He shifts on the couch closing his eyes. I take a moment to study his features and how smooth his face in when it isn't contorted against some form of stress, "How will I know-"

Beautiful. Her hair, her eyes. Everything. His thoughts were my own, taking over any individuality I had. His thoughts, memories, ideas all flow into my mind at once. My palms come up to my temples to squeeze my head. It like a migraine, but much worse:

"Josh, we have to take them sooner than later. My wolf can barely contain himself around her." I- I mean Ares, says to the beta. They are sitting in their office at the bank. Both look beyond tired, neither breaking eye contact with the floor. Josh runs his fingers through his hair pulling at the ends. It's like he's trying to pull the thoughts of Jessica from him.

"We slept together last night, and I was tempted to tell her I love her. How can she not feel this?" Josh grumbles wracking his hands through his hair, Ares shifts in his seat. His frustration mimics his betas. His own hand fisting and slamming down on the table. I can feel the need coursing through him, the want, the everything. It's like I'm his perfect glass of water while he's suffering from endless thirst. Just as they sit across from one another, an important email sitting on the screen, his thoughts are clouded at the thought of my legs wrapped around him.

"I want her to mess up, try to run. Then I can keep her to myself." Ares spits. The wolf is controlling this reaction. The sensation of the animal eating at him, the cracks in his human armor breaking further. The wolf is screaming, beating, demanding. It's a constant claw in his mind to find me and claim me.

"Agreed."

The memories change going father back, the day at the diner when he first saw me.

"Do you smell that?" Ares grumbles looking around, his wolf calls out to him, the Luna is nearby. Another scratch of claws in his head. It's painful, the feeling of its nails dragging down a mental wall. Its demand is constant, unwavering. I hadn't expected such a feeling for him; however, it gives such a perspective to the pain he's constantly in. The battle he's fought to keep from marking me until now.

Tyson rolls his eyes sitting down at the closet table. His rude behavior sets him on edge, the need to discipline him taking over formal thoughts, "Why did we even pick this place? It's such a grease trap." Ares rolls his eyes at the wolf choosing to ignore his Gamma's behavior. Tyson has always been an obvious idiot, but his notable battle skills allow him a snide comment here and there.

"I think my wolf knew we needed to be here." Ares responds tapping his hand on the table.

"I mean if that's what he's telling you Alpha. I hope she's here. The sooner you find her, the less of a stick in the mud you'll be. Maybe grant that PTO I keep putting in for." Tyson snickers pretending to punch the arm of his Alpha.

It was that moment a goddess walked up. Her beautiful locks, perfect shape and drop-dead smile stunning me to silence. My wolf surfaces demanding to greet her she asks for our needs, Tyson orders for the both of us something simple. He knows. Her figure leaves through the sea of people, Tyson waits no time, "Are you going to grab her?"

"You know the rules, she has to choose to be with me." I want nothing more than to steal her away. Grab her now. If I take her, then I can enclose her in my home and show her how much love I can offer. She'll be safe within the walls of my manor. I won't have to worry. She might hate me-

"My wolf could tell she's the Luna. It was terrifying. I almost went belly up the moment she said hello."

I see myself walking back to the table, their drinks dangling from my hand. My thoughts tangle with his, the perspective becoming dicey. It seems to meld as though I'm him, and the memories become stronger the more involved I am. I feel the tears trailing down my face. The way he looks at me is astounding. I'm his everything.

"Here you go, boys. That food should be up shortly. I'll be around to check on you soon." Her voice is a siren call. I can't help but shift in my seat. Every inch of my skin begs for her touch. I need her. I need her so fucking badly.

No, please don't leave. She does. "She really is beautiful." Tyson groans, but I haven't said a word to her. My claws retract digging into his upper thigh. He curses but lets it happen. He knows the consequences of speaking about a mated woman in such ways.

"She's a fucking goddess." My tongue drips with honesty. Her beauty is unparallel. Any woman would beg to beg to have a drop of her beauty. Even her friend that she laughs with looks at her with envy when she struts off.

"Already whipped?"

"I think my wolf is ready to bend over backwards." I groan into the drink trying to retract the golden glow. Tyson laughs at my hard on under the table, one of which I beg to leave me. This would surely scare her away. Human are so...Everything in me aches to walk up to her, grab her, devour her. If it wasn't for the pesky humans surrounding us, I might have taken her over this table. Humans, however, don't understand and she would be terrified of such a forward gesture.

"Done looking? I don't have time to be entertainment today." She mocks at Tyson, his eyes trailing up her body. I physically restrain my hand from slitting his throat.

"The name is Tyson, Tyson Wells. I was just admiring your beauty." He mind links me to speak up, begs me to take over. He's trying to give me an opening to use my words. This is my forever, my being, I should be able to say a simple hello.

"Oh wow. Still don't care. I would appreciate if you admired that food and told me if you need anything else?" Her hand goes to her hip. She's the perfect Luna. Her confidence and strength presented in these moments alone tells me how she'll run the pack. Take no shit.

