Ah! I'm so excited to finally get this chapter out! I've been waiting for this moment from the very beginning and I hope you guys are pleased with this as well! Enjoy!

WARNING: Sexual content and suicide attempt

Mate. Derek. Dead. Mate. Derek. Dead. Mate. Derek. Dead.

Those three words were stuck on a loop in Anabelle's brain. Such as the image of Derek's lifeless body sprawled on the escalator. His cold eyes haunted her no matter which direction she turned. Anabelle had to keep running from it. But she couldn't forget it.

Was this what it was like to lose your mate? Feeling helpless? Lost? Unsure of what to do next? It was like a nightmare and Anabelle didn't know how to escape from it.

Her feet ended up taking her to the loft before she even realized where she was going. Even though she should have just gone back to San Diego, she couldn't leave yet. It didn't feel right to leave. Cora wasn't at the loft when she went inside, probably still with Boyd. Which was fine with Anabelle. It was for the best that she didn't see anyone and was just left alone. That was why she had shut off her phone as soon as Scott tried calling her when she shifted back into her human form. She couldn't face anyone right now. Not without having a complete breakdown. How Anabelle hadn't had one yet was a complete mystery.

That night, she robotically threw on one of Derek's shirts and crawled into his bed as she tried to soak in every essence of his scent that was left. If Anabelle closed her eyes and took a deep breath, it almost felt like he was right there beside her, holding her and keeping her warm. Maybe it was her delusional wishing, but she swore she could feel Derek's kiss lingering on her lips and it made them feel numb in a way that had her wanting more. Anabelle now regretted not kissing him more the night they shared his bed together. She regretted everything that happened after that.

All throughout the night into the next day, Anabelle stayed wide awake despite her desperate need to sleep off everything that had happened. She just wanted to forget, even if it was just for a few hours. But she couldn't. Her breaking heart wouldn't allow her to. Before she knew it, it was about one o'clock in the afternoon. Anabelle had been laying in Derek's bed for almost twenty hours. Where the hell had the time gone? Time really flies by fast while mourning the dead, Anabelle guessed. Cora still had not been back from wherever she was and while the she-wolf was getting concerned for the girl who was like her younger sister, she knew that Cora was more than capable of taking care of herself. She was most likely okay.

Getting out of bed was the last thing she wanted to do at the moment. If what the article about werewolf mating said about if one half of the pair dies then so does the other is true, then what good is doing anything else besides laying there until she died? But it was the seventeenth. Anabelle never misses the seventeenth for anything. And if this was the last time she was going to be able to do it, then she'd be damned if she was going to miss it today. So she finally forced herself to get up and go freshen up as much as she could.

When she looked in the mirror in the bathroom after stripping out of Derek's shirt, Anabelle lightly stroked the wound that Kali had given her on her stomach. Injuries from an alpha take longer to heal, that was a fact. But this one was surely taking a long time. Probably because of Derek's death. Anabelle couldn't honestly care less whether she healed or not. However the red and black blood that was caked on her skin felt pretty disgusting so after turning on the shower to as hot as she could handle, she stepped in and washed all of the dirt and grime away. She probably would have stayed in there longer if the water didn't prick her wounds and make them sting. As soon as the water turned cold, Anabelle stepped out of the shower and wrapped a black towel around her body and went into her room.

Black was the color of death so it was only appropriate that Anabelle had dressed for the occasion. After tying her black wrap top that she paired with denim skinny jeans, wincing we the fabric rubbed against her wound, she laced up her boots. Everything else like her dark curly hair and her face she left as is, not even bothering to add makeup or anything else to spruce herself up. Then she grabbed her keys and left the loft.

Anabelle drove to the flower shop, part of her routine on the seventeenth of every month. Since she was there so often, the florist already had her order on deck- a bundle of white peonies. Normally Anabelle would stop to chat with the kind older woman behind the counter, but today the she-wolf was obviously not in the talking mood. The florist, God bless her, understood even without a reason why. She just smiled sympathetically and handed Anabelle her peonies. After a quick thank you, she made her next stop.

Cemeteries always unsettled the woman to her core no matter how many times she came to visit, and today was no exception. In fact, the cold face of her dead mate staring into her soul made her want to scream in despair. There was too much death all around her and it was becoming difficult to bear. Anabelle had to keep it together though. That was what Derek would want her to do. With that in mind, Anabelle got out of her car and walked over to where her parent's spot on the wall on the other side of the cemetery.

