**Author Note: The quotes ' ' are used to symbolize a thought, will the other quotes (") are used as dialogue. Enjoy the book!


Chapter 1(Taylor’s POV)

A warm breeze blew as Taylor Daniels shuffled out of school. She was extremely exhausted. The week had been tough. Lately, all her life involved was school, homework, and the final touches on her college applications. Taylor had spent the last few days cooped up in her room working on essays for various colleges. She had applied to a little over 12 schools, and the extensive work behind them was really draining her energy. Taylor sighed as she walked over to her beat up 1997 Dodge. She fumbled with the keys before finding the right one.
“Dammit” she muttered when the keys slipped from her fingers. As she bent down to pick them up, she saw two dainty hot pink stilettos next to her. Great, my day just couldn’t get any better, she thought as she bent back up from retrieving her keys.
“Hi Taylor,” the girl smirked beside her. Kristy Swanson, most popular girl in Riverton High, otherwise known as the evilest bitch alive.
“Um, hi Kristy,” muttered Taylor as she tried avoiding any eye contact with the she-beast. Taylor felt Kristy scan her outfit as she let out a little smirk. She had been wearing her favorite NYC hoodie with matching sweats and some Adidas sandals with socks. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun and her makeup consisted of just a little eyeliner. A blush started creeping up on pale cheeks. Totally mortified, Taylor mumbled a quick “I gotta go” and got in her car. She watched in her rearview mirror as Kristy smirked once again, and turned on her heel, strutting off in the direction of the other football players and cheerleaders. Taylor exhaled a deep breath. 'Phew, she didn’t do anything this time; count yourself lucky,' she thought. Kristy always picked on the meek, and Taylor was the shyest girl in the school. No wonder she was such an easy target. She wasn’t a loner, she did have friends, but they weren’t really close. No matter how hard her attempts were at being social or fun, it never seemed to work. Watching TV or reading a book was much more fun to her than hanging out at the mall or going to the movies; the total opposite of an average teen. After moving to the small town of Riverton, New Jersey, she really didn’t have the heart to make new best friends. She missed her old friends back in Pennsylvania. Her face became sad as she remembered the sleep overs and barbeques she had, her friends and her practically inseparable. Taylor missed her friends a lot. 'Get over it Taylor that was 4 years ago. Why can’t you fricken let it go!' Her grip on the wheel tightened, showing the whites of her knuckles. Driving through traffic, she, at last, reached her house.
“Finally peace at last,” She parked the car and headed toward her home. The smell of freshly baked cookies wafted into her nose as she stepped in, making her stomach grumble. She rolled her eyes. 'Oh right, I skipped lunch today to go study in the library, no wonder my stomach is crying for food.'
“Mom I’m home!” Taylor sang as she bolted into the kitchen, diving straight for the cookies.
“Sweetie, their hot, let them cool first” her mother stated with a chuckle. Setting her oven mitt aside, she walked over and kissed her daughter on the head.

“You’ll never change” Mrs. Daniels grinned.

“I don’t like change” Taylor grumbled, her thoughts flashing back to her old friends, but shook her head, erasing the thoughts temporarily. Getting up, she went over to her room. Purple walls surrounded the neatly made bed. In the corner, her desk was covered with papers and books. On the desk were sticky notes scribbled with due dates and homework assignments. Her dog, Ernie sat in his bed chewing on a bone.
“Ugh I’m so tired!” Taylor flopped on her bed, her face buried in a pillow. Dragging herself to the bathroom, she stripped and took a shower. Taylor toweled herself dry and changed into new clothes. Picking her bag off the ground, she grabbed her books and started her homework.

Chapter 2

The clock glared 2:37 at Taylor’s tired face. She had finally finished her homework. She ran to the bathroom and quickly brushed her teeth and changed into a tank top and shorts. As she settled into bed, the faint sound of a gentle breeze flowing motioned her to open the window. She stood there, taking in the fresh air.
“Beautiful” she whispered. Tonight, the sky was drizzled in bright shining stars. The moon streaked a faint light, illuminating the sky. Her skin tingled as the breeze entered the room, wrapping her in a cool embrace. She sighed, enjoying the moment. Her perfect moment was broken, when she heard her cell phone go off. She reached over and looked at it. She smiled, it was from Dylan.
Dylan was one of her closest friends. She seemed to feel closer to him than any of her friends. He was as close to a gentleman as they got. Not like all the other guys at Riverton High. He didn’t care about fooling around with girls, then leaving them heartbroken. Taylor was happy that they were friends. She even got along with his girlfriend, Molly. They were practically meant for each other. A pang of envy hit Taylor, as she herself wished for a budding romance like Dylan and Molly. It’s not like she liked Dylan, but she wished she could have someone as equally kind and caring as him. Being such a helpless romantic herself, she always wished for her own prince charming; still waiting it seemed. One would never have guessed that Taylor never had a boyfriend, however, it was true. Always buried in homework and worrying about school never gave her the time or effort to put on a flirty smile and charm some guys.
Looking at her phone, she saw that the text. Dylan had asked her if she wanted to get rent a movie this weekend with him, Molly, and one of Taylor’s close friends Angela. She instantly replied a yes. As she wriggled back into her comforter, she dreamt what it would be like to have a guy care about you, to comfort you, to hold you in his strong arms. She smiled and closed her eyes.

Chapter 3

The sound of buzzing woke her out of her dream. She had dreamt about her in the arms of a man. He was beautiful. His deep blue eyes bore into her soft brown ones. There, upon his gorgeous face, was a smile, but it didn’t hide the fact that there was still tension on his face. They seemed to be in a large forest. She didn’t know where she was, but at the same time, she felt safe. She trusted him. Groaning, Taylor slapped a hand on the alarm clock, and it quickly shut up. Dragging herself out of bed, she headed to the bathroom. Her eyes looked groggy and her face was colorless as she stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She brushed her teeth and tried to wash away any traces of sleep deprivation. Sighing, she headed back to her room and pulled out some clothes to wear. Her outfit consisted of dark wash denim shorts and a blue tank. She paired it off with matching blue converse and a half-sleeved jacket. Taylor cringed at the thought of Kristy making another snarky comment at her outfit yesterday, and breathed a sigh of relief. She had chosen a good outfit today. With a half-smile, she turned and headed for the shower. She loved the warmth the shower brought her, and for a split second remembered the warmth of the strange man being quite similar, if not more comforting. She shook her head.
“No,” she stated firmly, “he’s just a dream, nothing real.” So why couldn’t she stop thinking about him? Turning off the shower, she reached for a towel and quickly got dressed. Stepping out of the bathroom, she grabbed her things and quickly scurried off towards the stairs. On the first step, she heard murmuring in the living room underneath her. ‘Strange,’ thought Taylor, ‘who would be here this early in the morning?’
The stairs creaked quietly underneath her feet, as she tried not to disturb the conversation going on below. That was until she saw him. The man from her dreams was sitting on her leather couch, right next to two equally beautiful adults, perhaps his mother and father. They looked quite rich too. The boy was about her age, maybe a year or two older. He was beautiful, scratch that, godly. Taylor mentally slapped herself as she inched her way through the hallway, here she was staring at this guy when she should be getting to school. From her spot in the hallway, she made a 180 degree turn and headed in the opposite direction, towards the door.
“Taylor, is that you?” Her mom called out. ‘Crap, mom heard me. Shit, this cannot be happening.’ Taylor turned to find her mother, pale and teary eyed as she pulled her in for a hug.
“Umm, mom, I can’t breathe!” She let go and took a step back, her warm hands resting on Taylor’s shoulders.
“Mom, what’s wrong?” She took one of her mother’s hands and held it, looking straight in her eyes, as if it was possible finding the answer in her fascinating deep blue pools. All she saw was grievance. Taylor tensed up. Ever since she heard about her father leaving her mother when she was pregnant only to have her fend for herself, she couldn’t stand seeing her mother upset. That single act committed by her father was still hurting her mother. The emotional sadness was still there, behind her cheery smile and beautiful blue eyes. She twinged. Her mother was never sad. Not one thing could faze her. Something’s wrong, really wrong. Her blood began to boil. ‘Whoever hurt my mom is gonna pay,’ Taylor thought angrily.
Marching over to the living room, her mother in tow, she glared angrily at the three unsuspecting guests.
“Care to EXPLAIN why my mother is so upset” She glared, her steely voice cutting into the silence that surrounded them. The adult couple became uncomfortable, while the boy just sat there staring at the ground. She clenched her hands at her side, trying to remain calm, but it seemed that her efforts were of no use. “Any day now!” The woman cleared her throat, and looked up at Taylor.
“Alright, umm...Taylor, we’re here because we have some news to tell you.” Her voice was hesitant; she continued: “You’re not, well...you’re special. Your father was a ...werewolf, like us, and when he created you, he left so that you could live a normal life. But he requested us, that when you turn 18, you would marry our son, ensuring that you would be safe.” She dropped her head, almost ashamedly, as Taylor stood gawking at them. ‘I’m....I’m a werewolf?! But that can’t be! They don’t exist!’ She wobbled and sat on the couch across from the strange werewolf family. “So, you’re saying that I have to get married, to him?” She pointed at the boy, who was now staring at her with a rigid expression. It seemed like he was just as mad as she was about the whole setup. “Yes dear, it’s really important that you come with us now. Your life’s in danger. We’ve come to help you.” Taylor turned to face her mom. She had fresh tears brimming at her eyelids, but she swallowed them down. She couldn’t cry like this in front of these strangers, these beautiful, rich, and not to mention terrifying werewolf strangers. Her mother nodded at her, as if saying she should go. Taylor got up and hugged her mother fiercely. If her mother was gonna break down, at least Taylor would be there to set her on her feet. She was always the strong one, never letting people’s emotions inflict through her. She lived with a rough shell around her, never letting people’s remarks get the best of her, but even she had to be sentimental at times. However, this was not the time for her.
“Taylor, go upstairs and pack your belongings, you will have to go to their house.” Her mother stated firmly. Taylor could tell that her mother was on the verge of tears, but surprisingly, she held her guard. She nodded silently and walked up the stairs toward her room. When she got to her room, the tears that had been impatiently waiting in eyes, spilled out, traveling down her face. She threw herself onto the bed and cried.
“Stupid Taylor, why are you crying? You’ve turned yourself into a Kristy.” She chuckled at her own remark, trying to humor herself, but her efforts failed. Her face became serious once again. Throwing her bag open onto the bed, she began piling clothes in. She didn’t care if they were messed up; it wasn’t the time to worry about neatness. Sighing, she went to the bathroom and grabbed her supplies, putting them into a small duffle bag. Looking at the mirror, she judged her face. It looked like she’d aged 10 years! Puffy eyes, sniffling nose, and pale skin made her look sickly. Taking some water into her hands, she splashed her face with the ice cold water. It calmed her. She looked back up into the mirror and readjusted her makeup. Judging her face, she smiled. Not too long ago, her face was glowing with pride and happiness. She was quite a cheerful girl back in the day. Her straight brunette hair reached a little above her waist and her soft brown eyes shone bright with wonder. Her thoughts filled with school crushes, homework, and the latest fashion styles. Oh how she’d grown. Changing from a lovesick, preppy preteen to a sophisticated senior, it seemed like time had flown by. Putting on a small smile, she checked herself once again and finished the rest of her packing.
When she got downstairs, her mother and a man wearing a driver suit was standing by the door. Her heart broke. How could she leave her mother like that? Grabbing the suitcases, the man whom she assumed was the driver, picked up her luggage and put it inside a limo. ‘Wow, these people must be really rich!’ she thought, her mouth gaping at the large, stretched out hummer limo that stood in her driveway.
“Goodbye sweetheart, take care of yourself, and please try to visit,” Her mother cried, breaking into a hug. Taylor embraced her and ran her hand up and down her mother’s back like she used to do for her, trying to soothe the tears out of her mother. She was going to miss her mother a lot. But she was eventually going to college soon, so she would have to leave her someday. Taylor forced herself to think of it as the same thing, only she was leaving a few months earlier than expected. Her feet walked down the stone pathway; she turned back to look at her house. Her mother stood small and frail in the doorway, waving to her.
“I’m gonna miss you” she whispered as she turned and got into the limo, awaiting the surprises that would soon come of this marriage.

Chapter 4 (Leo POV)

‘She was beautiful, no, breathtaking. Shit! Why was I thinking about her like this? No! She’s the girl who’s going to ruin my life.’ Leo admitted harshly in his head. He watched the strange girl, wide eyed and fragile, but nonetheless, beautiful, as she walked towards them with her mother behind her. She had a firm gaze, her lips pressed in a tight line, and her arms crossed over her chest; however, her face had a puzzled look on it. ‘She doesn’t know yet. Oh joy, time to break that innocent face. What the hell!? Stop thinking about her like that Leo! Girls are bitches who want to screw with your heart, then walk away like you mean nothing to them’ Leo faced down, his eyes tracing the lines of his one of a kind Jordan’s. They we’re light blue, just like his eyes, and new, not to mention shiny. They cost a fortune, not like it mattered, considering his family was loaded with money. He smiled inwardly, anyone would have died for a pair of shoes like his, but they were Leo’s. Being rich did have advantages. Pushing those thoughts aside, he remembered why he was hurt. His girlfriend, Rebecca, broke his heart when he caught her in bed with another guy. He remembered all his friends telling him during football practices how his girlfriend was hot, and how she couldn’t be trusted. Back then he’d just shrug them off, telling himself that wasn’t true. Looking back, he realized what a dumbass he’d been for trusting some girl instead of his friends. ‘How did I know I’d fallen head over heels in love with the school slut? I should’ve listened to my friends, they knew what was wrong with her, and kept giving me hints but I never took them.’ He groaned inwardly. She was his everything. He was even willing to give up his virginity to her, to claim her as his mate, but he knew she wasn’t it. The girl, who stood before him, was his mate. ‘No. I’m never falling in love again. I don’t care if she’s my mate, she can go fucking die in a hole for all I care’. His mind flashed with rage.
“Let’s go sweetie” His mother’s gentle voice lifted him out of his angered thoughts. He looked up and met his mother’s gaze as she motioned towards the door. The girl was nowhere in sight. He got up and followed her out towards the limo. Getting in, he grabbed his iPod out of his suit pocket and listened to his favorite songs. The music calmed him. Pulsating through his ears, it traveled into his body, making its way to every nerve with an ice cold touch, immediately calming him. He sighed and looked up to his parents. They gave him a small apologetic smile. He turned away. Leo couldn’t give his parent’s the satisfaction of knowing what they were doing was right. It was wrong, completely wrong. They were only 18, both so young, but now they were being treated like adults. It wasn’t fair. Leo loved his parents more than anything, and supported them all the way with whatever decisions they made, but this time they went too far. He wanted to go to college, to get a degree and have a career. Then he would get married, not the other way around. He closed his eyes and tried to focus just on the music. He felt the seat next to him move, a soft vanilla sweet scent wafted into his nose. It hungered him, at the same time, calmed him. ‘Mate, Mate,’ said my inner wolf. ‘No’ I thought rigidly. Being alpha, I had strong control over other wolves, as well as my own, but it seemed that my mate had unleashed my wolf’s true potential as he wanted to claim her badly. He growled softly, shutting the wolf up temporarily, but he knew he was still going to pester him about Taylor. Leo got ready for the long trip ahead. They were going to his home in Colorado. The Colorado area was perfect for supernatural creatures like him to live peacefully without too much human interference. The woods and mountains helped create a peaceful escape. All the other supernatural beings got along well, despite what people usually say. Vampires and werewolves weren’t at each other’s throats; witches weren’t evil, etc. etc. The drive to the airport was silent; he managed to look out the window the whole time without looking at the girl. Before he knew it, the girl was asleep; he could hear her soft snores. He peered over, and just as expected, she was lying against the door, the side of her face pressed against the glass. Her breathing was even, and her face didn’t look tense anymore. She looked...peaceful. Shaking the smile that was forming on his lips, he turned back to the window, sinking into the deep abyss of suburban houses and small town life. Sighing, he closed his eyes and drifted off into a deep, restful sleep.

