"Are you going to move from your spot any time soon?" Anders asked teasingly, laughing softly when I purred and shook my head. Laying in the direct sun in this tropical climate was nearly unbearable, yet with Anders' cooler skin pressed against mine...

Bliss.

Instead of separating, I nuzzled closer, purr only intensifying when fingers found their way to my spine, slowly petting over my skin.

It was a slight, teasing caress, one that soothed and at the same time tantalized my senses in ways I hadn't expected. He merely chuckled, shaking his head slightly.

"I told you to move in the shade if you can't stand the heat, darling." He chuckled as I stretched languidly, yawning before replying lazily.

"I don't mind the heat, I just don't want to get a heat stroke." I muttered, remembering a few weeks ago. Anders had been taking a swim and while I didn't mind swimming from time to time, feline instincts were hard to ignore.

I had fallen asleep under the shade but naturally, the shade moved according to the position of the sun. So when Anders had found me later on, I had been overheated and unconscious.

Ever since, Anders was always keeping a keen eye on me whenever I went out in the sun. Insisting that I used sunscreen or at the very least stayed close to him.

Anders hummed, pressing a kiss on my forehead before he pushed us up, much to my chagrin. "You do realize that even if you can avoid a heatstroke, you can still get burned by the sun, right?"

A mewl of protest was easily stopped when his lips pressed against mine. "Besides," he breathed against my lips, making me become aware I had closed my eyes, "We need to get ready or we'll be late."

I huffed at that, pushing off from his lap before stretching. "How can we be late when you can teleport us there?" I countered before pausing as Anders merely let his finger trace over my bared stomach before I gulped.

"If you keep distracting me like that, I will show you exactly how we'll be late." He murmured, voice a tad deeper in a tone I knew all too well.

And I knew my sister would kill me if I wasn't present on her wedding. She had made me man of honor for a reason and while marriages weren't common in the shifter community, they were seen as important events to commemorate the mating.

As it was, I was glad that Dana decided to celebrate her mating with Garret. She deserved to be the center of attention for once.

After a lifetime of being ignored by our neglectful parents, only being used as a prop to show how cute she was and how good parents they must be, Dana should have a life where she was loved, cherished and given anything she needed.

I had tried my best in the past. When she went to school and begged for a sleepover, I had bent to her whims. Even knowing that I'd have to work a double shift in order to get all the necessary snacks and trinkets, I had agreed and reassured Dana that it wasn't a problem.

Because I didn't want her to relive through my childhood. A childhood where I was ignored unless I was top of the class so our parents could brag against the world how smart their son was.

It wasn't about my achievements, it was about the achievements of their son. Their flesh and blood that excelled because of their genes and not my own hard work.

I still remember the first time I had came back with my first B+ grades. I had been elated, had shown off the little slip of paper proudly because I was top of my class.

Finally I did it. I managed to get the grades my parents wanted, had always demanded from me.

And they had been proud. For five seconds, until they found out that their coworker's daughter had an A- . It didn't matter that she was three years older than me at the time, nor that she was so intelligent that she had been allowed to skip a class.

I wasn't good enough because someone else was better than me.

It was that point that broke something in me. All my childhood years, I had been striving to make my parents happy, working my ass off in order to better my grades, to be top of the class and get their conditional love.

And I finally got the points I wanted, the points I thought they wanted, it was cast back in my face with a sneer and told I could do better.

I agreed with them on one thing; I could do better. Why waste my time and energy slaving away to the everchanging whims of these two individuals? Two people who should never have had sex without a condom because they were physically, mentally and emotionally incapable of loving anyone but themselves.

From that day forward, I did everything for myself and after Dana was born and thrust in my care, for her as well. Even if there had been times in my teenage years that I had started to resent her for always coming for me, even though I wasn't her parent, I understood.

She's happy now. And so am I. Finally the both of us could enjoy our lives and live it as we saw fit.

Apparently for me that meant living off the radar on a mostly uninhabited island with only my loving mate as company. If the mood ever struck us to travel, we could do so in the blink of an eye with little effort.

Rubbing my cheek against Anders chest, I sighed before pushing away from him, chuckling when this time he was the one who refused to let me go.

"You're going to make us late." I sassed, grinning teasingly when Anders groaned in annoyance and tossed his head back against the soft fabric protecting us from the hot sand underneath.

"Fucking tease and a cockblock as well." He muttered under his breath, making me snicker as I stood up, patting the sand off my legs.

I glanced at him from underneath my hair with a slight smirk. "You were the one who pointed out we'd be late if we didn't get ready. So technically honey, you're cockblocking yourself."

Anders scowled at that, making me squeak and dart back to the relative safety of the house. Even as I could hear his footsteps through the sand fast approaching, effortlessly catching up no matter how hard I pushed myself.

An excited squeal escaped as hands found their place on my waist, arms wrapping tight before I was lifted off the ground. Anders laughter rang in my ears as he spun me around before I was miraculously tossed on the bed.

"Show off." I huffed, rolling off the matrass and headed to the closet for a change of clothes. Anders barked out another laugh, shaking his head as I returned with the outfit.

"The sooner we get to this wedding, the sooner we can return home." Anders said, a dark glimmer of promise in his eyes as he grinned.