It's now or never, "Ares Gray." My hand stretches out to her, for the love of everything please touch me. She responds wrapping her tiny hand around mine. The touch sends my heart into overdrive, my wolf slamming at the door of my mental gate to mark her. Make love to her. Be the beast to her beauty.

"Veronica Smite." Veronica, my everything. She seems to appreciate me, taking me with a smile. I pull my hand away, too much longer and I would be doing something that I might regret later. But would I actually?

I try to pull myself back, the emotions that roll through him towards me so overwhelming that I have to breath, but he drags me back in forcing to go through the next.

"Please Ares." She moans underneath me. Even with everything she still begs for my touch, demands me to pleasure her.

"Say it again." Say my name, let me hear the most wonderful thing come from your lips. That you want me, need me in this moment.

She hums, the pleasure of the mate bond taking over her senses, such a beautiful fucking sight, "Ares please." I couldn't stand it. My teeth find her neck, my wolf calling out to sink my teeth into her soft skin. Make her mine. Nothing could be more perfect that seeing the thoughts that flash behind those beautiful eyes. Her round breasts take my attention, a change of mental topic so I can keep it together. She believes me human and takes this as a quick fuck. To her I am just another male that desires her body, she doesn't understand the level at which this means for me.

Our bodies fit perfectly together, pleasure beyond what I could imagine overcoming me. I know she doesn't want pups, not even a hint at the discuss now or anytime soon. I let myself come on her back; she seems more than pleased.

I love you, my little goddess.

He closes the connection. The last few memories of his ex's slip into my mind. None of them compared to how he felt with me, most just a fuck to get him out of stress. I felt his wolf as well, the way they communicate to each other, and his wolfs need to touch me, be with me, surround me. I shove myself off the couch walking across the room. Ares stays in his place letting me breath away from that, "That was intense."

"I know." His response is sincere, a large amount of worry coming from him. His hand stays outstretched in case I need to take it.

"You've loved me since the moment you saw me."

He nods, "I have."

"Do I really look like that to you? You call me a goddess." It's unbelievable. Even sitting there in his head, reliving those moments with him, and I still can't trust that a man like him would ever look at me in such a way.

Ares smiles, "I can't put into simple terms how stunning, beautiful, bewitching you are to me. I see no other, desire no one but you."

"I could tell." The words slipped out; I wasn't going to respond initially, but here we are.

"How are you feeling?"

I shift back over to the couch grabbing the burrito. A large bite is swallowed before I could formulate a response, "I don't hate you as much."

If anything, I might like him a bit. He passes the burrito. The experience was more than draining, my stomach screaming for food. He'd made sure to wrap it up, so it was still warm when I dropped back next to him to finish. We both stayed silent for a while, mindlessly pretending to enjoy the movie I'd picked. He loves me.

I lay sprawled across the bed later, Ares taking a shower. He handed me a book of dresses to pick from earlier for the Lunar Ball, my seamstress having done sketches for me to make it easier. My heart and head slam together in this crazy misunderstanding of what I really want, and how I want it. In some ways, I want to submit to him and let me take care of me, be the Luna that he wants. The other side of me wants to run for the hills, but why? Is the fear of someone truly caring for me being the factor driving me away? Is this that? Am I finally learning what being cared for is like? Someone wanting to do things for you without expecting anything in return? Am I worthy of such love?

The sex is great, amazing, but is that a part of my reasoning for giving it? Am I just a whore for him and don't want to say goodbye?

No.

Am I even half the person I need to be to pretend to be a Luna? What truly comes with that? People will rely on me, ask for me, and I will be expected to be their caretaker. What about Ares... if he was to get too angry? Could I truly calm him and settle his raging anger? I usually cause the anger, "Your mind moves a million times a minute, even more so than before." I hear Ares enter from the bathroom, my thoughts stall, "Do you need to talk it out?"

"What is there to talk about if you already heard it?" I taunt, he flattens his lips looking around for just a moment.

"Your fears are valid, darling." He sits down next to me on the bed towel hanging off his hips, "But I love you, and I know that you are more than worthy of anything this life gives you. The moon doesn't put people together for no reason. You are just as made for this role as I. I want you to understand that your fear of being controlled is understandable from what you went through. My intention isn't to hold you back. I noticed that you'd wanted to go to college at one point, maybe open a business."

I sit up pulling my legs into myself. Not like he can't read me, might as well get out with it, "I feel that if I was to fall in love with you, give you myself in that way, I'll be giving away my freedom that I have been running so far to achieve. However, you keep proving that wrong! You keep being this image of perfection. And when you did fuck up, you apologized. I can't blame a cat for its nature as much as I can blame a wolf. Being in your head gave me a perspective I hadn't expected. And college... that's just a dream."

"Love, college doesn't have to be a dream. Happiness doesn't either. I have the world to give you. Just because I want you to be my Luna, doesn't mean you have to start the role immediately. If you have things in life you want to achieve first, let me help you. If you want to travel, let's start planning. I have a beta for a reason. Being a leader of the pack doesn't mean an anchor from the world."

