Hunter's stretched on the bed and felt like he had been hit with a truck. Every muscle was sore and anytime he moved it ached with the sweet memory of mating with Hailey. He opened his eyes and noticed that the moon was still high up in the dark sky, he curiously looked at the neon red lights glowing in the dark letting him know that dawn wasn't close yet.

Hunter rolled onto his side and found Hailey sound asleep next to him and his heart jolted with captivation. He never expected to find his mate and be in her arms in such a short period of time. But it wasn't just the mating bond that tied Hunter to Hailey, she was a remarkable woman who had stolen his heart with her sweet smile and kind words. She calmed his wolf that was always on edge with the need to be released with the thirst of blood and slaughter. But when he was near Hailey, all of that disappeared expect the feeling of her next to him.

Hunter admired how the pale glint of the moon outlined the curves of her body. Her beautiful red hair laid across the pillows and it teased him to run his hands through the heavy mass. She had soft curves with creamy skin but was made of steel. Even after he took her for hours she let him play and explore her body. His hands still itched to touch her again, but he held himself back, not because Hailey didn't accept him, she had let him take her however he liked and she was always open to anything he wanted her to do. But she had collapsed from exhaustion and he knew her body needed to rest for a few hours if he was going to mate with her again.

Hunter's smile turned cold when his eyes landed on the brutal scar on the side of her stomach. He was aware of that she had been in the car accident which also killed her parents, but this scar looked devastating and it must have been so painful to bear. But here she was, sleeping soundly in his arms and looking content. Hunter envied her sheer will that helped her survive such an accident that cost Hailey her parents. She lived life with a smile and took care of others as her life purpose.

When Hunter lost his mother and he had lost a piece of himself. He was broken and it was only until Gabriel stopped his rampage that he got a handle on himself and his wolf. Still, he had to control his wolf for Gabriel by doing what he did best and that was killing whoever threatened his family.

Hunter realized how quiet his wolf had gotten around Hailey. His wolf didn't utter a sound and laid at the back of his conscious as they both rested beside their mate. Faster than he liked to admit, Hunter was getting used to this and that her scent was intertwined with his now. He ran his fingers across the mark he left on her lovely breasts and a deep sensation set into his heart left a heavy imprint. As he viewed his marks on Hailey's body he started to believe that she had left a mark on him too and it was on his heart.

Hailey's eyes fluttered open. "What time is it?" she asked because she had sensed that he was awake.

"Barely three o'clock," he answered softly.

"Is it odd that I'm hungry?" she inquired as she stretched her limbs.

Hunter chuckled. "No," he said. "We did use a lot of our strength all night." She naïvely blushed. It made Hunter smile that she was still shy around him even though the things they did a few hours ago were as hot as sin. "Why don't we take a bath and get a snack."

"That sounds lovely." Hailey pushed her silky hair that he loved running his fingers through. She got up from the bed and her hair flowed down her bare back, she picked up an elastic band off the side table and weaved her hair into a thick braid. He simply watched her move off the bed and put on a nightgown.

"There was no point in putting that back on," remarked Hunter with a grin.

Hailey moved around the bed and turned on the light of the bathroom. The white light cascaded over the dark floor and illuminated her figure through the fabric for Hunter's hungry eyes to devour. "Are you going to stare all night or are you going to join me?" she asked with a clever smile.

Hunter cocked a brow and leaped off the bed to follow her in the shower. He stripped her of her clothes and positioned them both under the comforting shower, but only for him to take her hot and fast against the shower wall...

Hunter stepped out of the shower first after Hailey shoved him out. "Let me finish my bath, you brute," she scolded him, but that just made him want to kiss the pout off her plump lips, which he did after he left her blushing again.

Hunter modestly pulled on his pants and sauntered down the stairs. "What the hell," he cursed when he was hit with an icy cold breeze as he stepped into the kitchen. He remembered the first time he had slept over and how cold it was down here, but other cabins were never this cold. The lake, he remembered. That's why it got so cold at night, the cool air from the lake impacted her house a lot more since it was the closest.

He heard the shower turn off and moments later Hailey strolled down the stairs, her hair was a darker shade of red from being wet and that red nightgown was covering her again. "My favourite colour is starting to become red," he said with a fond smirk.

She looked up from her dark auburn lashes. "Red," she repeated. "Really, why?"

Hunter encircled his arm around her slim waist. "Your red hair, red lips, red nightgown and that red tank-top."

