His lips were sweet, yet, bitter at the same time. The way they fitted with mine, it felt almost like they were made to slot together. The kiss started out soft – Layton simply placing his lips on top of mine. He was being gentle, he was testing the waters. If I were to pull away, so would he.

But I didn't pull away, instead I deepened the kiss. I threw my arms around his neck, stretching up to get closer to him – Layton scrunched down slightly so we could get closer. His hand tightened their grip on my hips, his fingers deepening their pressure.

I pressed my lips hard against Layton's; telling him I wanted the kiss to continue. The speed of the kiss sped up, as did my heart rate. Taking the kiss a step further, Layton's tongue parted my lips and made its way into my mouth – exploring the unexplored territory.

I wasn't sure how long we were kissing for, I lost track of time. Kissing Layton awakened a desire I had not felt before, and when my lips were connected to Layton nothing else but that desire mattered. Tingles spread over my body, before festering inside my stomach – reminding me that I was real, and the kiss was real.

It was only as I began to get light headed, that I knew I needed to pull away. I didn't want to, but I had no choice. I pulled away and my eyes reopened. I looked up at Layton – both us of were gasping for breath. Layton frowned at me, not liking that I had broken the kiss.

"I had to breathe some time" I giggled, smiling up at him. Layton smiled again; that beautiful, rare, grin that was as beautiful as a new dawn or a sunrise. It was something I wanted to see every morning, and one I wanted to fall asleep thinking about.

Layton was about to say something, when a loud beeping interrupted him. The loud noise made me jump in shock, and it took me a few seconds to realise what it was. The smoke alarm – the breakfast was burning.

"Oh no" I muttered, before I took everything off heat and tried to stop the fire in the sizzling pan. When I'd sorted everything out, I turned back to Layton who was watching. "I think breakfast in bed is ruined" I said.

Layton smirked softly, "I don't care about the breakfast, I just want to go back to bed". He walked over to me, before slipping his arms around my waist. I smiled up at him, but blushed slightly. "Come" he whispered huskily.

Leaning down, he pressed a soft kiss to my lips – a small, peck, that lasted a few seconds. Then he pulled away and took my hand. Layton led me upstairs, his hand gripping on mine tightly. I was both nervous and excited.

In our bedroom, Layton sat down on the bed before pulling me close. I stumbled slightly, but allowed him to manoeuvre me onto his lap – I sat in a straddling position. His large, firm, hands gripped my face, bringing our lips back together.

The kiss was long and passionate, and I found my body automatically responding to Layton. His hand ran down my side, and my skin seared with heat. He shifted his weight, and I pressed my body firmed into his.

After a few minutes, of deep intimate kisses, Layton's lips moved away from mine. He trailed his kisses over my jaw line, and down my neck. He left intense, wet, kisses over my nape – occasionally letting his teeth nip at the skin of my throat.

Layton pulled away, after a while, and began to kiss my lips again. As he did so, he wrapped his arms around me and lifted me slightly. I gasped in shock – at the sudden movement – as he placed me down on the bed and hovered his body over mine. His lips never once left mine.

As his kisses deepened, he began to run his hands up my side. The movement caused my shirt to raise slightly; I shivered as our skin touched. When the kisses weren't enough to satisfy either of us, Layton pulled back and gripped my shirt.

My hands were shaking and I was beyond nervous. "Layton" I said, voice shaking. My mate just gave me a large smile, before pressing another kiss to my lips. Then, he slowly – painfully so – removed my shirt.

One by one, Layton took off each item of my clothing; until I lay naked under him. I was breathing hard – chest rising and falling quickly – as Layton studied me. Being Wolf meant I spent a lot of time being naked on Full Moons. So, Wolves never had an issue with nudity.

Yet, under Layton's scrutinising eyes; I felt more self-aware of my nude body than ever before. So, to move the process along I began to pull at Layton's shirt – he understood, and began to undress himself.

The entire process of making love to Layton was fast – as if it all went past in a quick blur. It hurt at first, but then became more pleasurable the more he carried on. He almost lost control half way through, becoming more animal than man, and was going a lot faster than felt right.

As soon as he heard my yelp of pain, he regained his control and slowed it all down again. However, it wasn't long before we both reached our climaxes. It wasn't as I expected – but I enjoyed it more than I anticipated.

When it was all over, I lay with Layton. My head rested on his chest, as he held me close. There was a heavy silence between us both, before I ran my eyes over his muscled chest. It was large, and perfectly toned in all the right places – the sweat on it made it glitter in the morning bedroom light.

However, there was a long, intruded, scar down the left hand side of his stomach. It was obviously old, but it looked like it must have been a serious accident that gave it to him. I ran my finger over it, Layton glanced at my fingers.

"I got that when I was sixteen" he told me, and I looked up into his bright eyes. "My father gave it to me".

"Your father?" I breathed out, shocked how any parent could hurt their child. Layton looked at me for a few seconds, before he bent down and pressed a small kiss to my lips.

"I have a dark past, Gemini. Too darker than I'd like to admit. One day I'll tell you about it, but not right now. Let's not ruin a great morning with stories of my past".

I nodded, offering him a small smile, before leaning my head down on his chest once more. Aimlessly, Layton's fingers played with my hair – twisting and spinning my blonde strands around his index. It felt so nice to lay with him like that, so intimate and natural.

