I awoke to sparks dancing throughout my body. My eyes instantly opened to see Greyson's face. "I didn't mean to wake you," he said and I realized he was carrying me through the hall, most likely toward our room.

"It's fine," I said, my voice rough and tired. "Where did you go?"

"I had to gain control over myself," he softly explained as he gently laid me down in the bed. "My wolf got the best of me in the shower earlier and I shouldn't have let him come at you like that. I had to leave and reign him back in." I nodded. Matthew told me about his wolf being hard to control, especially when he got emotional.

"I'm guilty as well," I admitted, crossing my legs as I watched him climb onto his own side of the bed. "I let River have too much control over my body and...well you know what happened." I let out an awkward chuckle as I averted my eyes from Greyson's, embarrassment coming over me.

"Don't be embarrassed, little wolf," Greyson said with a slight chuckle as he used his finger to redirect my head so I was looking at him once more. "It was bound to happen eventually."

"Yeah, but that definitely wasn't the most ideal circumstance for it to happen," I nervously chuckled.

"What would've been the ideal circumstance?" Greyson asked as he raised an eyebrow with an amused look in his eyes.

"Oh, so he's got jokes now, does he?" I asked before I pushed him away, causing him to chuckle before he stood up.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Not far. My wolf is still...excited," he said choosing his words very carefully. "I just need to make sure he's not a threat to you before I allow my guard to be down near you. Good night," he said before gently pressing his lips to my forehead then disappearing through the bedroom door. I sat there for a few moments expecting him to come back when he thought I'd gone to sleep. But he never did. So, I forced myself to slide beneath the covers and took one of the pillows from Greyson's side of the bed and slid it beneath my head. As soon as my head hit it, his scent rushed into my nose like water rushing from a dam. I relaxed and allowed my eyes to close and pretended that he was lying right next to me with his arms around my body.

***

I never realized how weird it was to know Greyson was in the house with me without actually being able to see him until today.

I'd just gotten done drying my hair after my shower and was brushing my teeth thinking about what today held. Maybe I could go train with the pack again, that was fun until Greyson made it a bigger deal than it was. That did seem to be his specialty.

Once I was done, I slid on some clothes before I put on Greyson's necklace once more since I'd taken it off in order for me to shower. I began walking downstairs when the sound of soft snores filled my ears and I found myself following it into the very room Matthew and I had been holed up in last night. I had to keep the "awe" that was climbing up my throat at bay at the sight of how adorable my mate looked.

He had stripped down to his briefs and was laying on top of the sheets with his tattooed arms tightly wrapped around a pillow that his face was buried in. I watched his chest slowly rise and fall before he subconsciously pulled the pillow impossibly closer. But that's when my eyes caught sight of what looked like an injection mark on his forearm. Wait, was that a burn? I quickly shook the thought from my head. There's probably a perfectly good explanation for that and I was probably overreacting. But I swear it looked almost exactly like the burn I'd gotten from the wolfsbane yesterday.

At that moment, my heart stopped. The wolfsbane. I'd completely forgotten about it. Without wasting another second, I quickly yet quietly ran to Greyson's office. Moon Goddess, please let it still be there, I silently begged as I opened the door, relief flooding through my being as my eyes landed on the puddle that was still there. But I couldn't relax just yet. I quickly got dozens of paper towels and plastic bags before I soaked the puddle up, careful not to let it touch my body. Telling Greyson I burned myself on the stove wouldn't work two times in a row. Luckily, I'd managed to get it all up and watered down the towels so that he couldn't smell the wolfsbane before I threw them in the garbage. And to make sure that my track would be covered, I took out the trash and completely replaced it with a new bag. I let out a sigh of relief as I closed the garbage can, satisfied with my work before I headed to the sink to wash my hands to make sure that not even the tiniest drop of wolfsbane lingered on my skin.

"What are you doing?" Greyson's voice huskily asked from behind me, causing me to jump before quickly turning around to see his muscular body and messy bedhead. I relaxed when my brain registered that it was only him.

"Nothing," I said, trying to act as normal as possible while I turned back to the sink to completely wash my hands one last time. "Just getting ready to make breakfast." He hummed in response before suddenly his arms wrapped themselves around my waist before his lips tenderly met my neck just below my hairline causing me to tense before I quickly melted into his touch. "Can I help?" he softly asked, his lips gently brushing my skin as he spoke resulting in a small shiver running down my neck.

"Yeah, s-sure," I made out as River restlessly stirred within me wanting nothing more than to taste Greyson's lips and hear aroused growls slip from them like they had yesterday. The very thought of what happened caused me to blush not only from the embarrassment of losing control like that but also because I wanted it again though I knew I shouldn't.