"Red tank-top?" she puzzled with a smile.

"The one you wore a couple of days ago on that walk with your class," he said as he laid a kiss on his mark.

"Oh," she breathed heavily as she felt the same arousal fill her body as it did for his. "That tank-top."

"It showed your beautiful breasts," he nibbled on her earlobe and kissed her cheek. "I swear if another man was there, I would've killed him before he saw your breasts like that." Hailey's laugh chimed in his ears and plunged through his heart. Hunter splayed his hand on her round butt and pulled her right against him, so she could feel his hard shaft throbbing between the juncture of her legs.

"I thought we came down here to have a snack," said Hailey, her voice a shy whisper.

"I think I'd rather have you," he smirked and swiftly lifted her off her feet.

Hunter carefully eased her down on the counter. She rested on her elbows and watched him spread her legs far enough that her nightgown hitched up to her waist. He kissed and bit down on the soft skin between her thighs. She watched him through her icy blue eyes as he kissed the pink folds of her core that was already dripping wet from excitement for him. He growled his approval and devoured his 'snack'.

Hunter enjoyed the view as she arched her back and moaned as his tongue lapped her sweet arousal from her core. She pushed her fingers into his hair and didn't know whether to push him away or pull him closer. Hunter ruthlessly took from her and watched her break from the shattering release.

Hailey opened her eyes and saw Hunter thrust two fingers into her core and coat them with her honey. "All the snack I need," he licked her off his fingers and kissed Hailey thoroughly. He had noticed after that they weren't cold anymore.

"I don't know how I'm going to wake up for work tomorrow," said Hailey as she nibbled on the fresh strawberries that he washed and set on the table.

"Take a day off," suggested Hunter. "I might do the same, if you do too."

Hailey laughed sweetly and shook her head. "I don't like taking a day off," she told him. "My classes are too precious... Oh! I almost forgot-" she leaped off the stool and sauntered towards a cabinet over the fridge- "I need to take a treat for my class because they didn't cause trouble for Gabriel."

Hunter looked at her. "When was this?" he asked.

"The day I came looking for you in the woods," she said. "I had my class with me and Gabriel offered to take care of them."

"I didn't know, I'm sorry," he filled with regret because he knew how much Hailey cared for her class and it was probably very hard for her to leave them, even if it was for their alpha.

"No, don't be," she said as she lifted a clear glass cookie jar and placed it on the counter. "I was happy that Gabriel came to me to help you. It felt like he acknowledged and respected our bond. So, I was delighted to help. I just felt bad that I left him with my class, which I know for a fact is full of wild pups." She laughed and started to work around her kitchen.

"Gabriel's really good with kids," Hunter said. "I'm sure none of the kids had the heart to trouble him."

"I wish I was there to see him work his magic on them," said Hailey.

Hunter simply enjoyed the sway of her hips as she moved with very controlled ease around the space she was comfortable in. She got two small containers and started to fill them up with soft sugar cookies- some had blue icing and the others had pink. He spotted her eyeing the sugary goodness and placed one in his open palm and he quickly tasted it. "You have a gift, sweetheart," he moaned, "these should be illegal."

Hailey giggled and kissed the crumb off his lip. "Thank you." She closed the boxes and placed them on the counter so she could grab them first thing tomorrow morning. "We should head to bed," she said as she eyed the clock and bit into another strawberry.

"Yeah, we should," said Hunter as he lifted her and straddled her legs around his waist, he bit into the strawberry she ate so deliciously and took her to bed like she asked.

The morning sun beamed in Hailey's face as she stretched her limbs in a not so elegant way. Hailey's body burned with a hot ache, each time she moved she was reminded of how Hunter explored her body with his hands, teeth, tongue. He was ruthless but also extremely sweet, he handled her body with finesse that still made her blush just thinking about it.

Hailey opened her eyes and turned to look at his face, he didn't have that frown he had the last time he slept in her bed. His dark hair was thoroughly tousled by her fingers and his lush lips were bruised by kissing her. She noticed the light scar running down his jaw, she had never seen that scar before. Her hands itched to touch his rough skin that was hard muscle and as impenetrable as iron. She had felt all his strength with the things he did to her last night, she never expected the mating to be as intense as it was for them.

