upset with what I had said. Like he didnt deserve it right?

Am I right?...

I found myself torn between wanting to put the record straight and just tell him that I had kept myself for him and him alone or just fly off the handle and call him all the names I could think of. But me being the idiot I am I decided to be honest...

"I have been with no other. Not by choice Dimitri, I don't believe in being with anyone other than your true mate". I looked down to the floor.

I can't believe I said that. Why am I such an idiot? I scrunched my eyes tightly together, trying to block out the room and him with it. Silence followed so for a moment I was able to kid myself into thinking that maybe... just maybe... I said it in my head and not out loud until I was pulled against his rock hard chest. My face collided with shoulder as he wrapped his arms around me... trapping me against him once again. He placed his hand on the back of my head, anchoring me to him as the blanket which protected my dignity plummeted to the floor, with nothing between us. I was in no way prude or a shy kind of girl.. after all wolves are always naked during shifts so you just have to get used to it.. but this? This was ... different. I was completely open to him and I found myself feeling comforted by the warmth of his body. The last time someone touched me ... well it wasn't in a caring way and my mind flashed back to the rape all those years ago when I felt Dimitri stiffen.

He sat back and looked me square in the eye "Don't fear me... anyone but me, okay?" His voice was strong but I could tell he was upset at the prospect of me being scared by him. He must have read my body language wrong.

I gave a small smile...

"I've never feared you would hurt me physically..... but you have emotionally".... I confessed.

He nodded slowly. He understood what I was not willing to discuss. Gathering up courage I never knew I had, I learned forward and placed a chaste kiss on his lips... I had meant to pull away, give him a pretty smile, say my goodbyes and go......... but BOY WAS I WRONG!

For the third time today I was pushed down to the floor as Dimitri gave me the kiss of my life. Our hands roamed over one another, completely caught up with the fire burning and building within us. His tongue delved into my mouth and I became lost. He gripped my breast and my breathing hitched. He broke from the kiss to smile at me and what I saw blew me away. The look in his eyes was.....

Love.

But was it real? Or was he just caught up in the moment? He touched my cheek softly.

"Do you really want this Violet"? His voice came out broken showing me just how affected he was by our love making. He was giving me a way out it seemed.

"I do"

Fuck it!!! I don't care what happens after this moment. I just want him inside of me. I wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled him to me. Now he had his answer and there was no more room for talk. His hand which was cupping my breast began to trail slowly down my stomach. So slowly that I was becoming impatient between each kiss he showered upon me. I huffed as his hand paused just over my pubic bone.

He broke the kiss and laughed.

"Patience my love.... patience".

He tilted my head to the side and began to kiss a long trail of kisses across my jaw and slowly moved south. When he reached the spot on my neck where his mark would have usually been as his mate... he paused to look up at me. I saw the sorrow in his eyes. It hurt him it seemed that I was still unmarked by him, an unmarked Alpha's mate was frowned upon in our society and the full weight of his actions and his rejection of me was clear to see.

"It's okay" I smiled down at him and he returned my smile, grateful for my response and attempt to comfort him.

He continued his fiery kisses onto my collar bone and finally down my stomach and as his tongue liked my belly button my back arched into him as my legs started to shake with excitement of what was to come. When he finally made it lower he parted my legs so I was spread out, completely bared to him. He gazed upon my body with hunger in his eyes and I tried to close my legs out of embarrassment... never had anyone really 'looked' at me like this and I was starting to blush terribly as I sat up ready to move away from him. His arm shot forward and halted my movements. His hand splayed across my chest preventing any movement.

"You have no idea how beautiful you are to me Violet.... now lie back down like a good girl... and let me show you".

My eyes were so wide I thought they might pop out. I bit my lip and grinned. Since when was I the bashful type? I giggled and lay back down.