Just like every time she came here, Anabelle tossed out the flowers that had died within the past month and replaced them with the new bouquet. Once they were displayed nicely next to the plaque with her parents' names, she sat down on the bench. Her light brown eyes roamed over the plaque.

James Rupert Fierro and Claire Evelyn Fierro

Loving parents and leaders

"Love doesn't need to be perfect- it just needs to be true."

Boy, her parents really did know what they were talking about. Just like they always did. If only they were here. Anabelle could really use their guidance right about now. She sighed.

"Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad. A lot has happened within this past week alone… I don't even know where to begin." Anabelle chewed on her bottom lip. "Well… I guess I'll start off by saying I know the truth about Derek and me. About us being… mates." She shook her head. "I don't know why it's still so hard for me to believe it. All of the signs were there. How did I not know? Why didn't you tell me, Mom and Dad? Why didn't anyone tell me… I was so angry when I first found out, but now… everything just feels so damn complicated. Even more now that Derek's-"

Oh, god. She couldn't say it. Not once had she ever been able to say it out loud ever since she saw Derek hit the escalator twenty feet below. There was a lump in Anabelle's throat that no matter how hard she tried, she just wasn't able to swallow it down. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly as she tried to keep it together.

"He's dead, Mom and Dad… Derek's dead. We went up against an alpha pack- Deucalion's alpha pack. I was supposed to be the one who died but he pushed me out of the way before I could fall. Derek died saving me."

That was when Anabelle did the one thing she hadn't done over the course of six years- she cried.

And it wasn't just a single tear. It was a full blown, body-racking sob. Cupping her nose and mouth in her hands, Anabelle doubled over as the tears poured out of her like waterfalls. She must have been making up for the past six years because the crying would not stop. The heartbreak ran so deep that Anabelle would have thought someone had taken a knife and dug it right into her heart.

"The night I found out the truth," she choked out, trying to wipe away the never ending tears, "he and I got into a huge fight. And I walked away… just like he said I always do and he was right. He told me he loved me and I pushed him away. Now he's dead. He died thinking that I hated him. But that's not true at all, Mom and Dad… I love him."

Finally admitting to how she felt for her best friend for the first time just made her cry even harder and her body shook in grief. Everything became so real in that moment.

"I can't believe I actually just said that," Anabelle chuckled through her tears, "But it feels so fucking good to let that out. I love Derek. I love him, I love him, I love him." Her frown reappeared. "But now he's gone… and I'll never be able to tell him that I love him. And I'll never be able to tell him that I'm sorry… I ruined everything." She looked up at her parents' names. "At least you two still have each other. Me, well… I don't know where to go from here. How do I live without the man I fell in love with?" Her eyes flashed as she looked up at the sky. "Tell me what I'm supposed to do without you, Derek! Why did you have to leave me?! Why did you leave…"

As she struggled to breathe, Anabelle took in the cemetery. The sky was gloomy, typical for Beacon Hills and fitting for the atmosphere she was in. No one was around to hear her sob and scream, not that she would have really cared if someone was there. Being surrounded by all of these dead people make the she-wolf feel sick to her stomach and she was dreading going back to that abandoned mall so she could retrieve Derek's body. It was her duty as his mate to give him the burial he deserved. Bidding her parents goodbye, Anabelle stood up and walked back to her car.

She didn't leave right away when she got in the car. No, the fucking crying just kept coming. Especially when she held the wolf charm from the necklace Derek had given her way back then between her fingers. The necklace that even after all of the fights and hardships the two had gone through together, Anabelle refused to take off. Her attachment with that necklace was the same as Derek was with that one photo of her. She couldn't part with the trinket even if she wanted to. And she never wanted to.

It didn't make sense. How was Anabelle still alive if Derek was dead? Maybe that article had been wrong about that part. Her heart may have been shattered, but she didn't feel like she was dying. At least physically. Either way, she didn't want to be alive. She wanted to be with him.

Blinded by her tears, the she-wolf flicked her claws out. Her body continued to shake as she raised her hand up to the base of her neck. Blood began to trickle down her neck when her claws pierced her skin. Closing her eyes, she let out a weak exhale. Soon enough, she will be with her mate again.

"I'm coming, Derek," Anabelle thought to herself, "Please wait for me."

