"Do you have any good food in here?" I grumbled, poking my head into the fridge. "Jeez, you're so healthy."

"Define 'good food'." Damien sounded amused behind me.

"Sugar, the best food group ever." I informed him seriously, and raised a finger. "Specifically Oreos. Those things are the bomb." I continued raiding the fridge.

I could practically hear him raise an eyebrow. "They're unhealthy crap."

"Oy!" I spun around with a glare. "Don't insult the Oreos!"

He looked amused as he leaned up against the breakfast bar in the middle of the kitchen. He looked exhausted, probably because he hadn't gotten any sleep the night before. I winced - that was all my fault. But he still managed to look amazing, in a tight tank top that showed off his very fit body, and loose sweatpants. I looked away quickly, knowing I was staring. To distract myself, I closed the fridge with a slam and bent down to rummage in some other poor cabinet.

He cleared his throat. "I can make you something, Princess."

I shot upright. "Really?" I turned to look at him eagerly.

He nodded. "I used to cook occasionally."

"Awesome, because I suck at cooking." I grinned sheepishly. "I can make grilled cheese sandwiches and that's it."

He smirked. "I'm sure I can come up with something better than that."

As he cut up some mushroom thing, I sat down in one of the chairs at the kitchen island. It was seriously hot when a guy cooked for you, at least in my opinion.

"Damien." I said tentatively. "I'm sorry I ran away."

I could see him tense. "I went crazy when you left. They had to lock me up."

I inhaled sharply. "My god, Damien."

"We're mates, Alexia, what did you expect? Our souls are connected!" His voice was angry, but controlled.

"I know." I said quietly.

"So why did you run away?" He yelled and slammed his knife down hard, making me flinch.

Then I got mad. "It just scares me, Damien! We're moving so fast! We've known each other for one day! One! I mean, I don't know you at all, and when I see you I just want to kiss you, and there are all these intense feelings that come up, and I have trouble figuring out which ones are real, and which ones are just the bond! I want real love, Damien, not some stupid bond thing! I don't know anything about you, and we fight so much, but I still want to see you, and I'm scared we'll burn each other up! We're both so stubborn and fiery. I'm terrified that we'll become an inferno! That's why I ran away! I was just so damn scared, of me, of you, and of this thing between us! I don't know what I'm supposed to do or say, or anything! I just don't know!" I shoved my trembling hands into my lap so he wouldn't see them. I was breathing heavily by the time I was finished.

He was still facing the cutting board by the time I finished. Silence followed my speech, wrapping around me and holding me still. I watched him, standing perfectly still at the counter.

"I'm 6'3 and I'm nineteen years old. My favorite color is dark blue, I like cooking, science, and the ocean." His voice was quiet, but it cut through the silence like he had yelled it, reverberating around the room.

I smiled weakly. "I'm seventeen, 5'8, and I don't have a favorite color. I like dark chocolate, Oreos, and reading."

Slowly, he turned around, his brilliant blue eyes meeting my own. "If you want, we can start over. Get to know each other."

I nodded, swallowing. "I'd like that." I told him softly.

He finished cooking as we talked.

"I can't stand horror movies." I informed him.

"Little Princess is scared?" He teased, "Big bad evil ghosts coming to get you?"

I rolled my eyes. "No! They're just..." I paused, thinking. "Ok, fine. They scare me." I grumbled.

He laughed, a deep rumble that made my stomach flutter.

"Your turn." I told him, embarrassed. "How about... your parents."

"They were never mates. They pretended because my father was getting older and needed an heir. But it fell apart, and now they can't even talk to each other." His voice was light enough, but I noticed the muscles in his shoulders tense. "How about you?"

"Never knew them." I told him, shrugging. "I was found in the woods when I was four years old. They abandoned me."

We both fell silent for a moment.

"I see." He said eventually.

The sizzling of the pan filled the stifling quiet.

"What's your favorite food?" He asked, turning toward the stove to check it's contents.

I ticked off each one on my fingers. "Anything chocolate, Oreos, and take-out chinese food."

He shook his head as he turned back to me. "Do you like anything healthy?"

I thought about it for a moment, cocking my head. "Nope!"

He sighed. "Jesus."

