Are you trying to kill me strutting around half-naked?"

"Whoa!" Beta Ezra shouts, as he loses balance and sways to the side.

Why, you ask?

Because of my well-aimed blow, of course.

Yeah, I deserve a pat on the back.

"Phoo," I blow my knuckles the way James Bond blows his gun after firing with it, shooting The Beta a victorious smirk.

But just before he could fall completely, he somehow magically regains his equilibrium, and straightens himself up. He puts his hands on his knees, and exhales for a few seconds. He then looks up, his eyebrows like mine, dripping with sweat.

He smirks. "Better,"

My grin drops.

"'Better'?" I exclaim in shock, "I just made 'The Beta', the one who could, 'kill a Wolf in three seconds' fall to the ground—"

"Almost," He interrupts,

"—and all you can say is, 'Better'?!" I holler, glaring at him.

"Okay. That was kinda good," He admits begrudgingly, dusting his palms.

"That's more like it," I grin, and plop down on the mat-covered floor with a sigh.

Seneca hadn't been able to join us today, because of the construction work going on, on the West border. She's gone to supervise it, and to make sure there isn't any adulteration in the building materials they're using.

"Ready for the party?" Beta Ezra asks as he sits down as well. This makes me look at him in surprise because he's always the one who leaves as soon as the clock strikes 7:00.

"You want the truth, or what I've been telling everyone?" I question dejectedly, looking down at my hands.

"Just tell the truth," He answers with irritation evident in his accented voice.

"No," I admit, not looking up.

"Look, I'm not good with this pep talk thing, okay? The only thing I can tell is, no matter what, it's you who's her Mate. And it's you who's gonna be under the spotlight for the rest of your life. So, the sooner you learn to accept it, the better."

"I know," I look up, and find him fingering the bracelet in his right hand. I examine it closer to find some sort of swirly design, which looks vaguely like the ancient language of The Goddess.

He finally looks up as well, meeting my eyes with another grin, "Got a tux?"

❈ ❈ ❈

"What's taking you so long?" Seneca muffled voice asks, as she knocks on the door, making me jump.

"A minute!" I call, trying to pull the sweater away.

I'm currently in the changing room of Gucci showroom, and I was told to try on the three suits the sales clerk shoved in my hands.

You're lost, aren't you?

Me too.

All I know is, I got into Seneca's car after school, thinking that it will go home as usual. But all of a sudden, Seneca drove all the way to the city and the car stopped in front of the Gucci showroom. I was rushed in, and before I could understand what's happening, I was pushed into the changing rooms.

"Ugh!" I groan, trying to pull the v-neck from around my head.

Yes, It's stuck.

If I had known that we were coming here, I wouldn't have worn this one.

But it seemed to make my newly forming biceps seem good, when I tried this sweater on this morning, which I found buried in the depths of my wardrobe. I hadn't worn it in years, but the slightly small sweater had accentuated my now firmer abs and chest, giving me a boost of confidence, when I glanced at the mirror.

Now, I'm regretting that decision.

"Cage!" Seneca knocks harder, "It's been ten minutes!"

"I...can't!" I pant, unable to tug it off.

"I'm coming in," She announces all of a sudden.

What?!

Before I could voice my protest, the doorknob twists from the other side, and a rush of air-conditioned air blows against my bare body. I freeze in panic, not able to see what expression she might be wearing, due to the dark sweater being caught around my neck and head.

Thank Goddess, I'm still wearing my pants.

The door closes with a 'click'.

"Need my help?" She whispers, and I nod frantically.

She takes a step closer to me, and though I can't see her, I can feel the heat of her body as she does so. Her fingertips brush against my ribs slightly, making me shiver in delight. Goosebumps break out on my skin, as her fingers skim up my chest to my neck, finally grabbing the neckline of my sweater.

"On three," She instructs, and I hum in response.

"One," We whisper in unison.

