This is what I've been looking forward to since the day I first shifted...

I curl my arms around Viola's sleeping form, gently pulling her back flush against my bare chest, inhaling her sweet scent appreciatively as I rest my chin her shoulder. Her dark hair curls in gentle waves down her back and over her shoulders, the silky tendrils soft to the touch...I twirl a lock of it around my finger as I nuzzle my cheek against hers.

My mate, in my bed...sharing warmth and sleep with each other, her scent filling our bedroom as it swirls with mine...

It's perfect...

"Someone likes to cuddle..." Viola's sleepy voice murmurs, and I purr happily as I see her beautiful blue green eyes open, still a bit sleepy as they peek at me.

"I do...but I'll deny it in front of anyone else..." I admit as I press a kiss to her cheek, and she giggles...goddess I love that sound.

"Heavens forbid anyone discovers that the big, bad Beta is secretly a cute, cuddly puppy..." She teases, and I growl playfully as I begin pressing kisses to the back of her neck...knowing that she's quite ticklish there. She begins squirming against me as she laughs, sparks erupting across my skin as hers meets mine.

"Tyron! You-!" She gasps as I press a kiss to her shoulder, her body shivering in response to having that sensitive area exploding with sparks.

"Yes love?" I purr, kissing the underside of her jaw as her fingers interlace with mine. Next thing I know she flipping me on my back, straddling my hips and pinning my hands down to the bed. Her face hovers over mine, her wild hair hanging down to tickle my chest as her eyes glow with excitement.

In her cotton shorts and my t-shirt, bed head, and glimmering eyes...she looks absolutely stunning.

"You had your fun, but it's my turn now Mon Chou." She purrs, and as she smiles down at me I can see the tips of her descended fangs peaking out...

There is so much I don't know about her species...but all of my questions fly out the window as I feel her lips softly brush across my forehead, just enough to leave sparks...but not enough to have full contact. She continues this across my entire face, my cheeks, my temples, my nose...her cool breath fanning over my skin and giving me goosebumps as goes. When I close my eyes in response, she kisses the lids faintly...the faint tingling both pleasant and maddening at the same time, simultaneously fulfilling my craving for her touch and making me crave it even more...

Goddess...this woman is going to drive me crazy like this...

"Viola..." I sigh as she ghosts over my jaw and chin, and as her soft lips brush over mine I instinctively raise up to capture them in a deeper kiss...only to suddenly realize she's no longer there. Her weight no longer holding me down, I open my eyes and jerk upright to see she's disappeared...the sound of her giggling is followed by our bathroom door shutting behind her as she locks it.

That devious woman...she likes to tease and run...

"You little vixen...you're going to have to come out of there eventually..." I rumble playfully, and she only laughs in response.

Sighing, I get out of bed too...replacing my pajama bottoms with jeans, and then pulling on a black t-shirt. I run a hand through my messy hair a couple of times as I head downstairs to the kitchen, deciding to make breakfast here for the first time in ages.

Raiding the fridge, I grab a box of pancake mix, milk and some eggs, along with some fresh strawberries and other sweet toppings. I've got to thank Nana for restocking my fridge.

Mixing up everything, I plug in my waffle iron and my Keurig coffee maker, fixing a cup of my typical Donut Shop coffee as I wait for the iron to heat up. I hunt to find Viola's favorite, caramel creme to put in next, knowing from our morning dates that outside of Lattes this is her preferred morning brew.

Once that's done, I pour the required amount of batter into the waffle maker and wait for it to cook through, the smell making my stomach growl hungrily. I know that it won't be long before the smell reaches upstairs, and that's all the temptation necessary to bring my beautiful mate down here.

After putting the batter in for waffle number six, I smile as I hear her faint footsteps quickly coming down the stairs. I quickly put her mug under the coffee maker and pop in her brew, turning my attention to the waffle maker again just as I feel her arms wrap around me from behind. Victor rumbles happily as she nuzzles her face against my back, her scent accompanied by the smell of her cherry blossom body wash and vanilla body spray.

