✧

As much as I wanted to sleep in Haze's bed, I forced myself out of it before it started becoming a regular occurrence. Just because we've been intimate together doesn't mean that we have to jump into a relationship.

There is still so much I want to know about him.

A relationship takes time. I want this to be real, not forced.

I wake up early as images of last night flash through my mind, interrupting my dreams. My thighs clench together at the memory and I toss and turn until the sheets are rucked up around the edges.

After huffing out a sigh I get dressed for the day and decide to head down to the canteen for breakfast early. I like going when there aren't many people around. A packed canteen makes my skin crawl because I know everyone glances at me with curiosity.

They all think I'm Haze's shiny new toy.

As I bypass the office I pause. The hairs on the back of my neck begin to stand and I peek my head into the half closed door. Haze sits at the desk, his eyes trained on the laptop in front of him.

His silver eyes flick towards my entrance as he leans back in his chair and runs a finger over his lips. "Morning, sweetness," his voice is rough as if he's just woken up.

A shiver runs down my spine. "Morning."

My eyes glance down to his talented mouth and force them back to his eyes before I start thinking about all the dirty things he did to me last night. The fact I begged him. Fuck.

"You okay?" His brow quirks.

I bite my lip and nod. "Yeah."

Haze stands from the desk and loops around to meet me, his height making me feel incredibly small right about now. Not like I wasn't lying on his bed naked and spread for him last night. Holy shit. My cheeks heat.

"Let's get some breakfast," he says before taking my hand and leading me out of the office.

I bask in the sensation of his fingers tightly wrapped around mine as I follow him. Our arms brush as he leads us down the hall and I tilt my head to look up at him and his messy dark hair. I inhale a silent breath as he rolls back his broad shoulders and thick arms—somehow I'm wondering how this warrior of a man is my mate.

We enter the canteen with people's eyes already glued to us. I stiffen and Haze moves the hand he's holding to loop around my head so his arm rests along my shoulder, tugging me into his side possessively.

"Everyone is looking," I whisper as we walk through the tables and towards the counters.

Haze dips his head down so his breath tickles my ear. "Good. I want them all to know that you're off limits."

I chew on the inside of my lip to stop myself from squealing at the simple statement. We already know that we belong to each other, but showing everyone like this? It makes my heart swell knowing he's proud enough to be seen with me in front of his growing army.

We approach the food counter and I grab a plate, helping myself. Haze's eyes study me for a moment as I scoop up a small amount of scrambled eggs. "What are you doing?"

I flick my eyes between his with confusion. "Uhh...getting breakfast?"

He huffs out an aggravated sigh before leaning over to grab the spoon and scooping more eggs onto my plate. "You don't have to be so polite, sweetness. This is your home now. I want you to eat."

"I am," I say as heat creeps up my neck.

"You need your strength," he states simply.

I nod. "I know."

We sit down at the furthest bench, away from the rest of the pack. I slowly begin eating with Haze's gaze watching my every move. I frown at him and tilt my head.

"Do you have to watch me eat?"

"Just making sure you're eating enough."

I roll my eyes. "Sorry, dad."

His hand reaches out and grips my jaw before I can swallow. Our gaze meets and I stare back into his silver eyes that are glowing with a challenge. "Never say that to me again unless you're bouncing on my cock and add 'dy' onto the end."

I choke when he releases my jaw and I recover, taking a big gulp of water before glancing up at him. "It was a joke," I sigh.

"I don't take well to jokes."

"I can see that."

Haze eats his own food as he analyses what's left on my plate. "How did you sleep?"

"Good," I admit far too easily. "You?"

"Would have been better if your naked body was beside mine," he states nonchalantly. "Probably would have given you round two this morning."

My cheeks burn with fire at his simple statement. I glance over my shoulder to make sure that no one heard. "Yeah...well, I need some time to adjust to all of this. It's new for me. I don't want to jump into anything too quickly."

"Mmmm," he leans back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest and the grey T-shirt sculpts around his huge biceps. "If you say so, sweetness."

Suddenly the sound of an alarm starts blasting through the canteen. I grip onto the edge of the table in surprise and worry. Haze curses under his breath and stands from his seat. "Something's happening," he mutters. "I need to go. Stay here."

"What?" I shoot up from the table and follow him through the canteen.

The other wolves among us start moving quickly, impressively calm.

"Haze," I latch onto his arm as we reach the hall. "What's happening?"

"That alarm means someone is approaching our pack," he says through gritted teeth. "I need you to stay here."

