Hey guys! Back from my cruise and figured I owed you an update :)

Hope you enjoy!

Damon's POV

Ever since I'd been sent to wait out my sentence with the Chicago Pack, I'd passed the time by imagining the moment I would finally see Elena again.

I knew that it would be a hard adjustment for her, coming to terms with what she was now...what I was, but I also knew that when I was finally able to explain to her the reasons behind my actions, she would understand.

Elena's compassion and love was unlike anything I'd ever known, and she loved me more than I ever would have thought was possible.

She loved me enough to spend the rest of her life with me, so I was certain that she would find a way to forgive my idiocy.

She just needed the time first.

Time to come to terms with her new life, to get used to being part of a Pack, to learn how to trust Alaric before she found out he'd been planning on killing her for my mistake.

But during my first week home, I came to the realization that things weren't going to be that simple.

Elena was going to extreme steps to avoid me.

Her heightened sense of smell gave her warning each time I was near, and she would disappear before I could even get a word out.

Her eyes never found mine, and she spent more time locked up the room Alaric had given her than any new wolf had to be comfortable with.

Time, I kept telling myself.

She would just need some more time, then I could explain everything.

After all, she would know the histories by now.

She would know that she was the only female to ever survive...it was natural that she would want nothing to do with me, knowing the risk I took with her life.

But with time, maybe she would let me explain.

"Just talk to her," Alaric told me on my fourth night back.

We were outside on the patio, after Elena had retreated upstairs once I'd come out to find them.

"It's not that simple," I frowned at him, looking up to where I knew her window was, "She doesn't want to listen yet."

"She asked me to let you come back," he reminded me, "She wants you here, Damon."

"But I hurt her," I sighed, lowering my voice, "And as far as she knows, I basically killed her. She isn't going to be forgetting that any time soon."

"She will if you tell her the truth."

I knew he was right, of course.

Telling Elena the truth seemed like it would solve the biggest issue she had with me.

But there was still the fact that I'd lied to her...or perhaps not exactly lied, but keeping the fact that I could turn into a giant dog from her seemed pretty damn close to being untruthful.

Then I'd gone and brought her here, to Pack land.

Because I'd been living in a stupid dream where somehow I expected the Pack could accept me being with her while also keeping her in the dark.

Sure, maybe I didn't deliberately choose to put her in danger, but through my ignorance and arrogance, I'd caused the same outcome.

She was in this mess because of me.

Because for some reason, I'd let a little human girl wrap me so tightly around her finger that I couldn't bear to live without her.

My reckless tendencies had finally nailed my ass good, and Elena was paying the consequences for it.

So sure, maybe she could forgive me for turning her, for taking that chance, but it wouldn't have even been necessary, if I hadn't of brought her here in the first place.

That was one was on me.

"Damon."

Alaric's voice called me back, and I shook my head.

"I'll figure it out," I told him, "But for now, I'll give her the space she wants. I won't force anything else on her."

His eyes searched my face, as if trying to read something more in my expression, but eventually, he nodded, "Alright. But it will be better for her to know. She may tolerate the rest of us, but she loves you. Knowing you are on her side will comfort her."

I nodded, but focused on the tenderness of his voice.

It was something that had been missing for quite some time...since I was a child.

"You care about her," I guessed, crooking my head as I stared at him.

My Alpha paused, his lip turning slightly, "I do. She's a special creature, Damon. And she's part of me and mine now. Family, whether she knows it yet or not."

"Special," I turned the word over. Elena certainly was that.

"You know her anger may be directed at you," I warned him, "When she learns the truth. I don't see her swallowing the fact that you had planned to kill her with much grace."

"I know," he said soundly, "And she will feel whatever she feels. But it will be much easier for her to be angry at me, than it is for her to be angry at you. As I said, it's better if she knows the truth."

I nodded, "Later."

"Later," he agreed, and let the topic drop as the moon peeked from behind the clouds, casting the back yard in a faded illumination.

"Why don't we go for a run," he suggested, "I could use the stretch, and you could clear your head."

I smirked a little, "Thanks. But all I've had to do for the past few months is make runs and listen to Oscar complain about the lack of fresh game in Chicago."

Alaric chuckled a little, then patted my shoulder, "Very well. Let me know if you change your mind."

Another nod and he left me to the night, choosing perhaps to go find one of the others.

I however, remained on the back patio.

