22

Hayden

It was hard enough keeping my hormones in check the longer I spent with Dawn, but with my wolf constantly whining to mate with her I was finding it increasingly impossible. When she slept next to me, I would often stay awake and watch her sleep, admiring her perfect features and the way her body cuddled mine in her unconscious state.

Not only was mating on my mind, but the half moon was on Dawn's. Tomorrow was Thursday, when the supposed battle would take place. Before I had met Dawn— before any of us had even heard of the second prophecy in Dawn's necklace, no one would have ever suspected that this would happen. But considering what happened with the Marking, we couldn't take any chances.

Beside me, Dawn began whimpering in her sleep, tossing and turning as though she was fighting off an invisible opponent.

"Dawn, baby," I shook her gently. "Shhhh, it's okay," I reassured her, holding her tightly in my arms and stroking her cheek. She stilled and her breathing became normal, so I settled back into my pillow and returned to my thoughts.

But then Dawn started to weep.

"Danny, what's wrong?" I asked, growing upset that she was suffering in her sleep.

"I'm sorry, it's my fault, it's my fault," she muttered, her eyes still firmly closed.

Shaking her softly, I planted a feathery kiss on her cheek, "What is, baby? What's your fault?"

"I told them this would happen!" she cried. "I should have gone, no, no, no, no," she sobbed, rocking slightly. "I love you, Hayden, I love you, I'm sorry, I should have left," she whispered tearfully.

Pushing myself on top of her, I buried my face in her neck and kissed both her cheeks, then her forehead, then the tip of her nose, and finally her lips. "Wake up, baby," I whispered in her ear.

I watched as her eyes fluttered open, and her expression transformed from devastation to immense relief.

"Hayden! You're here, you're alive, I dreamed you were dead—" I cut her off by kissing her. Pulling away briefly, I assured her that I was here and I wouldn't be going anywhere, earning a bone-crushing hug from her. She flipped us over and lay on top of me, kissing me relentlessly, as though if she stopped I would disappear.

"I can't let you go," she told me.

"I won't let you go," I told her.

"...Hayden," she murmured, her voice retreating to a whisper.

"Yes?" I answered in the same tone.

She was quiet for a while, before she sat up on my lap, staring down at me with determination in her eyes.

"Tomorrow, anything could happen. You could be injured. I don't want to think about that. But I don't want to wake up tomorrow morning knowing that there are so many things I missed out on— that we missed out on. No, I'm not just jumping into this from desperation. I've thought about it, and I want you to know that I'm ready," she said, meaning each word she spoke.

"Ready for...?" I questioned, although I knew the answer.

"I'm ready for the Mating."

My heart practically stopped as my wolf went wild. He screamed at me to take action, to show her what we've been dreaming about doing. I ignored him, though, staring at Dawn, looking for any signs of hesitation or that she felt forced.

There were none.

She looked back down at me with a shy smile, one that hid the determination beneath.

"You don't want to?" she questioned softly, cocking her head to the side.

And that was all it took for me to flip us over and press every inch of my body to hers, I kissed her mouth, her jaw, her neck, her collarbone; I wanted to savour every millimetre of her skin. She giggled in response to my eagerness, before relaxing into my loving embrace. Her breathing sped up as my kisses floated lower and lower, nearing the centre of her chest. Unlike the previous day, however, she didn't push me away.

She didn't push me away at all that morning.

>>

Dawn

I stepped out of the shower, feeling rejuvenated and happy. I was floating on a cloud, my thoughts returning to the intimacy Hayden and I had shared that morning. Hayden had told me that we would feel closer, that I would have a direct link to his emotions, that if I felt pain, he would too, and vice versa. I already felt tied to him, like the Mating link was forming and growing stronger by the second.

"Hey," Hayden smirked, leaning against the bathroom wall by the door. I jumped out of my skin and automatically grabbed a towel to cover myself. He responded by sauntering up to me and, maintaining eye contact so intense that shivers ran down my back, softly pulled the towel away from me and allowed his eyes to roam my body. I tugged at the towel to cover myself up, but he was too strong, so I cowered away from his gaze, embarrassed.

His finger tilted my chin up to look at him. "What are you embarrassed about?" he whispered with a smile.

I blushed, avoided eye contact. "It's just embarrassing, Hayden, I'm not really comfortable with my body," I mumbled. I had my insecurities, like any other girl. I wasn't completely skinny, sporting a bit of a pudge on my tummy; it wasn't big or anything, but I still didn't feel comfortable naked.

"You're crazy, Dawn. Look at you, any guy would kill to be in my position right now. You're so unbelievably gorgeous," Hayden gushed, his eyes never straying from my nakedness.

