Akela woke to the comforting heartbeat of the true mate in her ear. Carefully she twisted up to see that in his sleep his face had relaxed back into a wolf, which made her smile. She adored that wolf face.

His human face had been beyond handsome, but it was his wolfish good looks she knew. He opened his eyes and looked at her before bringing his hand to his face with a disappointed look before he focused and brought his human face back.

"Aww," Akela complained and saw his smile widen.

"I like you as a wolf!" she pouted.

"But I wanted a kiss!" he grinned and rolled her on top of him where their faces were nearly touching.

Shyly she leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his lips. He didn't ask for more. He didn't grab her or pull her closer, he only smiled happily while letting his fingertips stroke her healed, bright white bitemark.

"I love you Akela. I really do!" he said.

"I love you too," she murmured and placed her lips on his again, this time feeling him drawing her in, reaching his tongue out for hers. Their bodies rolled over to the side to make the kiss more comfortable.

Zion pulled away and did a few scrunches of his face, as if something was missing.

"I'm gonna have to get used to this flat, weird face... Feels like I've been at the dentist," he said, with his hand poking at his own cheeks.

"I don't mind if you continue looking like a wolf," Akela giggled.

"It's what I have wanted all my life. A mate and a human face... " Zion smiled so sweetly that Akela giggled again.

"And now I have the cutest female I've ever seen... I can't believe my luck," he whispered, making Akela place her hand on his cheek and look into his eyes.

"I really love you, Zi!" she whispered.

"Good... because as soon as we have our own home... we're not leaving our bed for a week," he growled playfully, turning to pin her under him, conscious of making his body light and not wake any of her traumas.

"I'd like that," Akela giggled and shimmied her body closer to his. Even in this position, the look in Zion's eyes made her feel safe. This was a man who loved her and who wanted her to be happy.

"Akela," he groaned as he felt her hands move down his body, to the one part of him that really didn't want to play nice.

"I want my mate," Akela whispered with a shyly, dirty, trusting smile.

Zion gave her a smile that had her breath stop in her lungs.

"And your mate definitely wants his," he whispered darkly, his lips traveling along her jaw, down along her body, taking his time and making her feel every nerve in her body catch fire before he kissed her back up and ended up above her again to look at her out of breath, flushed and blissful smile.

"Every day, Akela!" he whispered and gasped again as she tilted herself up to accomodate him.

He sent her a questioning look. He didn't want the position to ruin it for her, but she just nodded back, and that was all the encouragement he needed before he sunk into her, amazed at how well they fit together.

Akela moaned at the contact and together they sealed their physical connection again.

They had barely finished and were still catching their breath when there was a knock on the door and Diana opened only to stop with her jaw slack, not knowing whether to comment on Akela's bitemark, the fact that she was there or that Zion had a human face.

"Um... Dad... wants to know where Akela is..." she stuttered before her smile melted across her face.

"Did you find her?" a voice was heard from down the corridor and Diana's smirk kicked up a notch as Zion was pulling the covers higher up around them.

"Yeah!" she grinned and Gerry's head poked around the doorframe only to freeze up as well. Slowly his expression softened.

"So that's what you look like..." he grinned.

"Apparently," Zion smiled.

Gerry chuckled and dragged Diana out of the room.

"Let them shower first! And don't you dare say anything... this is their announcement," Gerry admonished his sister as the door shut behind them.

Zion looked at Akela with a smile.

"That's the cat out of the bag... " he chuckled and dragged her over to the bathroom for a long, hot shower.

Akela was towelling her hair when Zion wrapped his arms around her from behind. She looked at the fogged up mirror. In the gradually emerging image, she saw his hands caress her hips and stomach while his head was lowered to kiss her bright white mark. Carefully she lifted her hand to run through his short, dark hair. It was the same as his wolfie fur which made her chuckle softly. The sound made him lift his eyes to meet hers in the mirror. A second later he released a possessive growl at seeing a stranger cuddling his mate before he stopped to stare at himself.