Slam!

The sound of something smacking her window made Anabelle let out a scream and move her hand away from her neck. Her eyes grew wide when she saw the injured and bleeding man staring back at her through the window. No. It couldn't be.

"Derek?"

Said man, clearly still weak, fell onto the ground.

"Oh my god." Anabelle hurriedly got out of her car and went to kneel beside the alpha that she swore was dead. "What the fuck are you doing?! You don't sneak up on people at a cemetery!"

"I'll try to keep that in mind for next time," Derek breathed out, wincing as pain shot through his body.

"How are you even alive right now?" Anabelle asked. She stared in horror at the large wound on Derek's stomach. "Shit, that looks really bad. I should get you to Deaton-"

"No," Derek immediately protested, shaking his head, "No Deaton. Just take me to the loft. I can probably heal there."

Is this man really choosing to be defiant right now?

"Derek, this doesn't look like something you can just sleep off," Anabelle argued, "This requires medical attention and I'm definitely not a doctor."

"Anabelle." Derek struggled but managed to take his mate's hand in his, "I'm so tired of fighting with you. Take me back to the loft. Please."

He really wasn't going to back down. But she had to agree with him. She didn't want to fight either, no matter how bad of an idea this was. She sighed.

"Okay, fine. Come on."

Anabelle wrapped her arms underneath his and pulled him up so he was standing. It was a bit difficult since Derek was so weak, but she was strong enough to sit him in the passenger seat. She ran to her side of the car as soon as she shut his door and got in. As fast as she responsibly could, Anabelle drove to the loft. Derek's hand was in hers the entire time. He didn't even try to pull his hand away when the she-wolf started to take away his pain. Just the warmth of her skin against coldness of his kept him at peace. Every so often his eyes kept wanting to lull shut but Anabelle would lightly poke his palm with her claws to keep him awake.

Carrying Derek up the stairs to their loft was no easy task, but there was only one goal for Anabelle- keep her mate alive. So she buckled up and just used the small amount of strength she had left to get him upstairs. Nudging it with her foot, Anabelle pushed the door open and helped Derek inside. His vision was shifting in and out of focus as his pain started to increase. It took a whiff of something metallic in the air to figure out why that was.

"Why am I smelling… blood?" he panted.

"Because you're bleeding, dumbass," Anabelle grunted, her own breath becoming heavy.

"No, no, it's not mine," Derek told her. He let out a pained sigh. "Anabelle, are you hurt?"

"Don't worry about me right now."

But having her own injuries being pointed out was making them more prominent. Holding Derek up was becoming too hard on Anabelle's own stomach and he was starting to slip out of her grasp.

"Derek, I- ah, I can't hold you anymore," she strained out, "I'm losing you."

Her legs gave out from underneath and the mates fell on the floor. Anabelle refused to let that stop her. Grunting, she pushed herself up and grabbed Derek. She was able to drag him to his bed so she could have him lay down and be comfortable. Deep inside Anabelle was freaking out, but she had to keep it together. For the both of them.

With all her might, she got Derek on his bed. One of her claws extracted and she sliced down his already ruined shirt. He let out a small and breathy chuckle.

"Couldn't wait to get me undressed, huh, Belle?" he panted out.

"Oh, shut up, Derek." Anabelle peeled off the torn up shirt to reveal his gashed-up torso. "Ugh, god…"

"How bad?" Derek asked.

"I'm not gonna lie to you, it looks pretty damn bad," Anabelle told him, "You're bleeding so much- ah!" She placed her hand over where her own wound was.

"Don't push yourself. You need to… you need…"

Derek's breaths began to come out short and strained. When his eyes grew heavy, that was when Anabelle couldn't hide her panic anymore. She patted Derek on the cheek to alert him and keep him awake.

"Hey, hey, Derek," Anabelle said sternly, her voice threatening to crack, "Derek, you need to stay with me." The alpha was slowly losing consciousness. "I swear to god, if you die on me, I will kill you." He stopped breathing and Anabelle couldn't hold back the tear that slipped out. "Derek. Derek!"

Even though she could have heard it perfectly fine with her werewolf powers, Anabelle pressed her ear against Derek's chest right above his heart. At first there was nothing. God, don't let him be dead… please don't let him die on her… Anabelle couldn't take losing him.

Thump thump. Thump thump. Thump thump.