"But this," I stressed, grabbing at the fat on my tummy.

Hayden looked at me like I belonged in an insane asylum. "You think you're fat? Jesus, Dawn, if anything you are too slim. You could do with putting on a few pounds."

I rolled my eyes and cast my eyes to the floor.

"Dawn, look at me."

Sighing, I looked up at his dark eyes.

"You know I've been with quite a few girls. I'm not going to lie to you and say that before I met you, I was a virgin. Because I wasn't." I frowned. Where was he going with this? "But I swear to the Moon Goddess, I swear on my life, on the lives of my pack, I've never met a more beautiful girl, nor a girl with a sexier body. I've never ever found someone who made me feel the way I felt earlier. That was a feeling I'd never experienced and it was..." He shook his head in disbelief, "It was incredible. So I don't care what you think of yourself, I think every inch of you is completely perfect."

I blushed and smiled shyly at what he said, wondering how I lucked out with Hayden. I watched in confusion as he got on his knees and kissed my tummy.

"This is adorable. This is sexy," he grinned widely. I couldn't help but squirm under the ticklish feathery touch of his fingers on my waist.

He stood up and smiled at me, his eyes completely black now. "Now that we've got that cleared up, why don't you pretend you didn't just shower and get in the bath with me."

>>

Later on, we headed outside, where Hayden was going to train. He had decided that I needed to know some basic defence moves; I thought it was a bit last minute, but agreed anyway.

"Okay, so you need to learn how to block an attack," he told me, motioning for my to stand how he was standing.

I followed his instructions until he decided I needed to practice it with him.

"I'm going to be gentle, don't worry," he assured me, before launching himself at me. I blocked his punch with my forearm and his kick with my elbow, smiling when pride washed over me.

"How was that?" I asked, grinning.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and pecked me on the lips, "Perfect. Absolutely perfect."

I beamed, before swiping my foot underneath him and knocking him to the ground, where he groaned in pain and annoyance that he hadn't seen it coming.

"You," he pointed up at me from the ground, "are going to get it." I laughed and accepted the challenge, sprinting away while he was still on the floor. Behind me, I heard Hayden leap to his feet and race after me, his close footsteps pushing me to run harder, heading into the Pack Woods where I could hide. I laughed freely at the wind pushing my hair out of my face and the leaves crunching beneath my feet. It might be the last time I have this time with Hayden, I thought, but I pushed that out of my mind. Right now, I was enjoying myself.

"You can't keep running!" Hayden called daringly from behind me.

I laughed, "Oh yes I can!" I wasn't even out of breath; I felt like I had new energy, more strength than I had before. Oh my gosh... am I an adrenaline junkie?

Suddenly, I stopped.

"Mwahahaha, I caught you!" Hayden teased as he wrapped his strong arms around me. I smiled but frowned at what had just happened. My vision has gone black and white for a split second, but everything had appeared clearer and sharper, with some weird mists of colour, before it had returned to normal. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed imagined.

I pushed it from my mind and turned to face Hayden, sticking my tongue at him tauntingly. "Only because I let you."

His eyes darkened and he smirked, "Oh really? We'll see about that." In a flash, I was hanging over his shoulder and giggling maniacally.

"Hayden, Hayden, what are you doing?!" I exclaimed, weakly pounding my fists on his back.

"Proving you wrong," he chuckled. I sighed and rolled my eyes, a goofy grin fixed on my face. I took the opportunity to check out his butt, nodding in appreciation.

"Stop perving on me," he laughed.

"I—I am not!" I denied, earning a chuckle from him.

"Danny, I can feel your emotions, remember? Right now I'm feeling appreciation and a hint of sexual tension."

"Sexual tension?!" I screeched. "Sorry to burst your bubble, Hayden, but I'm not that horny."

"Ooooh, yes you are," Hayden said simply, laughing quietly. Grumbling under my breath, I watched Hayden walk until he stopped and put me down. We were standing in a clearing, tall grass littered with flowers filling the entire place. It looked so... soft. I just wanted to roll around in it.

"What is this?" I asked, looking around in awe.

"Well, we can either wrestle until I win fair and square, or, we can make out until dinnertime without being disturbed. Your choice," Hayden shrugged with a knowing smile.

"You and I both know what I'd rather do," I winked. He grinned and pulled me close to him, closing his eyes to kiss me. I shoved him to the ground and jumped on top of him, pinning his arms on top of him.

"Let's wrestle!" I exclaimed, laughing uncontrollably at his peeved expression.

"Fine," he smirked, before taking me by surprise and switching our positions around. As he pressed me further into the grass, he planted a kiss on my mark. "Now I have you exactly where I want you," he whispered, then captured my lips with his.