I floated around in the darkness for I don’t know how long but I could hear the sound of a steady heart beat that seemed to pull me towards consciousness. Soon I found my mind racing towards the source of the sound. My body jolted upright in the bed as I took in a huge gasp of air. My eyes searching quickly and finding who I was looking for. Mikhail came quickly to my side leaving Dante who he had been talking to. He bent forward as he looked me over with worried eyes, “Are you okay? Is something wrong?” he asks his voice having a desperate edge to it. I looked into his eyes for a moment needing to know he was back to his usual self. He stared back into my eyes and I let out a sigh of relief realizing that what I had done had worked. I quickly reach out and wrapped my arms around his neck  and pulled myself to him. He stiffened in surprise at first and then relax wrapping his arms around me. 

“Don’t ever leave me alone like that again you big dummy.” I say to him as I hold onto him tightly. I make eye contact with Dante and he gives me a knowing smile before he turns, “I’ll be waiting outside. When your done Mikhail…” and walks out of the room closing the door behind himself. I let go a bit and pull back so that I can look at him again. He looks at me with a sadness, “I was trying to protect you Elena. I didn’t want you getting hurt.”I  move my hand to his face cupping his cheek, “You don’t always have to protect me. I can take care of myself you know—“ I say shaking my head. He has a strained expression on his face, “You saw what I can be like—I was a monster—“ I move one of my hand to his mouth and cover his lips with my fingers to silence him, “I’ve seen worse things Mikhail—I know what monsters look like and thats not what you looked like to me.” He reaches up slowly and moves my hand away from his lips keeping his hold on my hand.

 “What did I look like then?” His voice is barely above a whisper and I can see how vulnerable he is right now. He needs me as his mate to be able to accept this part of him and thats when I realize something, I already had. “You looked—wounded.” I say, “You know you and I we’re not so different from each other. I think that maybe there is a good reason we were destined to be mates. We need each other.” His eyes soften a bit at this and he looks at me with curiosity, “I always knew I needed you since the first time I laid eyes on you Elena.” 

 “What? Don’t lie.You totally hated me!” I say to him. He shakes his head chuckling a little, “I was afraid of how much you made me feel, just by looking at me with those beautiful brown eyes. You have to understand I am new to this whole feeling—these—type of feelings. It was easier to be mean to you and push you away because you were a rogue but you just kept pushing me and I found I liked that part of you too. You are perfect Elena. You are strong, beautiful and just the right amount of trouble.” He winks at the last part and I frown up at him. He reaches out and tucks some of my hair behind my ear, “I don’t know how I got so lucky but I’m thankful that the moon goddess blessed me with you as my mate because I don’t think anyone else would do.”

 My cheeks flooded with heat at his words of love and I felt my heart swell with the feeling. My wolf was purring with contentment inside of me, Finally. I smiled at that thought, We worked hard enough and finally he sees us as his mate. I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his and this kiss wasn’t full of fiery passion like the others had been. This kiss felt like a kiss of acceptance. Mikhail accepting me for who I was and me accepting him for he was. It had only been about two weeks or so since we had met but I think for mates it took us a little longer to come together.  Of course there was still a lot of things between us but now I felt like the wall was gone and we could actually talk about them. 

 I pulled back breaking the kiss and stared into his steely blue eyes, “You’re seriously one of the most complicated men I’ve ever met.” He smirks at my comment and then leans is forehead against mine, “Yeah well you’re the most infuriating woman that I’ve ever met. Do you ever do what you’re told?” He asks with a bit of laughter in his voice. 

 “I think when I was kid I did but I grew out of that quick.” I joke back. Mikhail laughs a little and then he goes back to a more serious expression his brows drawing together. I sighed, “What’s wrong now?” 

He doesn’t say anything he just stares off beyond me for a moment, “You know I never thought that I would have a mate. Well I hoped that I would never have one at least.” He said before looking back down at me. I looked up at him in confusion, “Why would you say that?” 

“Because of what I am because of the blood that runs through my veins—I mean my mother was a rogue wolf that my father had met by chance and it turned out she was his mate but that couldn’t be allowed by the laws so he kept her as a slave and mated another wolf.” His words are kind of a shock to me and also I feel a strange feeling of anger over the thought that his mother was forced to endure something like that. He continues to talk, “I was to young and naive to understand things when I was little. I knew he was my father and he was the Alpha. I thought he was the greatest thing. Sometimes he would even let me play together with my brother and sister but then one day the Elders came because they had found out about my mother and I.” I could tell by the pained look in his eyes that it was a horrible memory. I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze and he seemed to relax slightly. 

“They ordered him to kill her as what his duty as the Alpha. I remember the look in her eyes before he killed her—She was looking up at him like she understood—She gave up her life willingly. I—“ His voice strains, “They were going to kill me but Leon the Elder you met a couple days ago. He persuaded them to spare me. After that I realized that I was different from the others and they treated me that way. I was happy when they came for me to have me train to be an enforcer.” 

