I smiled in comfort at the arms around me. They were the familiar chill that I was accustomed to. I snuggled deeper into Lara's arms, causing her to tighten her embrace. She probably switched places with Lexi when I was asleep.

"Good morning." She pressed a kiss to the back of my neck.

"Good morning." I turned around to face her. We both smiled at each other.

"How would you feel about me showing you around where I grew up?" I was surprised she didn't call this place her home. She must associate this place with bad memories.

"I'd love that! I can only imagine how beautiful this place is if it's anything like the view."

"Hmm... beauty isn't how I'd describe this place since it holds a lot of dark memories. Nevertheless, I'll show you around after you eat breakfast." She turned to pick up the tray on the nightstand.

She handed it to me and I sat up. I removed the cloche to hot food. I was surprised it was still warm. I ate scrambled eggs, croissants, ham, and other fruits. Ever since I've activated my wolf side, I've had an insatiable appetite. Lara got up and went onto the balcony as I finished up eating.

I got dressed in a sweater and jeans. Lara offered me a scarf and gloves to complete the look. I then searched through the closet for shoes. I was surprised they had my size, but Lara told me Hailey had prepared everything for my arrival.

Lara smiled at me once more and guided me outside. She consciously made sure she was a few steps ahead of me, so it wouldn't raise suspicion amongst the guards. The guards eyed me like I was a piece of meat every time I passed them. One glare from Lara would snap their jaws shut.

One particular guard tried to intimidate me by taking a step forward. Big mistake! Lara spun around and slammed him into the wall by his throat. I was about to tell her to leave him alone, but she punched her way through his throat. She then rummaged through his throat until she found his tongue and pulled it out, through his throat. She then threw the mangled guard across the hall. She gave a final glare to the other guards before continuing on the journey.

A servant had seen and offered her a handkerchief. Lara took it in stride and wiped her bloody hand on the white cloth. She then handed the dirty cloth to a new servant. I couldn't hide the shudder from what I just saw. Lara must've sensed it since she turned with apologetic eyes. The emotion lasted for less than a second since she morphed it back to a stoic expression.

Lara had led me into the art studio and explained it was her favorite room. I wasn't surprised considering her love of artwork. I walked around to the different easels to see medium sized paintings. There were oil, pastel, watercolor, and charcoal paintings. I had to slow my steps to give each work the view it disturbed. They were gorgeous.

I then noticed they were different depictions of the same woman with blond hair. The blond woman was in different positions, whether it was sleeping, sitting in a cafe, laughing at something, or lying in a park while having a picnic. It was then that I realized they were all of me. All the paintings captured a different time Lara and I had spent together.

I saw a large painting out of the corner of my eye. It was hidden by a covering, so I walked to it and removed the covering. I gasped at the giant 6 foot blond wolf staring back at me. The majority of the piece was my wolf, but the lower left side showed my human face. Tears of love and joy lined my eyes as I saw the amount of love she had for me captured by her pieces.

I turned to see a nervous smile playing on her lips. Now, I understand why she was "so busy" yesterday. I skipped to her and hugged her. She hugged back tighter and kissed the top of my head.

"I love them." I whispered.

"And I love you." My heart stopped at her confession. I looked up into her loved filled eyes and it was at that moment I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this woman. She was the one for me.

"I love you." I whispered against her lips.

I'm not sure how long Lara and I spent trading kisses, but we eventually broke it off so she could give me the rest of the tour. She led me to a variety of rooms.

The castle was different from the mansion back in Maryland. The one in Maryland felt like a family home whereas this felt like a museum where you dare not make something scoot an inch out of place. There wasn't any entertainment room, pool, or fun area. The place had many rooms dedicated to training or other types of upper class entertainment.

There was at least a music room. It seemed like the art and music rooms were the only fun parts of the house. Lara showed me the kitchens, dance hall, and other rooms. I did notice her bypass certain rooms. I didn't question her since the place was massive, so I chalked it up to her not wanting to bore herself with every single room.

Lara finally led me outside onto the snowy courtyard. It had a winter type of beauty. The evergreen trees were lined around the expanse. Shrubs that were sculpted were also on display. I looked up at the sky as snowflakes fell onto my lashes.

"This place is like a castle." I said wistfully as I took in a panoramic view of the place.

"Well that was the intention."

"Wow, what are you like vampire royalty or something?" I said with a teasing tone.

"Why? Wondering if I check the social status box to be with you?" She quipped back.

I had an impish thought pass through my mind. I squatted down and formed a snowball. I then twirled around and threw it at Lara's face. She stood there and a thought crossed her mind. I think she was debating whether or not to take the hit. She was a vampire and could easily dodge out the way, but she stood with a big smile as the snow collided with her face.

She chuckled and looked down as the snowy water dripped off her chin. I saw her abruptly hold up a hand. It was then that I noticed several guards behind us. I didn't realize they followed us outside. They seemed surprised by Lara's command, but didn't question it.

Lara gave me a smirk before zooming up to me and lifting me up. She then quickly placed me on the ground while restraining my wrists with her hands. I struggled against her iron grip, but it was futile since she was way too strong.

"You play dirty, love." She whispered close to my ear. "Seems like you deserve to be punished." She pulled back with a smug grin.

I decided to throw her off guard. Since I couldn't beat her physically, I decided to use her own weight against her. I locked my legs around hers and flipped us over. The surprise in Lara's face was picture worthy. I now had her pinned underneath me. Her green eyes stared into my blue ones with shock. Suddenly, she broke my hold on her right wrist to hold her hand up.

I turned to see the guards 6 feet from us. They snarled at me, but clamped their mouths shut when Lara glared at them. She motioned for them to retreat back to their previous positions. She then turned to face me and allowed her right arm to drop. I placed my hand on it as she smirked up at me.

It was then that I realized truly how much stronger she is than me. It was annoying that she pretended to be weak when in actuality she could throw me off her. I had to fight back to urge to kiss her. My wolf liked seeing our mate in such a vulnerable, compromising position.

I released my hold since I wasn't sure I could control myself. She stood up and offered me a hand. I took it and she gently pulled me up. Her hand was still attached to me, even after I stood up. She then tugged me, causing me to fall into her arms. She giggled and carried me back inside.

I pouted and rolled my eyes as giggles racked her body. She took me in the direction of a Range Rover. I looked at her confused, but she just continued smiling. A guard opened the door for her. She placed me in the backseat before scooting next to me. I then noticed Alec was in the passenger side.

I looked at the driver to see Taemin. I looked at Lara, silently asking where we're going.

"Into town, my love."

Taemin then began driving. I was surprised no additional guards followed us, but I was happy to be surrounded by familiar faces.