Oh, thank god. Anabelle let herself rest against her mate as she let out the biggest breath of relief.

"Never make me go through this again."

A couple hours went by. Derek was still passed out on the bed but Anabelle moved over to the window. Her hair was now piled lazily on the top of her head and her boots were long discarded somewhere on the floor. If she was going to be physically and emotionally distressed, Anabelle might as well look the part. While she knew Derek was definitely alive, shockingly, he still wasn't healing. And the she-wolf wasn't going to rest until he did.

She finally decided to turn on her phone for the first time that day and she immediately winced at what she saw. 28 texts and 12 missed calls from Scott, as well as many other notifications from Isaac, Boyd, Cora, and even Peter. This made Anabelle feel incredibly guilty knowing that these people who were practically family to her now were probably so worried about her and maybe even thought that she was dead. They really did care for her… just like she cared for them.

But before she could worry about them, Anabelle called Deaton. All five times she called, they went straight to voicemail. She left a message after the last tone.

"Hey, Deaton, it's me, Anabelle," she exhaled, "As you can tell, I'm alive. So is Derek, actually. But he's still not doing well. I tried to convince him to let me take him to you but you know how he is." Her breathy chuckle left as soon as it came out. "Listen, I'm still not sure how the mating thing works necessarily, but if there's anything that I can do to help him…" Oh, god, here it comes again. "To be honest, I'm terrified. Just please… please let me know because I don't know what to do. I would really appreciate it." She then hung up the phone and tossed it right next to her boots.

The rain was really setting the somber tone. Once again, the waterworks began. It was so damn annoying but Anabelle just couldn't get them to stop. She just let the tears out freely as she stared out the window.

"Why are you crying, Belle?"

Anabelle whipped her head to see Derek trying to sit at the edge of the bed. He was panting as he struggled to move his body.

"Hold on, be careful," Anabelle said softly, going over to help, "You don't wanna strain yourself even more."

"I'm fine," Derek told her. But he still let her help him sit up. "Thanks." When looked up at her, his eyes softened. "You came back."

"Yeah. Cora came to see me in San Diego and told me about your plan to go up against Deucalion. And I couldn't let you fight him by yourself. No matter how idiotic you are."

"Cora went and saw you?" Derek asked in disbelief. Anabelle nodded her head, making the alpha shake his own. "Well that explains the dent in my bumper."

They both chuckled until Anabelle's eyes widened. "Shit, everyone thinks you're dead. I have to go call Scott-"

"No." Derek grabbed his mate's hand before she could reach for her phone. "At least not yet. I don't wanna stress any of them out right now."

"You don't think letting them know you're alive would take off the stress?"

"Just… not yet, Anabelle. Both of us just need to breathe and heal a bit longer. I'll call Scott once we're one hundred percent. I promise."

There was no use in arguing with Derek at the moment. Sighing, Anabelle walked over to across the bed. Her back slid down the pillar that was there until she was sitting on the floor, knees brought up to her chest.

Both of them knew what was coming next. Neither could avoid it for long. It was going to be difficult for them to so vulnerable, even to each other. Especially to each other. None of them offered to be the first to speak up though. Cora was right- they were both way too stubborn for their own good. And that needed to change if they were going to get anywhere with each other.

"How did you know where I was gonna be?" Anabelle finally asked after what felt like hours of silence.

"It's the seventeenth," Derek answered simply. One of Anabelle's eyebrows rose. "Every month on the seventeenth, you go to the cemetery to see your parents and change their flowers. White peonies. You always go no matter what. I knew today wasn't going to be any different."

"That's very… observant of you."

Shrugging his shoulders, Derek smirked. "You tend to notice every single detail of the one that means the most to you." He frowned. "I also heard you crying from miles away."

"I wasn't crying," Anabelle tried to play off. Key word, tried. "I just had something in my eye."

"Liar."

The she-wolf rolled her eyes. "Obviously, I was crying, Derek. I literally watched you die twenty feet below me. That's enough to traumatize anyone. By the way, you're an asshole for that."

Well that wasn't what Derek was expecting to hear. But he let Anabelle continue.

"I was supposed to be the one to die," she said, "Why the hell did you push me out of the way?"

"Because I know you would have done the same thing for me," Derek answered.

Talk about deja vu. He would use her own line against her. Jerk. "Sometimes I really hate you."