"Yup." My stomach growled. "Are you done yet?"

He checked inside the pan that was cooking. "Yes." He turned around with an evil grin. "I hope you like kale."

I wrinkled my nose. "Eww. Kale is gross! Why do you even own any?"

"It's a superfood."

I raised an eyebrow. "What even is that?"

"It's a food that's extra good for you, simply put."

I shook my head. "You're a teenage boy! Why the hell do you eat superfood crap and... healthy stuff?"

"Both my parents were pretty strict about every part of my life. Everything I did had to be perfect. I was their only child and they wanted me to be perfect in every way." He shrugged. "I've grown to like some of the stuff they made me eat."

I raised my eyebrows. "Wow. Ok."

He began scooping some stuff onto plates, then set one in front of me. "Want a drink?" He asked.

"Water, please." I looked at the steaming pile of food in front of me. It was very pretty, with all the colors of the rainbow and sitting on a bed of white rice. I think that meant it was healthy. Tentatively, I scooped a bit up and put it in my mouth. Flavors burst on my tongue - sweet and spicy and tangy. My eyes shot up to his. "Holy crap! This is good!"

He smirked arrogantly. "You just ate some kale."

I glared at him. "Oh, shut your smirking mouth."

He grinned. I sent him the evil eye. Then I dug in because it was delicious. "You're an amazing cook." I told him through a mouthful of food.

I finished the plate of food quickly, Damien laughing at me as I scarfed it down.

When I was done, I leaned back in the chair. "That was delicious."

He gave me an arrogant smirk.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Damien pushed off the counter where he was leaning and went to answer it. He reentered again with a blond man at his side. This man had gray eyes and long blond hair that was pulled up in a bun, with a few escaping strands hanging next to his face. He was very good-looking in a "Thor" sort of way. He had a small scratch running down his jaw. Training?

"Princess, this is Christian, my Beta. Chris, this is my mate, Alexia." Damien introduced me.

"Call me Chris, Luna." He reached out to shake my hand, and I took it firmly.

"Nice to meet you Chris." I replied politely.

Chris looked at Damien. "I need to speak with you."

Damien nodded then looked at me. "Can it happen later?" He asked Chris.

Chris nodded. "Yes, Alpha. I will leave you a note."

"Thank you, Chris." Damien turned back to me and Chris walked to the doorway.

"Nice meeting you, Chris!" I called out.

"Nice meeting you, Luna." He responded with a grin, then let himself out the back door.

When I turned back to Damien, he was looking at me strangely.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing." He said after a moment.

I decided not to push the issue.

We spent the rest of the day just talking. Although there were a few moments were both of us let our temper slip, we managed to rein it in. After dinner, we went upstairs. Damien let me into a room. As I looked around, I realized it was the same room I had run from him in. I looked back at him and he shrugged.

"It's my room."

I turned back to the room and really looked at it for the first time. The center of it was a king sized bed. It was covered in a dark blue duvet and a lighter blue pair of sheets. The whole room was very modern, with dark wood and deep blue paint, giving it a modern rustic feel.

Damien let me stare for a moment. "I'll be in my office next door if you need me. There are books on the bookshelf and I had a girl buy you some clothes. They're in the closet on the right."

I nodded, and walked into the room. After a hot shower, I wrapped myself in a towel and walked over to the closet. Pulling it open, I gasped. It was a walk-in closet, and it was filled with every imaginable item of clothing I had ever seen. I grinned as I took a step in, lifting my fingers and trailing them along the row of colorful fabrics. I stopped when I got to the pajama section. It was like someone had literally bought an entire Victoria's Secret store, and plunked it all in here! I snorted. There was no way in hell I was wearing any of that. But there wasn't any other options for pajamas. Rolling my eyes, I rummaged around and found workout pants. Putting them on, I grabbed the loosest, softest shirt I could find and collapsed in bed.

A/N

Hello my fantastic readers!

School started again. Please ignore me while I go cry in a corner... So, because of that, I'll try to update once a week from now on, probably on a Friday, but it might have to be over the weekend on some days because of my busy schedule. 

So, did ya'll like this chapter? If so, remember to vote and comment!!

Love ya!

~UnbridledImagination