I woke up to Rafael's heavyweight directly on top of me. It was stifling hot in the room, but it wasn't because of my heat, not anymore at least.

After he marked me last night, it was like everything went away. There was no more pain, no more internal fire, nothing.

We had cuddled for a bit, but I was so tired afterward that I honestly don't even remember falling asleep.

I wiggled under him, trying to get up so I could go to the bathroom and relieve myself. My bladder was absolutely bursting and having his body right on top of me was not helping me at all.

Wiggling wasn't working, so I decided to try my luck with trying to shove him off of me. I guess he finally got irritated with me because he groaned and rolled over, right off the bed and on the floor.

He let out the most girlish scream I had ever heard come from a man and I was immediately sent into a fit of laughter. The laughing made me feel like I was going to pee myself, so I shot out of bed and ran to the bathroom before there was another embarrassing moment added to the morning.

There was a dull ache between my legs, reminding me of Rafael and I's passionate night. It wasn't unbearable, but it definitely wasn't comfortable either.

Rafael was grunting then I heard his footsteps heavy on the floor.

"I guess the floor wasn't as comfortable as you thought?"

I was cracking up, at my poor mate's expense.

"You think you're funny, don't you?"

He was standing in the doorway of the bathroom now as I was washing my hands, watching me with a very unamused expression.

"I mean, I make myself laugh so yeah I guess I do!"

He cracked a smile and started laughing with me. He looked so beautiful and carefree.

I loved the way he looked in the morning. His usually perfectly styled hair a mess from sleep, and a pair of basketball shorts that hung dangerously low on his hips. My wolf stood up and shook out her fur, eyeing our mate and purring in approval.

To her, he looked like a meal and she was more than ready for seconds.

Me? Not so much. I needed real food.

"I have to admit, you look much better in my shirts than I do. Good morning, beautiful. How did you sleep?"

A smile lit up my face at his words. Even first thing in the morning, hair in a mess and morning breath, he made me feel beautiful.

"I slept great, actually, and you?"

"Me too, but I think we need to buy a bigger bed. I'm all for cuddles, but I don't really like fighting over bed space."

"Are you calling me a bed hog?" I narrowed my eyes at him, daring him to call me a bed hog when I was woken up to his full body weight on top of me.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm doing. So I thought today, we could go get lunch and go mattress shopping? Maybe even buy a new suite for the bedroom?"

I lit up. I loved furniture shopping. I remember my parents taking me with them to buy the new living room furniture because they said, and I quote, "you're like our own little interior designer, baby. We need your advice."

They were always asking me for advice with the house and decorations and things. I loved to design things and just like me, they loved the modern country rustic theme that I had going in my bedroom. I even had a whole board on Pinterest dedicated to my future home and how I wanted it decorated.

"I would love that!"

"Great. Now let's go downstairs and make some banana pancakes. I have a craving for them."

Rafael was in love with my banana pancakes, just like I had loved my mom's. She made the best pancakes, hands down, and once I was old enough, she taught me how to make them as well.

"You mean, you want me to make banana pancakes."

The sly smirk on his face confirmed my suspicions, but I loved that he loved my cooking. I wasn't great, and I definitely had room for improvement, but what I could make was pretty damn good.

"I'll mush the bananas! My batter is never as good as yours!"

He was like a kid on Christmas morning. He was right though, my batter was better.

I got to it as soon as I got to the kitchen, and started making the batter. It was simple really, with my own little twist.

I don't use water because it most definitely changed the texture and flavor. So I used coffee creamer and some evaporated milk instead. The combination made them so fluffy it was unreal.

The bananas were all mushed and ready to go into the batter, and Rafael mixed it all up.

The rest of breakfast was made in comfortable silence, the only sound in the kitchen was us cooking and cleaning up, and the sound of the radio playing softly in the background.

Rafael and I ate most of them right after they were done cooking, so by the time everything was done with, we were full and decided to just put them and get ready for the day.

It was 10am by the time everything was cleaned up and I wanted a bath. The aching seemed to get worse the more I moved around, and that was nothing a nice soak in an Epsom salt bath couldn't fix.