"No, you don't," Derek said after reading her mind.

"No… no, I don't."

Silence filled the air once again. But this time it was Derek's turn to make the first move much to Anabelle's relieve.

"Anabelle, I'm really sorry for what I said," he apologized, "I was angry and it just slipped out. I didn't mean to call you insecure. You didn't deserve that."

"Yes, I did," Anabelle said. She looked up at him and he looked taken aback. "You were right, Derek. All I do is run when things get hard. I ran after the fire, after killing Rosalie's mother… and I proved you right even more by running away from you that night. Everything I found out about us was too much for me to take in. I didn't know how else to react."

"But you did come back," Derek reminded her, "And I know it wasn't just because of Deucalion. You know it too."

Shaking her head, Anabelle tucked a loose curl behind her ear. "The truth is is that I still don't know how to feel about this whole mating thing. Why didn't you tell me about it before?"

"Believe me, Anabelle, I've wanted to tell you so many times. You have no idea how hard it was for me to keep it from you this whole time. But I couldn't. I wasn't allowed to." This just seemed to confuse Derek's mate even more. "When two mates are ready for their bond to become solid, the male or the alpha has to give their partner the bite, also known as claim them. But in order for it to be a genuine bond, both of them had to forgive themselves for past traumas. Their hearts had to completely heal for the claiming part to work. So basically, you had to figure it out for yourself.

"You see, I knew there was going to be a very strong possibility that you were not going to fully forgive yourself for what happened in Italy. And not even for the fire. And even if you did find out the natural way, I also knew you weren't going to want this bond. I didn't want you to feel forced into this. But that didn't mean I would never do my part to take care of you. Make sure you were happy. I know I failed on that so many times. For that, I really am sorry. I'll never stop trying to take care of you though, Belle."

Wow. Stunned world probably be the word Anabelle would use to describe how she felt now. Just when she thought she knew everything she needed to know about mates, there was always something else. Now she really didn't know what to think.

"Do you really not want this?" Derek asked when she didn't say anything.

He didn't sound angry. Instead, he seemed defeated. Like he was losing this war he had been fighting in for months. Years even.

"It's not that, Derek," Anabelle sighed, "I won't deny that I do have feelings for you. They're actually so strong and that's why it makes me nervous."

"What kind of feelings?" Derek asked, "Tell me."

"I… I can't," Anabelle said, "If I tell you, it becomes real. It means I'm giving you all of the power to hurt me. Say we do become bonded. I don't want us to be one or two years down the road when one day, you wake up and realize that this isn't want you want. That I'm not what you want. I don't know if you can back out of a mating bond or not. But I don't want you resenting me or yourself for staying with me because you have to. I don't want to prevent you from being with someone better… someone that could make you happier."

That was when it dawned on Derek. "You don't think I want this."

In that moment, she looked so small. Her eyes were trying to be on literally anything else but him. She was gripping onto the sleeves of her top so hard that her knuckles turned white. The tension in her body was very obvious and Derek thought she was going to pull a muscle from being so stiff.

Words didn't need to be said. Anabelle's silence was answer enough and it made his heart clench. She still didn't believe that she was worthy enough of having love. What was even more unbelievable was that she didn't think she was worthy enough of him. If anything, Derek was the one who didn't deserve her. That wasn't going to change the way he felt about her though.

If only Derek could just make her see that… there had to be something he could do to prove to Anabelle that he was fully committed to this.

An idea then popped into his head. "Come here."

Anabelle's furrowed at the request, but Derek just nodded his head to let her know that it was okay. Slowly, she stood up and walked over to where he was. She sat down on the bed beside him, keeping a foot of distance between them.

"Give me your hand," Derek instructed. She slid her hand into his. He placed her hand over his heart. Anabelle was still unsure of what he was doing. "I want you to look right at my face and focus on my heartbeat. Nothing else."

She nodded her head. At that moment, green eyes met light brown. He took a deep breath.

"I am in love with you, Anabelle Lynn Fierro."

There was a small hitch in the she-wolf's breath. Both of them suddenly became very nervous. She didn't say anything so Derek kept going.

"Before I even knew we were mates, I've always loved you," he told Anabelle, "It may have taken me over twenty years to figure it out, but there's no doubt in my mind that you're the one I want to grow old with. There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do for you, bond or no bond. And I will spend every moment for the rest of my life proving to you that I want this more than anything. Because I really want this, Anabelle. I want you… I want us." He kept her hand on his chest, cherishing her touch just in case this was the end of the road. "What do you feel?"

