7

I gaped at the sight before me, how in the world did he find this place? Sitting on the banks of the beautiful lake my parents used to take me to was our old vacation home. It's a pretty large "cabin" but looks like a mansion, all my memories of the vacations before this washed into my head. I smiled, a small tear rolling down my cheek. I felt someone gently wipe the tear away, my gaze shifting to the beautiful man beside me.

"You did this?" I whispered, over joyed with the beautiful sight.

He smiled, "Sadie mentioned the cabin and how you always loved it here, so I thought we could have dinner inside and maybe go for a midnight swim. We could also spend the night here if you want."

I swiftly pulled him into a hug and kissed his lips, that butterfly feeling in my stomach as our lips moved together. I then looked at him after we parted, his amazing green/blue or hazel...confusing eye colored eyes. He chuckled and kissed my forehead before guiding me along the thin path, the memory of my sister and I racing before my parents flashed in my mind. I was over whelmed with happiness as he unlocked the cabin door. We walked into the foyer and up the stairs, anxious to get to the kitchen.

I haven't been here since my parents died, I was too afraid that I would dive deeper into depression. However, it's the complete opposite. It just made me remember them, but in a good way, the way you want to remember. I was glad Sadie mentioned this place to Achilles, but even happier that Achilles actually made a date out of it.

He pulled out my chair and sat me down before grabbing something from the counter. He placed a plate that had my favorite meal in front of me; steak, baked potato, and chicken. He then poured my favorite wine into a wine glass and placed it beside my plate. I was amazed by this, did he cook it?

"Um...I followed a recipe, I hope...it's good." he said, clearly nervous.

I smiled, "I bet it will be good."

The dinner was amazing, seems like my mate has a talent with cooking. We talked through dinner and laughed, we got to know each other a little more as well. Achilles actually blurted out that his mother partied every single night, which is why he didn't like her a lot. He felt as if she abandoned him and didn't want anything to do with him, so, when he became Alpha he exiled her. She would only stir up trouble in the pack and would walk onto packgrounds completely drunk. He didn't want his pack dealing with that or even babysitting her, but he did give her the choice to visit for a week every month.

He loathed her, but he felt guilty for banishing her from the pack. He knew she did have many true friends whome she loved, so he agreed she could visit. Each time she's tried apologizing to him, but he would ignore her. Therefor, she became more bitter each time she stayed there.

I wanted to tell him that maybe he should let his mother be a mother, she wanted to try but he refused to let her. I know I'll never be able to understand his feelings since my parents were both with me till the end, but I know he's not being very reasonable. However, I decided to keep my mouth shut about that. It's not the time to say anything of the sorts, plus, I don't want to see the dark side of Achilles. I'd rather see that side when he's protecting someone from rogues.

"So, ready for a swim?" he questioned, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

I chuckled, "I didn't bring a bathing suit though."

"No biggy, just jump in naked."

I gaped at him, my face heating up. "I-I...hell no!"

He rolled his eyes and grabbed a black bag, "I'm joking, I just love getting you all flustered. Here you go, Sadie threw your bikini in."

I sighed in relief, giving him a playful glare as I took my bikini. I scurried to the bathroom and took off my dress and high heels. I was excited to go swimming, I haven't gone swimming in a very long time. I'm not counting that fall into the river a nice swim. I threw on the bikini top, frowning when I noticed it was a push-up bikini. I didn't exactly have small breasts, they're a little on the big side and of course Sadie just has to put this bikini in there. I was already dreading the bottoms, they're pretty close to a thong bikini. It was Sadie's idea of making Jason jealous, but I never really went through with it.

I swallowed, nervous at how Achilles will think of me. I don't usually wear stuff like this, sure I don't have a single one piece bathing suit, but my other bikinis were the typical bikini. I admit, they did have a little push up in them, but not as much as this one. I bit my lip and shyly walked out of the bathroom, my hands shaking. I clasped them together and continued walking to the back deck, knowing Achilles was already out there.

