"I haven't asked you this yet..." Rylan glanced sideways at her as they lay on the poolside loungers. "I thought you'd asked, but seeing as you haven't..." He trailed off, staring at her with guarded curiosity. "Your family... Where are they?"

"I'm an orphan." Lyra shrugged. "My parents left me on the doorstep of an orphanage when I was a baby, with nothing but a name and a little gold necklace..."

"A gold necklace...?" He looked at her bare neck.

"Omega Taurus took it." She smiled sadly. "They've probably destroyed it by now..."

"What did it look like?"

She turned back to the sky. "It was just a small heart with three letters on it. L, L and D."

"My parents got a bracelet for me when I turned eighteen a while back with all the initials of our first names..." Rylan said, watching the clouds drift by above them. "I lost it when I was drunk one night, but Blaze and Blaine had a replica made..." He grinned. "Those idiots can actually be surprisingly thoughtful from time to time..."

"My, my..." Blaze appeared between them alongside Blaine. "Do my ears deceive me...? Is Alpha King Rylan actually complementing us...?"

Rylan scowled. "You need your ears checked."

"Sure."

"What do you two imbeciles want?"

"Lunch is ready and waiting in the conservatory..." Blaze bowed, a sly smile on his face. "So I'd hurry up and get over there. I wouldn't want all of our preparations to go to waste..."

Preparation was an understatement.

Blaze had gone all out.

Soft white curtains lined the windows, huge white billowy sheets weaving in and out of the wooden ceiling beams blocking some of the light coming in from the steeped glass roof. Two white candles burnt in the centre of the small pale round table, cutlery neatly positioned amidst the scattered red rose petals.

"Wow..." Rylan mumbled, taking a seat on the red cushioned chair. "I actually feel underdressed in my own house..."

"Your own castle." Lyra corrected, sitting down opposite him on another white wooden chair.

"Our castle." He grinned at her. "This is your home now, too."

She smiled in response, shovelling a mouthful of food into her mouth as her stomach growled quietly, reminding her about the bottomless pit waiting to be filled.

"You enjoying yourself so far?"

"It's different." Lyra said between bites.

"I suppose this is our third date..." Rylan spoke.

"And?"

"Third time's the charm." He said. "So hopefully nothing will go wrong today..."

"Me too." Lyra mumbled quietly before they lapsed into a comfortable silence, finishing off their lunch quickly.

"I'll be popping out in a bit, so you might want to hide back in the room until I get back." Rylan said, setting his knife and fork down on his plate, watching as Lyra mirrored his actions. "Unless you want to get peppered with questions, by my least favourite blonde."

"Where are you going?"

He pressed a finger to his lips. "It's a secret."

"Right. Sorry."

"You don't need to be sorry, Ly." Rylan smiled. "It's a surprise for later."

"I don't like surprises."

"Why don't you wait and see?" He said, rising from his chair, wandering to the door. "This might change your mind on that front."

Lyra followed close behind him, staring down at the floor. "Would you take me back to your room...?" Her hand cautiously edged into his.

"Of course." He grinned, gently pulling her along through the maze of white panelled corridors, and twisting marble staircases. "I keep forgetting that you haven't been here for that long... Well... You haven't been conscious here for that long..." He trailed off, staring at the white wooden door that lead to their bedroom. "And don't forget that this is our bedroom." He whispered, pressing his lips to her forehead. "I'll be back in an hour or two... Feel free to do whatever you want until then..." He waved back at her, hurrying around the corner.

Lyra went inside without a second thought, intending to take a little nap, but a certain brunette had other ideas.

"Afternoon, Lyra." Blaine nodded at her from the bed, where he sat reading a newspaper.

"What are you doing here?!"

"You mean I can't come and spend time with my dear Luna Queen?"

Lyra scowled. "No."

Blaine chuckled. "You and Rylan were made for each other... You both seem to harbour an intense dislike of me and my blonde-haired buddy."

"Speaking of Blaze, where the hell is he?" She glanced around the room warily, as though he might spring out with a party popper shouting "SURPRISE!".

"Relax, Ly. He's out stalking Rylan."

Lyra blinked.

"Don't worry." Blaine waved a hand. "He does it a lot."

"I am worried." Lyra said. "Very worried."

"Rylan probably won't even notice a thing." The brunette said. "Blaze is incredibly good at sneaking around undetected... He's almost as good as Arrow..."

"You're just digging him a deeper hole." She yawned, stumbling forwards slowly.

"You feeling OK?"

"Just tired." Lyra mumbled. "I'm gonna have a short nap." She stared at him meaningfully. "Hint. Hint."

"I'll leave you in peace, then." Blaine said, heading towards the door. "Sleep well."

Lyra muttered incomprehensible words, her eyes drooping as soon as her head hit the pillow. She had no idea how long she slept for, but by the time she woke, the sun was on the horizon and there was a delicious scent in the air.

Her nose twitched, her hands rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She sat up, her hand brushing up against a velvety box with a note attached.

My dearest Lyra,

You looked far too peaceful, so I didn't want to wake you. I'll be downstairs when you wake up, so if you want to find me, then follow your nose.

Hope you like your gift.

Yours forever,

Rylan.

Lyra tilted her head, turning her attention to the velvety black box on the pillow next to her, opening it cautiously. Her eyes widened as she spotted what was inside, tears rolling down her face once she spotted the small golden heart necklace nestled in the small white cushion. Four letters were engraved on it this time, Rylan having added his own initial to it.

Her legs were moving before she could even think, sprinting down the spiralling staircases, through the corridors, and into the kitchen where Rylan stood.

"Lyra..." He smiled, turning away from the rest of the Alphas who were sitting at the table, waiting for him to finish cooking. "Did you like your gift...?"

Tears leaked down her face, making Rylan frown. Her mouth couldn't form words, so instead she ran forwards, her arms latching around his neck, her legs wrapping around his waist.

"Ly...?" He whispered, trailing off as her lips found his.

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ILLENIS HERE

I'm going a bit off my update schedule because I've entered for a few awards which will begin judging quite soon and I'd like to get futher along with this book, so there's more to read seeing as there's still another part to the plot which hasn't fully been introduced - and its this part which makes my book much less cliche, in my opinion, than it might seem at the moment.

I also want to mention @MsAnnora and @XxRiah916Xx. Thank you so much for your support so far, it's given me a lot more confidence in my writing which is a big thing for me. Also a big thank you to any silent readers I might have. I like knowing that people out there are reading my work and are enjoying it - I get way too overexcited when I come back and see that the number of reads has gone up. :)

Hope you liked this latest update.

See you next time, whenever that may be.

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