"Relax, little wolf," he said as he gently turned me around so we were eye to eye. "I won't bite." I swallowed and nodded, causing something to flash across his eyes before it quickly disappeared and he promptly removed his hands from my body and stepped away though he looked like he didn't want to. "I'll get started on the pancakes," he said, all playfulness vacant from his voice. I nodded, confusion on his strange change of behavior buzzing in my mind as I made my way to the refrigerator to grab some eggs.

We worked in an awkward, heavy silence and I noticed that Greyson purposely started working as far from me as possible though I continuously felt his gaze on me. It's fine, Avery. It's just his wolf, I kept telling myself though it didn't make me feel any better. I looked at the necklace that hung around my neck and looked back at Greyson who was making it a point not to look at me as he continued mixing his pancake batter. I sighed but continued to work anyway.

We both ended up at the stove side by side, Greyson flipping pancakes while l worked on the eggs, both trying and failing to ignore the sparks we felt when our bodies accidentally bumped into one another. We both finished around the same time so we fixed our plates and headed to the table. Greyson took a seat and I was walking toward the seat across from him when he said "Not so fast" then used his free arm to pull me in so I was sitting on his lap. "You can't get away from me that easily." I chuckled though I was extremely confused. One minute he was joking and laughing and the next he was keeping me at arm's length and giving me the cold shoulder. It was all so confusing, especially since we were giving this whole mates thing another try.

"Grey," I suddenly said once I was done with breakfast, my confusion about the whole situation quickly turning to concern that was eating away at me. "Are you okay? I mean you've been acting really weird ever since you've been shot and I know you've been saying it's your wolf but..." I trailed before lightly chewing my bottom lip. "I don't know is it me? Am I irritating your wolf? Is there something I need to change something or-"

"Goddess, no," he said shaking his head as he cupped my cheek. "Avery you're perfect it's just...my wolf is very anxious to meet you."

"Then why don't you let me meet him? I can meet your wolf and you can meet mine," I suggested but he shook his head.

"My wolf isn't in the most stable condition right now. He's still overwhelmed by having a mate that he's very hyperactive," he explained. "But you're not doing anything wrong. It's my fault that sometimes he gets a grip on me."

I nodded, relieved to finally have an answer. "Then why don't we spar?" I suggested, causing him to raise an eyebrow. "It can get rid of some of your wolf's energy while teaching me some techniques."

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Greyson questioned and I nodded. I knew it'd be dangerous to spar with Greyson, especially because he was an alpha and alphas get very competitive very fast, but I trusted Greyson...or at least I was slowly trying to.

He nodded. "Okay. Go get ready and I'll meet you back down here in ten." I nodded before I quickly hopped off his lap and hurried upstairs knowing that he didn't have to change since he was already wearing sweatpants without a shirt. I raided the closet and noticed that Natalie hadn't bought me any shorts and it was way too hot in the pack for leggings. So, I decided to steal some basketball shorts from Greyson before sliding on a black sports bra and a thin jacket over it in case Greyson got too overprotective of me.

"You ready?" He asked once I reached the bottom of the stairs and I nodded. He led me out the door and we walked through the pack grounds toward the training grounds in a comfortable silence. We passed a few pack members as we walked and earned a respectful bow which we returned until we reached our destination. "Come on. Show me what Matthew and that pup Tyler showed you," he said once he found us a secluded clearing, throwing subtle shade at Tyler as he spoke. I rolled my eyes as I took off my jacket, not wanting to give Greyson any opportunity to use it to pin me down before I got in my stance to let him know I was ready. The corners of his lips slightly turned up before he too got into his stance and let his eyes shift to their black color.

We slowly started circling each other, my eyes calculating Greyson's every movement, including the way his chest rose and fell as he breathed. Then he struck. I quickly sidestepped and nearly lost my balance in the process but I remained right side up. Greyson easily recovered before he lunged again, this time aiming for my feet. I sloppily stepped out of the way, giving Greyson an opportunity to grab my ankle and pull me down. I winced as my back roughly hit the ground and stars danced before my eyes. Greyson quickly straddled me and pinned my arms to my sides. He wasn't even out of breath. "Do you yield?"

"You play dirty," I said narrowing my eyes at him though we both know that wasn't true.

"You haven't even seen me playing dirty," Greyson teased. "Do you yield?"

"Never," I said before I quickly wrapped my legs around his waist and flipped us over in one swift motion, taking advantage of his cocky state.

