7 Mine

"Finally home?" I ask, the second Ralphie walks in with his boyish grin.

"Yup!" he beamed as he bounced on the bed and rolled over to face me.

I pay him no mind as I continue to read the book in my hand.

"Are you upset?" he asks in concern when I show no reaction to the silly faces he was making to get my attention.

I give him a polite smile before flipping to the next page.

"Alvena," he calls gently and takes the book away from me. "Please don't be upset."

Folding my arms across my chest, I lean back and turn the other way, feigning disinterest. To my dissatisfaction, Ralphie lets out a little laugh that mocked my attempted seriousness at the moment.

"The Alphas gave an important order. No one should know about it yet, but I'll tell you if you stop being upset with me," he says with his puppy eyes.

"I don't want you to tell me that."

Placing my hand on his forehead, he looks at me in wonder.

"What happened last night? Where did that fever come from?"

Ralphie immediately looked at the floor in guilt. I could tell he was debating in his head whether or not to tell the truth as is or try decorating it, but knowing his personality, he'd settle for the first option.

"I turn like that when I don't shift enough," he finally answers quietly.

"But you practically change into a wolf every morning."

"Lycan form," he clarifies.

"Why didn't you?" I question a bit harshly from my pent up anxiety.

"In Lycan form, we get a little more...hmm..." Ralphie hesitates to search for the word. "Lycan is our greatest form and umm..." he begins to explain. His face gets a little flushed as I stare at him intently. Somehow seeing him like this is quite amusing.

"So?" I playfully fake my seriousness, but he takes bait.

"So...when we turn into Lycan, we also get a little more..." he pauses before shyly adding, "...hot..."

"Aroused?"

I knew I got the right word when Ralphie's eyes widened.

For the first time, he seemed to be embarrassed by his apparent nakedness and turned over so that his back was facing me.

"Ralphie, don't look away," I coo but he doesn't budge.

When he didn't respond to my words, I crawled near the end of the bed where he was sitting.

"Ralphie," I call his name as I slide my hands behind his neck and throw one leg over until I'm sitting on his lap facing him.

This seemed to cause him to flush even redder.

"Please get off..."

"Did you know how worried I was? I'm not getting off until you tell me," I press on.

"Please don't tease me..." Ralphie answered in a low tone.

"Why didn't you shift?"

"I'll make sure to shift more often," he dips his head in apology. "And when I do, I'll stay away."

"No!"

We both take surprise in my sudden reaction.

"I asked you why didn't you shift?" I say as calm as I can manage. "But I never said I want you to stay away."

Ralphie couldn't meet my eyes and that didn't quite sit well with me.

"It's hard to control what I want in Lycan form."

I lean a little closer, all the while keeping my position atop him. "What is it that you want?"

He took a gulp.

"You can tell me," I urge.

"It might not be what you want," he answers flatly.

If he weren't so adorable, I probably would've dropped the game a long time ago. But seeing him like this only made me realize how oblivious I have been for the past two years.

"And if it might be what I want too?"

Ralphie looked at me dumbfounded. Gradually, his expression turned to something hopeful then to suspicion.

"Do you even know what I'm talking about?"

I gave him a playful smile before bumping my breasts against his chest. Closing the distance between us, our lips locked for the first time in a long time.

He didn't kiss me back at first, as if he forgot how to respond to such a sensation. But then slowly, he seemed to remember.

His lips pressed against mine gently, then they became more aggressive, as if trying to make up for all the missed chances. He was being a bit messy, but seeing that I was somehow managing to keep up, he didn't hesitate to advance.

Ralphie's large hand pressed against my back, locking me in place as he continued the kiss.

When I realized that this kid didn't need to breathe, I seriously had to shove him to let him know that I still needed air.

He let my lips go, but started kissing down my neck and then further down.

"Ralphie..."

He didn't stop. Rolling over and placing me on my back, he continued as he pleased. His hands slid in my gown, and a rush of heat filled me when his warm hands grabbed onto my chest.

"Ralp-"

I didn't get to finish before his lips pressed against something nice that caused me to let out an uncontrolled yip.

My hand was on his bare chest and I could practically feel his heart pounding ever so violently against my skin. It felt good to be loved like this too.

The feeling where you're the only one he'll ever see in his eyes. The feeling where you're the one he wants more than anything else in the world. The feeling where his heart beats loudest and hardest for you.

I never dreamed something like this could happen to me...not when I thought it already did.

As if sensing something different, Ralphie slowly pulls away and looks at me with concerned eyes.

"Everything okay?" he asks, scanning my face for any signs of discomfort.

I swallow and nod, which didn't match up with the sudden tears rolling down my cheeks.

"Don't cry," he says and brings me in his arms. He wasn't panicked by the sudden change of mood, but remained quiet as he let me cry and patted me gently.

"Thank you...for loving me," I mutter, not wanting to lift my head from his chest.

"It's not like I have a choice," he lightly jokes before planting a kiss on my forehead.

After that, we simply sit there, with me in his arms and him staring off in the distance.

Although we're not talking, I could feel his presence. His steady breathing and warmth and the way he holds me lets me know that he's with me physically and mentally.

I love this moment as it is, but somehow something in my body doesn't feel right. It's hard to pinpoint what it is especially when it seems like there are butterflies in my stomach.

Not liking the feeling, I shift around and Ralphie tries his best to adjust himself to match my random movements, which required a lot of waist touching, accidental chest bumping, and skin contact.

Then I realized what it was.

I like when Ralphie touches me up and down. I crave his warmth when our skin touch, especially when his hands hold my face. My mind keeps going back to his lips and tender gold eyes.

In the heat of the moment, I pull him down until his body is just hovering above mine.

"Who am I to you?"

"My mate," he asserts confidently.

My lips instinctually curve up at his raw boldness.

"How old are you this year Ralphie?" I ask, tilting my head ever so slightly to see the sparkle in his eyes.

"Twenty-one."

"Then there's probably no need to wait any longer."

Ralphie freezes in place, slowly taking in the meaning of my words. Staring intently in my eyes, he seemed to be searching for something.

He didn't find any doubt or hesitation, only trust and complete faith. And that was exactly what he was looking for.

"Who am I to you?" I ask once more, struggling to hide the strong urge to smile.

"My love," he whispers by my ear before sealing our lips another time.

"My strength..." he says, brushing his lips against my collar bone. "My weakness..."

Slowly sliding my gown off, he stops to take in the sight.

"My pride," he states proudly, not being subtle about the boiling desire in his eyes.

"My mate," he growls in his wolf tongue before leaning in for a deep passionate kiss.

"Mine."

And that was the last word I heard before I opened myself to him completely and willingly.