Chirping of birds echoed through the quiet room before I sighed, stretching underneath the warmth of the covers. The slight breeze that rustled through my hair already promised a sweltering summer heat in the next weeks to come.

A knock sounded on the door, making me groggily stumble out of bed, double checking to make sure I wasn't answering the door in my boxers. After jumping in some soft pants, I opened the door and paused.

Erina was nearly bouncing on her feet, giddy as she admired a bouquet of stunningly red and white lilies. "Aren't they gorgeous?" She murmured, blushing slightly as I nodded, confused as to why she would knock on my door and wake me from my slumber to show the flowers she got from her mate.

"Here."

I blinked, having to grab on reflex when she handed me the flowers. I looked down at the bouquet before giving her a hesitant look. "Uh... you want me to... hold them?" I yawned, scratching at the back of my head.

Her smile gentled, head tilting slightly as she chuckled. "They aren't mine, Kyle. They are for you. From Drake."

My mouth instantly dried as I slowly looked down at the flowers within my ever-trembling hands.

...F....for...me?

Letting my fingers trace over the petals, I listened in a daze as Erina continued, "Lilies are widely known to represent a new beginning, a rebirth if you will. While white lilies symbolize purity and virtue, the red stands for passion and love."

She gave me a wink "Drake was unusually flustered when handpicking them but decided against bringing them himself." Her eyes softened as she glanced down at the flowers once more.

"He wanted to give them to you himself but also didn't want to feel too pushy." She snickered, rolling her eyes slightly before pausing as I brought the flowers to my face, inhaling the slightly citrusy scent before smiling.

"I...I don't think...I ever..."I swallowed thickly, unable to continue in fear of crying but Erina blinked in shock before scoffing.

Her sudden anger wasn't aimed at me, I knew that much. I vaguely suspected she was angry at Max and now I understood.

There had never been any attempts of romancing or wooing one another. We bumped into one another, realized we were mates and figured that was it.

But now Drake was showing me that there was more. It wasn't just a quick and easy bond, but something both parties had to give effort for.

When Drake had spoken about courting, I hadn't anticipated anything more than simply bonding until our wolves were mated.

Being gifted something as simple as flowers, made me realize how much I had been missing out of. The only mate I've ever had was Max and while I'd like to believe our love had been genuine, there wasn't any surprises like these.

I never expected to be given anything because I wasn't used to it. Nor did I expect to be brought to tears because Drake had obviously found me worthy enough to give flowers to.

"I'll go get you a vase so you can put them in your room." Erina murmured before leaving me behind in a daze.

I slowly turned and staggered back, flopping on the bed while making sure I didn't damage any of the flowers. Such a simple yet thoughtful gift, a genuine sign that Drake was interested, willing to work for our bond to develop and flourish.

He wanted to surprise and indulge me with small, thoughtful gifts. Each step in our relationship, each interaction we had so far, he had always put needs first.

Whether it was something as simple as soft clothes without buttons or the complex and most likely highly expensive surgery done to my hands...

All of that had been effortless choices, made within an instant.

When Erina returned with the vase, she didn't comment on the tears that were steadily trickling down my cheeks. "Has he...ever given you anything?" She inquired softly, scoffing when I shook my head.

"This is why I believe some of those werewolves should've been born werepigs. Taking their fated for granted." She rolled her eyes as I placed the flowers into the vase, chuckling weakly.

"Where is-"

"Drake is within his office, working on some files." Erina laughed as I hurriedly walked past her, feeling my wolf react with joy.

I hurried to find him, feeling this overwhelming mix of emotions threaten to take the upper hand. While I was ecstatic and stunned to have received anything, it also made me shiver and nearly collapse in tears.

Knocking on the door, I barely waited for the gruff "Come in." before I opened it. Drake looked up from his paperwork, frown smoothing away as he grinned my way.

He pushed his seat back as I rushed forwards, sensing my emotions before I found myself curled in his lap with my face buried against his throat.

There was a heartbeat of silence before warm hands gentled over his back, providing comfort that I desperately needed. His scent was thick, nearly pungent at his throat but it soothed the overwhelming sensations within.

And it seemed to grow even stronger as he pitched his voice low. Soothing, comforting, everything that I needed at that exact point in time.

"It's alright. You're alright Kyle."

It was nearly embarrassing, to curl up in his lap like a pup needing reassurance. But Drake made it seem as if this was nothing but normal.

Hell, I could even feel him recline in his seat, holding me close as his hand slowly ventured over my spine, squeezing my nape gently before rubbing soothingly over my back.

"Was it too much?" Drake hummed thoughtfully, making me shake my head, nose rubbing against the scent glands embedded in his throat.

