I can't stop the giddy smile on my face as I look up at Eli.

"What did you have in mind?" I ask him as he twirls a strand of my hair around his finger.

"Well, I was disappointed you wouldn't be home in time for me to take you to the festival of lights in town. I know how much you love it, but now you're here and made all of my dreams come true. How does that sound?" He asks hopefully and I giggle a little before I nod.

"I would love that." I say and he agrees to pick me up in a few hours.

I go into the kitchen where my parents are still eating breakfast and sit at the table to load my plate.

"Well, I think that went pretty well considering." My mom says as I shove bacon into my mouth.

"Jude hates me." I say with a sigh and my mom shakes her head.

"No, baby. He's mad at himself. And he will need to deal with that himself." She says, filling my glass with juice. I ponder that while I eat my breakfast and unpack some of my boxes. I hear the doorbell ring fifteen minutes before Eli said he would be there.

"Natalie! There's a handsome young man here to collect you!" My mom yells up the stairs and I can't stop a nervous laugh from escaping.

I flounce down the stairs and catch Eli's eyes. He's wearing dark jeans with a grey coat, his hair somewhat messy, but that's the way I've always liked it and he knows that. He smiles brightly at me and I return it before my mom slips into another room, leaving us alone. Eli walks up to me and runs his hand gently down my cheek before cupping my jaw.

"You're so beautiful." He murmurs.

"You're beautiful too." I say cheekily and he chuckles a warm, low sound that makes my belly flutter.

"Shall we go? I'm pretty excited." He says. I nod and he puts his hand at the small of my back, leading me towards his car. He opens the door for me and shuts it once I'm tucked safely inside. After he starts the car, he wastes no time reaching over to hold my hand. I clear my throat a little and decide I want to get something out of the way now.

"Eli, I want to ask this and then I promise I won't keep bringing it up." I say and he glances over to me before looking back at the road.

"It's about Jude, right?" He asks and I nod.

"Yes, how do you feel about this arrangement?" I ask and he sighs.

"Honestly? Any scenario where I get to keep you as my mate is fine by me. Do I wish some day you would be able to forgive him and it can be the three of us? Yes. But I'll never push you on it or make you feel guilty for your feelings."

"Did you know?" I ask quietly and he growls a little.

"No. I honestly didn't. And if I had known it was a possibility I would have locked him in a cell in the dungeons until you were home." He says squeezing my hand. I nod sadly, but decide to enjoy this day with him.

We arrive at the fairgrounds where they host the festival of lights every year and Eli opens my door for me, holding my hand to help me out.

We wander around looking at the light displays for awhile, Eli holding my hand making my face heat up in a blush. He gives me a shy smile in response and I can't help but marvel at how different he is than how I thought he would be. I always imagined him being a confident ladies man, with how beautiful he is and intelligent.

"How long do I have you for?" He asks as he hands me a cup of hot cocoa.

"What do you mean?" I ask, blowing gently over the steaming liquid.

"How long is your break? When do you go back to school?" He asks, placing his hand gently at the small of my back and leading me to sit down on a nearby bench.

"Oh." I say, suddenly realizing my oversight. "I guess with everything that happened, I forgot to tell everyone. I'm done. I'm not going back." I say looking over at him. He stops his cup halfway to his mouth before looking over at me, brows furrowed in confusion.

"What do you mean you're done?" He asks and I giggle a little at his confused expression. The sound makes his eyes light up with joy and I feel my stomach do a little flip.

"I finished all of my classes. That's why I didn't come back for my birthday. All I need to go back for is the graduation ceremony." I say with a shrug and his eyes widen at me as he stares. "What?" I ask, suddenly shy under his intense scrutiny. He shakes his head a little to rid himself of his daze.

"You're just incredible. I'm so proud of you." He says earnestly, reaching out to cup my cold cheek with his large warm hand. I close my eyes and lean into his touch, relishing in the sparks that kiss my skin. I smile a little before responding.

"Thank you, Eli. That means a lot to me." I say before sighing heavily. "Although, now I wish I had come back. Things would be so different with Jude." My eyes fall to the ground and I feel Eli's hand on my chin, urging me to look at him.

"No way, sunshine. Don't blame yourself for my brother's stupid choices. You did what was best for you. You kicked ass and I am so grateful you're not going anywhere. I think it would have been harder to have you find out that we're your mates, only to say goodbye to you." He says and I can feel his honesty through our bond. I can feel it heat up a little inside me, almost humming as we feed it, nurture it and help it grow.

"Do you feel that?" He asks, his eyes wide with amazement. I nod and smile at him before resting my head on his shoulder.

He wraps his large arm around my shoulders, resting it on the bench before pressing a gentle kiss to my forehead.

"You look beautiful like this, your cheeks all pink from the cold." He says, his voice light with amusement. I laugh a little in response and look up at him, smiling playfully.

"Is it weird, being mated to me when you've known me my whole life? You've seen all of my awkward moments, my first shift, singing into my hairbrush, trying to learn to swim, fighting with my brother..." I trail off and Eli shakes his head.

"I count myself lucky. I wasn't mated to a stranger, I didn't have to start off from scratch. I already know everything about you and you know everything about me. It'll help me be a better mate. I'm thrilled about being with someone I already love, our love is just going to change a little bit." He says with a shrug and I feel my face grow redder and it's not from the cold, but I nod in agreement.

"You're right. I'm glad I already know you and trust you." I say, resting my head back down on his shoulder as his thumb traces gentle circles on my shoulder.

We finish our hot cocoa and walk around the rest of the festival, enjoying the lights and the excited faces of the children, much the way we used to look when we were younger. I'm sucking on a candy cane when I look over at Eli. I see his intense gaze is already on me as he watches my mouth work over the candy. His usually light blue eyes start swirling with black as his wolf pushes forward and I know he's thinking lustful thoughts. I'm not entirely innocent, I went to an all girls school and I've heard some stories so I decide to play with him. I let out a little groan then pull the candy cane out of my mouth with a little pop at the end.

"Mmm... this tastes so good." I whisper huskily into Eli's ear. He let's out a pained groan in response and tightens his hand in mine. I let out a little proud laugh and he narrows his eyes at me.

"Be careful, sunshine. I have almost two years worth of fantasies stored up in my mind that I can't wait to play out with you." He whispers before leaning down to kiss the spot on my neck that he will mark as soon as I allow him. My knees tremble a little under me and he slips his arm around my waist to keep me upright, chuckling smugly at the same time. I give him an annoyed look and he lets out a full laugh before kissing my forehead. I lean into him, soaking up his warmth as he leads me back to his car. As we are on our way back to the pack, he reaches over to entangle his fingers with mine.

"If you're not going back to school, there is something we need to discuss." He says lifting my hand up to his mouth to kiss the back of it.

"And what's that?" I ask cheerfully, swooning at his sweetness.

"You moving in with me."