My face scrunches up at his demands. "What? No. I'm coming with you."

"Like hell you are," he growls. "Stay. Here."

Then he walks away again. My nostrils flare at the audacity.

"What...because I'm a girl?"

"No, Viola," he shakes his head as he stalks down the hall. "Because you're my mate."

I scoff at his statement. "You said I'm one of you, but you won't let me fight with you? How is that fair? I thought you said we're equal."

"No such thing as equal when you're above everyone else for me," he says with a grunt.

"Haze," I shout. "I'm coming with you. I don't care what you say. I'm not just your mate. I am one of you now and I deserve to be able to help. I want to be a part of this. I've been training with Aurelia."

His fists clench at his sides as we approach the office and he turns back to me one last time. "Fine," he heaves. "But I swear to the Goddess, if anything happens, if you find yourself in danger, you mindlink me. You come back here. Do you understand me?"

I flick my eyes between his intense gaze. "Yes. I understand."

"Good."

Haze presses his hand to his office door where Noah is already, his tablet in hand. "Who is it?" Haze demands.

"I don't know," Noah says. "But there are at least ten, fifteen of them."

Maddox and Aurelia soon come bursting through the office door. "I've got wolves ready and approaching the border," Maddox declares as Noah looks up at him.

"They might be humans," Aurelia comments as she peers over Noah's shoulder at the tablet in his hands. "They're moving very slowly. Too slow to be wolves."

"Or, that's what they want us to think," Maddox grunts, his eyes not leaving Noah's. "Maybe that mate of yours knows what's going on."

Noah grits his jaw. "He doesn't."

Maddox scoffs. "Oh, and you can trust him? You're a delusional idiot, Walker."

"Enough," Haze's voice bellows above them. "We don't have time for this."

"What's the plan?" Aurelia asks.

Haze looks between the four of us and takes a steady breath. "Maddox, you said the wolves are already headed to the boarder with the guards. Go with them, take Aurelia and she can order the wolves if we need back-up."

"And what about you?" I ask.

"I'll head to their location," he states. "Noah, you stay near the house and use the map to keep them in our radar and mindlink me if there are any updates. I'll take the head guards with me."

Haze walks past us and I watch him until he pauses and glances back at me. "Viola, stay with Noah. You can be involved but I need you to stay as far back as possible."

A low grumble escapes my lips but I know better than to argue at a time like this. I nod and he walks away. I turn to Noah who tracks them on the screen. Maddox and Aurelia leave without another word.

"Do you think it's serious?" I ask.

Noah shrugs. "Who knows. This is the second time we've had anyone come onto our land. My security before was sky high. I don't know what's happening now. I need to make sure that no one comes near us again."

"Well...could they be humans and not know?"

"Yes," he nods once. "They could. But they still should be deterred away from our magic."

After a moment Noah guides us outside into the clearing a chill runs across my arms. Haze is up there ready to fight for his pack—and what am I doing? Standing around doing fuck all.

I hop anxiously between my feet. I could be doing so much more right now, being useful.

Noah spies me. "Calm down. Haze knows what he's doing."

"But I can be up there–"

"No," he shouts. "The last thing I need is for you to get hurt. Haze will never forgive me."

My eyes close in defeat. I feel so damn useless.

Ten minutes, then twenty minutes go by and I'm starting to feel restless. I pace the grounds as Noah's concentration face zones in on the screen. I gnaw at my lip in anticipation. I despise this. I should be beside my mate. Shouldn't I?

A sharp pain to my chest almost makes me double over. I groan and clutch my arm to myself as Noah steps forward. "What's the matter, Viola?" He asks.

"Some-thing," I grit. "Is...wrong."

"What?"

The ache intensifies and I groan my eyes staring forward.

The matebond begins to grow and zap and fizz. It's Haze. This pain is Haze's.

I push myself back up, despite feeling like I've been pounded in the ribs. I lean over to Noah's tablet and grab the screen, my eyes focusing on the small dots. Then I run into the trees without looking back.

"Viola!" Noah calls out for me but I don't stop. "Fuck. Come back. Viola!"

My wolfs instincts take over—but mine are equally desperate to make sure that he's okay.

As I run past I spot a tree with three daggers in the wood for target practice. I grab all three of them and carry on in the direction of the trespassers. I don't hesitate, I charge straight towards him without thinking.

Haze is a powerful wolf. He probably doesn't need me. But I want to. I'm his mate. We're both meant to protect each other.

