Paris was wonderful. Me and Seth had spent two days longer than originally planned because we enjoyed it so much. Touring the beautiful city and spending some well deserved quality time together, without the constant calls, meetings or interruptions that we got at home...well mostly without them anyway.

Adrienne and her mate Ezekiel went back to Red Fang the day me and Seth originally planned to, saying that they had to handle other things before a honeymoon...like getting married so Ezekiel can remain in the U.S. without an issue.

Two days later, we came back to the states, and as much as I enjoyed our trip, I still found myself a little homesick. And that was quickly dispelled when I walked in the front door of the pack house.

"You're home!! You're home!!" Shouts a little pup with brunette curls, jumping into my arms just as I kneel down to catch her. Little Avery's lilac scent restirring me and Ziva's maternal instincts as she nuzzles her face into my neck, and I stand up to hold her on my hip.

"I missed you too munchkin, were you a good girl while we were gone?"

She nods vigorously, and Seth comes up behind us to say hello.

"Did you miss me too pumpkin?"

Avery nods again, her head moving so fast I worry it might fly off. I love how close Seth and Avery have gotten, it makes it feel like we're a family...and that Seth wants to be her dad.

"Seth, could you hand me that pink bag with a white bow?"

He grabs it immediately, and I give it to Avery to hold.

"You can open it, I got it for you."

Her eyes brighten with excitement as she digs into the bag, and they widen to the size of saucers when she pulls out the stuffed animal that's almost as big as she is. The plush white rabbit with brown patches nearly hiding her face completely, the blue ribbon tied around it blocking her vision.

"It's so fluffy!" She exclaims, squeezing it tightly. A soft sniff from her little nose lets me know that she found out the second part. That it carries my scent. I had actually helped make it in Paris, so my scent isn't just on the outside, but in the stuffing and and the little cotton heart that I chose to put in it...and if she squeezes the paw she'll hear my voice saying good night.

I know she misses me a lot, so I thought that it would help her when I wasn't able to spend as much time with her.

After an hour or so of helping me unpack, Avery has to return to Tiny Paws, leaving me a bit lonely at her absence. But the feeling of Seth's arms wrapping around my waist helps dull it.

"You're quite fond of her, aren't you?" He murmurs, kissing behind my ear. And I nod, wondering if it could be possible for me to make her my pup.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The week following our return is a complete 180 to our time in Paris. Despite having put so much work into clearing his schedule, Seth had to start pulling night shifts to catch up on the work that piled up while we were gone...which means for the past few nights I've slept in and woken up to a bed empty of my mate.

I've helped as much as I could, but my Luna duties have kept me busy too...as well as training with warriors and helping Adri with the moving process. Her and Ezekiel are moving out of the packhouse and into their own home on the territory, and considering she started her assistant position after she came back, she needs all the help she can get.

But even that didn't take long, and when she moved out and Seth went to a meeting with a pack leader to talk alliance...I found myself even more alone. I couldn't even spend time with Avery because her and the other kids went on a field trip to an amusement park out of state. And after the past two days of nothing but paperwork, I've officially run out of distractions. No amount of runs or fight training seemed to fill the loneliness.

And if that wasn't bad enough...I started feeling strange.

Fevers that had me up at night restless and sweating, brief flashes of pain in my hips and stomach, bizarre shifts in my mood and energy level...

And strange dreams...

Almost completely about Seth, and images of things that would make any woman blush. I had these for the past couple of nights, but I've been chalking them up to a horny wolf and an absent mate.

Tossing the covers aside, I pad out to the balcony, hoping the cool night air would take away some of the heat that's been gradually spreading from my forehead to the rest of my body. Staring up at the sky, I try to ignore the soreness enough to enjoy the stars and the full moon...

Wait...full moon?

The sudden realization dawns on me. Fevers, burning pain, mood swings, and bizarre dreams plus the full moon equals...

Oh hell...I'm in heat.

It's my first full moon after being marked...why did I let myself forget?