"I don't want to go into work" Layton sighed.

"Then don't" I replied, giggling slightly. He chuckled with me, as I turned so I was leaning on his chest – eyes meeting his.

"I have to. I have way too much to do, I shouldn't really have taken the morning off. But, I'm glad I did". He smiled brightly again. I couldn't believe how amazing his smile was, and how much he had shown it to me over that morning.

"You should smile more often" I commented, smiling myself. Layton just leaned down and pecked my lips once more.

"I'm going for a shower, then I'll have to go into the office" he told me. Layton gave me one last kiss, before getting out the bed and heading into the bathroom. I stayed in bed, as the water sounded in the en-suite.

When Layton exited the bathroom, he had a towel wrapped around his waist and his body was glistening with water droplets. I stayed silent as Layton went to his closet and picked his outfit. I silently watched him dress – thinking how mundane our lives were.

Before he left, Layton gave me another kiss and smile. "I'll be back later, don't cook anything I'll take you out – I also have something's I need to get you to do".

"Can I have your phone?" I asked, sitting up in the bed – holding the covers around my naked body. Layton paused in the doorway, looking at me with suspicion.

"What for?" he demanded.

"I want to call my family, I haven't spoken to them since before the Mating Ritual". There was a moment of silence before Layton handed me his mobile, I thanked him and he nodded at me.

Once he left, I showered and got changed, before making some breakfast. I felt bad that Layton didn't get any breakfast, but then, I had a feeling he preferred the mating. I giggled, out loud, as I looked over the burnt pans of food.

After lunch, I called home – anxiously listening to the dialling tone. When I heard my mother answer, I wasn't sure if I should have been relieved or nervous. "Hello?" she chippered.

"Mum, it's me, Gemini".

"Gemini, oh my gosh" she exclaimed. "I heard you got chosen by the Blood Alpha. Honey, is that true? Oh my gosh, does he beat you? Does he force you?"

"Mum, stop" I cut her rambling off. I didn't like the way she spoke about Layton – making him out to be evil and abusive. "Layton isn't like that, he's my mate. He cares about me".

My mother scoffed, "he's a killer, Gemini. Don't let him fool you, he's a murder, a life ender. Don't think I haven't heard about him killing his own parents! Only a true monster could do that".

"You don't know him" I snapped. It wasn't often I fought with my mother, or so much as disagreed with her. But, I just didn't like the way she spoke about Layton. He wasn't a monster, I knew him and he wasn't a monster.

"Honey, you don't know him either. You've known him what, two and a half weeks? He's manipulating you, making you think he's this sweet, innocent, mate. But he's not, he has killed people Gemini. Murdered them! You are trying to see the best in someone, who has no best"

"I have no illusions on who Layton is, or what he's done. But, that doesn't mean he doesn't care for me or his pack". My voice was harsh, and static – I hadn't talked to anyone like that before. "He's my chosen mate, I thought you'd be happy for me".

There was a long pause from my mother. If I couldn't hear her breathing, I would have thought she'd hung up on me. "You're blinded Gemini. You've fallen in love with a monster, and he is poisoning your mind. Please, don't call this number again – I don't want to be associated to the Blood Alpha, and the things he's done". Then, she hung up.

When Layton returned later that night, I was ready to go out. I wore a knee length peach dress, which puffed out in a petticoat style. "You look beautiful" Layton nodded his approval, pressing a soft kiss to my painted pink lips.

He quickly changed, before joining me. He wore a smart, obviously expensive, black suit. I was surprised at how nice he looked in it – he always wore something smart, but in he looked model like in his suit. "Stop smelling of desire, or I won't let you leave this house" he warned me seriously.

I blushed, and turned away. "Are we going someone posh?" I changed the subject.

"Yes, we're going into the city" he told me.

It took us almost an hour to drive into the nearest city. There was a small town that was next to the Pack land, but it only had the basics of restaurants and shops. It was the kind of place where everyone knew everyone. Everyone in that town, believed that Layton owned a gated community and they all had their own ideas of what went on inside the exclusive

community.

However, Layton had things to do, so we needed to go into the city. Half way through the journey, Layton swore aggressively; making me jump. Angrily, he hit the steering wheel and let out a growl.

"What?" I worried – having no idea what caused his sudden fit of rage.

"Protection" he growled out. I gave him a look of confusion. "We didn't use protection this morning, I could have gotten you pregnant. This isn't good, not good at all". He shook his head furiously, hands gripping the wheel forcefully.

"Is that a big problem? I thought you wanted an heir?" I questioned. Every She-Wolf was programmed to expect to provide their mates with pups, so I didn't have a problem with Layton wanting pups – because I did to, and I knew it would happen when I met my mate. I was prepared.

"I do want an heir, but we need to wait a month" he explained. "We have to wait a month".

"Why? Does it matter?" My question didn't go down well, he slammed his hands on the wheel.

"Of course it fucking matters, Gemini. We have to stick to the plan, everything has to happen according to the plan".

"What plan?" I was nervous, but I wanted to know.

"Our life plan, we need to stick to it. I made it – and you have to stick to it. There is no choice on the matter". His eyes were like daggers, stabbing my body. He was angry and suddenly all my mother's words came flooding back to me. I suddenly didn't want to go into the city with Layton, I just wanted to go home.