I woke up shaking and covered in sweat again. I had no recollection of my dream—or nightmare, but that was nothing new. The arm around my waist was very new though and I almost screamed when it tightened abruptly. I held my breath as I stared at the wall; I could feel every part of my alpha's body pressed right up against my back. Every part.

I could hear my wolf's amused chuckle as I tried desperately not to move. The thoughts of what Xavier might do if I woke him up right now ran through my head and it sent a trill of fear through me. Then I felt a sudden ache between my thighs.

Oh fuck not this again, I whimpered. It was so uncomfortable and left me reeling in confusion. How the hell could I be scared and aroused at the same time? Maybe I am insane.

"What are you thinking about?" Xavier's voice was still raspy with sleep and the sound sent a shiver down my spine.

A blush crept onto my cheeks. "Nothing," I said.

He kissed the top of my head and pulled me closer. "Sure doesn't smell like nothing," he remarked.

My eyes flew wide. There's no way he can smell my arousal, right? My fear sure, but definitely not that.

He chuckled a little and suddenly I had my answer. "Oh my goddess," I mumbled with a grimace, pulling the blanket up to cover my face. Son of a bitch knew exactly what he was doing to me in the library last night.

"Hey hey little wolf it's okay," Xavier soothed, failing to hide his amusement. The blanket slipped back down to my shoulders as he shifted. He lifted his head up and I glanced sideways at him. "You shouldn't be embarrassed."

"This feels like exactly the kind of thing I should be embarrassed about," I growled. And yet the feeling refuses to go away.

"Do you want me to make it go away?"

My head whipped around so fast I heard my neck crack. "What?"

There was no amusement in his tone now. His gaze was deadly serious as it met mine. "You said it won't go away, do you want me to help?"

Oh goddess I said it out loud. I stumbled over my words, panic gripping at my chest. "Aetrix said only your mate can make it better," was the only response I could manage.

Xavier smiled a little. "That's true if you're already bonded to your mate."

"But whenever I tried it just made it worse," I said before I could stop myself. He didn't need to know that dumbass.

His smile widened. "What did you try?"

I froze, completely flustered by the question. "What?"

"What did you do to ease the ache?" He asked.

"What everyone does before they find their mate," I mumbled, my face hot at the admission.

His eyes gleamed as he propped himself up on his elbow and used his other hand to pull me so I was laying on my back. I stared up at him, my breath catching as I came face to face with this beautiful man. My gaze flicked down for a moment and I realized he wasn't wearing a shirt. There were scars all over his skin, some even similar to my own and it sparked a deeper desire I didn't fully understand.

His finger lifted my chin, pulling my eyes away from his muscled torso. "Do you want me to make the discomfort go away?"

I felt powerless again, but it didn't bother me as much this time. It felt right in this moment, and I couldn't believe how easily the word left my mouth: "Yes."

And then he was kissing me. It was such a soft brush of his lips against mine before he pulled away, I almost thought he changed his mind. But he just looked over my face again before returning to my mouth with more force this time. The feeling of his lips against mine was incredible, it was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. They were soft and warm, and moved so gently against mine.

He pulled back again, using his hand to tilt my head up so he could kiss my neck. My mouth fell open and I couldn't help the soft moan that escaped when his lips pressed against my throat. His teeth scraped against my skin and it turned into a small gasp; the ache was nearly unbearable now. My hands moved of their own accord, touching every inch of his chest before sliding up to grip his shoulders. My nails dug in hard at the feeling of his breath beside my ear. "I need you to trust me Roxanne, can you do that for me?" he asked softly.

My heart was slamming against my ribcage, but I still nodded. He shifted above me and suddenly the only thing I was aware of was his thigh sliding up to put pressure between my legs. I gasped, pleasure shooting straight to my core from the movement. "Oh fuck," I breathed out. He lifted his knee again and the tingling feeling quickly intensified.

Xavier kissed me again. His mouth moved slowly but I could feel myself growing frantic. My hips began to rock, desperately seeking more friction.

I felt him grin against my lips. "There you go little wolf, show me what you need," he urged.

The fear was gone; I was being driven solely by the pleasure this man was giving me now. I pushed my hips up, grinding hard against his thigh and relishing in the way it put pressure right on my clit. "I need more, Xavier please," I begged, scarcely recognizing my own voice.

"More?" he asked, his eyes growing dark.

My breath caught in my throat and I felt my chest go tight but one sharp nudge from Xavier's knee brought me back to the moment with a tiny gasp. He tilted my chin up, dragging the pad of his thumb along my bottom lip. "What more does my little wolf want?"