It seems that recognizing the cause of my discomfort makes it worse, because my body becomes sweltering hot, almost like the fever has its own life force. At the same time, an intense flash of pain seizes my abdomen, sending me stumbling backwards into the bedroom as I gasp, and unintentionally closing the door as I fall backwards while holding the knob. I get up only to have a second wave of heat pulse through me...and a strangled whimper slips past my clenched lips.

My wolf is no help to me, being that she is feeling the same thing I am, but we both have one thought on our minds.

Seth.

He's the only one that can make this stop, and ironically he isn't here. All me and Ziva can do is call out to him through our link...and hope to the Goddess that he hears us.

I make my way to the large master bathroom, sliding down the wall to the cold tile floor in hope of finding some relief. I curl up pitifully against the frigid tile, trying to quell the ache anyway I can.

I honestly have no idea how long I've been laying here, crying out through Seth's personal link...I just know that it feels like hours. I call again desperately, feeling ashamed at myself for being so pitiful.

~Seth...Seth...can you hear me?~

~Angel? I can hear you, what's wrong my love?~

I cry out in relief at the sound of his voice in my head.

~Please...hurry home...I need you.~

The desperation in my voice seems to catch him off guard, and I can hear either him or his wolf growl lowly through the link.

~I'm coming Angel, I swear to the Goddess I'm coming.~

A bit of relief washes through me, taking a temporary notch down on the pain. I close my eyes and focus on the cold floor, trying to keep it that way.

Somewhere between five and ten minutes pass before the familiar thump of feet echo outside the bedroom door.

"Angel-"

My mates deep voice is cut off by his own growl as the bedroom door opens, no doubt caused by the obvious scent of heat mixed with my normal scent. His footsteps move through the room quickly after he shuts and locks the door, stopping in front of the bathroom where I lay pathetically at his feet.

"Angel. Angel, my love I'm so sorry."

The touch of a hand takes the edge of my discomfort, and even if I can't feel the sparks right now I know it's his. I open my eyes to see him crouched down in front of me, his eyes almost completely black with lust...but full of remorse as well.

"I should've remembered that your heat was coming...you never should've suffered like this."

I sigh when his hand touches the mark he gave me, and I reach up to grab his arm.

"Please...Seth..."

Another low growl rumbles in his chest, and he scoops me up off the floor, taking me back to the bedroom.

"You never have to beg Angel."

I shiver at the sound of his voice, and the sheets are cool to my skin as he lays me against them. The sound of a couple of thumps are followed by Seth joining me on the bed, removing his shirt and tossing it to the side. I suddenly find myself clawing at my own clothes, and he quickly alleviates it, pulling them off my body as fast as he can without hurting me...leaving me in just my underwear.

"Goddess...you're perfect..."

He murmurs before pressing his mouth against my skin, trailing kisses down my face and neck before moving down my chest. His fingers trace my legs softly as his mouth moves down my stomach and then my hips...only to start over from the top of my forehead all over again. This time taking longer than before as he spends extra time on the numerous scars that litter faintly over my body, and the slight whimpers he's pulling from my throat seem to encourage him.

"Just relax Angel...I'm going to take care of you tonight..." He whispers against my mouth as he captures my lips in a heated kiss, and I tangle my fingers in his hair, revealing in how his hands feel against the inside of my thighs, my body shaking in anticipation.

I flush as he unhook the clasp of my bra, and I shiver when the cool air hits the exposed area after it's tossed to the side. His other hand explored my chest, his other hand exploring the sensitive area with gentle curiosity, his calloused hands giving me goosebumps as his mouth moves down there too.

Fuck...

I moan at the feeling of his lips and tongue working their magic, my back arching at the soft nips of his canines. One hand skims down my spine, while the other traces over the muscles of my abdomen before skimming over the edge of my underwear.

"Seth...please, don't tease..." I pant with my eyes closed, too swept up in my heat and his touch to feel embarrassed. He's driving me mad...