I walked out to see him wearing a pair of black bathing suit shorts and no shirt. The sight of his toned back filled me with a little bit of lust, the nice tattoo didn't help much. I've always been attracted to guys with tattoos, which did make me fall for Jason. He had a tattoo on his upper arm, but the mate-bond helped with most of the attraction. He spun around, his eyes immediately turning black with lust.

"You look amazing." he breathed out, as if I took his breath away.

He walked over and placed his hands on my waist before placing his lips on mine. We made out for a few seconds then he swooped me into his arms. I furrowed my eyebrows and wrapped my arms tightly around his neck.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

He smirked but tried hiding it, "Nothing, just walking you down to the lake. Didn't think you would want to walk down all these steps so I decided to be a gentleman." he explained.

I narrowed my eyes, "You're going to do something."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are. I know you."

"Oh, relax! I'm joke free, I swear!"

"Remember when I said you remind me of Thor?"

"Yeah."

"You don't, you now remind me of the Joker. Except you're not as insane...or are you?"

He let out a deep chuckle, "I can assure you I'm not as insane as the Joker. I am full of jokes and tricks though, but almost every guy is. I know many girls who are full of jokes as well...or sarcasm, like you."

I smiled, "I know."

That smile quickly faded as a full blown smirk was plastered on his face and he started running. My eyes widened, snapping my eyes over to the lake. He was going to jump in...with me in his arms. Shit. I dug my nails into his skin as he launched us off of the deck that was built over the lake and into the water.

He let go of me and I quickly swam to the surface, spluttering out water and glaring at him. He was laughing of course, so I did what any angry girlfriend or mate would do. I jumped on him and dunked him, my own laughter sounding. He then pushed me off and back into the water before swimming to the surface, we both laughed as we played fight in the water. I splashed water in his face before swimming further out, laughing at his face.

He grinned and swam after me, damn he's a fast swimmer. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close, kissing my forehead.

"You're amazing, you know that, right?" he whispered, looking at me.

I smiled softly, placing my hand on his cheek. He leaned into my hand as he watched me, his eyes showing nothing but awe and love. I knew my eyes were showing the same as I continued to fall for him. I then placed my lips on his, making out for a few moments.

Once we parted I returned the grin, "I know, and you're perfect."

We calmly swam around for a while before getting out and grabbing our towels. We decided to sit on the deck and hang our feet over, watching the moon and stars. Achilles wrapped his arm around me, pulling me to his side. I rested my head against his shoulder and sighed in content, this is what I wanted. This is what I've wanted and dreamed about having for a mate since I was young, silently thanking the Moon Goddess for giving me Achilles as my second chance.

All of my stress left as we chased each other around outside, laughing and laying on the ground. When it got later we walked inside and showered, of course he wanted to shower with me. I laid on my bed, reading a book as I waited for Achilles to get out of the shower. I laughed as I thought of his arguement before getting in. I'm such a pain in the ass sometimes; let's just say he had to take a very cold shower.

He walked out of the bathroom and jumped on the bed, laying beside me. He then laid on his side and started kissing my neck. I placed my book down and rolled on top of him so I was straddling his waist. I then started kissing him, both of us wrapping our arms around each other. I was in complete bliss, drowning in our passion as we continued to kiss. He then rolled us over so that he was on top, a smile on his face. He then started to kiss my neck, nipping at my skin every now and then. I let out a moan as he found my weak spot, right on my collar bone. I bit my lip as he nipped, kissed, and sucked on that spot. My heart was racing, my nails digging into his back as he continued to torture me.

He then suddenly stopped, looking at me with coal black eyes. He swallowed, "I know you don't want to mate...but...could we at least...mark?" he asked, a blush on his cheeks.

