I grunt as Jude pins me to the ground, hovering over me with his sweaty brow, large smile, and bare chest despite my pleas for both of them to remain fully dressed.

"Hey, pretty girl." He murmurs, leaning forward to tuck his face into my neck. I scoff and push him off, standing up and taking a defensive stance.

"Again." I bark and Jude just chuckles, shaking his head.

"Relax, sunshine. You're not going to learn years of training in a few weeks. You've done enough for today. Lets hit the showers." He says, wagging his eyebrows at me, but I just roll my eyes.

Things got better after Corinne left. No one believed her, just as Jude figured, and I was able to focus on training both my body and my gift. I didn't want to hurt people, so I only tried to bring them joy. But I started using it on more than one person at a time, projecting it as far as I could The first few days were exhausting, but after a couple of weeks I had built up a fairly good tolerance. The only person I brought sadness to was my brother. He agreed to it first, saying I needed to practice, but I don't think I was supposed to enjoy being so mean to my brother.

I start back towards the house, Jude walking with me and throwing his arm over my shoulders. I had let him be more affectionate lately, for both of our sakes. My wolf was dying to be close to him, even if we were both still hurt by what he had done.

"What do you want for dinner, baby?" He asks and I shrug.

"Chicken." I say cheekily and he barks out a laugh, shaking his head.

"You never have to ask for that." He whispers in my ear and I giggle before pushing him away.

"I meant actual chicken. With that white sauce you put on it... Mmmmm..." I moan out making him smile wide.

"Sure thing. After I shower I'll cook." He says, bounding up the stairs as I grab a bottle of water.

Eli walks in the door a few minutes later looking delicious in a sweater and jeans. I hardly ever get to see him dressed in real clothes since most of our time is spent training and sleeping.

"Hey, sunshine. How'd training go today?" He asks, kissing my cheek.

"Good. But Jude pinned me." I say bitterly making Eli chuckle.

"Where is he?" He asks, pulling me into his chest.

"Showering. Then he's going to cook." I say brightly making Eli smile.

"Alright. What do you want to do tonight?" He asks, trailing his lips down my neck, sucking gently on the spot I know he wants to mark.

"I don't know." I say breathlessly. He gives me a smug grin as Jude wanders down the stairs.

"I've got patrol tonight, E." He says and Eli shakes his head.

"No, you had it last night." He says and Jude shrugs.

"I prefer to run at night. Fuck that early morning shit, you can have that." He says making me laugh. His eyes brighten when he hears the sound and he leans down to kiss my cheek and Eli goes upstairs to change.

"So I'll be out. In case you want to eat some chicken." He whispers in my ear and I gasp, pulling away from him and smacking his chest.

"That's not seriously why you agreed to that is it?" I ask and Jude shrugs, a wide smile on his face.

"I could smell your arousal from upstairs, baby." He murmurs and my face heats in a blush.

"Stop it." I snarl at him. "We're just going to watch a movie or something." I say and Jude's face goes sad.

"Okay. Just... don't stop building your relationship with Eli because you're worried about how it will make me feel. I want you to be happy, Nat. So fucking happy." He says firmly and my heart melts a little at his words.

I walk over to him, wrapping my arms around his neck and tucking my face into his chest. He pulls me in close, pecking a kiss to the top of my head before I pull away to look at him.

"Thank you, Jude. That means a lot to me. I'm just not... I don't know." I say, trailing off.

"Not what?" He asks, pushing a piece of my hair back that had fallen out of my pony tail.

"Not sure how to do these things. That I'll be good at it." I say and he smiles affectionately at me.

"It'll be perfect. Whenever you decide you're ready." He murmurs, kissing my cheek before letting me go. His words warm my heart and butterflies erupt in my stomach. I feel a piece of me mend, one of the parts of me he broke when he cheated on our bond. I take a deep breath as I step back from him, heading up the stairs to shower.

After we eat, Jude heads out to patrol while Eli and I snuggle up together on the couch. I sigh in content as his body heat melds into me, my body relaxing against him as he looks for something to watch. I think about Jude's words earlier, what he said about me being ready. As I look up at Eli I know that I'm ready. That I want to share this with him. I push myself up and throw my leg over him until I'm straddling him, my hands resting on his chest. He looks up at me surprised, his hand reaching out to my hip to hold me steady.

"What are you doing, sunshine?" He asks, his voice holding curiosity and amusement.

I grind my hips against him, making him groan as his eyes shut. I feel him begin to stiffen under me and my heart begins to pound painfully in my chest. Nerves roil through me, but I push them down as I lean over to kiss him. I catch his lips with mine, melding us together and moaning as his taste fills my mouth. I pull away, leaning down to whisper in his ear.

"I want you, Eli." He groans again, thrusting his hips up as his hardness presses against me.

"You sure, baby?" He asks and I nod, smiling at him.

"I'm sure." I say and it's all he needs to hear before he jumps off the couch, me in his arms.

I giggle as he throws me over his shoulder, carrying me to his room. He tosses me down on the bed, ripping his shirt off and his shorts follow shortly after. He glides over me on the bed dropping kisses on every inch of bare skin he can find. I smile and lean into his touch, his lips sucking and nibbling along my neck.

"Are you sure, Natalie? Maybe Jude should... The first time." He says and I shake my head, cupping his face in my hands.

"You waited for me. I want to share this with you." I say and his smile turns affectionate as he nods.

"I love you. You know that, right?" He asks sweetly and I nod, tears pricking my eyes.

"I know. I love you, too." I say and his responding smile is brilliant.

I sit up to pull off my shirt, my breasts slipping free. They bounce a little and Eli lets out a little growl from his wolf.

"Tighten up your block." I say and he nods as I do the same.

Eli's hot mouth descends on me, leaving a trail of fire along my skin. I groan when his tongue pokes out to stroke my clit, twirling it and sucking it gently. My arousal pours onto my thighs and I spread my legs wider on impulse, wanting more. A finger slips into me and I groan, arching my back to coax him deeper. He chuckles a little, pulling his finger out. I huff in disappointment until he replaces it with two fingers, stretching me gently as he prepares me for his cock. He continues the gentle thrusts of his fingers as his tongue devours me. When I can no longer take it my voice turns needy.

"Please, Eli?" I beg and he lets out a growl of approval.

"I've got you, baby." He says as he climbs over me. "I'll be gentle." He murmurs and I nod, looking up at him.

"I trust you." I say breathlessly and he smiles before lining himself up at my entrance.

"You wanna stop, just tell me. You understand?" He asks and I nod.

"Yes. Now make me yours." I whisper and he slips the tip into me..

I gasp at the feeling, so unlike anything I've felt before.

"You okay, baby?" He asks, worry evident on his face. I nod enthusiastically, tilting my hips to coax him further in.

"More, Eli. I want more." I whine and he obliges, slipping in further and groaning as he fills me.