I shivered with excitement before hurriedly rushing to the bathroom to calm myself down. The slacks and dress shirt were expensive and I had no doubt in my mind Anders would take great pleasure in 'helping' me ruin them by pitching a tent mid wedding.

After a quick shower to which both of us managed to keep our hands to ourselves, Anders offered his arm before teleporting us away.

It still was an odd sensation, to go from one climate to another so suddenly, or to be surrounded by the sounds of the jungle, only to suddenly have your ears assaulted by the endless chatter of an excited crowd.

"Benjamin!" I barely managed to turn around in time before I grinned, catching my sister against my chest with an exaggerated huff.

Letting my eyes dart over her shoulder, I hugged Dana to my chest before muttering, "Isn't it bad luck for the groom to see his bride before the wedding?"

Dana rolled her eyes, giving me a playful slap against the shoulder. "Those are human customs, Benji. You know as well as I do that humans are so fickle, they'll abandon those they love for a new love."

I grinned, knowing it to be true. Mates were forever and it was a rarity for one mate to reject the other. Most of the times, those rejecting their mates had unidentified phycological issues.

Pushing her slightly away from me, I held her hands and looked at the pure white wedding dress that made no effort to hide the growing bump of her stomach.

Nobody would look down on Dana for being pregnant, as they were already mated. Even if she and Garret had only just met and fell pregnant after a one night stand with one another, nobody would protest or sneer at her for being pregnant.

After all, a mating bond was instantaneous, sealed the moment a pair met. It might take them a few days to fully realize the bond, to settle with one another but the soul had already latched on.

Nothing could stand in the way between a mated pair.

I grinned, releasing my sister as Garret stepped up behind her, a softness in his gaze as she turned to him. A male lion, notorious to be hostile to any other predator in his territory, turned to putty in the smaller hands of a Margay.

Garret hugged her close, nuzzling against her neck to which Dana squirmed in his hold. He grinned through the slight stubble, purposefully scraping it over the bare skin just to make her squeal in protest.

"Gar-" her protest was interrupted with another squeal, followed by hearty laughter from all of us as Garret pressed a kiss against the slightly reddened skin and grinned cheekily.

"Benjamin. Anders." He greeted while accepting the huffs and silent admonishments from Dana without a hint of aggression. I smiled happily as his dark hair laid smoothly over his shoulders, had been groomed perfectly; undoubtedly done so by my loving sister.

Dana sighed and shook her head slightly but the soft smile on her lips and the way she leaned against Garret showed just how much she loved her mate.

"I still don't quite understand why you'd want a human wedding." I confessed, stretching languidly as my eyes flitted over the gathered pride. All of which were sipping from glasses of sparkling champagne or snacking on some delicious smelling finger foods.

Garret hummed in agreement. "I told Dana we didn't need a mortal wedding to show loyalty to one another, or our love but..." he shrugged noncommittedly, making a gesture to the crowd around.

"At least it gives people a reason to indulge in food." Anders mused, easily plucking two glasses from the tray of a passing waiter and offered me one. I hummed in agreement, circling the liquor around in the glass before taking a tentative sip.

It sparkled on my tongue, leaving it's tangy flavor behind that I didn't particularly enjoy. Nonetheless, I accepted the drink for what it was, keeping an eye out for better alternatives while I eyed one of the trays of snacks passing by.

Dana caught the direction of my gaze and chuckled before motioning the lioness over. She smiled pleasantly, dipping the plate lower so it was easier to reach for me.

I murmured my thanks, stuffing one of the bacon appetizers in my mouth while reaching for one which smelled of chicken. Dana snickered slightly before looking to my own mate. "Honestly Anders, are you taking care of my brother? He's acting as if he's been starved of any meat for weeks, scarfing everything down like that."

Snickering around the mouthful, I swallowed before glancing up at Anders. "Don't worry Dana, Anders has been feeding me plenty of meat. Nice thick, juicy-"

His hand easily smothered the rest of my sentence as Anders yanked me closer, smiling apologetically as Dana blushed at the implication. "You might want to mind your tongue, darling. There are minors around." He murmured in my ear.

That brought a flush to my own face, realizing that we were within earshot of a mother and her three unsuspecting cubs. While the cubs were happily munching on the offered food, the lioness gave me an amused smirk before nodding respectfully towards Anders.

Anders ruffled my hair, shaking through the momentary embarrassment before the wedding fully started. To which I was stunned into an overemotional mess when Dana confessed to wanting me to hand her over.

I struggled not to cry, knowing the amount of trust and love she was showing me. To guide her into the next step of her life as her older brother...as a father figure.

As someone she loved and trusted explicitly. Releasing Dana into Garret's arms was nothing but reassuring, knowing that the young lion would do everything in his power to keep my sister content and happy in her life.

I could already envision the slew of cubs both of them would have, could imagine the little ones eagerness whenever Uncle Benji came over for a visit.

Anders arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me silently and reassuringly against him. Offering comfort and love as he nuzzled against my hair while my sister and Garret shared their vows and exchanged rings.

Because this was it. This was the life I had always wanted. A life filled with joy, love and compassion. Void of any anguish or Corruption. This wasn't the end of a happy story.

It was only the prologue to an adventure that has just begon.