Chapter 5 (Taylor's POV)

Taylor felt strong arms carry her up from the limo. She was heading into what sounded like an airplane. The whirring of the jets was starting to awaken her from her groggy state. Soon, the previously annoying sound began to feel pleasant as she snuggled closer to the warm arms carrying here, drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

******
She woke up in a large canopy bed, underneath her some velvety blue satin sheets; she was wrapped up in matching light blue plush comforters. She looked around, the room was massive. She felt incredibly miniscule compared to the room around her. The windows arched up to the ceiling; they alone took up an entire wall. The bed was in the center of an adjacent wall and across from it were two large French doors. Around her were magnificent paintings of wolves, but a particular one seemed to reach her. She got up off the bed and walked over to the wall. It was a picture of a wolf, standing on a cliff rock. The moon shone brightly behind the wolf. The wolf seemed to be howling at the moon, yet it seemed to be almost smiling. His eyes were shining gold, and his fur was almost as black as the night sky around him. There was a tint of gray around the neck. She gasped, her hand slowly trembling to stroke the painting.
“This can’t be, this is, my...my...father,” Her voice was shaky as she pulled her hand back like a surge of electricity had gone through it, “No, that’s ridiculous, that’s just some wolf painting, it can’t possibly be my dad.” Her eyes wandered over the painting once more, before returning back to the bed. Her body felt sore. She’d been sleeping for a while, trying to get rid of the jet lag she’d been having. She walked over to the bathroom which was the size of her previous room. Stripping off her clothes, she stepped into the shower, letting the warmth of the water envelop her. Her mind floated back to her mother. ‘What would she being doing right now? How is she handling being alone? I hope she’s okay.’ She turned off the shower and grabbed a towel from the linen closet. Wrapping herself in the towel, she stepped into the room looking for her suitcase. She couldn’t find it. Venturing into the huge walk in closet of the room, she found what looked like a plain white t-shirt and dark grey sweats. Dressing quickly, she tied her hair into a messy bun and stepped out of the room. She stood in a narrow hallway with several other doors to the right and left of her. Walking down the hallway, the stairs came into view. There were 2 spiral stairs that led down to the large and elegant foyer. There sat a few decorative couches that faced two large white doors, probably the main doors to the mansion. She passed the foyer and on the left was a large modern kitchen. Sitting at the small glass table, her back to Taylor was her mother in-law. “Oh sweetie you’re awake! Come, sit down, you must be starving! Let me make you something,” her mother-in-law smiled. “Sure” she mumbled in response, finally hearing the loud cries of hunger in her stomach. Slowly, she sat down at the table, waiting for her food. Soon, her nose filled with the smell of chocolate chip waffles. It made her mouth water. Mmmm, her favorite. She gobbled it down hungrily. ‘Wow, I must’ve been really hungry’ she thought, staring down at her empty plate.
“Honey, would you like some more?” her mother-in-law asked.
“No, thanks Mrs...” Taylor tried to remember if her mother told her the name of these people.
“Sweetie its Mrs. Knight but you can call me Angie if you’d like” She smiled down at her. Taylor nodded at her.
“Thanks Mrs. Knight,”
“No problem dear. Now I suggest you go back up to my son, Leo’s room and get some more sleep, it looks like your still quite tired” She chuckled but her eyes were soft. She really did care about her.
“Um, if you don’t mind, can I just unpack? I’m not really tired anymore” Taylor asked, hopeful to go explore the house. She wasn’t really tired, and besides, she was used to the lack of sleep.
“Sure honey go ahead, but you can just leave your bags there, the maids can unpack for you if you like” Mrs. Knight offered. Taylor shook her head.
“No its okay, I can unpack my stuff, I have some fragile things I don’t really want to lose”
“Oh okay that’s fine, just remember, I’ll call you down for dinner at 7, otherwise you’re free to explore the house if you like, I’ll be in the study down here if you need me” With a small smile, she headed towards a door in the far right of the hallway by the kitchen. Walking back towards the foyer, Taylor found her luggage in the corner and dragged it upstairs. When she finally reached the top step, she let out a deep breath; she was exhausted from all the climbing up the stairs with her bags. She forced herself to drag the bags to the room, but as she stared down the hall, she’d completely forgotten which room it was. The house was huge, and who knew how many bedrooms it contained? All she could remember was walking a lot to get to the stairs. Heading for the end of the hall, she opened the door on the right. ‘Phew, it’s the right room’ she relaxed. At least she didn’t end up walking into someone else’s room on accident. Dragging the bags behind her, she shut the door and plopped down on the bed. Taking one look at her bag, she didn’t feel like unpacking.
“Ugh, I’m gonna have to unpack. Can’t risk having someone find my bra or panties?” Pulling the duffle bag over to her, she began to take out some of her underwear. Just as she was getting up to put them away, she came face to face with Leo. His dark black hair was swept over his forehead, just barely touching his eyes. His chiseled jaw and high cheek bones were higher on his face, as his soft, full lips turned up into a smirk. He was shirtless with only a pair of shorts on. Her eyes trailed down to his chest, his abs and well-toned muscles in clear view. He seemed to catch her staring, and smirked even more. With a gasp, she looked down at her hands. Her face turned a bright red as she realized what she was holding. Her pink lacey bra and panties were in her hands and it seemed that Leo noticed as well. She turned around and dropped her clothes into the bag behind her. Taylor could feel his eyes piercing into her back. She huffed and stood straight. Walking over to the side of the bed, she grabbed her other bag and found some of her clothes in it. Leo had walked across the room towards the closet on the other side. As he walked, Taylor couldn’t help but stare at his beautifully muscled back. She soon realized what she was doing, and turned her grin into a scowl. She was not going to let some stranger play with her feelings like this. She had never been loved and she didn’t want to start now. This guy was obviously not her knight in shining armor. No real knight would come in and force you to marry them, binding them to an eternal life of supposed hell. ‘No,’ she thought ‘if anyone’s going to be falling in love around here, there’s no fucking way it’s gonna be me.’ Leo had come out of the closet with, thankfully for Taylor, a black shirt on. His face seemed to be a mix of confusion and sadness, almost as if he had heard her thoughts. Taylor shook it off and continued taking clothes out of her suitcase. She could feel Leo watching her, and it was really beginning to annoy her.
“Do you mind not staring at me? Or is this what you always do to random girls you force into marriage just for the hell of it?” She huffed and stood up, crossing her arms over her chest in the process. Averting her eyes to the ground, she began to mentally trace the fabric of the carpet, careful to keep a stern, angry look on her face. After a long and awkward silence, she finally looked up to him. He was angry, no, furious at her reaction.
“Do you think I wanted to get married to YOU!?!” He sneered. “If I’d known I’d be marrying a selfish, stuck up bitch, I would’ve killed myself before getting stuck with you.” He turned his back towards her and sauntered off into the adjoining study area of the bedroom, closing the door with a loud bang. Tears welled in Taylor’s eyes. She couldn’t help it. ‘People always called me names: nerd, dork, slob, unattractive, weird, ugly, and others, but nobody had ever called me a bitch. I was always nice to others. Couldn’t he see that I was just thrown into this marriage without so much as a chance to prepare?’ She felt like she’d gotten a test without time to study. He didn’t understand. Her head hung low and the tears spilled over her cheeks. Trying to keep her sobs as quiet as possible, she lay down in the bed, putting her stuff on the ground, and fell asleep.

******
“Taylor, Taylor wake up.” Taylor woke up to the sound of a hard and edgy voice calling her. She looked up. Her eyes locked with beautiful blue-green eyes. Leo was trying to wake her up. Coming to her senses, she put on a frown and got up from the bed, pushing his hand away from her. Getting up, she almost lost her footing, but was caught by a strong arm around her waist. His touch immediately sent sparks flying through her body. Electricity lit up her body from where he touched her. She mumbled a quick “thank you” and moved away from him, going over to the bathroom. She looked at her reflection. Almost all the bags in her eyes were gone and she looked quite fresh, however, she didn’t feel anywhere close to it. Quickly rinsing her mouth with mouth freshener and washing up her face, she got out of the bathroom. Her hair was knotted into a mess. Grabbing a comb from her bag, she began to brush her hair. She’d gotten her beautiful and naturally straight layered hair from her mom. It was a soft brunette, and with her soft brown eyes, they made the perfect combo. Her body was thin and curvy, and her face was just as beautiful without makeup. Keeping her hair out, she walked downstairs. Only Leo was in the kitchen. The hair on the back of her neck stood on its end. She didn’t want to start yet another fight, so she fought off the urge to kick him until he cried. Surprised at her violent thoughts, Taylor shuddered. Leo was making her think of such cruel things for the first time in her life. Her footsteps caused Leo to turn around. He glared at her. Taylor looked down, still walking to the kitchen. Mrs. Knight didn’t seem to be around anywhere, so she made herself some food. Leo was still watching her from his seat. He had an expressionless face. Taylor found some pasta and made her famous Italian herb and cheese pasta. The silence was deafening. The only sounds you could hear were the water bubbling and the fridge humming. Finally the silence broke.
“Why are you wearing my clothes?” Leo asked. Taylor faced him, and then looked down at her clothes. She was still dressed in the sweats and t-shirt she’d borrowed. Slowly, she began to talk.
“Oh, uh, I didn’t have anything to wear when I took a shower earlier today, so I, uh, kinda borrowed your clothes,” Taylor spoke hesitantly. He nodded and looked out the patio door. She turned back around. The pasta was done. She grabbed a colander and rinsed out the pasta of the remaining water. She then added some sauce and perfected the dish with a few extra herbs.
“You hungry?” Taylor asked Leo. He nodded. Grabbing two plates from the cabinet, she placed one in front of Leo and the other across from him. He was watching her as she served them. Sitting down in her seat, she began to eat. He still watched her, amusement on his face. Shifting slightly, Taylor tried to avoid his gaze, but gave up her efforts. ‘Whatever, he can just stare at me all he wants. I’m used to those stares. Not like I haven’t got them before. That’s what happens when you’re an outcast’ Looking up, she saw Leo’s eyes turn from beautiful emerald green-blue eyes to dark black ones. His face became angry for a split second, but then changed back to his normal expressionless face. His eyes turned back to their original color as well. Getting up, she rinsed her plate and began loading the dishes in the dishwasher. She looked back up to find that Leo was gone, his plate empty. She went over to the table and grabbed the plate. Suddenly, a soft breath tickled her neck. “It was really good by the way” She spun around, coming face to face with an amused Leo. His blue-green eyes shining brightly and his face contorted into a smirk. ‘Why was he having this effect on me? No boy could go through my rough shell, then why was it that every time I looked into those eyes, I felt as if I’d melt into a puddle right there!’ Looking down, she gave him a nod and pushed past him to the dishwasher.

Chapter 6 (Leo’s POV)

‘Damn, how could she just accuse me like that of our marriage like it was my fault? Couldn’t she see that my parents were the one who forced me into this whole mess!?!’ Leo grunted as he sat in his office. He could hear Taylor’s even breathing through his sharp werewolf hearing.
“And now she fell asleep like nothing’s happened!” He grumbled to himself. He pushed his anger aside and began to handle some alpha work.
******
“Taylor, Taylor wake up.” Leo said, his voice edgy and cold from their fight, and mainly, from all the stress he’s been having, dealing with the many responsibilities that came with being an alpha. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked beautiful. When she realized she was looking at Leo, her heart rate seemed to skyrocket. Leo heard it. He hid back a grin; he did have this effect on women. But for the first time, he enjoyed listening to her heartbeat, being mates and all. She’d pushed his hand away and got up. Leo noticed her trip over the luggage bag on the ground, and he grabbed her waist before she could fall. His body seemed to scream with electricity when he touched her. He loved it. But, Taylor had come to her senses. Leo could barely hear the thank you she mumbled to him. Prying his hand off her waist, she went to the bathroom. Leo got up from the bed and headed downstairs. Soon, he heard footsteps come from behind him. His body and ears perked up, but his mind told him to stay where he was seated. Instead, he just turned around and glared at her. She dropped her head at the sight of his glare, and passed quickly by him. Her sweet vanilla scent wafting up his nose, causing him to quickly forget about his anger towards her, and his face softened. He had just noticed that she was wearing his clothes. His black shirt hung loosely to her curvy figure, and his sweats showed an inch of stomach on her body. ‘Damn, she sure looks sexy in my clothes,’ he grinned, but quickly turned his face blank.
“Why are you wearing my clothes?” Leo asked. He saw her panic and look down at the clothes she was wearing.
“Oh, uh, I didn’t have anything to wear when I took a shower earlier today, so I, uh, kinda borrowed your clothes,” Taylor spoke softly. He nodded once before turning his face towards the door. Every time she spoke softly, he felt sorry for her. She seemed so innocent, so human, that it almost hurt Leo to see the panic in her eyes. ‘Don’t hurt our mate! Love her, treat her nicely!’ His inner wolf roared out. He mentally replied, ‘I’m not hurting her! I just asked a question!’ ‘No, you asked a question that deliberately made her feel awkward! She was scared to see your reaction! You HAD to be mean to our mate!’ his inner wolf replied. Before he could defend himself once more, he looked at her. She did seem kinda upset, scared even. Her body language said it all. Her body was practically screaming to run the hell outta there. She was nervous, practically dropping things, but it didn’t seem that she noticed. Finally, he smelled the delicious aroma of the pasta. His stomach grumbled, but she hadn’t heard. Taylor asked Leo if he wanted pasta, which he replied to with a nod. Eating the pasta, he studied Taylor. Now that he thought about it, she was actually quite pretty. Her soft brown hair was straight down, a little past her shoulders, and her face consisted of high cheekbones, luscious pink lips, and beautiful brown eyes. She was way more beautiful than his ex. Taylor seemed to have noticed he was staring, and began squirming in her seat before giving up. He grinned slyly before hearing her angelic voice in his mind, ‘Whatever, he can just stare at me all he wants. I’m used to those stares. Not like I haven’t got them before. That’s what happens when you’re an outcast.’ Hearing this, Leo became enraged. ‘How dare people think she’s an outcast? She’s beautiful!’ His wolf was starting to take over his emotions, but he controlled them in time. By the time he’d noticed, she’d gotten up and was washing the dishes. He left his plate there and, with lightning werewolf speed, he raced to the bathroom to wash his hands before coming back. Taylor was getting his plate now. He stood behind her, her smell intoxicating him.
“It was really good, by the way,” he whispered into her ear. She spun around, his eyes studying hers. The corner of her lips turned up, but quickly forced them back into her original scowl. He looked at her confused, and she took that moment to break away from his closeness. He shrugged and walked out of the room. She let out a deep breath and continued on loading the dishwasher.

**********
(Taylor's POV)
“Oof,” Taylor groaned, as she felt a small petite figure on top of her. Her eyes fluttered open. Sitting on top of her was a small girl. She had beautiful blonde hair and bright green eyes. Her button nose and dimples made her look cuter. She was wearing a soft lilac dress.
“Hi, I’m Daniela, but you can call me Dani! Are you my new sister? Can we go play outside? We can play hide n’ seek! Do you like hide n’ seek? I love hide n’ seek! Let’s go now! Taylor chuckled at the little girl’s enthusiasm.
“Tell you what, you go downstairs and eat some breakfast, and I’ll be down in a minute to come play with you, okay?” A huge grin spread on her face.
“Okay!” She jumped off and raced out of Taylor’s room. She chuckled, ‘what a cutie!’ She went into the bathroom and brushed her teeth. After stripping and taking a shower, she got dressed in a pair of jean shorts and a pink half sleeved t-shirt. Slipping on her converse, she headed downstairs to find Daniela. She was perched on a stool at the island table in the center of the kitchen. She smiled and jumped off the stool, grabbing Taylor’s hand in the process. Dani dragged her out the patio door. Taylor gasped. The backyard was beautiful. It was covered in lush green grass that ended just up to the forest in the back. Off to the left was a large in ground pool with blue water that sparkled. Right next to it stood a large pool/guest house. To her right was a beautiful garden with an assortment of lilies, roses, marigolds, and other various, beautiful flowers. She grinned.
“Come on Taylor!” Dani grabbed her hand and pulled her out towards the grass. She spotted a large soccer goal and grinned. Soccer was her favorite sport. ‘I’ll be spending a lot of time practicing here,’ she thought, a small smile tugging at her lips. She was brought out of her trance when she saw a pond off to the corner by the garden. It was somewhat secluded. There were small trees around the miniature replica pond. Inside, fish swam and frogs croaked happily. Around the pond were a couple of benches. One side of the tiny pond had small rocks, creating a small waterfall. This man-made pond was breathtaking.
“This is where my brother comes all the time. I like the fishies, but Leo loves to sit here. He likes it a lot. Almost as much as he likes you,” Taylor’s heart stopped.
“That’s sweet,” she managed to croak out. Her mind was whirring at the thought of Leo liking her. ‘No, Dani thinks that because he’s her fiancé, not because he truly loves her.’ She shrugged away from those thoughts, only caring about Dani. She seemed to be watching her intently, before poking Taylor’s side.
“Tag, you’re it!” Dani ran off.
“Oh, I’m gonna get you Dani” Taylor laughed after her.