"Sneaky little wolf," he mused after I tightly pinned him down leaving no room for him to flip us again. I couldn't help the triumphant grin that grew on my lips.

"Now Mr. Alpha, do you yield?" I lowly asked causing something to flash across his eyes.

"I don't know, my little wolf," he said, craning his neck up so our faces were mere millimeters apart. "Do you want me to?" My inner wolf started losing her mind at the way his breath lightly caressed my lips and how husky his voice sounded. "Have I ever told you that you look really hot wearing my clothes?" he said referencing his shorts that I was wearing. "It makes me go wild," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, his lips barely brushing my jaw as he spoke. My inner wolf was in ecstasy and my grip on him slightly loosened.

That was my first mistake.

Within a moment's breath, I was on the bottom again and he on top, a victorious grin on his face. "Yield."

I looked at him with my mouth a gap causing his grin to grow. "You tricked me!" I whined.

"I told you that you hadn't seen me play dirty yet," he mused before his grin slowly melted into a serious expression and the back of his hand softly came into contact with my cheek. "But I was telling the truth about the way you make me feel when you wear my clothes." His eyes slowly looked me up and down before meeting my eyes once more. "I really like it."

"I can tell," I said, trying to sound confident, but my words came out as timid and soft. He grinned.

"Do you yield?" He asked one final time and this time I nodded, knowing that if I let us remain in this position any longer then something might happen that I wasn't quite ready for. Even after I admitted defeat, he remained on me for a few more moments, his eyes glued to mine, before he slowly climbed off me though the look in his eye told me that he almost didn't want to.

"Up for another round, little wolf?" He questioned as he offered me his hand.

I smirked as I took his hand and allowed him to help me up. "I was only warming up."

***

It was late evening when we decided to call quits. Greyson had shown me a variety of valuable moves and techniques and let me spar him some more. I even got the drop on him a few times to both our surprise, but he usually had me pinned to the ground nine times out of ten. While he had me pinned though I noticed the struggle between he and his wolf in his eyes. The constant flickering and his harsh breaths. But thankfully he kept his wolf under control as did I.

"I have a surprise for you," Greyson suddenly announced as he walked into our bedroom after taking his shower down the hall since we'd both agreed that taking a shower together so soon could cause conflict amongst our wolves that we really didn't need at the moment. His hair was still dripping with water and he was bare for the world to see other than the towel that was loosely hanging around his hips, allowing his prominent V to flirtatiously peek out from the top.

"What is it?" I asked as I slid on a shirt.

"Look in the closet then meet me downstairs in fifteen minutes," he cryptically said as he grabbed a pair of briefs from the dresser then left the room without another word.

My eyebrows furrowed as my attention turned toward the mysterious closet door and the wonders it held. I got up and slowly made my way to the closet only to have a gasp drawn from my lips. In front of me rested a simple off the shoulder black dress that I could tell would "accentuate" my figure and below it rested a simple pair of heels. I couldn't help the small grin that grew across my lips as I rolled my eyes. "Greyson..." I trailed as I grabbed the dress and shoes. A few moments later I was in the dress and heels with my hair in a simple bun with a few loose hairs that framed my face. I'd opted to go with some red lipstick since I didn't have any other makeup and looked at myself in the mirror. The dress definitely showed off my shape, but not to the point that I felt overexposed.

I found myself fiddling with my necklace as I walked down the stairs as my mind raced with what Greyson's "surprise" for me could be. I was halfway down the stairs when I saw Greyson and I froze. He was dressed nearly the exact same way he had been for the pack dinner except now his tie was black instead of maroon. His hair was beautifully messy and his eyes were focused on himself in the mirror as he finished tying his tie. Or at least attempted to.

"Here, let me help," I offered, causing him to quickly turn around, his eyes slowly taking me in as I approached.

"You look..." he trailed as I took hold of his tie and started tying it for him noting that this time he was wearing a bow tie compared to the normal tie he'd worn before.

"Beautiful. Ravishing. I'll take either," I stated as I finished his tie and straightened it to my liking.

"You look absolutely breathtaking," he softly said before his eyes looked me over once more.

"You don't look too shabby yourself," I said, pride bubbling in my chest at how enamored he seemed to be by me. He slowly cupped my face before he softly ran his thumb over my cheek, his eyes still burrowing into mine. I also couldn't help but notice the way the corners of his lips were slightly turned up. Sparks danced across my skin and made their way deep into my bones, sending my wolf into a frenzy but I kept her at bay.

"Come on my little wolf," he gently said as his hand left my face and found its way to the low of my back. "Our night awaits us."