The night breeze was cool and soft on my skin as I waited for Tristan on the balcony. I couldn’t believe I would wholly and finally be his, just as he would be mine.

After all we’d been through in such a short time, I didn’t think this would happen so soon. I’d braced myself for years of suffering before Alpha Martin died, and instead, I received my mate and new home in what felt like an instant.

Gabriel made it all possible for us. I hoped my feeding him would be worth it for him. Even though he seemed not to care much about money, having more of it than I could imagine, he was paying a lot for me to be his feeder.

In truth, I’d have done it for nothing but a roof over my head. Gabriel had been put off by this response and emphasized that my worth was far greater than I knew. I was more than a feeder, more than just a convenience. I was a precious life that had value and purpose. Other than Tristan, no one had ever treated me as someone to be cherished.

My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. I turned my head and called, “Come in.”

Anyone knocking on the door in this house had supernatural hearing and would hear any soft call.

Emma peeked her head around the entrance to the apartment and then gingerly stepped in, spotting me on the balcony. She smiled her blindingly beautiful, dimpled smile and came out to sit next to me. She had a gift bag in her hand.

“How are you feeling, sweetie?” she asked.

I smiled back at her, then continued looking up at the stars.

“I feel…really happy. I’m grateful. I’m excited and a little bit nervous,” I answered honestly.

She laughed softly, “Oh my, I remember my first time. I was a young girl of seventeen, and I’d just been married to Oliver Jones. He was twenty-five and had inherited a little tobacco shop in London.”

I turned, folding my legs up into the chair as I got cozy. I was eager to hear her story.

“I was a virgin, of course, as any respectable girl of seventeen would be in London unless she were already married. Mr. Jones was kind and generous. He went slowly and tenderly. He really did love me, you know.”

“What happened to Mr. Jones?” I wondered aloud.

Emma smiled a warm but sad smile as she replied, “We had twenty good years together before he passed away of pneumonia in the winter of his forty-fifth year. He left me a comfortable widow of thirty-seven years old. I was grateful, too, to be the wife of such a kind person. After he died, I spent four years serving the church in East London until I met Gabriel.”

“You love him, don’t you?” I grinned cheekily.

“Is it obvious?” she smiled back.

“Just as obvious as the fact that he loves you, too,” I blurted.

“Not at all,” Emma shook her head seriously, “As you know, he can read minds, so I’m sure he knows how I feel. I’ve been with him over one hundred years. If he felt the same way, he would have said so by now.”

“Maybe he isn’t reading your mind. You know, out of respect for your privacy,” I shared my suspicions.

“For one hundred and thirty years?” she questioned with an expression of utter disbelief.

“In my short life, I’ve seen men do some interesting and even terrible things for women they love,” my certainty was evident in my tone.

“I just can’t imagine that’s the case,” Emma said, but now with a glimmer of doubt.

“Do you remember when I came to the kitchen that first day I met you?”

“Of course! What a pleasure to cook for someone again. And you ate with so much enthusiasm,” she laughed.

“When I came into the kitchen, you looked up because Gabriel said, ‘I wish’ and you asked, ‘You wish what?’ before you noticed me standing there,” I explained.

“I forgot to find out what he wished.”

“I know what he wished because he was replying to my thoughts,” I grinned.

Emma’s eyes narrowed as she stared at me, waiting for me to tell her.

I giggled, enjoying teasing her before letting her in on something special for her.

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It was right at that moment that Tristan walked into the room. Our conversation would have to wait.

Emma looked over her shoulder, then leaned over to put her mouth near my ear.

In a low voice she whispered, “We’ll finish this conversation later. Here’s something you might want to open in the bathroom.”

She handed me the gift bag. I took it, confused and curious.

She flounced out of the room, smiling over her shoulder, “Have fun, kids.”

Tristan looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I shrugged at him while holding up the bag.

It did not escape my notice that he was removing his shirt. I stared at him for several seconds, taking in his broadened shoulders and rippling ab muscles. I noticed the grin he was shooting me and cleared my throat, gesturing to the bag.

“I’m supposed to go open it in the bathroom,” I answered the unspoken question.

“Go open it then,” he smiled.

I was nervous, so I was thankful for a few minutes alone to gather myself after Tristan suddenly came into the apartment. His new larger size and enhanced good looks caused warmth to pool in my belly and my heartbeat to quicken. Honestly, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by him.

I went to the bathroom and closed the door. Placing the bag on the counter, I opened it wide. It contained something white and silky.