I spot Haze in the distance, an arrow hanging out of his arm. I gasp to myself and look around at the seven men surrounding him. I inhale. They are humans. What are they doing here?

Where are Haze's guards?

One of the daggers twiddles through my fingers as a man lunches at Haze. I don't think, I throw the knife through the air as it slips through his throat. He falls to the floor within seconds and Haze glances in my direction.

Oh hell fucking no. They're not going to hurt him.

The corner of his lip twitches, even though I can see the rage behind his eyes at seeing me.

An arrow flies towards me, I move at the last second but then I feel hot blood trickle down my ear and onto my neck. I growl and throw my second knife, straight through his heart. Then Haze shifts into his wolf and takes all of them out.

I stand back, my heart pounding in my throat. Maddox's wolf flies through the air and helps, killing every last one of them until the clearing is silent.

A pair of hands grab my shoulders and I jump to find Aurelia with blood coating her hands. "Are you okay?" She asks, sounding alarmed, her eyes moving to my bleeding ear.

I shake it off. "I'm fine."

"We should get you to the infirmary."

"I'm fine."

Aurelia pins me with a death stare. "We're going."

She tugs me away as Maddox and Haze move together, the guards finally surrounding them.

I make it back to the pack house as Aurelia shoves me towards the doctors. It's nothing I can't heal from. They fuss over me, closing me off into a room and shutting the curtains as they inspect my injury.

"I'm going to set it together," the doctor says. "It's severe, but if we set it, it'll heal better."

"Okay," I whisper.

The adrenaline is starting to wear off and the ache inside my skull is beginning to show, including the throbbing in my ear. I didn't want to see the damage, all I know is it was close. It could have been in my eye.

Once my ear is set and I attempt to get myself back on my feet, I suck in a breath and look down at my bloodied clothes. I need a shower and some time to rest before I physically collapse.

"Where is she?" A loud voice demands from down the hall.

I glance at the doctor, shuddering.

"Where is Viola?"

Haze's voice makes my wolf cry out. The doctor tucks himself beneath the curtain before it's replaced with Haze's body instead. I stare at him, my eyes watering at the sight of him as he looks over my ear and my neck.

"Goddess," he rasps, stepping towards me. "I'm so fucking angry at you."

His hands clasp around my jaw and he tilts my face towards his. Our mouths meet somewhere in the middle and I sigh into the kiss, my stomach flipping a thousand times in the process. His lips taste like revenge and anger and desperation. There is a rage of heat in each kiss he gives me.

Fireworks explode and my heart soars up to the sky as he slips his tongue inside and gives mine a gentle caress. My back hits the wall as he tilts my chin again, claiming my mouth with desire and need.

Haze doesn't take his time. He takes what's his. He takes every last bit of me.

I shudder in his embrace as one of his arms slips around my lower waist as if he knows my legs are about to give out. I whimper into the kiss as he pulls away, his dilated silver eyes staring back at me with wrath for going against his orders.

Then he tilts my face to the side and inspects my ear. "It's fine," I whisper.

"You got hurt," he grunts. "You got hurt and I told you to stay put."

"I wanted to help," I narrow my eyes.

Haze rests his forehead against mine and hums softly. "You have no idea how badly I'm going to punish you, sweetness," he murmurs onto my lips. "You disobey me, and you fucking pay."

"I killed those guys for you," I say through gritted teeth.

His nostrils flare. "I didn't ask you to."

I scoff and look away, but he tugs my eyes back to his. "You could say thank you."

Haze kisses me again and I'm falling. I'm weak for him. I'm a fucking mess for him. Thank you. He says roughly through our mindlink and I wrap an arm around his neck, tugging him closer. You're the hottest thing I've ever seen with a knife. But I'm still so fucking angry at you.

It's okay to be angry at me. I gasp for a breath as he bites down on my bottom lip. Be angry at me.

Trust me, sweetness, you have no idea what you're asking for.

Then enlighten me.

Haze pulls back and stares at me, breathing heavily. He shakes his head once but I smile, leaning up to lick my tongue across his lips. He groans and fists my hair, slamming our mouths back together until I'm nothing but dust.

✧

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Author's Note

AHHHHH their first kiss!!!!!😭😭😭😭

I love a good angry first kiss with the angst😮‍💨

I'm so proud of Viola for taking control and going to protect Haze and the fact he was turned on by it!!!

What did you guys think of this chapter? I need to know your thoughts👉🏼👉🏼👉🏼

Their relationship is moving in the right direction!!!!

Don't forget to vote and comment! it makes my day ✨

Love Savanna x

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