"You are gorgeous!" Akela smiled when she realised his reaction.

Zion shook his head and released the grip around Akela to study his own reflection. He leaned forward, cautiously taking in the straight nose and stubble before focusing on the blonde woman reflected next to him.
Insecurity shone out of his eyes.

"That's you," she said.

Carefully she turned him towards herself, looking into his eyes.

"That has always been you!" She said.

Zion's eyes drifted to the white mark on her neck and back to her eyes before he turned his head to look at the way the two of them were holding each other, close together.
Slowly a smile spread across his face.

"I can live with this," he smiled.

Akela started giggling and brought his attention to his tail, still furry, happily wagging behind him.

"You are just perfect!" She laughed.

They eventually returned to the bedroom to find a set of Diana's clothes on the bed and a note with a big smiley face and a heart on it.

A few minutes later, Akela and Zion entered the kitchen to see the entire the Shadow Mountain alpha family. Self consciously Akela hid behind Zion, feeling mildly embarrassed.

"Zion?" Rayleigh gasped on seeing his human face and understanding what had happened. In no time Zion was surrounded by his family, all taking in his human face.

At the same time a chair was tipped backwards and Abel ran out of the room.

Akela looked after him wondering if he was upset but was soon reassured by voices.

"Abeeelll..." Kira whined.

"It's worth it. Trust me!" Abel assured.

"Seriously. Helios was restless all night! I need to sleep!" Kira groaned.

"You have to see... look... loook..." Abel said and turned Kira towards the newly mated.

Kira's eyes fixed on Akela as Akela pulled her collar slightly to the side, revealing still fresh but white marks.

"Okay... they got their groove on?" Kira grinned at Abel.

Abel's wide open eyes and secret little smirk was enough of an indication to make Akela chuckle.

"Really? Helios keeps me awake and you expect me to be in the mood?" Kira deadpanned.

"I'll get up with him every night for the rest of our lives, Kira!" Abel smiled.

Kira gave a deep huff of a sigh and leaned into Abel's chest.

"Why do you have to be so cute?" She asked.

"I just want to erase the black mark," Abel smiled.

Akela just had time to register a secret smile between the two brothers before Abel turned Kira towards the door.

"But before I do... there is something I want to show you..." Abel said with his lips nearly touching her ear.

There was a visible shiver along Kira's spine at the same time as Akela felt her sister try her best to resist Abel's charm.
Abel chuckled softly as he picked up the same reaction.

Carefully he guided Kira out into the park. Zion let them get a head start allowing Kira's grumbles about being abducted grow faint.

At the table, Nia threw down her knife and left the room in a huff. Everybody else were busy chuckling at Abel's childlike eagerness to be a good mate to Kira.

"He's going to show her the house. I asked him to wait until we had.... become one," Zion explained.

"And he built it, so she chooses side?" Akela nodded in understanding.

"We'll go in a minute. When Abe links," Zion grinned.

They sat down at the table where Felan's loud giggle rung out. Zion turned to look at the little pup in his high chair. Felan stared at his uncle with his hands in front of his face. With a flourish he removed his hands.

"BOO!" Felan laughed.

Zion grinned at the child, put his hands in front of his human face and changed into his wolf face before revealing himself with a "boo!".
Felan kicked and squealed with glee.
Zion placed his hands in front of his face and made himself human again.

"Boo!" Zion grinned and removed his hands.

Next to Felan, his mother chuckled at the way her son loved the new game.

The soft smile on Zion's face told Akela everything she needed to know about Zion as a future father. He grabbed her hand, kissing the back of it.

Once they had finished the meal, Akela reached into the link with Kira and felt the extreme rush of emotions washing over her.
She looked at Zion and saw that he was receiving a similar energy from his brother.

"How do you wanna do this?" Zion asked seriously.