I reached into the bag and pulled out a beautiful piece of lingerie, unlike anything I had ever seen. It had spaghetti strap shoulders and a gathered and fitted bodice that covered the bust.

From the seam under the breasts, the skirt part of the dress hung to the floor. I quickly removed my clothes and put on the gown.

I stared at myself in total shock as I realized the entire skirt from beneath the breasts to the floor was a flowing, white sheer fabric. It was completely see-through. It also had a slit up one side from floor to waist so that when I walked, my entire leg and hip peeked out from behind the skirt.

When I first saw the gown was white, I expected a lovely, chaste piece. What I got was a very sexy, very revealing piece of lingerie. I looked back down in the bag to find a matching white thong inside. It wouldn’t to cover much, but I put it on so I wouldn’t feel as exposed.

I knew Tristan and I were mating tonight, and he was going to see whatever he wanted to see, but I was still nervous about showing him everything right away.

Tristan knocked gently on the door, “Are you ok, Jane?”

“Why do you ask?” I questioned nervously.

“You’ve been in there for twenty minutes, baby. Come out and let me see you,” his smile was evident in his tone.

“I’m a bit nervous.”

“It’s ok. Let me make you feel better. Come out,” his rich, deep voice commanded.

I decided there was no point delaying. I wanted to mate with him, and it was going to happen. Standing around nervously in the bathroom wasn’t going to change anything, nor did I want to.

I opened the door slowly, and Tristan stepped back. The look in his eyes when he saw me gave me confidence. It was a look of utter adoration with a glint of desire. I took a step out, and he let out a low and pleasant growl of satisfaction.

He came to me, reaching out and pulling me against him. Burying his face in my neck, he breathed my scent in deeply and sighed with contentment.

Wrapping my arms around his waist, I leaned into him.

After a minute of just holding one another, he pulled his head up and lifted my chin so our eyes could meet.

“You are the most beautiful being I have ever seen in my entire life,” he whispered in awe.

I could feel my face blushing and warming, but I wanted to tell him, “You’re beautiful, too.”

He had his hands on my face and chuckled before he bent to kiss me on the mouth, gently at first.

He quickly deepened the kiss, infusing it with all the love and passion in his heart.

Sometime later, he pulled away again to search my eyes.

“I love you, Jane. I want to mark you now. It will ease your worries, and you won’t have any pain with the first mating. Are you ready for me to do that?”

“Yes, Tristan. Make me yours, please,” I whispered shakily.

He growled his approval again, his chest rumbling against me. Then he carefully gathered my hair on one side to place it behind my shoulder. His lips came down to explore the skin of my neck until he settled on that soft, tender spot right at the curve betwixt neck and shoulder. After touching his lips softly to the sweet spot, he licked it, making me shiver.

He took his time with his mouth against the sensitive skin of my neck and shoulder, kissing me tenderly over and over. Slowly the kissing turned to sucking at the soft flesh until a soft moan escaped my lips. The sound made his chest rumble again, and then I could feel his teeth elongating into points and scraping against that magical place.

His teasing was building a deliciously delightful ache inside of me, coiling up tighter and tighter.

I strengthened my grip around him and shuddered as very slowly he sank his elongated canines into that sensitive curve. The sharp pain felt like a pinprick at first and then gradually burst into flames. They seeped into my veins, spreading throughout, warming me with a feeling of safety before fanning up into an all-consuming fire.

The thick mating venom worked deeper and deeper into my being, and I suddenly became aware of several spots on my body that desperately longed for Tristan’s touch, his kiss, and his entering.

The place between my legs burned with longing. The center of my back was desperate to be kissed, and my neck - my neck wanted to be entirely consumed.

Sensual moans filled the room before I realized it was my voice creating them. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel embarrassed anymore. I just felt desire. I was consumed by a longing for completion and oneness with the man I love.

Tristan picked me up, and I wrapped my legs around him. His mouth was on mine again, his tongue begging for entry, so I opened my lips to receive it. They danced together, tasting one another as we both moaned into our mate’s mouth. His arms encircled my waist, with mine around his neck as we tried desperately to draw closer.

He carried me to the bed as his mouth worked its magic against my skin. The sparks weren’t just on the surface anymore but flowing through me like molten lava that I embraced with great pleasure. He gently laid me on the bed, following closely without breaking our connection.

That night, he loved me for hours. I put every single feeling of longing, love, and passion I felt for him into loving him back.

We touched, kissed, tasted, and explored one another’s bodies with fascination and adoration until we totally, completely, and without a single, doubt belonged to one another for all eternity as full and perfect mates.