Swallowing down the lump in her throat, Anabelle looked down at her hand to concentrate. "Steady heartbeat."

"No skips, no hesitation," Derek confirmed, "Just the god honest truth. I don't take this lightly, Anabelle. I love you more than life itself. In fact, you're the only thing that makes life worth living. And I don't wanna live it without you."

Just when he went to remove his hand from on top of hers, Anabelle caught his wrist. It took Derek by surprise, especially when she repeated his actions and placed his hand over her own heart. There eyes locked again once more. In hers, nervousness was still present, but there were no lies detected by Anabelle's heartbeat when she spoke.

"I'm in love with you too, Derek Samuel Hale."

Said alpha's eyes grew wide when he tuned into the steadiness of her heartbeat. "You really mean that."

"I do," Anabelle nodded, "And I'm so sorry it took me so long to get to this point and for fighting it along the way. Also for slapping the shit out of you." They both laughed. "When you fell with Ennis yesterday, Derek… I was so fucking scared that I had lost you for good. That's why I tried so hard to deny how I feel for you. Because I was scared that once I realized I love you, everything was going to fall apart."

Once again, Anabelle began to cry. This time, Derek was there to wipe her tears away. She quivered underneath his touch.

"I'm still scared."

"You don't have to be scared with me," Derek assured her softly. He rubbed her cheek with his thumb. "I'm not going anywhere." He held his pinky finger up, just like he did when they were younger. "I promise."

Anabelle couldn't help but laugh at the small notion. It still didn't stop her from locking their pinkies together. The smile started to disappear when Derek stared at her intensely. Soon enough, both of them leaned towards each other, their lips finally coming together in the middle. Derek's hand slid up to cradle his mate's face as they kissed deeply. On the inside, both of their wolves yipped excitedly as the lovers finally came together. It was the moment they had been waiting for for way too long, and it just felt too good to be true.

Their lips parted to catch their breaths but they kept their foreheads pressed together. Anabelle rested her hand on Derek's cheek, taking it all in.

"Am I dreaming?" she whispered.

Derek shook his head. "It's real, Belle. All of this is real."

This finally persuaded Anabelle to relieve all of the tension in her body and allow herself to sink into her mate's lips again. Their hands held onto each other's faces as if they had to keep touching their lover to remind themselves that this was in fact real. That it wasn't just a dream. But it felt like a dream in the best possible way and neither of them were ready to wake up from it anytime soon.

Slow and steady quickly became fast and passionate. Derek's hands went down to the she-wolf's waist to bring her body closer to him so he could hold her tightly. Kissing her like his life depended on it, he started to untie the knot at the bottom of Anabelle's top, almost painstakingly slow. He then shoved the material off of her shoulders to show herself to him fully.

Compared to their first time together, the intimacy was much more intense. They could feel it in the air, not like it was a bad thing. It did make Anabelle feel nervous like she was a virgin again. A part of her wanted to cover herself up but once Derek started kissing the curve between her neck and shoulder, she was able to finally relax. Anabelle threaded her fingers through his raven black hair and sighed in content when he kissed every inch of her skin. Derek came back up to place his lips back on hers, never wanting to part from them ever again. Resting his hands on her back, he lowered her down onto the bed, not once breaking their kiss.

As his hands went down to her jeans, it was now Anabelle's turn to pepper kisses along his neck. The feeling of her soft lips being so feather light on his skin almost made Derek lose his focus as his fingers fidgeted with the button on her jeans. He was able to get it undone along with the zipper. Then he pulled them and her thong down Anabelle's legs, keeping his eyes locked onto hers. For some reason he was pretty shaky as well. The nerves were getting to him too despite that this was not their first time together. Derek just did not want to mess things up this time. Neither of them did. But each time he looked into Anabelle's bright eyes that seemed to shine even more when they looked back at him, it just reassured him that everything was going to be okay. More than okay.

God, she was so fucking beautiful. And unlike the last time, Derek wanted to take his time with her. He kissed her for a few more moments before his lips went back to neck. Then he went down her shoulder to her breast. He kissed all around the mound before taking her nipple into his mouth. Anabelle moaned lightly, her fingers still in his hair as his tongue circled her nipple. Already she could feel pleasure shoot down to her core from Derek's actions. He repeated the same thing on her other breast before placing long kisses down her body.