Chapter 7 (Leo’s POV)

He watched her silently. He was staring out the attic window. Taylor was playing with his little sister in their backyard. He studied her. Her soft brown hair, and brown eyes riddled with excitement and happiness, her slender and luscious curvy body, and sexy long legs, the list went on. ‘Damn it, why do I have such feelings for her,’ he thought, as he watched Taylor intently. Just then, he heard a knock at the door. His mom walked in. She was dressed in a red dress and matching red heels. Her hair was up and pinned to her head. She looked like she was going out somewhere tonight.
“Sweety, I’m going with your father to a charity gala tonight, please take care of Dani and Taylor,” Leo nodded before looking back towards the window. His mother followed his gaze.
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Leo didn’t answer back. He was too busy trying to organize his thoughts about her. His mother continued,
“Leo, honey, give her a chance. You don’t see this now, but you’re both destined for each other. You’re mates, and mates always love and protect each other. It’s been in our werewolf history for centuries. I feel something special in her. She’s worth your trust, especially your love.” Leo didn’t look back at her. She sighed and kissed his head before walking out of the room.The doorbell rang. He wasn’t expecting guests. Confused, he ran downstairs and answered the door. Standing at the doorstep was his best friend and beta to his wolf pack, Ryan Jennings. “Hey mind if I hang out here today? I got nothing else better to do,” Leo chuckled at Ryan before answering, “Yeah sure bro, let’s go play Xbox!” They both ran towards the living room and sat in front of their large flat screen tv. Grabbing their controllers, he began whipping Ryan’s butt.

********
“Are you kidding me? That was three fricken games in a row!?” Ryan exclaimed enviously.
“Hell yeah! I beat you’re high score Ryan! Someone just got whipped!” Leo doubled over in laughter. Ryan scowled.
“Well played Leo, but I will get you next time,” Ryan laughed, and soon Leo joined along. The patio doors slid open. Leo’s back stiffened. The soft, sweet vanilla scent wafted through the living room, acknowledging Taylor’s presence. Ryan noticed her instantly, but Leo sat straight, his back to her.
“Woah, Leo, you didn’t tell me you had a hot babe staying at your place,” Ryan got up and glided over to her.
“Don’t bother, she bites,” Leo murmured under his breath.
“What?” Ryan asked, clearly amused. He obviously heard what Leo had said, considering they had heightened hearing as part of their abilities as a half animal.
“That’s Taylor,” Leo didn’t bother adding the fact that she was his fiancé. Ryan looked back over at her, while Leo stood up, facing them.
“Hi, I’m Ryan,” Taylor nodded at him.
“Hi,” she replied.
“So, I was just creaming Mr. Knight over there, when you walked in,” Ryan gestured over to the Xbox and back to Leo.
“What?! Liar, I was the one that won three straight games dumbass!” Leo defended.
“Oh now, don’t get so upset. You lose, you lose. I’ll be easier on you next time. No need to lie buddy,” Ryan looked quite amused now, and even Taylor was trying to stifle back a laugh.
“Shut up Ryan!”
“Make me douche!” Leo lunged at Ryan, and they began to wrestle on the ground.
“Guys stop! Come on, please stop!” Taylor was panicking at seeing them fight. They both stopped fighting, then looked at each other. They burst out laughing.
“W..what?” Taylor looked astonished.
“Psyche!” They both yelled in unison. Taylor’s face changed from shock to anger.
“WHAT?!? You guys were messing with me?!” They both nodded, looking guilty.
“Jerks!” Taylor put her hands on her hips. Both of the guys feigned hurt. Then, they busted out laughing again. Taylor stomped away from them and ran up the steps.
“Aw man, she’s hurt. Go take care of your mate dude, I gotta get home or my mom’s gonna freak.” Ryan smiled before heading out the door. Ryan, being a werewolf, had a special power of sensing things about others. That's why he could tell Taylor was Leo's mate. He also had the ability to control forces like fire, air, water, and earth. Leo also had special abilities, like being able to read and control people’s minds. His most special, and quite rare ability was to be able to communicate with other wolves and harness their power. He could use their own power against them. Only one other wolf had this power, and that was his fiancé. That’s why her father was known so widely. He generated that power, and when his daughter, Taylor, was born, she inherited it, but he had wanted her safe from danger, so he left his wife and daughter. Leo could understand why. Many others would easily kill for that power, and Taylor wouldn’t be able to defend herself. Leo looked up the stairs, then ran up them, two by two and stepped towards his and Taylor’s room.

Chapter 8 (Taylor’s POV)

She slammed the door with a loud bang before retreating to the wall. How could they do that to her? She really thought they were fighting, and her kind and caring heart didn’t like the violence. But no, they were just doing it to humiliate her. Anger fumed inside Taylor’s body. She let out a breath before sliding down the wall, and hugging her knees against her body. She dropped her head down to her knees and cried. Not because she was mad, but because she was sad. She missed her mom, her dog, her room, everything. She missed her friends, like Dylan and Molly. She wished she could go back, be held in her mother’s arms. But no, she was still there in the stupid mansion with a stupid boy who played stupid pranks on her. The door opened and soon Leo was in front of her.
“Look, I don’t wanna hear you laugh in my face, or anything. I’ve had enough humiliation, and I just wanna sleep. I’m really tired from playing outside with your sister and I’d just appreciate if-“Before she could finish, she felt lips press against her. Soft, hot, and delicious lips. She finally realized who she was kissing, Leo. He grabbed her arms and pulled her off the ground. He pressed her into the wall, moving himself even closer. One of his arms was wrapped around her waist, pressing her closer to his chest, and one was on her hip. He kissed with so much passion. She kissed back just as eagerly. Their lips were moving in perfect sync. Her hands traveled up his hard chest to the back of his neck. Her fingers curled around his hair, stifling a moan from him. He pushed against her lips harder. This was her first kiss, and she’d loved it. He pulled away, the warmth that was once present, was gone instantly.
“You’re tired. You should get some rest,” He smiled down at her, laying her on his bed. Leo walked out of the room, but she grabbed his arm. “Can you stay here? Please?” She begged. He nodded, and slipped under the covers. He grabbed her waist and pulled her close. She nestled into his chest, breathing in his scent. It smelled like evergreens and cologne. She loved it. Her eyes began to grow heavy, and soon, she fell asleep to the sound of the Leo’s heart.

Chapter 9

The sun streamed into the room, awakening a slumbering Taylor. She stretched out her arms, yawning. Glancing over to the left side of the bed, she found it empty. Shrugging, she remembered the events of last night. Taylor had kissed Leo. It was a shocking thought, yet quite appealing. Taylor couldn’t understand why she felt this way with Leo, hating him, yet craving him more and more.
Brushing her thoughts off, she hurriedly brushed her teeth and took a shower. Pulling on a pair of dark wash ripped skinny jeans and an off-shoulder top; she took one look at the mirror before running downstairs. For once, she wanted to see Leo. She bumped into a large figure. ‘Oof, careful there Taylor, are you looking for someone?’ Taylor turned to see the brick wall she’d bumped into, it was Mr. Knight. “Uh, yeah, Leo,” Taylor looked down shyly before looking back up to see Mr. Knight chuckling, “He’s out back in the pool house, you can go see him. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some ‘important’ work to do,” He made quote gestures into the air around the word important before turning to wink at her. Taylor giggled at his little joke. “Thanks Mr. Knight,” “You’re welcome Taylor. If you need me, me and my wife will be in my room,” He said before walking off. ‘So that’s how a dad must feel like. That was sweet.’ Taylor felt tingly all over, she wondered if her dad would’ve been just as nice as Leo’s dad.
She reminded herself to find Leo, running out the door to the pool house. Stepping towards the door, she knocked lightly. The door creaked open. Taylor stepped into the room, only to find Leo on top of a blonde girl. Leo was running his hands up and down her sides, and kissing her furiously, tongue and all. ‘How could I not expect this, she’s much more beautiful than me!’ Taylor thought eyeing the girl. Her blonde hair was beautiful, and her body looked like that of a model’s. Large breasts, and a curvy figure. No wonder Leo liked her way more. They were full-out kissing, and all Taylor could do was watch, completely horrified. Before she could stop, a small gasp slipped out of her mouth. Leo looked up, his eyes blazing gold when he saw her. She turned and ran out of the room, not caring if Leo was following her. Taylor ran right through the patio door, only to run into a hard chest. She looked up at the stranger. It was a guy, around 19 or 20, with shaggy sand colored hair and bright blue eyes. He looked beautiful. He smiled, his dimples shot through, making him all the more cuter.
“Sorry, I didn’t see you there, I’m Zane,” She smiled back,
“I’m Taylor, and it’s my fault, sorry,”
“You shouldn’t be apologizing; it’s not every day that you get to run into a beautiful girl,” Taylor blushed furiously, looking down at her shoes.
“Not trying to be rude or anything, but who are you?” Taylor asked, curious as to why a hot stranger was in her home.
“Oh, I’m a family friend of Leo’s, may I ask who you are?”
“I’m Taylor, I’m...also a family friend of theirs,” Taylor left out the part about being Leo’s fiancé. She didn’t want anything to do with that freak. ‘The day they got married would be the day hell freezes over,’ she thought.
“Well, you hungry? I’m making my famous, ‘Cereal de Taylor’ she said with a horrible French accent. They both laughed.
“Well that sounds quite enticing; I would gladly like to try it!” He beamed at her, trying to sound French as well. Taylor made them cereal and they ate, making small talk and laughing at jokes.
“Oh, I gotta leave soon, it was nice meeting you Taylor. I hope I’ll get to see you again soon,” He smiled at her, making her knees weak.
“Yeah sure! I hope you can come back over again!” Zane and Taylor exchanged numbers before Zane headed out the door. Taylor sighed. She washed the dishes and ran back up to her room. ‘I better get started unpacking some more,’ Taylor glanced at her suitcases, still piled up in the corner. Opening the big blue suitcase, she noticed some envelopes out of the corner of her eye. They were enticing, pulling her in like a drug. She wanted to know what they said inside them. Their cryptic words seemed to lunge at her, making her heart rate faster, her oxygen-filled lungs feeling depleted. Turning her head, she went over to the large bay window. She sat on the plush white window seat and stared out. The wind was blowing the leaves around, causing a stir in the leaves. The trees loomed over, providing shade to the small road. Squirrels were running around, grabbing any food they could find. A school bus passed by the home, filled with laughing, talking teens. A pang of envy hit Taylor. School. She needed to finish high school if she wanted to get into college. Her eyes drifted to the shiny envelope on the suitcase. ‘Just one peek couldn’t hurt, right?’ Before her mind could answer, her body raced over to her luggage and grabbed the envelope greedily. She carefully ripped the edge, and pulled out a thick cardstock letter with gold engraving on the outside.
“Congratulations, you have been accepted into our school...” Taylor couldn’t believe it. She’d been accepted into a top school right here in Colorado. She’d always wanted to be a forensic pathologist. It was a strange career, yet, for Taylor, oddly fascinating. The thought of dissecting dead bodies to find the answer to their death was mystifying. She wanted to be the voice of the dead, helping unveil the murderers who stole their innocent lives. The school she’d applied to would be perfect for making her dream come true. Just then, a plan popped into her head. She ran towards her in-laws’ room.
She gasped at the beautiful room in front of her. The high arched ceilings held intricate designs that patterned the sunk-in ceiling. Underneath lay a four-poster king bed with warm velvet red sheets and massive pillows. Off to the side were matching muted red curtains that swayed with the wind coming from outside. She spotted an office off to the right with see through French doors. There sat Mr. and Mrs. Knight. Mr. Knight was typing away on the computer while Mrs. Knight was marking some papers with a pen. Taylor walked into the study slowly.
“Um, may I speak with you for a second?” Taylor asked, trying to sound as polite and formal as possible.
“Of course, hun, no need for formalities, just come and take a seat,” Mrs. Knight ushered her over to a lounge chair sitting in the corner. She took the seat quietly.
“Now, what would you like to tell us?” Mr. Knight asked her.
“Well, since I’m a senior now, I would like to finish my studies at Leo’s high school, and would like to pursue my college dream at a college in Colorado. It’s only an hour drive from here, and it’s an amazing school that I’ve been dreaming of-“
“Of course Taylor! By all means! We wouldn’t want to be holding you down from finishing your school years and pursuing you’re dream career. But just to be on the safe side, I will be sending Leo with you to the college. Now, I assume you’ll be needing supplies, so take these keys and my credit card, and go buy whatever you need. The town is not far from here, just keep driving straight,” Mrs. Knight replied.
Taylor quickly thanked them and ran off towards her room. Grabbing a jacket and her purse, she headed towards the garage. Inside the garage was like being in a car showroom. 5 cars lined the garage. She gawked at them all; a red Ferrari, a silver/grey Lamborghini, a sleek black Mercedes, a large blue hummer, and a small yellow corvette. Taylor clicked the unlock button on the keys, anticipating which gorgeous car she would get to drive. The Lamborghini lit up the room with its flashing headlights. Taylor took a moment to inspect the car. The design was sleek and sporty. It was a mixture of silver on the hood and sides of the cars, with some grey tinted into them at the corners. The tires were silver, with a custom logo in the center, “LK” that was grey in contrast. Taylor squeeled, “Oh my god! This SO beats my beat up dodge!” She ran to the car, jumping into the seats and backing out the driveway.
Her bubbly excitement decreased as she began driving down the narrow road, the trees looming overhead. How strange was her life. She never imagined driving a car like a Cadillac, much less a Lamborghini, but here she was, driving around like nobody’s business. But it felt wrong. ‘I was a simple girl, always having simple things in my simple life, but now, it was strange, dangerous, exciting, even a little bit annoying, but hey, that was life.’ Taylor told herself mentally, as she drove towards the approaching town. The town was quite small compared to the suburbs she lived in. She drove up the street when she finally found a convenience store. Locking the car, she headed inside the store.
Stepping into the store, she was hit with the wave of smell: woodsy with a bit of perfume. The bell rung overhead as she opened the door wider, signaling that someone was there. The young cashier didn’t even look up at her; he was too busy looking at the magazine in front of him. She grabbed a basket and began putting necessary supplies in. That’s when she saw the beautiful necklace. It was a small heart, turned lopsided to the left, with small ballet shoes inside of it that sparkled with pink gems. She knew just who to buy this for.
Taylor headed over to the cashier, putting her items up on the counter. The young boy finally looked up, when his eyes went wide. He immediately began to check out the items, not hesitating to do the same to Taylor. She shrugged it off. He was just a boy. He looked around 16, with light brown hair and blue eyes. His face was quite cute. He probably was one of the popular guys at school. He continued to eye her up and down, when suddenly, he stopped looking at her, and instead looked at something behind her. Before she could turn to look, an arm snaked up her waist, pulling her closer to the figure behind her. Their warm breath tickled her neck, making her shiver. She instantly knew who he was...
“Leo, let go of me, now!” Taylor said through clenched teeth. He snickered, the vibration of his laugh transferring into her body as she lay against him. Her knuckles turned white as she tightened them at her sides. Leo ignored the hateful glare she was giving him. He seemed to be focused on the young boy at the counter. The boy looked frightened. Taylor gave him a reassuring smile, one that she hoped Leo would notice. He did. She gave him the credit card as he scanned it with shaky fingers. Taylor felt bad for the boy. His blue eyes looked soft compared to the steely gold eyes that Leo’s were. ‘Wait, gold eyes? Oh, right, I guess all those werewolf/vampire stories about their eyes changing color with their emotions made sense now,’ Taylor thought silently. She grabbed her things and trudged out towards the car, giving one last smile to the poor cashier. He seemed to relax a bit. Taylor beamed inwardly. This was why she was always nice, the rewards felt like being wrapped in a warm blanket of happiness. Her happy mood quickly turned to bitter when Leo pulled on her arm, whipping her around to face him.
“What, the HELL was that for?” He said clenching his teeth, just like Taylor had before.
“Well, you know, I bought a few things, notebooks, pencils, tampons...shall I go on?” She snickered at him. Knowing that she was making his insides burn with rage seemed to amuse her.
“No, I meant the little show you put on back there with that stupid kid!” His voice steely; practically cutting through the air.
“Well if SOMEONE didn’t scare the living hell out of the guy, maybe I wouldn’t have given him the reassuring smile, unless you wanted him to die of fright just so you could be thrown in jail!” She screeched.
“Yeah right,” he spat, “I’m sure the batting eyelashes and flipping hair was also for reassurance,”
‘No fucking way! He seriously said that, to HER! Of all people!’ she thought baffled and angry. “Listen, hotshot, I would never flirt with a guy much less batt my eyelashes or flip my hair for one, especially when they looked two years younger!” She yelled at him, then huffed away from the shocked looking Leo.
Reaching the car, she put the stuff in the trunk and proceeded to get into the driver’s seat when a hand blocked her way. Leo’s other hand leaned on the car as well, trapping her against it.
“The least you could do is offer me a ride from saving you from the molesting child back there,” Leo’s soft voice sent chills up her spine.
“No, now go find your own car and leave me alone,” She huffed, backing away from his face as far as possible. He chuckled.
“Well, considering you’re taking my car, I’ve got no choice but to follow you’re commands. He pushed off the car, and sat into the driver’s seat. Taylor looked baffled before remembering. The “LK” on the car tires stood for Leo Knight! How could she not think that?!? She sighed, then walked over to the passenger seat before heading to the house.
The drive was awkward. Taylor turned the radio on, but nothing interested Leo, so he switched it back off. She stared off out the windows, looking at the beautiful mountain scenery. The tranquility of it all seemed so beautiful, so breathtaking, she could live here forever. The car finally reached the house. She jumped out and ran towards her room. Before she could get in, Leo was in front of her.
“How the, what the...” She said through large breaths. ‘It’s been a while since I’ve worked out! Mental note, go to the gym soon!’ Taylor reminded herself.
“Did you forget, werewolf?” He motioned up and down his body.
“I wish I had that...” she muttered.
“You will, once you turn 18.” He replied with a smirk.
“Ugh, whatever. Can you move, I’d like to get to my room, please?”
Leo leaned into her, making her step back. She kept stepping back until her back felt the wall behind her. She couldn’t move any more. Leo trapped her with both his arms on the wall, herself in the middle. His face came just inches from hers. She resisted the urge to kiss Leo’s soft, pink lips. Trying to keep her eyes locked with his, she whispered,
“W-what, d-do you want?”
“I want, you to get the bags out of my car. I’m not doing it.” Leo pulled back and crossed his arms over his chest, looking quite amused at the flushed face Taylor had on.
“Oh right, the bags, sorry,” she mumbled before running down the stairs to grab them.