"Two,"

"Three!" With a hard tug from both of us, the sweater is off my head in a quick motion, albeit a painful one. Unfortunately, the force of her pull messes with my clumsy balance, and I fall forward, crashing against her voluptuously soft body.

"Oh!" Her arms go around me in an almost reflexive manner, catching me, before we both go plummeting to the ground.

I sigh and look up, and that's when I realize how close we actually are. Her both arms are around me securely, and mine is on her hips, clutching to her tightly. Our faces are centimeters apart, our noses touching and our breaths mingling in the small gap between us.

On their own accord, my eyes drift down to her full, plump lips, and I'm filled with an ache so strong, I feel like I might die if I don't get to taste her lips right now. I look up to meet her eyes, and I'm not shocked when I find them a dark shade of cyan blue.

Mine are probably green as well.

Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Lub-dub.

I can almost hear my heartbeat echoing in my ears, and my blood roaring due to the adrenaline coursing through my veins. I'm sure that she's able to hear it as well, but I can't concentrate enough to check whether her heart is palpitating as well.

At that moment, I just can't seem to care.

It seems like she's thinking the same thing as well, because, in one synchronized moment, the two of us lean forward, giving in to the tension that has been building between us since the day since we met.

Our lips touch slightly and that's when some darned idiot decides that it's a good time to knock on the door.

"Excuse me, Ma'am? Sir? Is everything alright?!"

I lean back and look heavenward, letting out a frustrated groan. Seneca's arms drop from their perfect lock around me, and just like that, the moment is over, broken and shattered.

Fuck.

"Ye—" Seneca starts, but it comes out slightly strangled. She clears her throat, "Yeah." She repeats and takes a step back, and that sends a pang of rejection through me.

Fuck, Fuck, Fuck!

"I'll...I'll be waiting outside," She says and slips out of the dressing room, closing the door behind her.

Fuck-a-doodle! It seems like the universe is against me!

❈ ❈ ❈

"You get the Popcorn."

"No, it's your house, go and get it,"

"But I went the last time,"

"Well, go again."

"I hate you,"

"Haha, love you too," Nicole says sarcastically, still not taking her eyes that are glued to the 64' Curved LED TV mounted to the wall.

I throw her a dirty look as I sigh and stand up from my comfortable slouch on the couch. We're currently watching the re-run of Supernatural, Season 11.

After selecting two suits — one for the Ceremony and another for the Annual Lunar Mating Ceremony, Me and Seneca had got into a fight on who would pay. Finally, when I'd looked at the bill, my eyes had gone wide the size of saucers, and I'd reluctantly let her pay for it because even my entire savings cant make up for the amount printed across the bill.

Then, we'd come home, Seneca had disappeared somewhere—probably burying herself under piles of files, and I'd joined Nicole on the living room couch, where she'd been watching Supernatural.

I keep glancing repeatedly at the TV, as I make my way to the kitchen, to make that stupid bowl of popcorn.

"Ow!" My toe hits something, and I turn around to see that it's the dining room chair.

Crap. It hurts like a bitch.

"Watch where you're going," A voice snaps, and I look up in surprise. Seneca is sitting on one of the dining room chairs, back erect as usual, with a MacBook in front of her. Her hands are outstretched, with her fingers hovering over the keys as if she was about to type something. Her eyes scan me up and down, and I blush slightly when they roam over my bare chest.

Oh yeah, I'm not wearing a shirt.

What? It was too humid in the living room, 'kay? Probably due to the rain clouds forming again.

Besides, I couldn't not remove it, when Nicole was taunting me with her daring grin.

I nod at her as I bend down and clutch my toe, rubbing it hard between my thumb and index finger. I hiss slightly and straighten, walking across the dining hall to the kitchen.

❈ ❈ ❈

Half an hour later, I'm still watching Supernatural, clutching the popcorn bowl in my hands. Nicole reaches for some more, but when her hands grapple at empty air, she grumbles.

"Aleph..." She calls in a sugary-sweet voice.