When he got down to Anabelle's private area, Derek pushed her thighs apart so he could see her glistening for him. There was no denying that she wanted it just as badly as he did. And Derek was ready to give it to her. He kissed just above her pubic bone before doing the same to the inside of her thighs. Anabelle almost wanted to grab the back of his head and push it towards the place she needed the most attention. But just like Derek, Anabelle wanted this moment to last. Thankfully it didn't take the alpha long to finally get his mouth on that dripping wet area.

"Ohh…"

The long drawn out moan that escaped from Anabelle's mouth spurred her mate on. He started licking and sucking at her like he would die without it. Just like he always thought, Anabelle really did taste just as sweet as her scent was. It was so euphoric and Derek wanted as much of it on his tongue as he could get. When he looked up at the she-wolf, her head was tilted back into the sheets and her chest was moving up and down. Her moans just kept getting louder and more high-pitched. Derek could go down on her all day if that meant he could watch this gorgeous woman writhe underneath his touch.

Him adding his fingers into the mix sent Anabelle's heart into overdrive. She propped herself up on her elbows so she could see everything. From Derek lapping at her clit to his fingers thrusting in and out of her… fuck, how was this man so perfect? And judging by his gaze on her, Anabelle knew that he was loving every second of this too.

It was now his turn to feel good. Sitting up, the she-wolf tugged on Derek's hair so he could come up to kiss her again. His mate worked on getting his jeans and boxers off of his hips. As soon as his erection was free from its confines, Anabelle reached down and began to jerk him up and down. Derek was already achingly hard so feeling her soft hand on him had him groaning into her shoulder. She nibbled on his earlobe, making him shudder and his hips flexed on their own accord into her had. The way Anabelle twisted her hand over his dick had his head spinning. And when she rubbed her thumb around the tip so she could smear the pre cum that was leaking out, he could have shifted right there.

Even the simplest movements from her was more than what Derek could handle. He wanted her so bad. No, he needed her.

After pushing her back so she was laying down once again, Derek hovered over her body. Their eyes locked when he rubbed the head of his dick up and down her gushing folds. It made Anabelle's breath catch in the back of her throat and she was about ready to beg him to get inside her. The alpha used her slick essence to lubricate himself, not that he really needed it anyway. Guiding his erection down, he pushed himself inside her and with one snap of his hips, he was buried to the hilt. Anabelle grabbed onto his shoulders for dear life as she moaned at the penetration.

Neither of them moved right away. Instead, they continued to gaze at each other with so much emotion in their eyes. Anabelle stroked Derek's face, fingers light to the touch.

"I love you so much, Derek," she whispered.

Her mate kissed her on the lips. "I love you too, Anabelle."

Then he proceeded to roll his hips into hers, starting off slow yet deep. All throughout the loft, their heavy breathing and loud panting echoing in the air. Their foreheads were pressed together on the rare moments their lips weren't locked together. Derek had one hand on her lower back while the other fisted the sheets above her head. Anabelle hooked her arms underneath his, still holding onto his shoulders. One particular thrust had her letting out a shriek, making him smirk like he was proud of himself for getting that reaction out her. Anabelle couldn't even pretend anymore that she had basically become putty underneath this man. Plus, the way Derek's pelvis ground against her clit was driving her insane.

But she still liked being in control sometimes too.

Derek was confused at first when Anabelle gently pushed him off of her. For a second he thought he did something wrong until she was the one straddling him. She sunk herself onto his erect dick, biting her lip when she was filled up once again. Dark chocolate brown curls had fallen out of her hair tie, creating what looked like a lion's mane around her face. It was absolutely beautiful to see and Derek couldn't believe how fortunate he was to have this woman riding him so effortlessly. His hands went to grab her hips but Anabelle had her own ideas. She grabbed his hands and placed them onto her round breasts so he could massage them.

By the way she was grabbing and touching him so freely, it was hard to believe that this was the same woman who hated him and irritated to no end just months ago. These two had gone through so much together their entire lives, not knowing what their future had in store for them. Now look where they were- making love to each other as if it was the end of the world. And if either of them were to part from the other, it might as well be.