*********
Taylor was in her room when she felt a knock at the door. She opened it to find Leo standing there, looking completely awkward. She raised an eyebrow. He sighed,
“Look, I wanna talk about our...kiss.”
Taylor tensed up.
“Look, I didn’t mean, I mean, I didn’t want, uh, I...”Taylor held up a hand, silencing Leo.
“Look, I get it, you didn’t do it on purpose. You never meant to, it’s fine. I’m over it, so you don’t need to worry about it. Go back with your girlfriend, it’s fine,” Taylor finished, turning back to the room when Leo turned her around.
“Well you’re right, I didn’t mean it. So just leave me alone and don’t act like we’re in love or anything. Go find your own damn guy to love, just remember it’s not me!” He stormed off. Taylor watched him, wide-eyed, before collapsing onto the ground, silent tears washing down her cheeks.

Chapter 10

Her legs felt stiff as she realized where she was. She’d fallen asleep at her door, sitting on her knees with her head leaning on the slim door frame. Her back ached with pain of her uncomfortable position. Suddenly, all the memories of last night rushed into her mind. Leo had rejected her, right to her face, in the harshest way possible.
Lifting herself up, she quickly washed up and grabbed the necklace. It was around 8:30 p.m. ‘Not too late yet,’ she thought. When she went into the family room, she saw a large doll house and a very pretty doll, Dani, sitting and playing with her Barbie’s. Taylor giggled.
“Hey Dani, look what I got for you!” She held up a small red velvet box to Dani. Her eyes opened wide with anticipation at what would be inside. Taylor opened it up, showing Dani the sparkling necklace.
“Do you like it? I saw it at the store and I thought of you. You’re my little sister and best friend, so I wanted to give you this present. Wanna wear it?” Dani nodded. Taylor brushed back Daniela’s hair and put the necklace on. It looked stunning. A noise came from the entrance of the room,
“Ehem, if you don’t mind, Danibear, I need you to go to bed now,” Leo interrupted, stepping into the room. Dani ran over to him and jumped in his arms.
“Teddy, teddy...” she murmured. Taylor heard her and grabbed the teddy bear,
“Don’t worry sweetie, I got the bear, you just go to sleep.” She followed Leo up the stairs into Dani’s bedroom.
The room was stunning. It was something a princess would have. The light pink carpet contrasted with the deep lilac walls. Her princess bed matched the theme, with curly intricate designs on the bedframe and headboard. Her small princess vanity stood in the corner and her toys were neatly piled on one side of the room. She even had a canopy that hung from the ceiling, toppling onto the bed. This bedroom screamed ‘Dani’ inside and out.
Leo gently laid Daniela onto the bed. Taylor tucked in the teddy bear in Daniela’s arms. She looked peaceful, like a cloud, beautiful and light at the touch, but powerful enough to make it storm. Taylor yawned. She was really tired. She got up off Dani’s bed and walked out of the room.

Chapter 11 (Leo’s POV)

He watched Taylor walk off to towards his room. He sighed. He’d screwed up, big time. Yelling in Taylor’s face wasn’t part of his plan. He wanted to tell her the truth that they were mates, but sadly, he couldn’t get it out. When she said she didn’t care either, it brought anger in him. He knew she was just saying it to not look like a loser falling in love with someone that didn’t love them back, but it still hurt. He wanted to mate with her, to claim her. Leo’s eyes began turning gold, as his wolf began taking control of his body. His eyes were pure with lust, lust for Taylor.
He sighed, controlling his wolf before he did something stupid like kiss Taylor again. He had to remember his pact he made before. ‘Come on Leo, you promised yourself not to get involved with another girl! Don’t break it now!’ He walked off towards his room. When he arrived, he quickly went into the bathroom and took a nice, relaxing shower. He dressed and brushed his teeth. By now, the clock glared 9:45 p.m. He’d have to sleep soon, school started tomorrow, for him and Taylor both. ‘Oh god, how am I supposed to explain every girl that’s gonna throw themselves at me tomorrow, that I’m freaking engaged!’ Just the thoughts of all those angry girls made him shudder. ‘What would they do to poor Taylor when they found out? Dammit Leo, who cares! Why are you thinking about her so much?!’ Truth was, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. She was like a drug, the closer she got to him, the more desire built up inside of Leo, urging him to have a little taste of her. To kiss those beautiful luscious lips. To feel her sexy, curvy body against his. To feel her warm touch on him.
He snapped out of his thoughts, and lay down next to her on the bed. He watched her sleep, her chest falling up and down with every breath taken. He turned off the lamp and snuggled into the covers, wrapping an arm around Taylor’s waist, before falling asleep.

Chapter 12 (Taylor’s POV)

The sound of beeping woke her up from her peaceful slumber. Sighing, she turned off the alarm clock on the night stand. Today was her first day at North Valley High. She’d be going to the same school with Leo. As if seeing him at school would be bad enough, she’d still have to come home and see his face. Speaking of Leo, he still had his heavy, muscular arm around her waist. She tried to pull away gently without waking him, but he just pulled her in tighter. She gasped as she hit his rock-hard chest. Looking up at his face, she saw a small smile play on his sleeping face. Taylor smiled, but snapped herself out of it. Gathering all the strength she could muster, she lifted his arm off her waist and rolled from underneath him. She landed on the ground with a thud.
‘Ugh, why me?’ She threw up her hands in surrender. Stiffly getting up from the ground, she trudged over to her suitcases. She grabbed a pair of ripped skinny jeans and a blue tank top. She paired it off with a black leather jacket and some high top converse.
The warmth of the shower felt good against her icy skin. She was nervous to attend a new school. She hated the whole ‘new kid’ feeling. But it was only for a few months, then she’ll have graduated and be off to college, where everyone was new and she wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb. Wrapping a towel around her, she got out of the shower and pulled her clothes on. She grabbed the straightener and did some final touches on her already straight hair. Applying some eyeliner and mascara, she was finished.
Taylor walked out of the room to find Leo still asleep on the bed. She sighed, knowing she had to wake him up. Shaking Leo furiously, she tried, with no avail, to wake him up. He didn’t more an inch.
Taylor grew impatient. Just then, an evil grin fell upon her face at the devious idea she had in mind to wake him up. She grabbed a bucket from the bathroom and filled it with icy water. Finding some yarn, she tied the yarn to the bucket’s handle and put it just above Leo’s head. She tied the other end of the yarn to Leo’s arm.
‘Pefect! When he stirs even just a little in his sleep, the bucket will fall the icy water right on top of him! That’ll wake him up’ She smiled triumphantly before sneaking downstairs. Grabbing an apple, she sat at the table patiently for the fireworks that would soon come.

(Leo’s POV)

Leo’s eyes shot open as icy water coated his face and body. He shivered, but soon grew angry. Looking at his arm, he saw that it was tied to a bucket, which he assumed, held the icy water. Leo cursed before heading to the bathroom to clean himself up. After showering, brushing his teeth, and changing into a new set of clothes, he walked down the stairs. He spotted Taylor sitting at the table, eating an apple, completely unaware of him behind her. Leo’s expression changed. He was pissed at her, and he would get back at her.
“You ready?” He asked Taylor, acting as if nothing happened. She looked confused and shocked, but quickly recovered.
“Yeah, let’s go.” They walked out towards the garage. Leo felt like taking his less flashy car, the blue hummer. Taylor was drooling over the Ferrari and looked quite disappointed when Leo got in the hummer. She huffed, crossing her arms, and got in the passenger. Soon, the school came into view. He parked quickly and got out, leaving Taylor behind. He had to plan some way to get back at her, and he couldn’t do it if she was at his side all day. Walking over to his friends, his mind swarmed with ideas for revenge.
“Hey Leo! Over here!” Ryan shouted from stairs of the building where his group of jocks and cheerleaders met up.
“Hey guys. What’s up?” Leo asked upon arriving. Ryan and one of his other friends, Josh, began talking about the football game they were having this weekend. Their voices faded as Leo watched Taylor at the edge of the parking lot. She looked so beautiful yet so vulnerable walking through the crowd of students. She looked like a lost puppy. He desperately wanted to help her, but he knew he couldn’t. Not with his friends around.
Ryan looked over at him apologetically. He could sense the wave of guilt and sadness radiating off of Leo. That was Ryan’s power. He could sense people’s feelings. He also had telekinesis. His power was incredible! Who wouldn’t want the ability to move things with their mind? Just like Leo had the power to read and control people’s minds, Ryan had his gifts. Leo glanced over to Ryan, giving him what seemed like a reassuring smile. Ryan still looked skeptical, but then smiled back before turning back to the rest of the group. Leo sighed, and went up the steps, into the school as the rest of his group followed him.

(Taylor’s POV)

She grumbled silently as she watched Leo walk away from her. The jackass left her in the parking lot.
‘Whatever, I can find the office myself,’ she grumbled once more before heading through the crowds of students. People pushed through and bumped into her, barely saying sorry. Her light structure didn’t help, as she kept getting thrown right and left. Taylor scurried quickly towards the steps where Leo once stood with his friends. She found the office. Inside, a small, frail woman sat typing on the keyboard. She looked up, spotting Taylor.
“Hi sweetie, what can I do for you?” She said in her honey light voice. The woman was quite beautiful. Her grey blazer over her white button up shirt and gray skirt made her look sophisticated yet sweet at the same time. Taylor noticed the picture frame of her and two German Shepherds on her desk. ‘A dog person huh? She’s gonna love me then,’ She admitted sourly, remembering her werewolf status.
“Yeah, I’m new here, and I just needed to pick up my schedule,” Taylor stated.
The secretary smiled and handed her some papers with her schedule, locker number and combination, and an assignment notebook.
“Here you are hon. Now if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask! I’m Mrs. Kennedy by the way. Now you better get going, I’ll just write you a pass. Good luck sweetie!” She scribbled a quick pass. Taylor grabbed the pass and headed to her first class. Before she could, she ran into someone’s hard back.
“I’m so sorry!” Taylor said looking flustered. The guy turned and faced her. He had soft brown hair that swept over his forehead. His brown eyes matched his hair making him look like a cute, friendly puppy. He towered over her, at around 6’4’. Huge, compared to her small 5’6’ frame. He was the same height as Leo. The strange guy stared back at Taylor before answering.
“It’s okay, have I seen you around here before?”
“No, I’m new. I’m just trying to get to my class,”
“Here, let me see you’re schedule. I might know where it is,” He grabbed the paper out of her hand, and let out a small gasp. She eyed him curiously.
“You’re...you’re, m-my s-sister!?” He blurted, looking bewildered.
“What?!” Taylor’s face turned into a mixture of shock and confusion.
“You’re Taylor Daniels?!?” I’m Matt Daniels. Look, I can’t explain everything now, but we have a pack meeting with Leo after school. I’ll explain everything then. Just go to class.” He gave her a huge hug before running off somewhere. She walked away, still dazed at what she heard. Finally, she found her first class, AP Chemistry. She loved chemistry! Even if it was an advanced class, she was still amazing at her favorite subject. She took a deep breath before walking in.

(Leo’s POV)

Leo was trying to pay attention to the teacher in Chem class. Ryan kept poking his back. It was starting to annoy the crap out of him. He turned around to face him. “Would you stop that Ryan?!” He half growled, half scolded Ryan. He looked sheepishly back at Leo before turning his eyes on something behind him. Confused, Leo turned back around to find himself looking at Taylor standing at the doorway. Nervous couldn’t even describe how she looked, more like she was ready to bail out of there before the teacher would notice. Mr. Montgomery finally turned to her.
“Hello, you must be the new student. Please tell the class your name?”
“Taylor Daniels,” she mumbled. Mr. Montgomery ushered Taylor towards the empty seat in the back. Leo watched all the stares she got from the guys. They were practically drooling over her. He suppressed a growl that was forming in the back of his throat. ‘MINE!’ screamed his wolf. She quietly slid into her seat, unaware of all the male attention she’d gathered. She slid out a notebook and began to take notes. She caught Leo staring at her and he jerked away, facing back to the front.