"I'm going to go upstairs and soak before it's time to get ready and head out, babe. I'm feeling a little sore."

Dread made its way onto Rafael's face, and he was over to me looking me over in a flash.

"I wasn't too rough with you, was I? I'm so sorry, Dee. I shouldn't have gotten so carried away."

I couldn't help but giggle at this. He was so sweet.

"No, baby. It was my first time, remember? I was bound to be sore from it."

"Oh, right. Okay. Well, I'm still sorry. Enjoy your bath, Dee."

I made my way upstairs and ran myself a hot bath, adding way more salts than were necessary, but what was it going to hurt?

Looking in the mirror I felt like I looked different. I felt different too, though. I felt like a woman. I had a mate, I had a home, and for some reason, my mind was associating losing my virginity to my mate with adulthood.

A blush crept to my cheeks as I remembered what happened last night. It was amazing. I had never experienced anything as exhilarating as last night, nothing that was filled with so much love.

I sat in the bath reflecting on my life and how I got here. It was amazing how something as small as meeting someone somewhere as random as the airport could have brought me here.

My life was perfect.

*A few hours later*

Rafael and I were walking through the pack, making our way into town by foot today. It was so beautiful out, I didn't want to waste the gas and time driving there when we could enjoy the sun and the summer breeze.

There was a commotion to our left as we walked past the pack house.

Samuel flew out of the front door and down the steps, rage evident on his face.

"You marked her?!" He screamed directly in Rafael's face.

"Of course I did, Alpha. She's my mate."

"She was supposed to be MINE!"

He was hysterical. Being absolutely ridiculous over something that had absolutely nothing to do with him.

"Alpha Samuel, if I may. He is my mate. You said you understood why I chose him. Please don't cause a scene."

His hate-filled gaze was directed towards me. He was vibrating with anger. His wolf close to taking control.

Raf and I had heard rumors within the pack that he had been on edge since the rejection, doing things he never would have done before.

"You will not speak to me, you little bitch. You lost that right when you-"

He was cut off by a roar. It came from the packhouse, and we all turned to see who it had come from.

It was Alpha Cornelius, and he was pissed.

"Samuel, I have had enough of this from you. You're lashing out at pack members, you're drunk before noon almost daily. I think it's time you took a step back from the pack until you get your head on your shoulders properly."

"You don't get to tell me to step down, I am the Alpha now, and I will run this pack as I please."

My mouth was agape, I couldn't believe that he was talking to his father this way.

"Samuel, you will step down, or I will involve the council and the pack elders if I have to. This is not a request, it is an order."

Samuel's hands were now in fists at his side, his back tense, and everyone that had gathered to witness the absolute train wreck in front of us was cowering away. Tails tucked, ready to run away, but too interested in what was going on to actually leave.

"Well, father, if you want the position of Alpha back so bad, I guess you'll have to challenge me for it."

Everyone in the vicinity gasped at his words. He couldn't be serious. There was no way he was going to make his father challenge him, just because he wanted him to step back for a while.

"Enough!" He roared.

"This is the end of this. As the Elder Alpha of the Night Fall Pack, I release you of your duties as Alpha. You will step down immediately."

Another gasp, even though I'm pretty sure everyone saw this coming.

What we didn't see coming though, was what happened next.

Samuel shifted right there in the middle of everyone. His anger getting the best of him, and his wolf took control.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion.

He stalked towards his father only minorly when he leaned back and lunged towards him.

His father's body fell to the ground, and Samuel circled him. Blood was pooling on the ground fast, and when Samuel circled around, screams erupted from behind him

His fathers head was in his mouth.

In one swift move, he had decapitated his father and was slowly circling the crowd, as if showing off his prize.

His mother was the source of the screams. Her hand clutched over her chest, the most heart-wrenching screams and sobs I would ever hear, I knew they would haunt me for a while.

His wolf walked over to where she was crouched down on the ground and dropped the head of his father at her feet.

He shifted back and stood in front of us all, his next words chilling everyone around to the bone.

"Elder Alpha Cornelius is dead. No one gets rid of me now."