"I want you to touch me," I whimpered. My tongue flicked out to lick my lips but caught his thumb instead. His groan echoed in my ears and the vibration sent a shiver through me.

His hand moved slowly away from my face, trailing along the side of my body until he reached my hip. I tightened my arms around his neck as he tugged on my shorts. "Show me how much you trust me," he whispered.

I nodded quickly, holding my breath as he pulled them off with my underwear. Even with his body covering mine and my shirt still on, I felt completely exposed. I instinctively tried to cross my legs but his body was settled between them, forcing them to stay open. His fingers brushed along my thigh and I sucked in a harsh breath that rattled my chest. His gaze was locked on mine, watching me carefully.

My hands slipped up to his neck and I yanked him down for a hard kiss to distract me. He obliged, pressing his tongue into my mouth just as he pressed a finger against my pussy. I gasped at the sensation. It felt so much better than when I did it.

I tugged on his hair, earning a breathy groan in return and then he pushed his finger inside of me. I moaned against his lips, pulling him impossibly closer. He responded by pushing deeper then withdrawing his finger torturously slow. A whine slipped past my lips making him chuckle. "Don't worry little wolf, I promised I'd take care of you, didn't I?"

He pushed deeper again and I pushed my hips up to meet him. "Please Xavier I need more," I whimpered.

His grin made all of my embarrassment vanish. "Such a good girl, telling me what you want." He drew me in for another kiss, adding a second finger. I threw my head back, the stretch was almost painful but it just made the pleasure that much more intense. My chest was heaving as it quickly became overwhelming.

Xavier kissed down the front of my throat, slowly increasing the pace of his fingers pumping in and out of me. My nails dug hard into his shoulders and squeezed my eyes shut, my core clenching as the pressure began to build.

I yelped as pain flared across my neck but it was gone almost as quickly as it came and sent tingling straight to where his fingers were curled into my pussy. I gasped. "It's too much Xavier, it hurts," I cried out, pushing at his shoulders.

His free hand slipped behind my neck and he pressed a kiss just above my ear. "Here's where you trust me Roxie, just take a deep breath and focus on the pleasure," he growled gently.

I closed my eyes and blew out a shaky breath just as he increased his pace again. "Just like that Roxie. Again," he whispered, placing soft kisses along my jaw. My entire body was tensed up and it made each deep stroke of his fingers even more powerful. I took another breath and felt his thumb brush across my clit. Once. Twice. My body was shaking now, on the verge of falling off the peak I couldn't seem to stop climbing. He rubbed slow circles against my clit and dragged his fangs across my throat once more.

It tipped me right over the edge and my mouth fell open in a scream. Xavier held my head tightly against his chest as I rode out the pleasure, rocking myself against his hand. "There you go," he hummed, "such a good girl." He smiled, slowly removing his fingers when my body finally relaxed.

I collapsed almost instantly, my thighs soaking wet and my muscles aching with exhaustion. Xavier laid back on the bed and pulled me over. I closed my eyes, tucking myself against him as his arms wrapped tightly around me.

There was only one coherent thought in my head. "That was incredible," I breathed out, my voice muffled by his chest.

He kissed my forehead. "Better then?" He asked.

I nodded quickly, a smile ghosting my lips. Somehow, I felt content enough to fall back asleep, the discomforting ache between my thighs gone now. It was relieving, especially knowing that Xavier could and was more than willing to help.

My wolf suddenly growled. He's not your mate Roxanne, he snarled.

My heart slammed against my ribcage. I know that, just let me be happy for a moment, I snapped, my eyebrows scrunched together.

He is not your mate, this is wrong!

I felt tears springing to my eyes and clenched my jaw. My mate didn't want me! I growled back, my frustration clearly evident.

That does not mean you can take him. He has a mate, and that mate isn't you.

I desperately tried to hold the tears back, my breath hiccupping in my chest as I struggled. There was a painful pressure behind my eyes and I just knew it would turn into a nasty headache soon.

"Just keep breathing Roxie, it's okay I promise," Xavier murmured, gently stroking my hair. Then he started to purr again. The tight band around my chest released almost instantly as I closed my eyes and tucked myself deeper into his embrace.

He kissed the top of my head. "We can stay here as long as you'd like, and then, when you're ready, we'll go meet the warriors for training. We can stop by the pack doctor later."

I blew out a shaky breath. "Okay."