Nolan carried me to our shared cottage, carefully maneuvering through the little garden of purple orchids that guarded the door. We passed the threshold, and, once the door closed behind us, he finally placed me on my feet again. And yet, I didn't make it far on my own.

One of his large, calloused hands gripped my waist, resting just above the slight protrusion of my hip bone, and pulled me into his front. The other traveled up my side, grazing the outside of my breast with no small amount of tenderness, until it reached my hair. Nolan's fingers curled into my chestnut locks, tugging at the roots while we kissed.

And, Moon Goddess, I'd never experienced anything like it.

The buttery softness of his lips counteracted the harsh bristles of his beard, scratching at my cheek and chin until a shiver ran down my spine and pooled at the base. I moaned my approval at his touch-- his taste. Gods, I wanted more.

My fingers tugged at the crown of black adorning his head, pulling downwards to ease access to his ravenous mouth. Nolan's front teeth nipped at my plump lower lip, the smallest pinch mingled with ten-folds pleasure, and I instinctively gasped, playing right into his trap.

His tongue took the opportunity to further part my lips, while his fingers slipped just beneath the hem of my shirt, leaving a trail of fire wherever they touched. Heat clouded my cheeks, and I momentarily forgot to continue moving my lips against his.

Nolan chuckled, the sound vibrating from the depths of his broad chest, "Distracted?"

His fingers never once stopped trailing my skin, now toying with the hem of my low-riding jeans. I breathed a small laugh and nodded, eyes fluttering downward to where our bodies touched at the hips.

"Bedroom?" I whispered, although the word nearly caught in my throat.

"Only if you'd like," Nolan's hot breath fanned against my cheek.

I nodded, casting aside the nervousness that clenched at my heart as my mate led me into the master suit. Instead, I focused on the molten liquid that coursed through my veins. The elusive, delicious warmth that my curious body begged to pursue.

I'd never had much experience with the physical-side of relationships. Of course, I'd read enough teen-romance novels in my youth to know the gist of how everything worked. Despite my extensive knowledge of book-sex, I'd always figured that, when the time came, I would feel vastly unprepared.

And yet, as Nolan took a seat on the edge of the king-size mattress, pulling me closer until I stood directly between his legs, I had never felt more confident.

His ocean-blue gaze stared up at me in adoration, a small, crooked grin playing on his full, swollen lips. With my unbandaged hand, the hand that was now adorned by the emerald talisman, I reached up to run a tender hand through his thick, dark locks, savoring the sight of him like this. Smiling, vulnerable, affectionate.

I knew that, in the coming days, I'd need to hold on to this image to survive.

I swallowed the lump in my throat that threatened to ruin this moment and quickly painted a mischievous smirk on my lips, "Didn't you say that I smelled bad?"

Before Nolan had a chance to reply, my fingers curled around the bottom hem of my shirt and pulled upward. The bloodied shirt fell to the floor behind me, and goosebumps graced my newly exposed skin. Thank the Moon Goddess that I chose to wear a cute bra!

Nolan's eyes widened, pupils dilating, at the sight of black lace, but I wasn't finished. Not yet.

I reached down to the single button and zipper resting on my abdomen, and a low growl erupted from my Alpha. My gaze flashed toward Nolan, and desire flowered in my chest at the sight of the male's fingers gripping the edge of the bed. One corner of my lips pulled up in a smirk, and I unfastened the two mechanisms, revealing a pair of plain, black cotton panties. I shimmied out of the pants, and Nolan's every muscle tensed.

"Like what you see?" I teased, revelling in the enticing power that drove my actions. I am a Luna, and this is what I can do to my Alpha...

"You are..." Nolan's eyes raked over my body, studying every crevice and curve, the good and the bad. Finally, he finished a bit breathlessly, "Magnificent."

A blush tainted my cheeks at the compliment, and I returned to where I'd been standing between his legs, now clad in considerably less clothing. Still, Nolan's hands squeezed tight to the edge of the bed, his knuckles bleached white and trembling with restraint. Fierce desire clouded his gaze, but I knew that he would not act on his want.

If Nolan had been any other male, I had no doubt that I'd already be thrown on my back onto the cushions, completely at his mercy. And yet... this man sat on the edge of the bed, drinking in the sight of me enjoying myself. He wanted to give me control.

I smiled down at him, thick lashes fluttering as I placed a single hand on his chest and pushed backwards. Nolan obeyed, scooting further back onto the bed to make room for my body with his.

I folded myself onto his lap, uniting our lips once more in a slow, sensual dance. My legs hooked around his waist, connecting our bodies at the hips and providing the slightest relief to the pressure that now built in my core. The liquid fire that threatened to burn me to the ground.

Nolan groaned, the sound like gravel, and trailed his lips down my jaw, worshiping every inch of skin with small, wet kisses. I tilted my head to the side, a silent plea for him to tend to the sensitive tendons displayed before him, and he complied with vigor. He sucked and nipped at the veins in my neck, stopping to focus on a particular spot for a few minutes whenever I happened to shudder in delight.

His lips reached my clavicle, on the opposite side of my neck from where Dominic had marked me, and his tongue swept over the skin once--twice. I groaned, kneading at his back muscles in protest, "Don't tease."

Nolan chuckled, his breath fanning against the hot, pulsing vein that he so relentlessly teased, "Forgive me?"

I growled this time, my inner thighs clenching against his hips until I could feel the extent of his want. His shoulder and back muscles clenched and unclenched beneath my palms, demonstrating the vast extent of his control. Regardless, he couldn't resist the primal need to mark me for much longer.

"Nolan..." I whispered, eyes clenched shut in preparation for his canines against my skin. "Please."

To my surprise, my Alpha pulled away from my neck and pressed the gentlest kiss against my swollen lips. My eyes blinked open, and I fought to regain my breath, "What's wrong?"

"I want you so badly," He whispered, and I thought I detected something like physical pain in his honey-smooth voice. Somehow, I knew his next words before he'd even spoken them. "But I want our first time to be perfect. And I don't want to rush things just because we don't know what might happen tomorrow."

For half of a second, I thought that I might slap him. Fury-filled fire erupted in my chest, driven by the desperate, electric liquid that had been so relentless and dominant. And yet, I knew that Nolan was right. We shouldn't rush into things in response to the hybrid attack.

Finally, I sighed, pressing a kiss to the corner of his lips. "Do you know what this means?"

"Hmm?" Nolan grumbled whilst peppering kisses across my cheeks and nose.

I giggled, "It means that you and I have something to look forward to when all of this is over. It means that you have to come back to me after every fight and battle."

My handsome mate stopped his barrage of kisses and pulled back so that he could properly gaze into my eyes, "I promise to always come back to you, my Charlotte."