"Do you mean that?" The tears brim my eyes, my heart wanting to accept it so badly. It's true, I've given up fighting, I want him, but I need the peace. And college? This expensive and unrealistic dream is there on the tips of my fingers. I'll be able to get a degree, finally work in something that I'll enjoy, "I don't want to be your secretary. I want to open a business and be my own boss. Would you let me?"

He slides off the bed tugging me with him, I sit on the edge with my legs hanging off. Ares tucks the towel against his hip grabbing both my hands with his. I watch him settle his knees below him and lower his head into my lap. Both his palms are faced up, my hands frozen in the air above him, "Veronica Smite, I submit to you. I promise to care for you, love you, give you what you need. Whether that be space, travel, pleasure, being your first investor or a shoulder to cry on. As Alpha and your mate, I submit to you and only you." He looks up to me, tears in his own eyes, "Just please, darling, let me love you."

His submission breaks the last wall of ice around my heart, finally settles my inner turmoil and gets me to say the words that I had enclosed in the deepest part of myself, "Ares..." He waits, looking over my face while I cry, "I care for you, and I want to..." Choke, "I want to be loved by you. Just please... don't become him."

"Veronica..." He shifts upward taking my lips with his. Our mouths move against each other so deliciously, a wave of emotions moving between us. His love for me is felt in the deepest parts of my mind, my own mirror of want to return to him. Hands wrap around the back of my neck and slip into my hair. Please love me.

"I love you." He mumbles against my lips breaking the emotional kiss between us.

"I know." I whisper back, smiles breaking out between us, "This is really fast."

"I would have a ring on your finger all ready if you would let me." Ares laughs to himself taking a moment to reflect, "Veronica Gray, what do you think?"

"Are you crazy? I've known you what? Two weeks? Maybe less?" I laugh. The tears that had fallen are dried, my face cracking the stained cheeks with my smile. He peppers kisses over my face, each one harder than the last. It ends with a deep kiss against my lips, the salt mixing over our tongues as we moan into one another.

"It doesn't take years to know what you want." He mumbles against my lips pressing me onto my back, and for the first moment of my life, I let him love me in words and body. He treasured me that night, kissing every inch of my skin until I knew just how much he truly loves me.

~

The next flew by way faster than I had expected, people rush around the home shoving past me to put up decor, others stopping me to ask my preference. However, they soon realized they would hate what I wanted and stopped asking. Ares stayed busy between Alpha duties and being the CEO. Not to mention the calls he had to make to help arrange all the packs for the official announcement. The Lunar Ball is typically for pack members, but other Alpha's and their mates are invited as a formality to officially meet. Ares spent hours explaining to me our allies against our enemies. It wasn't long before the headaches sprouted, and I told him to go away. Dragging my thoughts back to center, the grey-haired woman from before named Meredith finds all reason to bug me, "Mrs. Gray, you need to eat. He will have my head if you don't shovel something down."

"Meredith, I'm not hungry. Tell the Alpha to kiss my ass." And come find me so he can do it himself.

"I am not repeating that to the Alpha. Have some class, Mrs. Gray."

"Then deal with me not eating, please. I just need a moment of peace." I wave her away, but she holds place. She is one of the most caring women here, but she takes her job very seriously. This eating lunch argument is almost an everyday thing, as Ares stuffs me full of fruit and bread every morning before leaving for work. I know part of it is a distraction from not seeing my friend. Jessica has been just as good as I have, listening and staying put. Today Josh finally agreed with the Alpha that I could see her. I'm simply counting down the hours. Ares could've played the Alpha card so I could see her sooner, but he also wanted to respect his beta. He feels tension between the two of them that he can't identify, his wolf on edge around him, and I can't do anything about it.

"Fine! Fine! If you want me dead so, be it!" She snaps her head to another staff member that pops her head into the room. I watch the quiet interaction between the two, the ladies whispering quietly to one another, "It seems you have a visitor, Luna."

"A who?"

"Come now. It appears to be someone important!" She giggles. My first instinct yell's Jessica, that fat assed hoe that I wish to squeeze tightly between my arms and beg for forgiveness on getting us caught. The ladies lead me through the hallways stopping right before the door, the younger lady turns to me with a large grin, "He is so excited to see you! Said that you were childhood friends."

"Suzanne did you clear this with the Alpha?"

"I figured one visitor that came all this way would be fine. And he said he's mated, so what's the big deal? And he's such a gentleman, told me about his status and how his father recently passed. Didn't expect a title so soon in life. Poor guy."

"You both are out to get my head served on a silver platter." I walk through the two bickering idiots and tug on the handle into the main foyer. No one from my childhood comes to mind, but when I finally lay eyes on my childhood bestie I want to run for the hills.

"Vee! You look so good!" James Volga stands across the doorway, a sinister grin meeting my dropping smile, "These ladies told me you were engaged. How fitting that you found such a great mate."

"James?" My heart drops. I attempt to process the thoughts that want to form. Nothing happens. No brain. He stands there with a sinister grin looking me over with a promising gaze. A flower sits in the pocket of his suit jacket, the smell rocking my stomach sideways.

"Mrs. Gray! You never told me you were friends with the Alpha of the Southern region. See I was telling you Meredith..." Who?