Akela frowned a question back and watched her mate grin with his new human face.
The smile left her breathless.

"Like this... Or doggie face?" Zion whispered with a satisfied smirk at how Akela's heart was so open to read.

Akela pulled herself together, realising what a huge thing this was for the man in front of her. Going to the house, would take them through the village, across the park and main square where there were pack members.

"Wolf face!" She said firmly and saw him nod in slight disappointment.
Her own grin widened as she lifted up on her toes to kiss him.

"And then... after we cross the moonstones... even if it's not full moon, or even night, we kiss, and you change your face," she suggested.

Zion smirked again as he picked up her emotions.

"Marking your ownership, my little mate?" He asked, his lips almost touching hers.

"Oh, hell yeah!" Akela grinned, watching Zion draw back in surprise.

"I want the whole pack to know that the most beautiful lycan in the world is taken... and all those who ever teased you to know that you're mine!" She said firmly.

Zion rubbed his nose on hers with a smile.

"All yours!" He mouthed as his lips captured hers in a searing kiss.

They were interrupted by someone clearing their throat and looked away from each other to see Diana grinning.

"If you weren't so cute. And if I wasn't tempted to say that I fucking knew you belonged with Zion from the start... some of us have work to do. I need to get to the door," Diana grinned.

The two of them smiled and moved out of the house, letting Diana stride into the village, leaving the sound of her laughter behind.

"Keep the tail," Akela said as they started strolling towards the square.

Zion's wolf face looked confused.

"I love that tail!" Akela grinned cheekily and pulled him a fraction faster.

They arrived at the square where the fire pit was cold and the sun shone from a bright blue sky.

Akela stopped at the centre and turned towards her mate.
His eyes were flickering around the square where several pack members were enjoying the sun.

"Look at me, Zion!" Akela whispered and moved so the top fell away to reveal her shiny, brand new, bright white mated mark.

His eyes fell on her, on the adoration in her eyes, and how her hands held his, transmitting the emotional link between them.

"I knew you were mine. I loved you from the moment I lifted your body from the snowdrift," He said quietly.

Akela felt her eyes well up, full of everything he was saying in the emotional link between them.

"I love you!" She whispered and fixed her eyes on his while he changed his face to the handsome human version of himself.

The surprise from the surrounding pack members hardly registered in the middle of the soft kiss.
As if they were alone in the sunshine, they pulled apart with matching smiles and continued their journey, Zion's tail swishing happily behind him.

They arrived at the duplex house to hear Kira's enthusiastic squeals as she ran in and out of rooms. She spotted Akela and ran out to drag her into one half of the building.

"Aki... look, look!" She grinned skipping through one house, then the other while pointing out all the clever details. Once she had taken Akela into every room, she stopped on the front porch, in front of Abel, bouncing on her toes.
He stood there with a proud smirk, waiting for her to say something.

"You built a home! I've never had a home before!" Kira grinned.

"Well... now you do," Abel chuckled.

Kira wrapped her arms around him before looking at her sister.

"What half do you want?" She asked.

Akela shrugged. One half had a cottage feel whereas the other was more modern.

"I want the stainless steel kitchen!" Kira grinned at Abel.

"It's yours, baby!" Abel said and kissed her gently.
Next he placed a key in Kira's hand before he carelessly tossed the other in the general direction of Zion.

Kira looked at the key, then at the front door, before grabbing Abel's hand. Two seconds later, the click told the remaining pair that she had, for the first time in her life locked her very own front door.

Akela laughed and motioned Zion to walk back towards the main house.

"Don't you want to explore our half?" Zion asked.

Akela shook her head with a wide grin.

"Not right now," she smirked.

A short while later, Helios and Felan were sat on the living room floor, staring suspiciously at each other when Akela's link with Kira was flooded with a blinding, searing hot feeling of total bliss.

Luna River looked up from the two babies with a warm smile.

"Well... that should calm Abel down," River grinned.