I keep my back pressed against the wall, slowly scooting down the hall. I don't want to alert Warren that I'm following him, although he's obviously going to figure it out once I reveal myself. I will have the element of surprise on my side, at least. Unless he can hear, and/or catch my scent before I get to pop out. Oh well.

I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to say, but I figure the words will come when needed. So skirting against the wall, I stop right at the corner where I know Warren is at on the other side.

"I can't at the moment, I'm at my son's," he says, and his words have me frozen mid-step for a second. "I can after. Where do you want to meet? Somewhere in the neutral territory; I don't want to risk being caught."

Caught? Doing what?

What he says next is too low for me to catch, and I find myself getting closer to try and hear. Of course, that means with my grace, I ended up falling on my face as I try leaning around the corner.

All talking ceases, and I look up to see a very unhappy Warren glaring down at me, the phone still pressed against his ear.

"I'll call you back," he mutters into the phone, before ending the call and shoving it in his pocket.

Great, this is where I die.

"Sup?" I ask, smiling a bit sheepishly from the ground. He remains quiet, his glare still fixated on my face. I sit up and scratch the back of my head when whatever I was going to say decides to stay cooped up for now. Instead, it's replaced with a burning curiosity.

"What did you hear?" he finally asks, his tone cold and demanding.

"Nothing..." I sit cross legged with my hands folded in my lap, looking up at Warren innocently. It doesn't work on him like it does his son.

"What did you hear?" he repeats fiercely, and I flinch a bit at his tone.

"Something about you meeting someone somewhere later, but that's it," I say. Before I can stop myself, or think my words through, more come tumbling out. "Who you meeting later Warren, hmm? Do you have some sort of an affair going on? Are you trying to destroy your relationship like you're trying to destroy mine?"

My eyes widen a bit at what just came out of my mouth. In all fairness, that phone call was a little shady, sneaking around in places where no one is around to catch him, more than likely behind Lisa's back. But never, would I have thought, that I would actually say that. I'm not a brave person people, I just happen to have a dysfunctional brain-to-mouth filter.

His expression is absolutely livid. I wonder if I struck a nerve, which would mean that he is, in fact, having an affair. I feel a bit of my own rage bubbling up. How could he do something like that, to Lisa of all people? His mate. And he has the audacity to say I'm not good enough for his son, when he isn't even close to good enough for Lisa?

At this point it isn't about him wanting to get rid of me or change me; it's about how hypocritical he is. I mean, I could have told you he was a cold-hearted man, but I didn't think that even he would do something like that.

"You have no idea what you're talking about," he sneers.

"Oh I think I do. You know, as much as I would love to tell Lisa about this shady phone call-" I'm cut off by my gasp when he's suddenly kneeling in front of me, gripping my arms tightly. Not tight enough to cause pain, but tight enough to get his point across. His face is mere inches away from mine, and I can see the blue of his eyes slowly turning black in anger.

"If you so much as utter a word around her-"

I stop him from going any further. "Don't you dare threaten me. I'm not going to tell her, because I'm going to let karma take care of this herself. But if you don't get your hands off of me, I can have Cayton in here to do it for you," I threaten.

Can we just take a moment to cherish the fact that I actually said that? Never, in a million years, would I have thought I could say things to an intimidating man like Warren, much less when he could snap my neck before Cayton could get in here. But I really don't like him, and I find it despicable what he is doing.

I feel him trying to restrain his hands from choking me right now, and his fiery glare is still on me. I return it with my own glare, refusing to give him the satisfaction of me backing down, even though I'm internally freaking out. I could care less what he thinks of me, but I still want to prove to him that I'm not weak. And I'm surprised when I see a tiny spark of an impressed look in his eyes.

Finally, he lets go. I smile smugly as he straightens himself out.

"Wow, and I'm only human. Amazing how people can surprise you, right?" I say sarcastically, standing up. I turn to walk away, before his words stop me.

"This stays between us," he says.

"Believe me, you are my least favorite person to talk about, so don't worry."

As I start walking away, I hear him say, "I won't be for long. You'll be thanking me soon."

"Thanks for stopping by," I say, giving Lisa yet another hug. I've been feeling a bit sorry for her for the last hour, especially now that she and Warren are leaving, and he is most likely going to be off soon to meet his secret affair.

"It was our pleasure," she says, squeezing me before moving on to Cayton. I send Warren a look of disgust as they do. How could he do this to her, to his family? He skillfully ignores my look.

"Come on dear, let's get home," Warren says, wrapping his arm securely around her waist.

Enjoy it while it lasts.

Cayton and I stand on the porch together as they go to their car. As Lisa gets in, she pauses and yells out, "And Macy, I expect you to be using my gift very soon!"

I grimace a bit. "We'll see," I say, my cheeks returning to their fire engine color. As the car pulls away, Cayton throws his arm around my shoulder.

"So, tell me more about this 'gift'," he says.

"Like you can't figure it out," I mutter, pushing his arm off me.

Amazingly, I got away with that stunt I pulled. Cayton hadn't even been suspicious. If he had, he didn't show it. Part of me wonders if I should tell him, but another part of me doesn't want to get involved. Yes, I got myself involved by snooping around, but I don't want to be part of the aftermath.

I couldn't live knowing I played a part in destroying Lisa and Warren's relationship. I shouldn't care—Warren doesn't deserve her at all, and he hasn't given me a reason to keep it a secret, but I can't bring myself to do that to Lisa. Moreover, I could only imagine what Cayton would think. Or do.

So, it's best I keep it a secret. And when the shit hits the fan, I'm going to be prepared to clean it up.