"No. It was perfect." I stuttered, swallowing as I felt Drake's hold tighten, could feel how pleased he was. "I just...never..."

"Ah." Nothing else, just simple understanding before he murmured, "You deserve it Kyle. You deserve to be showered with gifts, to be shown how much you're wanted."

This guy....

With his words, my wolf stirred, a fragmented whine slipped out before it mouthed at Drake's skin. That instantly invoked a reaction, as Drake growled lowly. Not in disapproval but warningly...

"Easy..." He growled, even though his fingers tangled in my hair, keeping my mouth against his shoulder. The inner wolf betraying his thoughts, how Drake didn't mind the idea of being marked.

There was a hint of desperation in my wolf, as if fearful that if it didn't mark Drake now, we would lose him. Like how we lost our Fated mate.

A Fated mate that apparently never went beyond what was expected. Who never put any effort into the idea of us...

And then here I was in the lap of an Alpha, who would do everything within his power to make me happy.

The mere thought made my jaw tremble, wanting to bite down, to pierce his skin with a mark. To Drake as my own.

"If you want to mark me, you can." Drake murmured softly, holding me against his chest. "But only if you want to. If your wolf needs it, even better. But a mark should not be made out of fear, Kyle."

Drake's words only fueled my wolf even more. The need to mark wasn't out of necessity or fear but because we wanted him.

Both my wolf and I wanted Drake as a mate, to mark him and wear his mark, show it off proudly to the world.

His taste exploded over my tongue as it laved over his neck, preparing the skin for my mark. The second Drake felt that sensation, he shivered, tightening his hold as a response.

As soon as I bit down, a roaring snarl escaped Drake, muscles bunching and twitching. I could feel the joy in my wolf, in his wolf.

The beginnings of an incomplete bond as our wolves connected. A connection that was harder to establish than that of Fated mates.

Those connections were instantaneous, made without reservations between mates. But here, the wolves were scarred from their former endless trust, wary of one another.

It was a tense moments of two strange wolves meeting, circling around one another with bristled fur and barely withheld snarls.

And then, the tension flooded away as the wolves recognized one another as equals. There was a flex of a tail, a hint of playfulness before the pair of them romped around, bonding through a match of playfighting.

My eyes nearly rolled to the back of my skull as I could taste his blood while my pheromones slowly pumped into his system. It was a heady, powerful taste that made me shiver in Drake's lap.

Especially so when one hand held me by the nape, the other wrapped around my hips, pulling me closer against him. My own fingers were pulling at Drake's shoulder, wanting him even closer.

Finally my teeth unhooked from his skin, feeling the hold on my nape tightened before I was pulled back. Drake's eyes were a blazing amber, showing just how much his wolf was pushing forwards.

I barely had a second to gasp for air before I was yanked forwards, but I went willingly. Became pliant against his hold, feeling my heart thrum in my ears as our lips collided for the first time.

They were soft, silky smooth and the taste was so addictive. A growl slipped from my own wolf, instantly overpowered by the deep sound that vibrated through Drake's chest.

A whine slipped from my throat, lips parting as Drake licked inside, flavor exploding and overwhelming all of my senses. I whined when he drew back, a string of saliva still connecting our lips before I shivered, feeling his hot breath against my throat.

Instantly I bared my throat, twitching at each playful nip of his teeth as his tongue swirled over my skin. The anticipation made me tremble within his hold, wolf whining as it arched our neck even further, insistently pressing into Drake's hold.

And then fireworks exploded behind my closed eyes, lips parting in a breathless scream as teeth sunk in my skin. Digging deeper, deeper without causing pain, even though blood flowed around Drake's lips.

Where pain should've been roaring to life, there was nothing besides endless pleasure. An extremely high awareness of everything that Drake did, the slight burn of his pheromones coursing through my system only adding more sensations.

And it was that burn that made me whimper and press further in his hold. Wanting, more. Feeling soothed when the bond finalized and then it felt like finally, finally, I was there.

I was

I could feel the soothing sensation of Drake's voice over the bond, both of us overwhelmed by the emotional overload we had experienced.

Shivering as we held onto one another, the silence only broken by the shaky moan I released when Drake lapped up the blood around his mark.

"Well... this happened a little faster than I had planned." Drake mused, nuzzling against my hair as I sighed blissfully. "But I'm happy it happened."

I couldn't verbally respond but now I didn't need to. Drake could feel over our new and tentative bond how I felt, how the happiness and joy within was making me choked up, threatening to cry out of relief.

We were mates.

We are mates.

I am mated.

I deserve this-

No, we deserve this.