Chapter 13 (Taylor’s POV)

Taylor walked quickly to her last class. So far, she had every single class with Leo and it was driving her insane. When he wasn’t glaring at the guys in the class, he was glancing at her throughout the class period. She arrived at her AP Calculus class, and-what a surprise!-Leo was there. Turning away from his stare, she quickly shuffled in, taking a seat far away from Leo. She ended up next to Ryan. He was nice to her the whole period, occasionally cracking jokes at Leo.
“Ok, you’re officially my new best friend!” Taylor stated while trying to hold back a laugh. Ryan grinned.
“Yes! I always wanted a hot best friend! Just look at Leo! He’s jealous!” Ryan ushered towards the now fuming Leo. Taylor waved before cracking up again. It had been a while since she laughed so heartedly. Ryan was practically like a brother to her. She smiled, but her thoughts went back to the strange boy she met earlier. He claimed to be here brother, but why was something in her gut telling her to believe him? Normally, she would’ve thought he had some screws loose, but for some reason, a part of her was telling her to believe the guy. I mean, they resembled quite closely to each other. Both with their brown hair, chocolate eyes, and other similar features, they looked related.
When the last bell rang, Taylor scurried off towards her locker, but Leo was already standing outside the door, waiting for her.
“We have a pack meeting right after, so go wait by my car. Don’t go anywhere,” Leo whispered, only allowing Taylor to hear. She nodded silently, before going to her locker. Dropping some of the books inside, she gathered her bag and proceeded towards Leo’s hummer. She waited outside, leaning against the hummer, impatiently. She stared at the throngs of people descending from the school
“Good, you waited. Let’s go.” Leo’s hard voice shook her out of her staring. She nodded before getting into the car with him. The engine roared to life as they made their way out of the school parking lot. The car was silent, as usual, so Taylor spoke up the eager questions that were forming in her head.
“So, what are we doing at this pack meeting?” She questioned, staring out her window at the landscape flashing by.
“You’ll be meeting the pack, including you’re father,”
Taylor whipped her head around, facing Leo.
“W-what!?” She stammered growing angry at each passing moment they were getting close to the house.
“Look, he’s our old alpha, before I became Alpha, and he wants to meet you. He’s your father Taylor, and he loves you. He’ll tell you why he left. Your mother’s already there,” Leo stated smoothly. This only angered her more. How could he be so calm? She was finally meeting the person who helped create her, the person who left her mother to fend for herself with a baby? She crossed her arms. Her mom was breathing the same air as her father, and she couldn’t bear it. She needed to protect her mother, like she always did. Letting out a sigh, she faced the window again. Soon, the familiar views of the mansion came. She got out slowly, hesitating to see her father. Leo grabbed her hand-shooting tingles up her arm-and pulled her inside. There, in the main foyer stood a few people who looked around her age. A girl looking around 21 or so smiled at Taylor and grabbed her into a hug.
“Oh my gosh, it’s so great to finally meet you!” She let go of her, as one of the other guys wrapped their arm around the girl’s waist. They both looked at each other lovingly before looking back at her.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t seem to recognize you...?” Taylor started.
“Oh, im so sorry, we forgot to introduce ourselves. I’m Andrea, and this is my mate and husband Greg. We’re part of the pack,” She smiled brightly, her hazel eyes twinkling. She was quite beautiful, with long dirty blonde hair and a model-like face. Taylor smiled back.
“Nice to meet you,” She shook Andrea’s hand.
“Andrea, can you excuse us, we need to go,” Leo stated, pulling Taylor with him, up the stairs. Andrea nodded, giving one last smile before Taylor was pulled upstairs. Walking down the hallway, they reached an unfamiliar door. Leo opened it and pulled her in. Inside, was Leo’s parents, along with Taylor’s mom, sitting on a chair looking lost at the ground. She looked up and spotted Taylor.
“Mom?” She whispered before running up to her and giving her a large hug.
“Oh sweetie, I missed you so much! How are you? Are you feeling well?” Her motherly instinct took over as she examined Taylor.
“No mom I’m fine. How are you?” Taylor looked up at her mom, wiping tears from her mother’s sad eyes.
“I’m fine. I just missed you so-“Her mother stopped talking, staring behind her. Taylor turned around, facing a man with shiny black hair and deep brown eyes. His face was handsome for a forty-something year old man, but he looked rather built in his black suit, but Taylor could tell it was natural muscles on his chest that poked out on the uncovered part of his, slightly unbuttoned shirt. He smiled lovingly at her before turning his gaze towards her mother, love and passion filled in his eyes. He walked towards them, but Taylor backed away.
Her father stopped slightly, hurt filling his eyes at her action.
“Taylor, please, don’t back away, I love you and I promise I won’t leave you again,” he pleaded, desperation and tears filling his eyes. Taylor stood there, firm.
“No. You left me and mom to fend for ourselves. I could never forgive a man like that!” She shouted, her voice wavering as tears threatened to spill over. She held them back.
“I’m so sorry, baby girl, but I had to leave. I had a pack that I was responsible for, and the others would’ve hurt you if I didn’t leave. They would track me until they found you, and would kill you after they got your powers,” He said, genuinely. Taylor stepped forward cautiously.
“What do you mean them? And what powers?” She asked.
“Come and sit down, it’s quite a long story,” He motioned for her to sit on the couch. She hesitated, then slowly pulled her mother with her and sat on the couch.
“Look sweetheart, he’s right. They would have taken you away and killed you if your father hadn’t left. Please understand sweetie?” Her mother begged her with her eyes.
“But who are ‘they’ and what do they want with my so called ‘powers’?” She questioned again.
“Well, most supernatural creatures are good, however, there are some creatures that would love to harness your power of controlling the four elements: earth, wind, fire, and water. With this gift, you can control almost any aspect of the world. Your kind is very rare, and people are willing to hunt you down till they find you. If I left, it would throw them off your scent, making you safe. That is why I left. If I had the choice to stay, I would have in a heartbeat, but I’d rather stay away from you all my life than risk not having you at all,” Her father looked down sadly.
“Oh, I’m sorry Daddy. I didn’t know...” Taylor got up and began to cry. She couldn’t allow herself to look like this, not in front of Leo, his parents, and her own. She ran out of the room and into Leo’s. She heard footsteps behind her, but she ignored them.
Sliding to the ground against the wall, she buried her arms in her hands.
“How could I have been so stupid!? He was only trying to protect me! I just hurt my family and my mother! Every time I brought up my father, I cursed him out, right in front of my mother, who knew all this time who he was, who I was, and let me! I must’ve hurt my mother incredibly! I deserve to die! I’m probably the worst kid any parents would want!” She spoke, anger and shame dripping from every word.
“Hey, shhh, it’s okay, it’s okay,” Leo’s soothing words calmed her immediately, as he held her in his arms. His hand rubbed her back up and down, soothing the shaky sobs that came from her mouth. She looked up at him, her bleary eyes barely outlining his figure. He raised his hand, gently wiping the tears, leaving a sliver of tingles in their place.
“Why do you have this effect on me?” She whispered. Leo froze, but smiled.
“You’ll know everything soon, just come back with me, okay?” He kissed the top of her head and gently pulled her up to her feet. She let him drag her to the room again. She walked in, her eyes on the ground, looking too ashamed to face anyone. Her mother grabbed her hand, stroking it softly.
“I’m s-sorry, for running out like that,” She said quietly.
“It’s alright sweetheart. I know this is a lot to take in, I completely understand.” Her dad smiled back at her. He got up and grabbed her, swooping her into a large hug. She hugged him back just as lovingly. She ached for a father all her life, and now here he was. She smiled at him when he let go. His soft, calloused hands cupped her face, as he bent down and kissed her forehead.
“Taylor, honey, would you like to ask us anything? We don’t want to bombard you with information, so whatever you’re wondering, don’t hesitate to ask,” her father asked her.
“Well, I was kinda wondering, when do I become a real werewolf exactly? I feel normal so...”
“When you turn eighteen, which is in two weeks. Once you become eighteen, you will experience a change, and you will become your wolf form. You and your family will have a ritual, welcoming you into the pack. The alpha will grant you into the pack, but considering he’s your mate, I doubt you’ll need actual granting,” Her dad chuckled.
“Oh okay. Hey, um, dad, what’s a mate?” She asked, slightly confused at what Leo had to do with it.
“Sweetie, your mate is sort of like your soul mate. When werewolves are born, they have an equal person that they are attached to, that they will love. Once they mate and um, claim, their mate, they will feel all the other’s pain, love, hurt, feelings, emotions, etc. Leo is your mate. You both are bonded for life. That is why when you touch, you feel sparks, almost like electricity, because your bodies feel connected, they feel a reaction, when touching their equal counterpart,” Her dad stated. Taylor gulped, before looking at Leo. He looked back at her with love in his eyes, but the expressionless face he wore made him look like he was trying to fight his feelings for her. She could understand, nobody ever loved her, let alone liked her, even if special werewolf magic was being used. She sighed, before turning back to her dad. Before she could ask anything else, the strange boy from before stepped into the room.
“Taylor, this is your older brother Matt. He came with me because I didn’t want your mother handling two children on her own. Matt, this is your younger sister Taylor,”
“We’ve met,” Taylor said. Matt ran up to her and grabbed her into a bear hug. She hugged him back, but let go after she heard a growl come from Leo. Matt chuckled,
“Sorry Leo, I’m just hugging my sister,” he backed away with his arms up. Taylor laughed.
“Hey, if you’re older than me, what were you doing at school?”
“I was gathering everyone for a pack meeting, I go to college now. I’m 21 by the way,” he stated.
“Oh, cool! I’ve never had a big brother before,” Taylor smiled.
“Taylor honey, go get some rest, you have homework to finish and your father and I need to discuss some things,” Taylor looked back at her mother. Giving her a nod, she exited the room, with Leo and Matt in tow. Someone came running up behind her, snaked their arms around her waist and lifted her up. She screamed, but then laughed, when Matt carried her to her room. Leo growled at Matt.
“Leo, lighten up, he’s my brother!” Taylor half scolded, half giggled at Leo. He just grunted, crossing his arms over his chest.
They arrived in Leo’s room. Matt set her down, then waved before heading downstairs. Leo stepped in the room behind her.
“Um, Leo, I was wondering, how do we ‘mate and claim’? I mean, I know we’re mates and all, but I’ve never read any of those vampire/werewolf books, so...” She asked.
“Well, uh, we, uh, for mating, uh, we bite the neck, which allows us to transfuse our blood within one another. And we claim each other by, uh, um, by, uh, having...sex,” Leo said awkwardly. Taylor’s mouth dropped open. Leo looked up at her, then blushed.
Taylor couldn’t hesitate the opportunity to embarrass him.
“Leo, are you blushing? Awww, you’re blushing! How cute!” She touched his cheek, ignoring the sparks, and continued to talk to him with a baby voice. He grabbed her, and pinned her down to the bed, with him on top. He whispered into her ear, causing her cheeks to flame red,
“Who’s the one blushing now,” His lips brushed her cheek when he looked back up at her. She smiled, turning away. When she looked back up, Leo’s eyes were gold. ‘What the...?’

(Leo’s POV)

Leo looked at her, with pure love and lust in his eyes. Her shy behavior only made him want her more. The position they were on in the bed wasn’t helping much either. He began trailing kisses down her neck. She gasped, making him smile against her neck. He grazed his teeth over to her flesh, he wanted to bite her, to claim her as his mate, but he couldn’t. It would frighten her. He sighed, pulling away. Looking into her eyes, he saw disappointment.
“Leo, please, stop. I, I can’t take it anymore. Don’t lead me on if you have no intention of catching me,” she whispered. His heart dropped, he wasn’t trying to lead her on, he truly loved her, but his ongoing battle with himself prevented him from truly loving her. His mind wanted one thing and his body the other. He sighed, getting up. Walking over to the door, he turned back around. Taylor was hugging herself quietly on the edge of the bed. Before he could stop himself, he was grabbing Taylor, kissing her warm lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist. Pushing her against him, he tried to remove any unwanted space. Taylor’s arms slid up his chest, wrapping them around his neck. He let go of her lips and began kissing her jawline down to her neck. He kissed her collarbone lightly before coming back up to her lips. Taylor stumbled back, and they went falling onto the bed.
Leo turned himself over while in the air, causing Taylor to land on him. He looked at her deep chocolate brown eyes.
“I love you Taylor Daniels,” he whispered, burying his head into her hair. She giggled, before replying,
“I love you too Leo Knight, no matter how much of a doofus you are!” She giggled again.
“But I’m an extremely hot doofus!” Leo whined.
“True, but you’re still a doofus!” She whispered into his ear, sending shivers down his spine. Before he could kiss her neck, she sprang up out of his grasp and ran off.
“Taylor, I’m gonna get you!” He laughed, chasing her. She wasn’t that far away, so he used his werewolf speed and caught her, lifting her in the air and pulling her back to his room. They both laughed, out of breath, on the bed. Taylor turned to her side, wrapping her arm around him.
“You know, I tried so hard to not fall for you, but you’re stupid charm got me anyway!” She grumbled, burying herself in his chest. He wrapped a protective arm around her waist.
“You’re beautiful face didn’t help much either,” He agreed, kissing the top of her head lightly.
“That’s a lie, I’m not nearly as beautiful as the girls who drool over you!” She scoffed.
“Are you kidding! They’re ugly compared to you! You don’t even need makeup to look gorgeous, while they need makeup just to look half decent.” He tilted her chin up, kissing her lips softly.
“You’re perfect the way you are, please don’t ever change,” he added, kissing her neck again.
“Only if you don’t either,” she grinned. He laughed, and kissed her again.
“Alright loverboy, I’ve got homework to finish and so do you. Let’s get started,” she got up, grabbing her backpack off the floor. I sighed, staring at her from behind.

Chapter 14 (Taylor’s POV)

Taylor felt his eyes looking at her from behind. She turned around, facing him,
“Get off you’re perverted lazy ass, and get some homework done!” She scolded, placing a hand on her hip. Leo followed her gaze and smirked. ‘Dammit, don’t draw attention to your hips Taylor!’ He smirked again.
“Oh by the way, did I tell you my special power was being able to read and control people’s minds?” Taylor looked shocked. ‘So that’s how he always knew my thoughts!’
“Yep that’s why. I tried not to listen to you, but your thoughts are so loud in my head, it’s hard not to ignore them!” He laughed. She shook her head, and went over to the study. She pulled out her homework. Leo sat beside her in the study. As she did her homework, he stared at her. She glanced up, and saw him smiling. Leaning in, she kissed him passionately, their tongues playing in each other’s mouths. Leo pulled her onto his lap as they continued to make out. Finally, Taylor pulled away.
“Now that you got your kiss, can you start some homework please? I’ll give you more if you do your homework” Leo hurriedly grabbed his books out of his bag and started his homework. She smiled, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before returning back to her work.

Chapter 15
A pair of keys jiggled right in front of Taylor as she was eating breakfast. Looking up, Taylor finally noticed the holder of the keys.
“Zane? What are you doing here?” She questioned, eyebrows raised.
“I forgot to mention, I’m Leo’s older brother,” He smiled sheepishly back at her. She remembered the first time she’d met him, back when she caught Leo with the blonde chick in the pool house. How did she not notice their similar features before? Zane’s strong jaw and hitched eyebrows matched Leo’s. Zane seemed to take after his mother, with soft blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Leo got his brown hair and blue-green eyes from his father. But didn’t Zane say he was a family friend? ‘Guess he’s more family than friend’ Taylor thought while rolling her eyes.
“Wait...why are you giving me these keys?” She asked Zane.
“Because, unless you want to leech off my baby brother, I suggest you take a look at the car first,” He smirked, his baby blue eyes gleaming with mischief.
Hesitantly, Taylor took the keys, and walked outside. In the driveway, stood a shiny, white Audi with purple streaks lining the sides. Its rims were shiny silver. Taylor looked at her keys, then back at the car before unlocking it. The inside was breathtaking. The seats were black with purple trim all around the inside. The smell of cherry blossom hung in the air, which Taylor figured out, came from the small scent tree hung on the rearview mirror. But that wasn’t the only thing that hung on the mirror. A small net with a soccer ball inside it hung on the mirror as well. ‘Gorgeous,’ Taylor sighed, ‘completely, and utterly, gorgeous,’
Smiling like a million watts, Taylor jumped up and hugged Zane. A growl came from behind them. Rolling his eyes, Zane set her back down onto the ground. Leo was glaring at them. Taylor ran up to him and jumped onto him, all traces of jealousy gone, only to be replaced by confusion and enjoyment. Taylor laughed before placing a kiss on his cheek. He smiled up at her before looking back at Zane. Taylor nudged him playfully.
“You might wanna stop doing that, jealous boy,” she teased.
“I’m not jealous! I just uh-“Leo stammered. His flustered face caused Taylor to giggle again. He shot her an annoyed look. She bit her tongue, trying to control her laughter.
“Well, I’ll leave you two girls alone,” Zane smirked, before heading to his steel silver Range Rover next to Taylor’s car. After watching his car drive away, she ran into her car, shouting a quick goodbye to Leo.