Anyways, it's been two days since then, and I don't want to think about how many times Warren has hooked up with someone since. So it's best to not think about it.

Cayton has been helpful in that aspect, as usual. I swear, this is going to be the death of me.

I know he's doing it on purpose. He's seeing how far he can push me until I give in. That, or he's conjured up some twisted form of payback. Either way, I wasn't going to give in so easily.

I had to think that over though, because there are just some things that even my stubborn will can't resist.

Cayton steps out of the bathroom, only in a towel wrapped around his waist. Normally, that would have been fine, but I'm almost positive his towel is slung just a bit lower than normal, showcasing just how toned he is. And he was still dripping wet. Yea, just picture poor, unprepared me, greeted with that sight.

He has a smirk on his face, which only confirms the fact that he's doing this deliberately. I try not to stare, but my eyes aren't being controlled by my brain. No, they're being controlled by what I like to call horny-hormones.

And for the killer move, he runs his fingers through his wet hair, and I almost sigh like a love-struck fool. Not that I'm not one.

"Staring isn't polite," he smirks.

"You sir, are very attractive. Therefore, I'm going to stare at you," I say with a smirk of my own. He laughs, before disappearing into the closet.

Damn. I was enjoying that you know.

When he comes back out, only in a pair of boxers (of course), he sits down on the bed.

Now that I know his motive, which would be to show off that amazing body of his as much as possible, I smile inwardly, thinking just how easily I can play this game.

"I'm getting changed. Try not to miss me too much," I tease. I peck his cheek before getting off the bed and stepping over to one of my drawers. And for the second time this week, I do something that shocks even myself. I might have a slight increase in confidence this week, so I'm thinking I should use it while it lasts.

Digging through clothes to the very back of the drawer where the banished section is, I grab the one thing I told myself I would never wear.

The times, they are a-changin' I think, as I pull out the balled up set of lace and sheer material. This is a good idea, right? Or am I just setting myself up for embarrassment? Wow, I'm such a pessimist, aren't I?

Before I can talk myself out of it, I bunch up the material further and keep it out of Cayton's view, who's still watching me like a hawk. Haha, Werehawk.

Stepping into the bathroom, I make sure the door is securely locked behind me. Unbundling the fabric, I lay it out on the sink counter and gulp. Now isn't the time to be second-guessing my strange idea, but I can't help it.

What exactly is this going to accomplish again?

If you're going to put that on, you might as well...

Whoa, where did that come from? I don't need to finish that sentence, because I sure as hell can guess where my thoughts were going. Still... that is a very good point. Why not? I know I've been kind of putting it off because of my own stupid reasons, not to mention the fact that I've been practically torturing Cayton. Bless his heart; he's been really patient with me. He hasn't pushed me; he hasn't even brought it up. He's waiting for me, and for that I should be really thankful.

"Cayton?" I call out before I can stop myself.

"Yea?" he replies from the other side of the door.

"You love me, right?"

"Of course," he says wholeheartedly, then after a second, he says "You're ok in there, right?"

"Yea, I'm fine," I nod, even though he can't see me. I lightly brush my fingers over the fabric, thoughtfully. "How much do you love me?"

"...Is that meant as a trick question?" I smile a bit.

"No. It's a serious one."

"Alright, well, I love you more than anything. That's the only way I can think to say it."

Ok, I'll admit I wasn't expecting that. 'A lot', or even 'This much!' is what I would have expected, but his answer just put them to shame, simple as it was. Not only that, but it's enough to completely strengthen my resolve.

"Same goes for me," I assure him, before stripping off today's clothes and replacing them with the skimpiest thing I will probably ever wear. It isn't all that necessary, but I guess it sets the mood or whatever.

I feel butterflies in my stomach as I think about what I'm going to be doing. I'm about to lose my virginity to my mate, complete the werewolf mating process, and officially be bound to Cayton for the rest of my existence.

Sounds really dramatic when you put it that way.

Dramatic or not, it's true. And the thought actually makes me happier than anything. So all that in mind, I make the final adjustments to the lingerie and run my fingers through my hair.

Here goes nothing.

When I open the door, the bed is empty. My eyebrows crease a bit, and I step out.

"You're-" From beside me, Cayton starts to say something, that is until he catches sight of me. He was leaning against the wall, waiting for me I suppose. Now though, he's a bit stiff, with his mouth slightly hanging open.

I raise an eyebrow at his sudden baffled expression, suddenly nervous once again. I look utterly ridiculous don't I? Great! I just blew this! Now this is going to be-

"You have got to stop teasing me like this," he interrupts my train of thought with that husky voice of his. His eyes slowly rake down my body, before meeting my eyes once again. I'm shocked at the intensity of the lusty black shade that replaces the blue, but I feel relief wash over me too. And most importantly, desire.

"Who said anything about teasing?" I ask, slowly making my way to him. He stands cautiously, waiting to see if I'm actually messing with him or not. I run my nails gently down his chest, smirking when I hear his breathing hitch slightly. "I'm not that mean."

When he makes no move, I realize that he actually is waiting to see if I'm messing with him. I roll my eyes, before wrapping my arms around his neck and smashing my lips to his.

Out of the blue, he switches our position so that I am once again against the wall. He pulls away, and without thinking I pout a bit. Both of us are breathing somewhat briskly, and Cayton is looking at me unsurely.

"What are you trying to accomplish here?" he asks.

"What does it look like?"

"I know what it looks like, but I'm not exactly sure if you're being serious or not."

I shake my head a bit. This is a classic 'boy who cried wolf' situation—no pun intended. I guess if I were in his shoes, I would be suspicious, but is he trying to stop me?

"I am serious. Just shut up and kiss me," I demand.

And so he does.