He settled between my legs again and started to nip at the inside of my thighs which would make my hips grind involuntarily. When my legs would close of their own accord he would push them back like it was nothing and send me a playful glare. I knew that my pussy was dripping wet by this point and I was anxious as to whether that was a good thing or not when I suddenly felt his hot breath against my lips... I opened my mouth in surprise and anticipation of what was to come just as he licked my entrance and sent me spiraling out of control. My breathing became laboured and he practically had to hold me down as I felt something inside of me start to grow. He licked against my clit roughly and plunged his tongue inside as my orgasm hit its climax. My legs tried to close but he held them back. I cried out as lights and fireworks flashed behind my eyes. My pussy was pulsating after it and my legs shook with the shock of it all. I was breathing heavily or panting should we say when I felt him climb back up to me and place both of his hands either side of my head. I opened my eyes and looked straight into his. He was looking at me like I was the most beautiful woman in the world and for a moment I felt like it... all of this with him just felt right. He told me to pull my legs up around him as he positioned himself at my entrance. I knew his dick was big... it was kind of a given considering he was an alpha and I was surprised at myself for not actually caring in that moment. I knew it would hurt but i also knew that if he could pull the feeling out of me like he did with that orgasm.. it was probably worth the pain. I took a deep breath.

"Don't tense Vi, it will hurt more" he said in the most caring voice i have ever heard from him. I smiled as he kissed me again pouring all his love into me in that moment right before he thrusted straight into my opening. Dimitri stilled above me... I took it for him wait for me to adjust to his size but the look on his face was one of agony and regret as he looked into my eyes with so much fear and denial.

********

"I have been with no other. Not by choice Dimitri, I don't believe in being with anyone other than your true mate"...

God... It can't be? Here was me thinking that she would be a virgin and it turns out she's not. I stilled above her and took all of my weight in my hands so as not to crush her. My brain was in over drive as I processed her words from earlier. She said "not by choice". So all this time she had been telling the truth about her sexual assault and our pack had alienated her for it and called her a liar. I shut my eyes to her. How could I look at her now? knowing what she has been through... how I myself as her mate did not fully believe her story. I was disgusted with myself and notibly unworthy of her. I opened my eyes and saw her face looking up at me full of trust and love. She was full of awe and wonder and at what I had done to her body a few moments before and now she was uncertain of herself. She was a broken angel.

I tried to hold back the rush of emotions within me. Instead, I decided not to ruin her first good experience with a man she had ever had... with her mate no less. I had to obliterate her worries entirely and let her know that she was not to blame.. that she was and never could be a problem. But instead, she ended up comforting me again when she said...

"Its ok Dimitri, I got over it a long time ago". Her voice barely above a whisper and if I didn't have my wolf hearing I doubt I could have heard it.

She was trying to comfort me knowing how much pain I was in at the revelation of what she had experienced as a young pup. Her eyes were sad as she began to relive that moment of the attack in her mind. If we were mated right now I would see it all too in the mind link. I could see that she somehow also felt like she had betrayed me which hurt me deeper, far more than anything else.

"I'm sorry"

I knew those words were worthless, not even close to cutting what she must have gone through. How strong she was to have lived through it all and still be the strong independent wolf that she was. Having also faced rejection on top of that. She was the perfect Luna for me and our pack.

Her face lit up at my apology and just as her first tear began to drop I kissed her again. Continuing our love making and showing her what true mating was. How different I was to the wolf that inflicted this pain on her as a child. Even though I could not yet express my feelings and vocalise my new found love for her, i decided to show her with my body just how much she truly meant to me.

********

After we had finished, Dimitri had practically collapsed to the side of me. He wrapped me in his arms and pulled both blankets onto us to keep us warm now that our body temperatures had dropped. He hugged me closer to him and kissed the top of my head. When his breathing changed slightly I looked up to him and smiled. He was so handsome and caring .. it took my breath away.

Without thinking, I said... "Even as children I think I loved you... but now.... I love you even more".

The Alpha I had thought to have been sleeping sprang up without hesitation and clamped his canines into my neck, marking me.

The pain was unreal and my mind clouded as I saw him pull away from me.

"FUCK"! He said.

Completely shocked at what he had just done.

As I passed out, my last thoughts were.... "my mate just marked me"!