Wrapping one arm around her waist, Derek carefully sat up so Anabelle was now seated in his lap. This allowed the alpha to keep his mate close to his chest and continue to thrust into her. Along with her still grinding on him, the sensation of them moving together was exhilarating. Derek could feel himself getting closer to the edge. The way Anabelle gripped onto the back of his head and whimpered uncontrollably in his ear indicated that she wasn't to far off either. He was so concentrated on getting her to that place of ecstasy he almost missed what Anabelle whispered.

"Claim me."

Did he just hear that right?

They had both stopped moving their hips to get a good look at each other. Anabelle's face, while blissed out, was serious. Derek's eyes widened as he processed what the she-wolf was asking of him.

"Are you sure?" he asked breathlessly.

Anabelle nodded. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life. You're my forever, Derek… I want you to make me yours."

"You've always been mine, Anabelle," Derek told her.

He cupped her cheek and pressed their lips together. When he moved Anabelle's hair to the side, she closed her eyes, waiting for what was to come. Like earlier, Derek kissed down her neck until he reached her bare shoulder. Anabelle's heart was practically beating out of her chest and it was making Derek hesitant only because he was afraid that she was second guessing this. But when he saw her nod her head at him, he knew that she was ready for this.

So he sunk his fangs into her shoulder.

Right when she felt his fangs pierce her skin, Anabelle threw her head back and let out a noise that was a cross between a cry and a moan. Her eyes turned electric blue as Derek's turned red, meaning the process of claiming was in effect. The feeling rushing through Anabelle's veins was almost indescribable. While there was a slight sharp pain, euphoria took over very fast. In fact, it was what triggered her orgasm and when Derek felt her squeeze around his dick, he was done for as well. Fangs still intact with his mate's shoulder, a groan ripped out from his throat as he spilled himself inside of her.

The mates trembled in each other's arms, letting the process take place as they let their orgasms subside. Anabelle practically collapsed in his arms since she had felt the impact the hardest. But Derek was there to keep her upright. And he wasn't ready to let her go any time soon.

Blood coated Derek's lips and teeth when he finally detached himself from Anabelle's shoulder. It should have grossed the she-wolf out, but it didn't seem to bother her at all. She just wiped the blood away with her thumb before kissing the love of her life for the millionth time that night. If this was how life was going to be with Derek, then Anabelle going to savor every single moment they shared together.

Being bitten had caused Anabelle to become very sleepy so Derek had covered her up with a blanket and let his mate drift off into a peaceful slumber. He still wasn't quite tired yet, which was surprising given everything that had happened over the course of a couple days. So for the past hour or so, Derek sat on the edge of the bed, stealing glimpses of the woman asleep behind him every so often:

He still couldn't believe it… she was his. After all this time of pining and pathetically wishing that she would learn their destiny, Anabelle was finally his. The fresh bite mark on her shoulder was proof enough that their bond was actually solidified. Inside Derek could feel his wolf jumping for joy. Honestly, he was even more excited than he expected to be. He was over the moon.

Never did Derek think he would ever be lucky in love. Take a look at his horrible dating history with Paige and Kate. Over the years, his perspective on romance was slowly dwindling down. What he had with Anabelle was something entirely different than your typical romance. This was something extraordinary, something most people only dreamed of having. Derek was in love with his childhood best friend. And she was in love with him back. All of the heartbreak they had both faced in their life had led them to this very moment. It was… surreal. The smile hadn't been able to disappear from Derek's face and he didn't care how stupid he looked. Nothing could take this from him. Ever.

A hand touched his arm and he turned his head to see Anabelle reaching over his heart. Her chin rested on his shoulder as she looked at him with those eyes that have found their light again.

"Is everything okay?" she asked softly.

Derek placed his hand over hers and smiled. "Everything's perfect."

Returning the smile, Anabelle leaned in to capture her mate's lips. Derek's hand reached back to caress her cheek as he deepened the kiss.

Neither of them seemed to notice all of their wounds on their bodies healing. Maybe after they settled down from their night full of love and passion they would finally realize it. But until then, they were going to wrap themselves in each other again and again.

After 21 chapters, they're finally together! Yay! I'm so excited for the plans I have for these two! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! PLEASE leave a review and let me know what you think! Also please check out the other two stories in the saga, Awake and Alive and Scars! Reviews keep me motivated to update faster but I will still write regardless. I'll be sure to update soon! Xoxo, Maddie