“You want to know the worst part of it all—When they told me that my fathers pack had been attacked and when we got there I was mad—mad because I hadn’t been to one to kill my father.” He looked into my eyes at this and then I knew in his heart that was his fear. He had been placed in the same position. I had been a rogue and he should have killed me but he hadn’t. He was afraid of becoming like his father which is why he didn’t want to have feelings for me and why he had been pushing me away. I took a breath before speaking, “You know what your father did was wrong but I’m sure he suffered from what he did. The more important thing to remember is you are not him—you have made different choices—you are a better man and you would make a great leader. I also know that you would never hurt me. I know you would rather die beside me then kill me.” He stares into my eyes as if searching for any doubt over my own words but he wouldn’t find any because that is what both my wolf and I thought. 

I smile up at him, “Plus do you really think I would let anyone kill me off that easily?” He chuckled at my poor attempt to make a joke, “Oh shut up.” then he pressed his lips to mine in a heated kiss. I felt myself respond to him immediately and I whimpered into his mouth as if all my need for him over the past couple of days came pouring out of me. He quickly had me pressed back into the mattress and was on top of me. I was clawing at his shirt until I finally grabbed it in my hands and ripped it apart revealing his nicely taunt muscles. I ran my hands down his chest feeling him shiver against my touch. He growled grabbing a hold of my hand and then pinning my arms over my head. 

He began to lay kiss all down my chin and and neck making me squirm in his hold. He got to his mark he licked it slowly and I let out a cry which made him growl in satisfaction, “You truly are a gift Elena.” He whispers into my ear in his husky voice then he whispers something in his wolf language that I don't understand. Through my daze, “What? what did you say?” my voice sounds a lot more full of desire then I meant it too. He pulls back a bit to look me in the eyes and he repeats the words more slowly and they sound very beautiful to me even though I don’t understand what they mean, “It’s a prayer and promise to the moon goddess. Something from older days…” He says to me as his hand gently touches his mark tingles racing through my body, “Until the last breath that I breathe I will bind myself to thee—May the light of the moon goddess wrap our love in it’s eternal light.” He chuckles a little, “It’s a rough translation. It sounds better in our native tongue but you get the idea.” My heart was racing in my chest and I reached up and grabbed onto his face, “oh shut up and kiss me already.” 

Our lips met again in a tangle of passion as he quickly threw off the remains of his ripped shirt. His hands ripped off the shirt that was on my body and I let out a gasp as our skin came into contact with each other. He grinds himself into me and I can feel where this is going to lead and I’m more than ready to go there with him. I wrap my legs around his waist to press our bodies even closer together. He lets our a growl low in his chest his hands falling to my hips and gripping them tightly. When he begins to move away from my mouth and down my neck I throw my head back to expose more of my flesh to him. He lays a gentle kiss on his mark before he nips it with his teeth. My eyes flash to silver in an instant and right when I feel like he’s about to bite me a knock comes to the door. 

We both still and wait for a moment and when there is another knock Mikhail lets out a low growl of frustration, “Damnit! What the hell do they want—“ the door is suddenly swinging open and The Alpha and his Beta and some of the other fighter in his pack are there. Dante is looking like he wants to murder someone but is keeping his mouth shut. Mikhail lets out a low growl quickly blocking me from view, “You better hope you have a good reason for barging into my bedroom Alpha…”  

“Men I order you to take this man into custody—One suspicion that he’s the spy.” The Alpha says in a clear voice. My heart stops in my chest and Mikhail lets out a low growl, “What proof do you have that I am this spy?” His body is visibly shaking and I reach out and touch his arm which relaxes him a little. 

“We found the woman that you’ve had sending your messages back and forth. She’s in our custody as well. We have authorization of the Elders to take you and keep you until they can come here themselves to address the situation.” The Alpha is wearing a tight lip smile and I feel dread creeping up over me and I can only assume that he’s talking about Sarafina. They must have caught her lurking around. Mikhail’s shoulders drop a bit before he turns to me for a moment, “Stay close to the other Enforcers they will keep you safe until I get this all sorted out okay?” 

I am staring up at him with disbelief, “But—“

“Elena!” He barks and I nod my head as he turns back to the Alpha. He approaches them slowly looking the Alpha straight in his eyes, “You’re going to regret this.” He growls low in his chest and the Alpha just stares back up at him, “I guess we’ll see about that won’t we. Take him.” He commands and they pull Mikhail away from the room as I am scurrying of the bed towards them my wolf propelling me forwards to protect my mate. I angry growl rips from my throat and suddenly something hits me in the side of my head and I look to see the Alpha, “Make sure she doesn’t leave this room—“ Mikhails angry growls are the only things I hear, Dante’s worried face hovering over me as I fade away.