"Breakfast smells lovely Mon Chou, what are we having?" She murmurs, and I smile as I take the last waffle out of the maker and onto a second plate, both now having three each.

"Waffles, with your choice of toppings. I have everything from fruit and maple syrup, to chocolate syrup, caramel and whip cream...however you want to make them." I answer, and she chuckles.

"You have quite a few sugary options..."

I turn around to face her, my eyes taking in her change in appearance. Her once wild hair is now neatly brushed into a low ponytail, her bangs curling naturally to frame her face. Her face is void of all make up, her pink lips turned upwards in a soft smile. She's exchanged my t-shirt for one her own, a peach colored one with lace sleeves, and her shorts are now denim instead of cotton...showing off her beautiful, shapely legs, her bare feet exposing the white polish that's on her toes as well as her fingers.

She's always so well dressed, it's quite impressive.

"Well, I do have a bit of a sweet tooth..." I answer at last, and her eyes twinkle with curiosity.

"I'll have to remember that..." She purrs, her hands sliding up my chest and shoulders to curl around my neck, and she stretches up just a bit to reach my lips, her being taller than average helping immensely. I immediately capture her lips with mine, not wanting her to tease me like she did earlier. I growl lowly as her body presses against mine, my hands sliding down to grab her waist as our lips move together.

Just when I'm getting caught up in the moment, she pulls away with flushed cheeks to place a finger over my lips, stopping the them from following her retreating ones.

"That's enough for now...we wouldn't want breakfast to get cold now, would we?" She chuckles, and my reply is suddenly cut off by the sound of someone fake gagging, and I jerk my head to face the entrance to the kitchen to see four faces I haven't seen since I left.

My parents who are grinning with obvious amusement, my Nana who's shaking her head with a knowing smile...and my little sister who's faking a disgusted expression, which makes her appear to be seven instead of seventeen.

"I have a feeling breakfast would be the only thing that gets cold." Nana chuckles, and my face heats up with embarrassment.

"Hey, I'm happy to see you guys...but how did you get in here?" I say, and Viola giggles at my nervous voice. I sigh as Nana holds up a spare key to the house that I gave her, having forgotten that for a moment.

"Well baby, aren't you going to introduce us to your lovely mate?" My mom says, and I rub a hand over the back of my neck.

"Viola, this is my family...my mom Shauna, my dad Eric, my younger sister Melody, and my Nana Andrea..." I introduce, each of them raising their hands as I say their names.

"Guys, this my mate Viola Moreau..." I continue, and she smiles.

"It's lovely to meet you all, I've heard quite a lot about you from Tyron." She replies, my mother nearly bursts at the seams.

"Would it be alright if we joined you for breakfast? My mate has been impatient to meet you..." Dad asks as he holds back my mother from tackling my mate, and she laughs.

"Of course...I would be delighted!"

"I guess I'll be making more food then." I chuckle as I get back to work, secretly thrilled about this despite the impromptu arrival.

It means me and Viola are getting even closer.

Meeting his family was quite eye opening, they all have such interesting and unique personalities.

His mother is exuberant and lively, full of energy and fascination for anything relatively exciting. She asked me so many questions I lost track, as did she as she kept stopping to tell such adorable stories about Tyron's childhood...and showed me pictures of little Ty that were the cutest thing, making my beloved embarrassed. I can see where he got his energy from...and his innate curiosity.

His father is more reserved, but very attentive to detail...managing to keep up with his mates constantly changing conversation and train of thought no matter which direction it went in. It seems Tyron inherited that as well, his ability to remember small details about long conversations is what got us so close to begin with.

His Nana is a sweet and energetic woman, and I just loved her nickname for her grandson- TyTy...making me think of the beanie babies I used to collect as a child. So cute...

And his sister was so charming, her sense of humor seem to focus around teasing her brother back and forth, though I could sense some anxious energy in her mood...and after she asked me a few questions I think I figured it out...

She hasn't met her mate yet, and is a bit impatient to do so. I understand her well, I felt the same way when I was her age...but after my experience I know all to well the importance of patience, to give it time as she waits for her soulmate. The right one will find in time...I'm sure of it...

Especially since I've been with Tyron...