*********

Pulling up in the school parking lot, Taylor scanned the crowd. Leo was standing with the jocks and cheerleaders, like always. She parked the car and crossed over the parking lot, heading straight for the doors. Before she could go inside, a warm hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her close.
“Hey babe, we have to start training after school, so make sure you’re home by 3,” his husky voice said; Taylor instantly identified it as Leo’s.
“Okay, bye!” She tried prying his arm off, but he just turned her and kissed her lips quickly, before letting her go. She smiled back at him, then walked up to her locker to grab her things.

**********

“Hey Tay!” A voice called from behind her. She had just finished grabbing her things from her locker. The school day went by quickly and she was hoping to try out for soccer after class. Looking up, she spotted the mischievous, warm eyes of her older brother. Matt was looking as gorgeous since the first day she met him. Taylor couldn’t help but chuckle at the wide eyes of the majority of teenage girl population ogling at Matt as he walked towards Taylor. Matt, on the other hand, seemed completely oblivious to their stares.
“Hey, I thought I’d come pick my baby sister up from school!?” Matt chuckled. The small group of sophomore girls across from Taylor’s locker stopped glaring when they heard ‘sister’. Taylor giggled before turning back to Matt.
“Sorry Matt, I’m trying out for soccer. You can stay and watch if you like?”
“Aw, Tay of course I will! I can’t wait to see my sister kick some ass on the field!” Taylor punched him playfully.
“You know I will! Soccer players kick grASS!” Taylor laughed at her own pathetic joke, which was soon followed by Matt’s hearty laughter as well. This seemed to catch the attention of the onlookers in the hallway, adding to the girls who continued to eye up Matt like a piece of meat. Some of the onlookers, a group of junior guys, seemed to check out Taylor. Almost simultaneously, she heard two low growls, one from Matt, and another from behind. She understood why matt would growl, being the overprotective brother he was, but who had growled from behind? Turning, Taylor caught sight of Leo. Staring into his eyes, she seemed to forget about the scene around her. It was just her and Leo, Leo and her. Walking up to them, he snaked a possessive arm around Taylor’s waist, glaring daggers at the poor human boys that were eyeing Taylor before.
‘Leo, stop, they’re just guys,’ Taylor said through mindlink. Ever since she discovered that Mates could share thoughts and communicate with one another through their minds, she used it to her advantage. But the downside was Leo kept prodding into her mind like a surgeon to a patient. Some things were meant to be private, but until she could figure out how to block her mind, she was stuck with Leo reading her like an open book.
‘Hell yeah, so don’t even think about hiding things from me.’ Leo smirked at her playfully while sending that message into her head.
‘Ugh, boys’ replied Taylor while glaring in Leo’s direction, only to increase his smirk to a full on grin. Sighing in defeat, she quickly grabbed her bag and headed towards the locker rooms.
“Hey where you going?” Leo called from behind. “I’m trying out for the soccer team,” Taylor replied.
“Oh, well I have football practice. I’ll pick you up after tryouts. Can’t wait to see my girl on the fields,” He replied, going off towards the boys locker room. Taylor entered the locker room and quickly changed into a pair of black shorts and a grey tank top. She pulled on a pair of shin guards, long socks, and some purple and grey cleats. Picking up her practice bag, she shoved water, her clothes, her shoes, and her cell phone in. Jogging off towards the field, she saw a couple of familiar faces. Natasha, a girl she recognized from English class, smiled warmly at Taylor. Taylor smiled back, jogging up to her.
“I didn’t know you were into soccer?” Natasha smiled. “I was until my sophomore year in high school. I stopped after that so I could focus on school, but since it’s senior year, I thought, why not?”
“Yay! I can have a new buddy on the team!” Natasha beamed, locking an arm around Taylor.
“Alright girls, run around the track 4 times, then come back here for some drill exercises, got it!?” Coach Morrison directed the girls towards the track.
“Ready girl?” “You bet” And with that, Natasha and Taylor both ran off like cheetahs, or rather, wolves. They quickly finished the four laps without breaking a sweat. Being werewolves was an advantage. Taylor could smell the werewolf on Natasha.
‘She must be from Leo’s pack’ Taylor thought.
“Hey, Natasha, you’re from Leo’s pack right?”
“Yup! I can’t believe you’re the new luna. You’re gonna be great!” she exclaimed and pulled Taylor into a hug. She liked the bubbly energy that Natasha had. She was sweet and fun. But something in her eyes said she was hiding something painful. Natasha looked at something behind Taylor. Taylor turned around to see Leo and another guy from the football team, Josh. Leo saw her staring, and waved at the two of them. Josh smiled friendly at Taylor but glanced quickly at Natasha before turning his gaze back to Leo. Taylor could feel something off about him. She turned around to find Natasha staring at Josh with-longing-in her eyes? That’s when it clicked. Natasha was Josh’s mate. But why did Josh barely look at her?
“Natasha, is Josh your mate?” spoke Taylor softly. Natasha looked at Taylor briefly before looking down.
“Y-yes, h-he’s my mate, b-but, h-he r-r-rejected me,” she whispered the last part. Taylor looked fumed. Leo had explained to her everything about wolves the day before. She knew everything, including the painfulness of rejection if your mate rejected you. She couldn’t imagine her life without Leo, as weird as it sounded; she needed him just as much as he needed her. Natasha brushed a few tears aside.
“Why doesn’t he want you Nat?” Taylor asked, patting her shoulder comfortably.
“I’m, I’m not that p-popular or b-b-beautiful. He’d r-rather just s-screw a-around with some w-whore t-than be with his mate,” she whispered. Taylor was beyond aggravated. This jerk didn’t deserve some slutty bimbo, much less his caring, beautiful, and sweet mate.
“Nat, I have a plan,” Taylor grinned with a mischievous glint in her eyes. She was going to get Josh to beg on his knees for her after Taylor was through with him.
*********
After the long and exhausting tryouts, the gears in Taylor's head began to spin with ideas on how to get Josh back with Natasha. She grabbed Natasha’s hand and dragged her out of the locker rooms. Matt and Leo stood in the parking lot waiting for the girls.
“Hey guys, can we go to the mall? Me and Nat need some clothes for the party tonight,” Taylor begged.
Both guys looked at each other and groaned. The idea of spending hours in a huge building while the girls ran off to buy more things they had to carry was just too unbearable. Taylor, however, used her puppy dog eyes and Leo just couldn’t say no. Even Matt was trying hard to resist but his cute little sister was too hard to fight with when using the puppy face.
“Ugh, alright. But we’re not carrying your bags!” Matt warned, earning himself a slap on the back of his head. “Ow, come on Tay! That’s not fair!” Taylor grinned.
They pulled up to the mall, which was a 20 minute drive from the small town. Grabbing Natasha’s hand, she pulled her into dozens of stores. They tried on tons of dresses until they both found ones that looked perfect on them. Taylor got a beautiful purple one shoulder dress with silver sequined rhinestones that covered the length of the dress. The right shoulder strap was in a bow. Natasha’s dress was stunning. Her dress was strapless and black with gold/silver sparkly thick sections across it. The dress was a little too short for Natasha’s liking, but she agreed that it did look the best on her compared to the other dresses. They decided to pair Natasha’s dress up with some black and silver peep-toe pumps they bought from the store. Taylor bought some light purple heels to match with her dress. Finally deciding they were done with shopping, they met up with the boys at the food court.
“Hey girls, looks like you bought a lot!” Matt teased, looking at the shopping bags filled with clothing.
“Well, it’s mostly for Natasha. Let’s just say, revenge is sweet,” Taylor smiled, an evil glint in her eye.
“Uh-oh, what are you planning now Taylor?” Leo questioned as he pulled her into his lap.
“Nothing” she giggled. Leo just kissed her forehead, while she continued eating her Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.
She looked up to see Matt staring at something behind her. He seemed lost, a dazed yet love-filled look filled eyes. Leo and Natasha had noticed too, and turned to stare behind. They saw a beautiful girl with long blonde hair and beautiful baby blue eyes. She seemed shy and quiet, but nonetheless, beautiful. Wearing a pair of skinny jeans and a sweatshirt, she looked like a timid girl but Taylor could tell she was beautiful, inside and out. Apparently, Matt thought so as well, as his gaze was still locked on her.

Matt’s POV (new POV!)

He was staring at this gorgeous girl across from the shoe store. She looked different than her friends, who were all sporting shorts and blouses while she wore a simple pair of skinny jeans and a college hoodie. ‘She looks so simple, yet so...breathtakingly beautiful’ Matt thought, grinning.
‘Mate! Mate! My wolf screamed inside of me. She was my mate, and she was gorgeous. From what her hoodie said, I could tell she was a freshman in college. She was only a year younger than I was. She's mine, only mine.’
Matt was finally able to tear his gaze away from his mate. He turned to find an amused looking Leo and Natasha and a confused Taylor.
“What?” He questioned, hoping they didn’t notice the lovesick puppy face he made at her.
“Nothing man, oh and by the way, congrats on your mate!” Leo laughed followed by the two girls who giggled.
“Go talk to her Matt! She smells like werewolf, I think she might be from another pack. She looks nervous too. Other Were’s will consider her a rogue. You better help her or they’ll turn your mate in!” Taylor giggled as Matt’s face turned from lovesick to worried in the span of a few seconds. He wooshed past them and towards the girl.
“H-hi, I’m Matt and you’re my...mate,” he said awkwardly, while brushing the back of his head with his right hand, and tucking his left hand into the pocket of his jeans. Any other girl, and he would have charmed his way through, but his mate left him speechless. Her blue eyes met his brown ones, and she gasped and looked down.
“H-hi. I’m Ashley,” She blushed before looking back at her feet. Matt was just floored. Her beautiful voice rang out like a melody, causing him to feel an ultimate high that drugs couldn’t even do. Not that he would do any drugs, just listening to her voice was plenty enough for him to not resist the urge to kiss her.
“I’m Matt. Would you like to come with me to the pack house? My alpha is there, and I know he’ll accept you into my pack”
“Really? Because I just transferred to a college here, and I didn’t want to be considered a rogue and all...” Matt just couldn’t resist the urge, and put a hand on her cheek, stroking it softly.
“Don’t worry, you’re safe with me. We even go to the same college. I’m a sophomore there. And don’t worry about being a rogue, my alpha is kind, he will accept you immediately. I’m his son and beta to the pack,” Matt grabbed her hand and they headed off towards the others. Leo, Taylor, and Natasha waited impatiently for Matt to come.
“Ashley, this is my soon to be alpha Leo, his mate and my sister, Taylor, and her friend and one of my pack members, Natasha.” He introduced them all, and Ashley shook each of their hands.
“Nice to meet you guys,” she smiled at them. Her smile made Matt’s heart leap into summersaults.
“Come on guys, we better head back,” Matt began, but Taylor stopped him.
“Wait Matt! Ashley is part of our pack now, and she needs a dress for the party tonight!” Taylor cried out.
“Okay, but I’m coming with you guys,” Matt said before grabbing Ashley’s hand. She blushed furiously. “I like it when you blush,” he whispered into her ear, making her shiver and blush more.
*******
(Taylor’s POV)

After what seemed like forever, Taylor and the others were back to the packhouse. They had bought Matt’s mate Ashley a new dress for the party tonight. Her dress was strapless and black, that was tight at the bust and flared out after. It was simple, yet elegant, just like Ashley. Taylor loved her new sister in law. She was smart, funny, shy, sweet, kind, everything her brother was but even better! Taylor shook her thoughts aside. ‘Time to focus on Natasha and the plan!’ She was planning on getting Josh to see his gorgeous mate and accepting her. Natasha, Ashley, and Taylor all rushed into Taylor and Leo’s room and got ready. After curling her hair, Taylor quickly pulled on the dress and put on some eyeshadow, mascara, and eyeliner. Ashley did the same.
Taylor began to curl Natasha’s light brown hair into soft waves. She pinned up half and used a sparkly pin to keep it in place. After doing her hair, she put on some gold and silver eyeshadow and Natasha put on her mascara and eyeliner. The three checked themselves one last time before pulling on their heels and heading downstairs. Leo’s mouth dropped open at the sight of Taylor. She just giggled and walked towards him. Ashley came out and Matt had the same reaction Leo had before. Lastly, Natasha came out. Walking like a graceful, confident girl, she walked down and walked towards Taylor.
Here's the pics of all three dresses: (first one's Taylor's, then Natasha's, then Ashley's)



(A/N: Personally, my fav's is natasha's dress!(the second one) Ahh it's too cute! LOL ok now back to the story!)

Natasha’s POV (Another new POV!)

Natasha walked down towards Taylor and Leo, keeping herself graceful as a swan. She could almost trace the burning holes on her back that seemed to be coming from Josh's harsh stare. Taylor seemed to notice as well, and began grinning triumphantly; First part of the plan: complete.
“Now for the second part of the plan,” Taylor smiled mischievously and walked over towards the others. Zane, Leo’s brother walked over to Natasha and asked her to dance. Although, Zane was pretty hot, she felt bad for using him; however, he kept reassuring her it was fine. He was in on the plan as well, and he didn’t mind as long as he got to dance with a girl as beautiful as Natasha.
“So Natasha, I’m still puzzled as to why a gorgeous girl like you would ever be rejected by her own mate?” Zane whispered into her ear, fully aware of the roomful of werewolves that surrounded them. Not that it mattered anyway, considering most of them were too buzzed out to actually hear him.
“Well, I wouldn’t call myself that beautiful. Maybe that’s why he rejected me,” Natasha said, trying to keep herself composed, but her whisper just came out shaky.
“Well if it makes you feel any better, I think you’re beautiful. With the evil glares he’s giving me now, I wouldn’t be surprised if he accepted you tonight. Honestly, Taylor’s a genius. Gotta give her some credit for making a pretty good plan,” Zane chuckled.
“True, and it’s not over yet,” Natasha giggled. They began to dance faster as Feel It, by Three Six Mafia began to play. Natasha took this time to glance around the room. The house was filled with drunk, crazed teens. The party was held for the young teenagers in the pack. The adults had a separate formal party at the alpha’s house, while the younger kids were partying like crazed humans. The smell of alcohol stung the air, and the loud thumping of the music was ridiculous on their sensitive ears. Young wolves were grinding, and dancing drunkenly to the music everywhere. Some were even dry humping one another. One word: Gross. Natasha shivered at the sight of them. Some of them weren't even mates. 'The effects of hormones on teens,' Natasha chuckled to herself.
“Ready to make a certain someone really jealous?” Zane whispered into her ear, breaking her out of her thoughts.
“You bet!” She exclaimed. Zane spun her around, and they began to grind against each other. Looking up, she meet Josh’s furious eyes that seemed fixated on her and Zane as they danced together. His once seemingly beautiful hazel eyes were now pitch black as coal. The plan was definitely working, Josh was getting jealous. They continued to grind, and Natasha saw Taylor and Leo on the dance floor as well. Taylor looked up and flashed her an encouraging grin. The song ended just before Josh could do anything drastic.
“Part three, underway,” Zane pretend spoke into his wrist like a spy watch. Grabbing Natasha’s hand, they pushed past the dancing bodies, and went into a secluded room. Following his footsteps, she let him drag her to the room. Part three was now engaged.
Zane began to kiss Natasha’s neck, while Natasha pretend moaned. Zane began to touch her sides. He kissed her neck, and collarbone. He brought his kisses up to her face, kissing at her jawline. She wrapped her arms around his neck, tangling her hands into his hair. Zane continued to kiss her until he saw from the corner of his eye the door slam open. Before Natasha knew it, Josh had flung Zane off of her. Josh was just about to punch the daylights out of him when Natasha pulled on Josh’s arms tightly.
“No stop! Josh, what are you doing?” She exclaimed. Her voice oozed fake surprise, for she knew Josh would do this if all went according to their plan. Fortunately, he bought her act.
“He touched you! YOU of all people! Your mine, only mine. I’m gonna rip his throat out!” Josh yelled, lunging for him again but Natasha’s small voice stopped him.
“Why would you care, you rejected me in the first place,” He froze and faced her. Her head was hanging down, ashamed. Tears were threatening to spill to the surface. Josh grabbed her chin, pulling it up to face him.
“I-I’m sorry Natasha. I didn’t know how much you meant to me until I rejected you. I thought I was doing something good. I thought I had enough girls to satisfy me, but none of them meant anything to me. You were always on my mind. I never slept around anymore, I never kissed any girls anymore because every time I was with another girl, I pictured your sad face. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I was a selfish jackass who only thought about sleeping around and I’m sorry about that. I know this is a lot to ask, but will you forgive me?” Josh’s pleading eyes held tears, and Natasha couldn’t do anything but lunge at him, pulling him into a hug.
“I forgive you, but if you ever do anything to hurt me again, I swear I won’t think twice about leaving you for good!” She scolded him fiercely.
“Of course baby, I love you. I won’t do anything like that ever again!” He pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. He leaned in before crashing his lips down on hers. They kissed each other passionately. Natasha couldn’t help but feel complete happiness, for getting her mate back, and for all the people that helped her, especially Taylor and Zane. She really was a true friend.