My eyes lifted again to Elena's bedroom window.

If I focused hard enough, I could hear the faint sound of her steady breathing, hinting that sleep had found her.

The noise was so peaceful, my chest ached with the urge to see her.

I wondered how much shit I would catch from the guys if I just sat outside her room tonight.

Probably enough to ruin the whole purpose of being near Elena.

Instead, I opted for the roof.

In a move that was well practiced, I climbed the short wall that circled the patio, and used it to propel myself high enough to grasp the edge of the low hanging shingles.

Then with all the stealth of the wolf I was, I quietly pulled my body up onto the thing, and climbed until I was near Elena's bedroom.

If I peered through the glass, I knew I would be able to see her, curled up on her bed, lost to what I hoped were happy dreams.

But I didn't want to invade her privacy in that way, especially when she'd already had to give up so much of it by going through the Change.

So I sat to the left of the glass instead, propping by back against the area where the roof extended to cover the window, and I closed my eyes.

Elena's breathing was the same as ever, and now I could even hear her heartbeat, if I tried.

The steady rhythm of it lulled me into a peaceful rest that was so much better than anything sleep could bring.

My heart was hers, and it was finally beating normally again.

It was late by the time I made it back to the Manor.

The training session with the Pack sons had lasted longer than I'd originally anticipated, and the sky had turned dark.

I walked through the back door, behind the group of boys, Klaus and Stefan beside me.

"Not bad, overall," My brother said, "Nick could still use some work on the sparring, but they're doing better."

I nodded my agreement, "We'll pick up on it again tomorrow. For now, we could all use the rest."

"Agreed," Klaus said, his eyes searching the rooms as we walked through them, until we reached the living room, where Tyler and Caroline sat playing with her two sons.

He gave me a parting look before joining them.

Michael noticed him first, "Dad!"

The blonde haired boy jumped up and Klaus took him into his arms before offering his mate a kiss, "Have you eaten?"

She nodded, "Everyone's fed and ready for bed. But I promised him he could wait for you."

Michael hugged his father as Caroline turned to me, "Elena's upstairs giving the twins a bath."

I nodded, "And the others?"

"I think Bonnie and Mason were playing catch up in their bedroom, and Ric and George are downstairs."

I thanked her, then motioned to the three young males, who'd fallen into discussion with Tyler, "You should probably be getting to your rooms. Tomorrow morning is going to come early and we still have a lot of work to do."

They nodded and started to move toward the stairs, when I called out for the youngest, "Nicholas."

He paused, "Yeah?"

I motioned for Tyler and the others to continue on, before saying, "My son will be training with us again tomorrow. I want to pick up with the sparring match that got interrupted this morning. Instructive only, nothing physical."

"Yes, sir."

I took a step closer to him, "Skylar will know better than to interrupt this time. But if you bare your teeth at me or one of my children again, I'll have your fur as a rug. Understood?"

The male's skin paled out a little, but he nodded and answered, "Yes, Alpha."

"Good. Then you can go."

He seemed all too relieved to be dismissed.

I didn't linger in the room, figuring that Klaus would want some time with his family, and the faster I finished up down here, the faster I could get to mine.

I made my way to the kitchen, grabbing a sandwich before heading toward the basement.

As Caroline said, Alaric and George were at the bottom.

The room was much more organized now than it had been in the past, thanks to my mate and her blonde best friend.

Files and categories were legible now, and in neat rows on the shelves.

Alaric had a few of them open in front of him though, and was frowning.

"Do I want to ask," I announced myself, and he and George both looked up.

My former Alpha offered a forced smile, "Nothing pressing. I just thought I'd run through the information we had on file again, see if I could dig up anything on the Mutt's near Arizona that could relate to the Order, since that's where the shop was that you and Mason found."

"Not a bad idea," I told him, "I have Richard running security on the area, but so far nothing's come up. Sheila Bennett also promised to relay any information she finds, but the witches haven't heard much about the Order since their so-called extermination."

Ric nodded, "Yeah. There's not much to go on here either. Hardly any of the Mutts we have documented, past or present, frequent the Phoenix area, and they few that do aren't anything special. I doubt they'll know anything."

I sighed, "Right. Send their names to Richard anyway, would you? Won't hurt to at least question them."

As Alaric pulled out his cell to do as I asked, George lifted his chin, "Is it possible that the Order is extinct? All the witches seem to think so. Perhaps someone else is ghosting under their name?"