I looked at him, am I ready for this? So far it has been a week, of us hanging out and doing Alpha duties. He was supposed to return to his pack, but his Beta told him to spend more time with me. Plus, his mother is still there and the pack understands. They're actually excited about him finding his second chance mate, the Beta didn't tell them that, but they're already assuming.

I smiled, I am ready. I love him more than anything and he's really proved how much he loves me, he's my world. I can't imagine my life without him, he's just...amazing. I nodded and kissed him, moving my kisses to his neck.

"As long as I get to mark you." I whispered.

He let out a growl of approval, "Of course."

I shivered as his canines grazed my soft spot, making me anxious. He then sunk them in, the first thing I felt was pain. I held back my cries though, knowing the first few seconds are always painful. I then relaxed as the pleasure took over, crashing into me. I let out a soft moan and started kissing his neck again, when I reached where his neck and shoulder met he let out a moan.

I was filled with lust as his moan made its way to my ears, but I knew I wasn't ready for what my body and wolf wanted. I grazed my canines against that spot after doing what he did, smirking as he growled. I then sunk my canines in, guilt wrapping around my heart as he let out a yelp. He then relaxed and let out a soft gasp, I knew the pleasure was with him now. I licked the blood away like he did for me and watched him, smiling.

He laid beside me and pulled me close, still attacking my neck with kisses. "I love you." he whispered, turning off the lights.

"I love you too." I whispered back, cuddling against his chest.

We both fell asleep in each other's arms, the darkness of sleep taking over our worlds.

"How was your night?" Sadie asked, skipping over to us as we got out of the car.

I smiled, "It was amazing."

"So, am I going to be an aunt?" she asked, grinning.

I laughed, "No, you're not going to be an aunt. We didn't do that part of mating...yet."

She furrowed her eyebrows, clearly confused as to what I was implying. I rolled my eyes and pointed at his mark on me, her eyes widened. She then cheered and hugged me.

"You've finally found a mate who's worth it!" she beamed.

Achilles chuckled from behind us, "We both did." he whispered, wrapping his arm around my waist.

We all walked in, telling Sadie about our night. Achilles mind-linked me, telling me we should bring her down there some day. I agreed, smiling up at him. Over the week he's been here he ended up becoming a big brother like guy in her life, always helping me when it came to her happiness. He knew how it felt to be young and not having both your parents there, so he knew what to do. I was glad to have him in my life and in Sadie's, she needed someone who understood her.

I know we both lost them, but I was older. Sadie is only sixteen, she was fifteen when they died. That's pretty young to lose your parents. Being nineteen, I was able to accept it quicker and take up the responsibilities of an Alpha.

"Hey, could you grab my phone charger from upstairs?" I asked, Sadie.

She nodded and bounded up the stairs like a child, I smiled and sighed. Achilles yawned and sat down, staring at me. "You okay?"

I looked up, "Yeah, just tired, we had...a fun night."

He chuckled, "We did, didn't we? How about this, I take care of your paperwork for today and you go take a nap." he suggested.

I frowned, "You don't have to do that, I can-

"Hey, want you to rest, I'm not as tired as you. Remember, ADHD?"

I laughed, "Okay."

He kissed my head before leaving and walked into the hall that leads to my office. I pursed my lips and searched for a glass. I started pouring water in it when I heard someone scoff at me, his scent quickly hitting my nostrils.

Unlike usual, his scent just annoyed me now. I turned the water off and glared at him, "What do you want Jason? I thought I told you not to step into my packhouse."

"It's a packhouse, sweetheart." he smirked, he then noticed the mark. "He marked you."

I could hear the jealousy in his voice, I wanted to smile but I didn't. "Well, we are mates, of course we marked each other."

He glared at me, "Why would he want a worthless bitch like you?"

I swallowed, clenching my jaw. "A bitch who allowed her parents to die." he spat.

Tears pricked my eyes as I stormed past him, shoving him into the table. He yelped when his hip smacked the marble. I glared at him, "Get. Out." I growled before leaving.