(Taylor’s POV)

Taylor smiled, as she watched Natasha come out of the guest bedroom with a smiling Josh holding her waist. Zane came out seconds later, sending a thumbs up in her direction before joining them.
“Well, that worked out well,” Zane grinned. She slapped his arm playfully.
“Of course it would! It’s me we’re talking about here?” Both of them busted out laughing. Suddenly, Taylor felt pains in her stomach. Her arms and legs felt sore. Zane noticed her pain.
“Taylor what’s wrong? Are you hurt?” He panicked, and called Leo over.
“Baby, what’s wrong?” Leo’s concerned voice brought her back to her senses, but only for a fraction of a second. She saw Leo’s face looking down at her while he held her in his arms, before she blacked out, welcoming the darkness that overtook her.

Chapter 16 (Taylor's POV)

Taylor watched as fuzzy images of the party flashed behind her closed eyelids. Her body ached like a ton of bricks had been carelessly thrown onto her small, fragile frame. Her body was screaming at her to stop moving, but her mind refused to cooperate. Slightly, Taylor began to regain consciousness. Her eyelids fluttered open halfway. A streak of light hit her, and immediately made her close her eyes. Groaning, she raised a hand to her eyes as she tried sitting up. However, something held her back. Looking to her body, she couldn't place anything out of the ordinary. Nothing was broken, or fractured. 'Then why is my body screaming like I just broke all 206 of my bones!?" She mentally sighed and snuggled up into the covers. Just as she was about to fall asleep, the door creaked open and a couple of worried voices filtered through. Unfortunately, Taylor could only make up parts of it, as she struggled to hear them.
"....her birthday is in 2 days..."
"....going through the change early..."
"....need to calm her...."
"....wolf..."
Various bits of conversation rang through the air, only to confuse Taylor more. The birthday part she got, but what about all the talk of change and wolf? Certainly she wasn't told everything by Leo yet. That seemed to bring disappointment and curiosity to her face. Before she could get another chance to hear more, the half opened door opened fully, revealing her parents, brother, Leo's parents, Leo, and the girl she met before, Andrea standing at the doorway.
"Oh honey you're awake!" Taylor's mom rushed to her side, enveloping her in a warm, motherly hug. Taylor hugged back just as tightly.
Soon, everyone had joined them, multiple arms wrapped around one another, creating a huge werewolf huddle.
"Uh, guys, can't breathe here..." she choked out.
"Oh, sorry!" Andrea apologized before grabbing Taylor's hand and stroking it gently.
"By the way, you must have forgotten me, remember when I met you the day of the pack meeting? We met you downstairs before you found out about all this,"-she gestured around her, implying the whole werewolf situation before grabbing Taylor's hands once more in her warm ones-"I'm your sister-in-law. The goofball over there is my little brother, Leo," She grinned before setting her gaze back on Taylor. She racked her brain, trying to remember seeing Andrea. All thoughts of meeting her came back to her mind. She remembered meeting Andrea and Greg, her husband.
"Oh wow, it's nice to meet you," Taylor gave a warm, genuine smile back to Andrea before questioning the others.
"Um, what happened? And why do I feel so sore?" She groaned, once again feeling the aching of her body protesting her to stop moving around too much. Leo came over and sat on the edge of her bed. His soft voice seemed to help her rest her agitated body composure.
"Love, you fainted at the party last night. You're birthday's coming soon, which means you're change is fast approaching.
"You'll be quite exhausted before the change. This is rare, but not unheard of. Since you're the alpha's daughter and the new alpha's mate, not to mention the fact that you didn't experience your change as a child, makes you're change more painful. But I promise you'll be fine, as long as Leo is with you, alright sweetheart?" Her dad held an expression of sympathy, which Taylor returned with a weak smile. Sighing, she gave up fighting her body and fell back onto the pillow allowing sleep to envelop her.

*******

The leaves crunched beneath Taylor’s footsteps as they traveled into the dense brush around them. Ever since she found out that the werewolf change was coming as her birthday came closer, everyone has been keeping extra eyes on her. Even now, Leo was taking her to the woods behind their house to start some basic training. Taylor was hesitant. Playing soccer was one thing, learning how to defend herself against crazed rogues was completely another. She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. The half sleeved shirt and jogging shorts might have been a bad idea with the temperature outside. The drops in temperature were beginning to annoy her. For god’s sakes, it was April!
Taylor continued to walk, staring down at her feet and watching the colorful leaves crumble underneath her. It was beginning to look like spring. The leaves were growing back on the naked limbs of trees, wrapping them like clothes in an elegant-like fashion. Taylor found herself at awe. She admired the beauty of the forest in front of her. The lush evergreens and the semi-bare trees wrapped around her. Grass was coated with dew from the early morning, and the distant sound of crickets and birds chirping happily filled her ears like soft melodious notes. Although autumn was Taylor’s favorite season, spring was almost synonymous. Both seasons were a call for change, the leaves, the trees, everything, but unlike change, it was usually for the better. Her thoughts were interrupted when she ran into something hard. Taylor glared at Leo’s back, rubbing her nose.
“Leo why did you-“her voice trailed off when she noticed her surroundings. She took in the scene in front of her with pure surprise. A large meadow filled with dancing yellow daisies littered the grass. Soft weeping willows surrounded the area like a fence. The smell of fresh grass filled the air. There was a gentle sound of a slow running creek. Heaven was the only word to describe it.
“This is...beautiful,” Taylor breathed, barely containing her awe at the scenery. The warmth radiated off of the field that lay in front of her. The creek’s rushing water was like transparent glass, allowing her to see the riverbed rocks that lay underneath. The water flowing by was only two feet deep and flowed softly with the current. The gentle rush of water, mixed with the breathtaking scenery momentarily pulled Taylor away from reality and into a dream. However, this dreamlike state was short lived.
“I knew you’d like it,” Leo grinned behind her. He’d read all the thoughts that she’d said about the place. This field was Leo’s secret place, and he’d hoped to share it one day with his mate. Grinning like a fool, he stepped towards Taylor, wrapping his arms around her from the back and rested his chin on her shoulder. Taylor smiled before wrapping her arms around Leo’s. Both of them looked at the field silently. Few peaceful minutes passed by before Leo let go of her.
“Baby, I know you’d rather stay here and enjoy the place, but unfortunately we’ve gotta start some training,”
Sighing heavily, Taylor took one last look at the field before following Leo. He led her deeper into the woods, where they came upon a large clearing. The grass was cut short and rectangular, like a football field, just without the white paint strips. Some other pack members seemed to be waiting there, along with Natasha, Josh-who, fortunately for Taylor, had his arm wrapped around Natasha’s shoulders-Matt, Ashley, Andrea, and Zane.
They walked towards the group, who immediately spotted the pair, and began stretching.
“Okay guys, since today’s Taylor’s first training, I thought we’d go a bit lighter on the workout,” Leo stated, facing the crowd full of relieved and joyful faces at the news of not working out as hard.
“Okay, so I want half of you to start working in wolf form with Zane and Matt, while the other half stay human and train with me, alright? Now let’s start!” he commanded using his alpha voice. With that, everyone dispersed to their assigned sections. Taylor couldn’t help but smile. She was swelling with pride of Leo being a good leader and a good trainer. But as Taylor walked towards the group, she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone-or something-was watching her.

Chapter 17

Training had gone well the previous day, and today was Taylor’s birthday. She resisted the urge to scream like a lucky lotto winner. But, considering the circumstances, she really was a lotto winner. She was officially 18! She was a legal adult, no more minor status. Taylor Daniels was a free woman! Taylor tried to hold back rolling her eyes at herself; she sounded like a complete idiot.
Walking downstairs, she looked around for Leo. He didn’t seem to be anywhere. Before she could turn back around, a warm, husky voice whispered in her ear sending shivers down her spine.
“Hey babe, happy birthday,” Leo murmured, nuzzling his head into the crook of her neck before kissing it lightly. She smiled and turned around, wrapping her arms around his neck. Leaning up to him, she pressed her lips onto his, barely containing herself from the sparks that ignited from them. Leo moved his hands to wrap them around her, resting them dangerously low on her back. He pushed her into the wall, and moved closer to her. He grinded his hips closer, allowing him access to her open mouth from the gasp she emitted.
‘Oh god, he better stop grinding against me or I won’t be able to contain myself,’ Taylor thought, blushing at how dirty her mind seemed to be thinking.
‘Damn baby if you don’t stop thinking those thoughts, I just might have to lock you up in our room and do some dirty things to you,’ Leo whispered huskily into her mind. Taylor mentally jumped from the shock. She still wasn’t used to the whole reading and projecting your thoughts.
Slapping Leo playfully, she glared at him before walking towards the kitchen, swaying her hips a little. Taylor heard a moan come from Leo, resulting in a satisfied grin on her face. Before she could blink, Leo swooped her in her arms, dragging her into their room.
They were laying on the bed, with Leo on top. Grumbling, she tried to stand up, only to fall back down again.
“Sorry babe, but you’re not going anywhere,” Her murmured into her neck, sucking and kissing it lightly. It took all of Taylor’s control to push him off and walk towards the bathroom. Locking the door behind her, she stripped off her PJs before jumping into the shower.
After taking the quick shower, she jumped out, grabbing her towel and putting on her bra and panties. That’s when she remembered that she hadn’t brought any clothes with her. ‘Shit, just my luck,’ she mumbled.
Opening the door quietly, she checked around for any signs of Leo. Satisfied, she walked out and went towards the closet. She grabbed some clothes before walking out.
“Dammit Tay you’re just making this hard on me,” a low growl sounded from Leo, where he was perched up on the bed. His eyes raked up her body, making Taylor blush like mad. In a flash, she was underneath him again, him looming over, kissing her hungrily. She responded immediately, snaking her arms around his neck and wrapping her legs around his toned torso.
His gentle, yet rough arms travelled up her body, reaching for the back of her bra. He seemed hesitant at first, stopping the kiss to ask for permission. Taylor just kissed him again, a sign of approval. He snapped her bra off and moaned at the sight of her.
“Beautiful, and all mine,” Taylor heard Leo mumble before she enjoyed the most amazing time of her life.

*******

Breathing hard, Taylor felt on top of the world. Not just because she had fully mated with the most amazing guy on the planet, but also because she was now fully his and he was fully hers.
“Mine,” Leo growled possessively, snuggling into her side. Taylor kissed his chest lightly, snuggling up to him as well.
“Leo?” she asked.
“Yeah baby?”
“I love you,” she whispered.
“I love you too sweetheart,” Leo whispered back.
Taylor just lay there, the words echoing in her mind. He loved her, her! Of all people! She smiled, as Leo wrapped his arm around her petite waist, and snuggled into the crook of her neck. She was finally at peace, finally in love.

******

Shivering at the cold, Taylor slipped on a shirt off the ground, before running her hand through her messy mop of brown hair. After washing up, she walked outside, to see Leo sitting on the bed, dressed in boxers.
He wolf-whistled at her and his eyes lusted instantly.
Guiding her eyes down her body, she noticed that she’d thrown on Leo’s button up white dress shirt. ‘Hmm, when was he wearing this? Oh well,’ she thought silently.
Leo’s eyes raked up and down her body, making her blush at the gesture.
“Mine,” Leo growled out, licking his lips.
“Yes, I’m yours” Taylor mimed, before she tackled him into a kiss.

Chapter 18 (4 weeks later)

Time had really flown by quickly. Taylor was training at a quick pace, making it easier for her to become Luna, ever since she’d become a wolf. She was happy, the happiest she’d been in years. Leo was all hers, she was going to be the lead woman of the pack, and her family was back together. What could possibly ruin this?
She’d also started college, and she absolutely loved it. Even Leo came with her, earning herself some ugly sneers from her fellow female college students. ‘Oh come on, he’s just a guy,’ she rolled her eyes, unaffected by their glares.
‘I’m so hurt!’ Leo fake exclaimed. Taylor mentally smacked her forehead. Of course she forgot their mindlink, and he could read her mind anyway. Frustrated, she’d ignored his constant probing of her mind by figuring out how to put up mental walls, but she was still a bit rusty on it.
Taylor was sitting downstairs, watching TV, when Mrs. Knight called her.
“Taylor dear, would you like something to eat?” Mrs. Knight asked.
Looking at the tray of cookies in her hands, Taylor suddenly felt nauseous. Blinking rapidly, she tried to calm her breathing, but it didn’t work. Slapping a hand over her mouth, she raced over to the bathroom, puking up the remnants of her lunch that afternoon. A warm hand began rubbing up and down her back soothingly, while the other was holding up her hair.
“Hey baby, you alright? Come over here, I’ll clean you up,” Leo cooed, helping Taylor to stand up and wash her mouth.
“I’m, uh, fine. I just felt a little sick I guess,” Taylor shrugged. But, for some reason, she had to admit that there was some part of her that was claiming that sickness wasn’t the reason for her nauseous behavior. A small part of her brain, nagging in the back of her head, was pointing to something else.
Giving Leo a halfhearted smile, she raced upstairs and into their room. Grabbing a white packaged box, she went into the bathroom, hoping to God she was just sick.