Our bond has only gotten stronger as we've been living together the past week, and we've started adjusting to sharing space as we've been renovating the house...giving everything a warmer, inviting look than it previously had.

We've already completed the dining room, the living room, and his office...which only needed a coat of blue paint to meet his standards. Now we are working on our bedroom, changing out his old sheets and pillows for new softer ones that fit the paint scheme better...the once white walls now alternating between wine red and a golden beige, fitting well with the dark wood floors. I've left the cream colored drapes on the bed, and I'm currently putting the last of the throw pillows on the bed.

"It looks lovely Darlin'." Tyron says as returns from the kitchen with a couple of glasses of sweet tea, and I smile.

"Thank you, I'm glad you like it."

"Question is, what are we going to do with the old sheets and pillows?" He questions, and I purse my lips in thought.

"There isn't anything really wrong with the sheets, though I could use the for my art to keep paint from dripping on the floor or splattering on the wall...but I'm not sure about the pillows..." I reply.

"I think I might have an idea for those." He murmurs as I hear him put the glasses down on the table, and as I turn around I'm surprised by a pillow hitting me in the face...my beloved grinning deviously as he takes in my expression.

Pillow fight? Bring it on.

I laugh and grab the other large pillow, and the war begins as we proceed to chasing and hitting each other with the soft weapons, laughing like little kids as he chases me down through the house. At some point the pillows burst, making feathers fly around us as they get everywhere.

This is too much fun.

Not paying attention, my foot steps on a particularly large clump of feathers, sending me sliding across the floor with a startled cry. Just before I hit the floor, I feel Tyron's arms wrap around me as he rolls me in the air before we hit the ground with a loud thump. I open my eyes at his grunt of pain, finding myself laying on top of him with his arms securely holding me.

"Are you okay?" I ask worriedly, no doubt his shielding me from hitting the floor hurt him...he landed on his back with me on top of him.

"I'm fine...are you alright?" He replies, looking up at me with concern. And as I take in the sight of us laying on the floor, feathers floating around us and sticking in our clothes and hair...I can't help but laugh, the warmth flooding my body.

"I'm- I'm okay-!" I choke out through my laughter, and his body shakes with mine as he laughs with me, the sound booming and deep from his chest...like he feels it with his whole body, his soul...

It's one of the things that I lo-

I halt in my laughter as the realization hits me, the incomplete thought making me freeze.

"Viola?" He questions as he sees my stunned expression, bringing a hand up to caress my cheek. "Darlin' are you okay?"

I don't know exactly when...but at some point in our time together, I fell in love with him....without even realizing it until now...

"Viola?" He murmurs, and I find my voice again.

"Je t'aime...Tyron..." I whisper, a bit dazed...and his eyes widen as he sits up, his heart racing as he looks down at me.

"Say it again...please..." He asks, and my face flushes as I realize he understands me...he's been learning French.

"Je t'aime...Tyron-" I repeat, and gasp as his lips collide with mine in a passionate kiss, his actions feverish as I struggle to keep up...

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear those words Viola..." He whispers as he moves his kisses to my jaw, a purr rumbling in his chest. And as my heart floods with his warmth, I make the decision that I've been debating for the past week...

"I would like to know...may I mark you?" I murmur, and his body goes completely rigid before he meets my eyes once more.

"Goddess yes..." He replies, and I press a kiss to his smiling lips before continuing slowly down his jaw and neck, his body shuddering in anticipation. I push aside the collar of his shirt as my fangs flick out, tentatively searching for his sweet spot...stopping at the curve of his shoulder as a low growl rumbles from his chest.

Teasing him a little, I flick my tongue against the spot, and he moans...the sound making me purr.

"You might feel a slight pinch Beloved..." I murmur just before sinking my fangs into the spot, and he jumps and groans at sensation of the slight pain turning into immense pleasure, his arms tightening around me as our thoughts swirl together...I retract my fangs after a few seconds and clean the wound with my tongue, the taste of his blood teasing my thirst.

"Mine..." I say as I meet his eyes, dark and hungry as the honey color almost melts.

"All yours..."