I woke up with the sun warming my body and my husband kissing down my spine. He knew that I was awake, he always knew if I was awake but I kept still liking the feeling of the shocks that run through my body. There was a tense feeling in my muscles below that I didn't even know I had but I wanted to use them again. Especially when he leant back over the top of my body and I felt what he had between his legs and he slipped an arm under my waist to meet him. "Good morning baby," he whispered against my ear before he dropped his hips down. It was nice to be alone with him and not have the presence of my guards or anybody else around. It was nice to be completely connected to him and not to pull back from his touch at all because I was afraid of how it felt. Now I was the one that was grabbing him and pulling him into me. I was sitting outside on the day bed the wind whipping through my hair lightly as I sat with my book. Ryder was making me breakfast and he'd asked me to stay outside while he checked in with his father and Maxon. My mind couldn't stay on the words on the page because it kept wandering to what Ryder and I had done last night and this morning, both on the bed and in the shower, and with how good he was at using his tongue. I was also lost in the thought that as soon as we made that connection last night everyone knew that we had. Ryder had explained to me back when he marked me that I wouldn't be recognised and that a sire bond wouldn't be developed between me and all wolves until we mated. It was kept quiet that he had found me but anybody who knew that I was his mate and that I was human would have felt the pull of that connection and it would have developed because we had finally mated. "Lottie," Ryder calls from behind me. Normally I would have jumped but I could feel him getting closer and I was waiting for him. He placed a plate of pancakes and fruits. Looking up at him I smile, he always made me my favourite meals, he was still paranoid that I was too thin but I had built up a lot of body fat and even muscle as Ryder and Cole tried to train me. "Are you hurting?" it was the tenth time he had asked me that question. "I'm fine, how are you?" Picking up a piece of fruit I slip it into my mouth and concentrate back on my book. Squealing when Ryder grabs my leg and pulls me in closer to him so his head can reach my neck, I laugh as he nibbles at my neck before he sucks lightly at his mark. Grabbing his cheeks I pulled my lips to his so he'd kiss my lips instead of his mark. He shakes his head once he's pulled back from me. "You're a smartass you know that, a smartass that needs to eat." His smile drops as his hand slides up my leg to rest on the side of my stomach. His need for me to keep my weight up now had more meaning to it. If everything he had said to me was right I would not only be eating for me but I'd be eating for our pup as well, a pup that would be a king or a queen one day. Lifting my eyes up to meet his, I drop my hand over the warmth of his. "Can you smell it?" I watch as he concentrates on my stomach for a second and he takes in a deep breathe. After a few seconds his face falls and his eyebrows furrow, the look only lasts for a second before he sighs in relief. "I can't smell the hormone that would tell me that you are but that doesn't mean it won't show up in a few days. That's unlikely though." His smile was soft as he pulled his hand back down my leg. "Are you upset about that?" I could see that he was hurt so to make him feel more comfortable I continue eating. Ryder watches me eat and his face softens. "Not really. A pregnancy is a great risk to you. You're stronger now but it will still hurt you but I really thought that you might be pregnant and I liked the idea. I want to see you hold and love my pup." "I want the same thing Ry, it might not be when you thought it would but we will one day." Ryder squeezes my leg before he leans forward again to kiss my lips. "I really do love you." He whispers. "I would never want anybody else as my mate." With a sigh I drop my head against his shoulder. "I'm glad that I have you. I never thought that I could love someone so much and have someone that loves me like you do." Pulling my head back from his chest I run my hand over his cheek, "Now can you stop making me so emotional I'm supposed to be eating?" His eyes stay on his hand as he slowly slides it down my leg and back up again before it's resting on my knee. "I will, if you get into the ocean with me later." My lips slowly pulled up into a smirk as I slowly slipped a grape into my mouth. The dark colour his eyes took sent a shock wave through my body as he watched my movement with slow breathes. "Swimwear or no swimwear?" My voice was low and I watched as he shifted on the day bed. "Nothing," His voice was so deep I barley understood what he said but the way that his hand tightened around my leg and the slight pinch of his claws against my skin I knew he had chosen the latter. ***