"No,"

"Please...My kind Aleph, My smart Aleph, My...um, Ah! My Aleph who has a forming six pack! Please, please, please!"

"Crap," I mutter under my breath, trying to stifle the smile that's rebelling to break out.

"Please! Get me some utterly-butterly delicious popcorn?" She asks, and I could see her making the 'injured puppy dog' look from the corner of my eyes.

I sigh.

"Your mouth will get you everywhere," I grin as I grab the red plastic bowl and stand up. "No pun intended," I add, on second thought.

I shake my head in amusement as I cross the dining room to the kitchen.

"Are you trying to kill me, strutting around half-naked?"

Startled, I jump at the sudden voice. I turn around slowly to see my Mate glaring at me from her regal perch, her graphite colored eyes flashing blue as she does so. Her intense gaze measures me up and down, darkening to a shade midnight blue as they skim over me. The light from her Macbook illuminates her face in the darkness, highlighting the sharp angles of her face.

"Huh?" I mutter, confused.

Seneca clenches her jaw as she slams the laptop shut, cutting off the main source of light in the lamp-lit room. She exhales roughly and stands up, sending my erratically beating heart into over-drive. I swallow heavily as she takes a step forward, making me step back instinctively.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about," She snaps in a hard tone, stalking forward. I'm not sure if it's her, or her Wolf, but it doesn't matter if it's either.

I back up slowly with every step she takes, feeling nervous, excited and aroused at the same time.

Suddenly, my back hits a hard surface and I realize a second later that it's the wall. It then becomes clear that I'm not going anywhere, and this knowledge makes one corner of my Mate's lips to pull up in a salacious smirk.

She takes the last step between us, closing the gap.

My palpitating heart almost bursts as she raises one hand, letting her finger trail across my jawline with painstaking slowness. I shiver involuntarily, and Seneca's smirks in a way that can be only described as female satisfaction.

Her lone fingers continue its path down my jaw, across my neck as it slowly reaches the back of it. She plays with the small hair at the base of my neck, then she firmly cups it.

"W-What are you d-doing?" I stutter, blushing when her smoldering blue eyes lock on my lips. Slowly, but reluctantly, her eyes flutter up and the storm brewing beneath the depths of her azure eyes, freezes me, paralyzes me.

"Finishing what we started," She whispers hoarsely, leaning forward and draping the full length of her body over mine. Every soft curve presses against my body in the most enticing way, making me groan under my breath.

"A-are you sure—"

"Shh..." She silences me with a finger on my lips.

"Please. Just one taste, my Wolf has been begging me," She pleads, her eyes and voice showing how desperate and on the edge she is.

I stare at her with wide eyes, holding my breath. She takes my silence as my approval and leans forward, letting her lips skim across my cheekbone. My breath leaves me in a shuddery pant when her scorching lips trail across my jaw, down to my neck. She plants hot little kisses down my neck, even letting her tongue dart out once. I moan lowly when her lips reach the place between my neck and my collarbone, making me shiver in yearning.

"Aching for my mark, aren't you?" She whispers against my neck, before her lips latch onto my skin. I jerk when she boldly scrapes her canines against my neck, my hands automatically fumbling for something to hold on, before they land on her hips. I crane my neck back, giving her more access, as she sucks and nibbles at my skin, making my inner Wolf purr in lust.

My knees almost buckle when she slightly bites down on my neck and I tighten my grip on her, groaning against her hair. "Seneca..."

Suddenly, as if hearing her name made her jerk out of a trance, Seneca stills. Her hand on my neck drops as she takes a step back and I let my hands on her fall as well. Her eyes cool down to their normal grey as she looks at her hands, then at me, as if she's only now realizing what she has done.

"I...I'm sorry,"

Ouch. She could've slapped me across the face rather than say those words.

With that, she almost runs out of the dining room, leaving me high and dry with a heart that feels like someone threw a dagger at it.

❈ ❈ ❈

Update again. So...yeah...some..."kissy" time...lol.