Marley was glaring at her feet now, her eyes looking around living room. She had a small, comfortable smile on her face as she slowly followed Layla to the kitchen.

The older she-wolf hummed, "You must be hungry." She quickly went to the fridge, realizing she really had nothing to eat. She's been staying with Gabby for the last couple days as her wolf was withering in pain. Gabby was worried that Layla wouldn't last long, and she did everything she could to help her. "Is a sandwich ok?" She asked to Marley, who nearly ran into the wall because she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings.

"Yeah," Marley mumbled, moving her body out of the way from the corner of the wall, "a sandwich is perfect." She hesitatingly took a seat at the island Layla had in the kitchen, slowly pulling the chair at as she expected Layla to get upset at her for moving the stool.

"Peanut butter and jelly or ham and cheese?"

Marley tilted her head as she thought, "I don't know." She rested her forearms against the counter, still gazing around the inside of Layla's cabin.

Layla shook her head, "Come on, Marley." She turned around, closing the fridge. She was quick to stand in front of Marley, and her hands cupped her mate's face. "You have to have a favorite sandwich."

Marley started to pout.

For a brief moment, Layla's wolf pushed through the surface. The Doctor's head pushed towards Marley's, their lips centimeters apart before Layla pulled away harshly. She shook her head, regaining her control as she pushed her wolf away, "Sorry."

Marley blankly nodded her head.

Someone's stomach started to growl.

"I'll make you both," Layla filled in the silence, a deep, dark red blush covering her cheeks as she turned around. She was breathing heavenly, feeling the control of her wolf almost completely gone. She was having a hard time controlling herself, but if she took the proper measures of distance, she wouldn't force Marley into anything she wasn't ready for.

As Layla started to pull out everything she needed, she quickly mumbled under her breath, "Thank Goddess I didn't have different types of jelly."

Marley looked up, feeling slightly guilty, but from her mate's tone, she knew the Doctor was teasing her. She watched as her mate started to make her a sandwich, preparing to make two just for her. "Layla?" Marley called out, noticing how the Head Pack Doctor's body physically shivered, "Can you do half and half on one sandwich?"

Layla nodded her head, "Of course." She felt slightly worried that Marley couldn't eat more, but she knew that it would take time and the correct eating habits before anything would change. She hummed, "What's your favorite food?"

Marley shrugged her shoulders, "I like homemade stuff. One of my great-great-great-great-great grandmothers or something started this garden, and my pack had been using it for years. My mother put my little sister in charge before the rogues took over. We usually take the vegetables and fruits from there to make dinner."

"That sounds exciting," Layla started, daring herself to dig deeper into Marley's family life. "You have a younger sister?"

Marley smiled, "Yeah." The scent of her next meal took her attention away from the conversation Layla started up with her. Layla noticed the change in behavior, and she quickly brought the food over.

Marley reached over to grab a slice before freezing midway. She glance up towards Layla, waiting for her permission to eat.

Layla stared back, confused to why Marley just stopped. She clearly looked hungry for food, and yet, she was holding herself back. "Do you not like it?" Layla asked, ready to find something else for her mate.

Marley shook her head, staring directly into Layla's eyes, waiting for approval.

"Aren't you going to try it?" Layla gently asked, her wolf's emotions building up from her own.

Marley whispered softly, "Can I?" When she saw Layla nod, she quickly dove in. A wide grin on her face as if she was a child on Christmas. She moaned, making Layla gripped the table as she fought for dominance over her wolf. She gulped, "Thank you."

Layla gave her a tight smile, swallowing. As a comprise between her wolf and herself, she bent down and kissed Marley directly on the nose. The warm shivers went through both of them, relaxing into each other's embrace and scent.

Layla pulled away, smirking just a tad bit. "Finish eating your sandwich, and we can watch something on the television," Layla suggested, refocusing Marley's attention back onto her food.

Marley continued to munch on her food as Layla started to clean up the kitchen. She quickly washed the silverware she used, leaving them lying in the sink, and she practically threw everything back into the fridge. By the time she was done, Marley was half way through her sandwich, struggling to get the motivation to eat the second half.

Layla moved over to sit down on a stool beside her. She moved her hand over Marley's head, tucking a loose strand behind her mate's ear. She whispered gently, "Take a couple more big bites, and then we can call that good."

Marley nodded her head before taking another big bite. With a pride look towards Layla, the Doctor knew that was the absolute best Marley could bring to her, and Layla was happy with it.

"What do you want to watch?" Layla asked taking the rest of Marley's sandwich and eating it herself. She plopped herself down onto the couch, swallowing the last of her food. Marley slowly followed, moving to sit down by Layla.

Layla frowned before carefully snaking her arm around Marley's waist, pulling their two forms together. Marley yelped, looking behind her as Layla shushed her, "It's just me."

Marley slowly shifted her body to face Layla, curiosity in her eyes as she snuggled with her mate. Layla pulled her closer, relaxing her head  as Marley's breathing slowed down.

"If you want to Marley," Layla spoke gently, her head playing with the strands of her mate's hair, "you can tell me about your family and pack?"

Marley hummed, "I miss them." She whispered softly, her face pressed into Layla's chest, "I hate myself that I left them in that position. Why was I the one to espace? Why did it have to be me?"

———— A U T H O R N O T E | 8 ————

I don't know what to think about the pace of the story. At first, I thought I was getting more into detail, but when I compare when I am on the new version to the old version, the new one is going faster.

I can't figure out if that is a bad thing or a good thing. I guess we will figure that out together.

QQ (#10): What is your favorite sandwich?

QQ (#11): How is the story going so far?