*********

Staring at the white stick just brought even more fears into her mind. It’s pink positive sign shining brightly in her eyes. The glow brimming her with nerve-wrecking. Would Leo be okay with this? Of course it was her dream to have kids, but she was only 18. And the fact that she still had college to worry about. Honestly, if she was a bit older, and not in college, she would’ve been ecstatic at her present situation.
“Taylor? You in there?” Leo constant knocking had become more demanding. Knock, yeah right, more like pounding.
“Yeah,” her voice quavering. She opened the door hesitantly, seeing a now exasperated Leo standing there. However, seeing the expression on her face made Leo’s face drop the playful scowl it had presently had.
“Babe, what’s wrong?” Leo cupped his hands on her cheeks, trying to get Taylor to look him in the eyes. She didn’t. Just the thought of seeing his reaction made her fear the worst.
“I’m....um,” she couldn’t bring herself to say. Taylor Daniels-soon to be Taylor Knight-couldn’t be confident for once.
She just looked over to the sink counter, where all three pregnancy tests lay. Leo followed her gaze, before his eyes went wide.
He looked back over at Taylor, who had closed her eyes, willing herself not to cry in front of him. But she wasn’t prepared for the reaction she got.
Leo swooped her up into a hug, spinning her around in the air. She wrapped her arms around his neck, while giggling at his gesture.
“Taylor, I’m so happy. I’m going to be a dad, you’re going to be a mom,” he grinned so wide, it almost hurt Taylor just looking at it.
She smiled back at him, before wrapping her slender arms around his waist. Leo hugged her back just as fiercely.
Stepping away from her, Leo dropped to his knees, and kissed her stomach.
“Hey there little one,” he cooed, “your mommy and daddy are so happy about you. I can’t wait for you to meet your mommy, she’s beautiful, caring, and innocent, just like you.”
Taylor’s heart warmed at the scene in front of her, her eyes now pooling with tears of joy. She smiled back at Leo before kissing him.
“We should probably go tell your parents,” she whispered against his lips.
“Mmmh, in a minute,” he reciprocated against her lips, before delving into a mind blowing kiss. His hands roamed her sides, one sliding underneath her shirt, across her stomach, before resting there. She felt Leo smile against her lips. The sparks between them were highly active, tingling each other like raindrops pelting against smooth glass. His lips as soft as velvet cake, his touch as scorching as hot sand on a beach, his breath as cool as the North Pole made her body hum with desire. She could never love anybody as much as the man right in front of her. Pulling away for air, she looked at Leo’s glowing golden eyes ridden with lust, and smiled at him. Life was indeed a strange thing. When bad things happened, we cursed life to be unfair, to be cruel and judgmental, but when life worked to our advantage, we held it so fragile like a soft velvet feather, and claimed it to be perfect. But at this moment, Taylor realized, life was never perfect. Its purpose was to show you that there were things that were perfect in life, that were worth finding, and Taylor believed she had. Leo. Her rock, her heart, her one and only, her life. Life itself wasn’t perfect, but when you found something that meant life, it became perfect. And today, she’d realized that she found her perfect, her life....Leo.


Chapter 19 (9 months later)
The sound of beeping monitors, shuffling shoes, and loud commands filled Taylor’s ears. The wheelchair she was in pushed her down the hallway of the city hospital. Its bright white walls and familiar blue uniform dressed faculty surrounded her. But all she could think about was the immense pain from her contractions. The baby was due. Leo ran alongside her and whispered comforting words, but all she could think about was the journey ahead of her. They arrived in a spacious room, where a doctor stood waiting. After performing routine checkups, Taylor lay there on the bed, bracing herself as a contraction came and passed. Leo held onto her hand, cooing soft words in her ear.
“Leo, call the doctor, I think the baby’s coming now,” Taylor said through clenched teeth as another contraction came, much more forceful this time.
Leo’s eyes went the size of saucers, before he raced out of the room and came back with a doctor. He once again grasped his wife’s hand and listened to the doctor’s orders.
“Alright Taylor, you’ve dilated 10 centimeters, and it looks about time to deliver. We’re going to ask you to give gradual pushes and brace yourself,” the doctor’s voice absorbed in her ears as she began the experience.
*********
“Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Knight, you have a boy!” the doctor exclaimed, before giving the baby to the nurse.
Taylor breathed in a large breathe, and clasped onto Leo’s hand. Her baby was officially born, and he was absolutely beautiful.
The nurse came back with their child wrapped in a blue blanket and handed him to Taylor. She cradled him in her arms, and her eyes instantly welled up with tears of joy. Placing a tender kiss on his forehead, she took in his beautiful face. He looked just like his father.
Leo looked down at his son and wife. The picture perfect family. His son looked just like him, and he couldn’t be any more happy than this point. This was his family. Leo looked lovingly at the mother son duo. Taylor looked up at him, and connected her lips with his, before they both settled their eyes back upon their son.
All thoughts in Taylor’s mind about raising a child drifted away. All she could think about was how happy she was about her child, her husband, her family. They were now complete. She could just imagine having her two boys playing outside, with her watching them. She could imagine Leo teaching him to ride a bike, or how to play videogames. She could imagine him growing up to be a handsome man, going to college, having his own career, wife, and kids. And lastly, she could imagine growing old with Leo. Their love would never die; their hearts would never stop beating for one another. This was how she envisioned her life. Although the journey was crazy, the final destination was well worth it. She was onto a new life, with her loving husband, and son. Gazing down at her bundle of joy, she couldn’t possibly imagine anything better than this moment alone.
Chapter 20
“Aw man, you won!” Leo’s teasing tone rang out to Taylor’s ears as she worked in the kitchen, watching her son kick a soccer ball into the goal. It had been 5 years since little Alex Knight was born. Two years after, another addition came into the family. Cassandra Knight, their beautiful three year old daughter sat in the kitchen, watching Taylor cook.
“Hey babe,” Leo kissed Taylor’s cheek lovingly. He opened the fridge and grabbed two bottled waters.
“Mommy! Mommy! I beat Daddy in soccer!” Laughing, Taylor swooped down and picked up Alex, placing a kiss on his cheek.
“Yes I did sweety! Good job! Now go upstairs and change and I’ll give you ice cream,” Taylor exclaimed.
She watched him run upstairs with his tiny legs, before two arms wrapped around her from behind. Leo placed his chin on her shoulder.
Turning around in his arms, she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“You hungry? I can make you something if you like?” She questioned.
“I’m hungry, just not for food,” Leo stated before claiming her lips with his. He kissed her with such love that it melted her insides completely.
“Ew, mommy! Why is daddy eating your face?” Alex’s voice brought them out of their kissing. Chuckling, Taylor let go of Leo and opened her arms wide for Alex. He ran to them without hesitation, and she kissed his forehead again.
“Daddy wasn’t eating my face, he just showed me that he loves me. Now let’s go get you some ice cream,” Taylor replied, letting Alex down.
Leo grabbed Alex’s hand, interlocking their fingers. He picked up Cassandra and carried her as well. They began walking towards the front door. Taylor watched them walk side by side, father, son, and daughter, and couldn’t help but feel her heart warm at the sight. Her two boys and her baby girl. Before, the idea of a family was just that: an idea. Now, it was true, right before her eyes, and she felt complete and whole. Life felt so right for the first time. Taylor intended to keep this family together, through thick and thin, and hoped it would stay that way. It was truly crazy how life changed when people did. Life depended on people. Because she added two people to her life, happiness and joy were also added. Smiling at herself, Taylor grabbed her jacket, and headed towards her front door to join her family.

THE END

Important note(!) : There will be a sequel to this about Taylor and Leo's kids growing up and finding their own mates. I will be working on it soon! Thanks to everyone who read, liked, and supported this book! Without you guys, I would have never been encouraged to finish it! Thanks to all my fans for commenting about it and I'm glad you guys liked it so much! Can't wait for the sequel! What's gonna happen with Alex and Cassandra's mates? Who will they be? I will try to start writing the sequel soon, but so far, I have some cool ideas! Goodbye for now,

-Soccerluv4 <3333
xoxoxoxoxoxoxo


~*~

HEY LOVELY READERS AND WRITERS!

So, as you guys know, I will be making a sequel to this about Alex and Cassandra with their mates.

That's why I need all your help on deciding what kind of romance it might be....?

For Cassandra:

-Student/Teacher mates
-Forbidden (i.e. enemy: packs, just hate each other in general?)
-Jock/Nerd
-New Boy
-Accidental Marriage(maybe Vegas? lol)-to her mate of course, which is like a double accident O.o

For Alex:

-Player falls for new girl
-Best friends end up mates (him and one of his best friend's that's a girl)
-Cassandra's best friend (the whole "my best friend's brother is my mate" thing....)
-Sad/lonely girl (abuse, invisible girl, lost a parent, etc.)
-Rejection (like father, like son.....? lol)

So I know I just listed practically every cliche out there, but I just wanna see what my fans and readers will be interested in the most....

(Personally......I want Cassy's mate to be the whole student/teacher relationship just cause it's forbidden and kind of sexy.....hehehe(; . But for Alex, honestly, I'm clueless....because this is probably the first time I'll be writing in the guy's perspective with a few POV's for his mate since I'm better at writing girl POV'S)

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE TAKE PITY ON MY CONFUZZLED WRITER'S BRAIN AND HELP ME DECIDE!

You guys are my fans, and I trust your judgement to be totally loyal and in your best interest, and honestly, I like to write to please others, so if you guys want a hunky teacher to be Cassy's mate, then of course I'll write that for you guys! So, if you guys have any suggestions besides the ones I put up there, please feel free to comment them below! Thanks guys! (:

I LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU GUYS WITH ALL MY HEART! <3333333

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts my beautiful fans!

-soccerluv4

~*~

NOT DONE YET!
So you guys know the whole reason I wrote this book was because Taylor was getting married, and.......I TOTALLY FORGOT TO PUT THAT HUGE PIECE IN THE BOOK! lol silly me
So, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce to you......their marriage!
(See what I did there? No? Okay, well then, this is awkward.....)


Enjoy the last of this book! (Till the sequel)


Epilogue
“Taylor wake up! Today’s the big day and we can’t have you sleeping in!”
Groggily, Taylor pushed back the covers over her head to see Leo’s sister, Andrea, sitting on the bed, smiling brightly down at her. On her left, was Natasha, who stood there with her hands clasped tightly in front of her, a smile lighting up her face as well.
Although, Taylor was incredibly tired, she was just as excited, if not more, for today. Today was what this whole adventure was about.
That was all Taylor could think about, as the two rushed her into the bathroom, drawing a bath filled with scented lavender soap, little ice bath crystals, and rose petals while she brushed her teeth. Amusement coated her face, as she stared at the two busy bodies, hastily trying to perfect everything.
“Okay, you’ll take a bath, and then come out for the makeup and hair. You’re robe is up there on the rack, and all the soaps and salts are in this cabinet if you need any more. Now relax, and leave the rest to us,” Natasha beamed, while Andrea nodded enthusiastically. They made their quick exit, leaving Taylor to collect her thoughts in the incredibly scented bathroom.
Removing her pajamas, Taylor sank into the tub slowly, watching the water part around her and surround her again as she submerged herself further. Taking a deep breath, Taylor’s mind swirled around the chaos coming from outside. Even with the sturdy walls, she could hear every note, every command that Mrs. Knight, Andrea, and Natasha shouted around. Once again, exhaling air, Taylor closed her eyes and willed herself to enjoy this while she could, because she knew this was only going to get much more chaotic.
**************
‘Mr. and Mrs. Leo Knight,’ Taylor thought, smiling at how perfect it sounded in her mind.
Her thoughts were brought back when a sharp tug at her eyebrows caused her to yelp in surprise. The makeup artist smiled apologetically, before continuing. All morning, she’d been poked, prodded, turned, stabbed, and tugged at.
“God, if getting married was this cruel, I wouldn’t have done it,” she grumbled as the hairstylist finished up her hair. A mirth of laughter came from her two best friends, who looked quite amused with her punishment.
“Hey, you asked for it,” Andrea chimed, while studying Taylor’s hair from the back in the mirror.
“Yeah, someone needed to tame that unruly hair!” Natasha smirked, causing Taylor to pout and cross her arms.
“My hair is not that unruly,” she murmured half-heartedly, only to receive a chuckle from both of them.
“Hey, stop laughing guys! It’s not that fu-oh!” Taylor’s breath stuck in her throat, as the hairstylist spun her around to face the mirror. Her chocolate locks were curled to perfect, trailing down her back in flawless waves. Her front pieces of hair were pinned up to the sides with glittery diamond barrettes. Her bangs hung beautifully, framing her face. Glitter was gently sprinkled over her locks, shining brightly against her hair’s dark contour.
“Tay, you look gorgeous!” Both Natasha and Andrea squealed, bouncing up and down in excitement. All Taylor could do was smile back, too shocked for words.
“Alrighty, let’s get you married!” Andrea chirped, helping Taylor up and giving her the wedding gown.
***********
Grasping tightly to her father’s arm, all she could think about was the nerves in her stomach. They were clenching painfully, like locked up birds, trying to spring free.
“Honey, you can do this,” her father’s brown eyes bore into her own, reminding her of all the gifts she’d received. Her father was back in her life, her family was complete, and she was about to start another.
Running her hands lightly over her gown, she reminded herself how ready she was.
“Don’t worry sweetie, you look beautiful,” her dad smiled down at her before placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Taylor looked down at her gown. It truly was beautiful. It was strapless with embroided shimmery leaf patterns in silver, that stretched across the top. The bottom flowed down in heavy layers, ending with a trail at the back. The white shone against her tan skin, showcasing her beautiful physique and beautiful face. The natural yet beautifully crafted makeup highlighted her eyes and face structure, making her look much more mature than her 18 year old self. Taking a deep breath, Taylor locked arms with her father, and nodded once, before standing in front of the doors to the church.
“Let’s do this,” she whispered.
**********
(Leo’s POV)
Leo nervously tugged at the hem of his suit, as he awaited his beautiful mate. How he got with someone so kind and beautiful was beyond him, and with them expecting a child in 8 months, he was as proud as he could get.
The doors to the hall opened, awakening the silence that fell upon them. Leo’s eyes narrowed onto his mate, who looked incredibly breathtaking. And that’s exactly what happened. Leo’s breath was blown away as he saw his mate, dressed in a beautiful gown, clutching a bouquet in one hand, and linked to her father in the other. She walked down the aisle, eyes trained on him, while his were on her, and all he could think was how lucky he was. A smile formed on his lips as she was passed from her father to him. Standing by his side, he looked down at her lovingly, hoping his eyes could express how happy he was of this moment.
“You look beautiful,” he whispered in her ear, loving how she shivered at his breath.
“Thank you,” she smiled back.
The priest continued with their vows, while all Leo could think of was finally being able to be attached to the woman beside him, in front of everyone to see.
“ Do you, Leo Knight, take thee, Taylor Daniels, to be your lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death you do part?”
“I do,” Leo replied, smiling down at Taylor.
“ Do you, Taylor Daniels, take thee, Leo Knight, to be your lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death you do part?”
“I do,” her melodious voice rang out, alighting every cell in Leo’s body with happiness.
“Then I pronounce you, husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride,” the priest nodded at them.
Leo turned towards Taylor, lifting the veil and giving her a mindblowing kiss. For a minute, everything was forgotten, until the sounds of cheering woke them up from their kiss. Leo noticed Taylor’s reddened cheeks and kissed her cheek lovingly. This moment was too perfect, and now, his mate was finally his.

(Taylor’s POV)
Taylor blushed as they broke apart from their kiss again, allowing laughter and cheer to float in the room. They were currently sitting at the table, enjoying the toasts their family and friends were giving.
“So, Mrs. Knight, how are you liking being married?” Leo chuckled, as he twirled her around the dancefloor. After the speeches, the customary groom and bride dance was supposed to be danced, and here they were floating around the room, while everyone watched.
“I really like it. Plus, my husband isn’t half bad,” she joked back, burying her face in his chest. Leo’s laughter rumbled through his chest, causing Taylor to giggle as well.
“Well, I’m just glad that you’re both mine finally,” he whispered in her ear, brushing his arm across her stomach. Even though only a month passed since they found out Taylor was pregnant, Leo still was as proud as ever, for having a beautiful mate, and sharing a beautiful child with her.
Taylor couldn’t help the tears that pooled in her eyes at the fatherly gesture Leo committed. It made her feel happy, and proud that she was the wife of this kind, caring, not to mention sexy as sin, husband.
“Hey, I heard that,” Leo mumbled against her cheek, loving how it heated under him at the compliment.
“Stop reading my mind,” she playfully slapped his chest, causing him to laugh again.
He stopped laughing as they both looked into each other’s eyes, captivated by the love filled in both of them.
“I love you, Mrs. Leo Taylor Knight” Leo whispered.
“I love you too, Mr. Leo Knight,” she whispered back.
And they sealed their love, with once last kiss.

The sequel to Mates has been posted! Here's the link!(:
http://www.bookrix.com/_ebook-soccerluv4-transparent/

Imprint

Text: Credit: Google Images for the cover pic
Publication Date: 02-15-2012

All Rights Reserved