"I'm not Angel, I just want to savor this...and make our first time perfect." He replies huskily, and I jump at the feeling of his tongue skimming over the muscles of my stomach now, his hands rubbing my thighs.

I groan, squirming against his agonizingly slow assault.

"Besides, you seem to like it Angel..." He teases, and my eyes open to see him staring up at me from between my legs, a devious glint in his eyes as he presses a kiss to my inner thigh.

"Shu-shut up..."

He chuckles, and I gasp at the sensation of his hand touching me through my underwear, the spot where the heat is still unbearable.

"Don't worry Angel, I'm not cruel."

He takes the hem of my underwear in his teeth, my eyes widening as he growls softly before he pulls them all the way off, leaving me completely exposed to him. As his hands go to the now exposed sensitive spot, I groan, shivering as I feel his breath just below my belly button.

"Now, lets see if I can help quell the ache here..."

He pulls my legs over his shoulders, the hungry look in his eyes the last thing I can process before he starts eating me out, his tongue lavishing my heat ravenously. I cry out as body arches of its own accord, bucking into his mouth as much as can with his hands gripping my thighs.

Fuck!

I can't even speak, too absorbed in pleasure. How the hell is he already hitting my-

My mind goes blank as I feel a couple of his fingers slip inside, and I can feel myself nearing my climax already, his soft growls only pushing me closer.

"Seth, I'm gonna-" I start, but my breath leaves my body as I finally go over the edge, the burning sensation sensation leaving my body only adding to the pleasure.

I just enjoy the high, my body tingling as Seth licks my thighs, then slowly kissing up my body to his mark on my shoulder, his hands gently roaming my skin.

"Goddess, you are incredible...absolute perfection." He purrs, kissing my neck.

My mind begins to clear as I come down from the euphoria, and me and Ziva know exactly how to return the favor.

"Seth?"

"Yes Angel?" He replies, his face still pressed to my neck. I grin, twisting us around so that I'm straddling him, his confused face staring up at me. I keep eye contact as I start undoing his jeans.

"My turn."

Seth

The warmth that seeps into my skin is what wakes me up, my eyes blinking against the bright sunlight that streams into the room. Shifting to avoid the blinding light, I encounter my mates warm skin, her body tucked into my side as she sleeps peacefully under the covers.

Smiling, I carefully turn over to face her, brushing the hair out of her eyes. Trailing my fingers over her cheeks and mouth, she sighs and unconsciously leans into my touch. I just stare and caress her face softly for a while, letting her sleep as long as she needs to.

So beautiful.

After about thirty minutes, her eyes open slowly, the violet depths staring up at me sleepily.

"Good morning Angel, did you sleep well?"

A soft blush paints her cheeks, the corners of her mouth twitching up into a smile.

"Yeah...how about you?" She murmurs.

"Very well. I would've woken you, but I figured you could use the extra sleep."

She averts her gaze, uncharacteristically shy of her. I tilt her chin up to face me, smiling at her softly.

"Someone's bashful."

She scoffs, the blush deepening.

"I wonder why that is..."

"Do you want me to guess, or was that a rhetorical question?" I tease, earning myself a scowl.

"Don't make me ruin the moment by kicking your ass Miller." She half threatens as she runs a hand up my jaw, pressing her lips against my throat.

"I would like to see that..." I challenge, not expecting her response would be to flip me on my back, straddling my hips as she pins my hands above my head. Now normally, being put into this position would tick me off...but considering the view I currently have of my gorgeous mate, I am actually quite enjoying it. Much to my pleasant surprise.

"You wanna play big boy?"

I smirk, growling as she leans down, her nose touching mine as she locks eyes with me.

"Oh, most definitely Angel, I would love a round four..."

She growls, and I catch her eyes turning black just before she attacks my mouth hungrily. Goddess...this woman...

Unfortunately, our play time ends before it can begin again, for a loud series of knocks interrupts our moment...making our heads turn to the bedroom door in surprise.

"Alpha! Luna! There's been a rogue attack, Gamma Marcus has been badly hurt!"