"I love you too." *** When Ryder had carried me over the threshold into the beach villa my jaw had dropped. No matter what room you were in you could see the beautiful and very pristine blue water of the calm ocean water. Ryder was outside now while I was stood in front of the floor length mirror nervously fiddling with the bikini that I had found in my suitcase. When I first saw the coloured Aztec print that was hidden beneath all the lacy underwear I wanted to yell at Ellie who had packed the bag. My head had whipped around to see if Ryder had also seen what was in the bag but he was already at the edge of the pool and pulling his shirt over his head. Honestly Ryder had seen the same amount of skin before from some of the numerous stunts that had landed me in the hospital. The soft material covered everything that needed to be covered but still I didn't know how Ryder was going to react to seeing me like this. Sighing deeply I walk out of the bathroom and slowly around the corner to see Ryder sat with his back towards me. "Ryder," my voice was quiet but he had heard me with his enhanced hearing. When his eyes land on me they darken. Continuing to walk closer to him he slowly stood up his hands landing on my waist as he pulled me into him. "You look beautiful, don't worry." With that a smile crossed his cheeks as he lifted me up from the ground, my legs wrapping around his waist on instinct. He takes slow steps into the cool water of the pool, my grip strong even though I could tell that I'd still be able to touch the bottom. His eyes were gradually lightening to their normal hazel colour that I loved so much. Once we were in the water Ryder stuck by his words and didn't remove his hands from me at all. My fingers gently stroked through his hair as he caressed my thighs while his lips stayed pressed against mine. When I feel his hand sliding up my spine to pull at the strings of the bikini I pull back away from his sensual attack. "Shouldn't we be in a bed to do this?" He chuckles with his forehead against mine. "I need to tell you one last thing about that." His voice dropped lower but not in a good way. "Ryder?" I questioned my arms loosening around his neck. "Higher ranked wolves are stronger so when we mate, that side is more dominant then our human." When I eye him, asking him to continue he lets out a deep sigh. "When wolves mate they have something called a coital tie, it holds the female to the male to assure that uh, no semen can escape and increase the chances of the female getting pregnant." The words shocked me as I tried to push back out of his arms. Somehow I had managed to fight his strength and get out of his arms but I had forgotten that I was in the water and suddenly everything fell out from beneath me and I couldn't make sense of what was up and what was down. Strong arms found their way around my waist and pulled me back to the surface air finding its way into my lungs as Ryder runs his hand through my soaked hair while gently shushing me. He was right the water was very calming to me. "It won't last long. Not even a minute or two but it might hurt." His voice is soft as he messaged my neck. Nothing was going to stop what I felt for Ryder but the news about our mating had increased my nerves. It was going to happen soon no matter what so there was no way I could prevent it. Breathing in his scent I wait for my heart to stop racing. "Why are you only telling me now?" His arms tightened around me as if expected me to escape his arms again. He tilts his head back so his eyes can meet mine. "My mother only just told me about in the last couple of weeks. It's more of an instinct thing so it doesn't always happen and always when the female is in heat. She wanted me to warn you that it might happen though." Looking over his concerned face I let out a sigh, relaxing my tense body in his arms. "So there's a chance that it won't happen." Ryder smiles with a soft shake of his head. "It's small but I promise you that I will make everything else feel so amazing any pain you feel won't matter." Again his hand slides up my spine. The smooth touch of his skin tickles my skin as he starts to pull at the knot again his lips settling on my neck as he sucks at the claim. My fingers tightening around his hair and pull his mouth back away from my neck. "You can't withhold that type of information and expect me to fall back into your hands your majesty." The words were barely past my lips before his eyes turned darker and his arms tightened around me further.