Hailey turned on her side and ignored the wince of her tight muscles as she moved. She enjoyed studying the light of the warm sun glisten over Hunter's face. His body radiated so much heat that she completely forgot that she was naked under the duvet. Hailey wondered for a few moments why she felt so complete around Hunter, her nightmares didn't ruin her morning and the dreadful thought of her parents didn't consume her every living breath. As much as Hunter didn't like to admit, but he calmed her too. His cunning wolf amused hers and they seemed to accept the bond in one night. Hailey adored his wolf and found herself falling deeper under Hunter's spell that bound herself to him. She was terrified how much she revealed herself to him. She had never shared what her past had tainted her with, and then, here she was exposing her most horrid scar to the man that had a fair share of his own.

She was afraid that he would leave or that her past would be too much for him. What would he think once he found out that her parents died because of her? she pondered painfully. Hailey let out a weak sigh and locked those dark thoughts deep inside her heart. She wanted to enjoy being with Hunter, he was a light of life that made her want to never let go because it was what she always looked for.

Hailey yawned and idly looked over to the clock. She gaped at the time. "Oh no," she gasped, "I'm late!"

Hunter's eyes snapped open. "W-what happened?" he asked groggily.

She jumped out of bed and ran into the shower with her toothbrush. She had never bathed and brushed her teeth so fast and desperately. Hunter entered behind her and lazily brushed his teeth whilst sitting on the counter watching her scrub her body.

"Do you also have work?" asked Hailey as she stepped out and grabbed the towel to pat her body dry.

"I just have to run some things over with Gabriel and the team," he said nonchalantly. He grabbed the towel from her and helped her dry as she combed her long hair. These were the times she dreaded her long curly hair and truly wished she'd cut it all off.

"I'm going to cut off my hair one day," she said with a gruff.

Hunter chuckled at her. "Don't," he objected. "It's too beautiful."

Hailey padded into her bedroom and didn't even care that she didn't have a towel to cover herself. She was too busy cluttering through her stuff too feel bashful about Hunter watching her.

"I'll go make breakfast," he said.

"It's okay," she said over her shoulder. "I'm not going to be able to eat it."

"You can carry a sandwich on your way to the Institute," he said firmly and she didn't even attempt to change his choice. He left her to get dressed and a few moments went by when she smelt the light scent of peanuts and strawberries. She was sure that he prepared peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for her and himself. Hailey quickly pulled on her favourite dress, for which she was sure she could never go wrong with. The lavender dress had a tight bodice and had a skirt that fell just below her knees.

She grabbed a pair of comfortable black heels and her purse before she rushed down the stairs. When Hailey entered the kitchen, she found herself filling with an odd sensation. Usually, she would be blabbering to herself to make sure that she wouldn't forget anything, but now, Hunter was in her space and she wasn't bothered by it. His tall, muscular form filled the sacred space of her kitchen and she enjoyed it.

She clipped her hair back and quickly grabbed her bottled water from the fridge when Hunter pushed a sandwich in her hand.

"Eat," he instructed and she couldn't help but feel giddy in her heart.

"Thank you," she said and reached up on her toes and kissed his lips, it caught him off guard and she was glad that she had done that to him.

Hunter locked her against his body with his arm. His golden eyes melted through her soul and when it dropped to her lips, she almost drowned with butterflies that fluttered through her every time he was close to her. "It was such a hectic start to our day that I forgot to say good morning," he said and then kissed her. A kiss that curled her toes and made her hot all over her body. He pulled away from her lips and whispered against her ear; "Good morning."

"Good morning," she mumbled back. "I'm sorry we couldn't enjoy breakfast properly."

Hunter smiled. "It's fine," he shrugged. "I'd take anything with you, even if you are late."

"Oh crap!" she had completely forgotten the time once again. She grabbed the two Tupperware boxes and rushed towards the door with her heels barely on, the sandwich hanging in her mouth and she opened her front door. "Thank you for breakfast," she said as Hunter followed her out and helped her lock the door, which he made sure of that she did.

"Thank you for the beautiful night," he said casually.

Hailey hid her face behind her sandwich. "Yes, thank you for that too."

Hunter chuckled and they made their way towards the Institute. "I'll guess this is where we separate," he said sternly as his smile fell.

"I guess so," she sighed herself and held out a Tupperware box in front of him. He looked at the box and then back at her befuddled. "I packed these for you."

"You did?" he sounded amused.

"And your family," she added and he rolled his eyes. "Make sure to share them with everyone."

"Fine," he reluctantly answered her.

Satisfied, Hailey smiled and pecked his cheek. "Have a good day," she said and then ran into the school leaving Hunter biting back his grin like her. She knew that today would be a good day.