"I suppose it's possible," I admitted, "But we literally have almost nothing to go on. Rumors started it, and that trail died off with the Mutt Richard got the info from. There is no way to know who or what this is."

"But they want the twins," George murmured.

"So the rumors said," I told him, "And that lovely little death powder encounter makes me think there might be some truth to it. But there's nothing we can do until we know more. So we're going to keep to our lives, stay alert, and wait for the next breadcrumb. I promised Elena we'd stop chasing white rabbits."

George gave me a sympathetic look, having known me long enough to know how much I hated not being able to take immediate action against a threat.

But what else could we do?

"Richard said he's on it," Alaric replied a moment later, then pocketed his phone, "He'll let you know as soon as they track down the Mutts."

I nodded, "Alright, thank you. Are the two of you going to be down here much longer?"

"No, we'll probably head up soon," Ric admitted, checking his watch, "It's getting late."

"Yeah. I'm going to go up and help Elena put the kids to bed," I said, "Lock this door behind you? Last thing we need is Michael and Daniel getting curious and trying to play with the...tools."

"Sure thing," George promised, and I told them both goodnight before heading upstairs to find my mate.

The twins had finished with their bath, and were in their bedroom with their mother, getting dressed in their pajamas.

"I don't care if you want the red one," Elena was saying, "It's not clean. You can wear it tomorrow after I wash it."

Skylar pouted some, but took the shirt her mother gave her and put it on, while Daniel jumped on his bed in nothing more than his underwear.

"Everyone being good in here?"

All three pairs of eyes turned to me, "Yes," my children said together, halting their jumping and complaining.

Elena smiled gratefully at me and I walked in.

"Why don't we try to get to some sleep, yeah? And maybe we can go to the park in town tomorrow?"

"The big park?" Skylar asked, excitedly.

I nodded, and she and her brother cheered, "Yes!"

"But you have to get in bed," I told them, to which they immediately obeyed, jumping under the blankets.

Elena chuckled, picking some night pants off the counter, "Here, Danny, put these on first."

Daniel took them from her and slid them into place as she shook her head.

"I've got this, kitten," I told her, placing a hand on the small of her back, "Why don't you go get ready for bed. I'll come find you once they're tucked in."

"You sure?" she asked, and I nodded, "Yeah. I can get them in bed."

She nodded and pressed a gentle kiss to my jaw in gratitude, "I'll see you in a minute."

She said goodnight to the twins then, offering them both a hug and kiss before leaving the room.

I smiled, moving to sit down on Skylar's bed first, "Goodnight baby."

She reached up to hug me and I placed a kiss on her dark hair.

It was so much like her mother's, falling to her mid back now, reminding me of how fast my young were growing.

"I love you," I told her.

"Love you too, Daddy."

With a final kiss and tuck of the blanket, I went over to Daniel's bed.

"You did really good today," I told him, "What do you think about trying again tomorrow?"

His smile was answer enough, "I can practice with you and the other guys again?"

"If you think you're up for it."

"Yes!" he assured me with a grin, "I want to."

"Can I practice too?" Skylar asked from across the room.

I glanced over at her.

"It's for boys," Daniel said, "Not girls."

Skylar's nose scrunched in the same way Elena's does when she was about to give a good lashing and I intervened.

"It's not just for boys," I told him firstly, "There just aren't too many girl wolves, so we mostly have boys. And Sky…"

I took in my daughter's hopeful face, and had to smile a little.

"I suppose you could come practice too, but not until Friday, okay? I want you to work on your magic with your mother."

She seemed to ponder the compromise, then asked, "How come Danny doesn't have to work on magic all the time?"

"Because I'm good at magic," Daniel said sternly, "I don't need practice."

As much as I knew I should probably scold him for the smug tone, it was true.

Daniel had taken to his powers as if it was second nature to him.

The same way Skylar had taken to being a wolf.

It was also one of the reasons I had them in the position I did.

They needed to work to strengthen the places in which they were weaker.

"Don't be mean," I told Daniel, "But he's right, Skylar. He needs more wolf practice and you need more magic practice. At least for now."

"But I can practice with you on Friday?" she clarified.

I nodded, "Absolutely. But you have to do whatever I tell you, alright?"

"I promise!" she nodded, smiling now.

And now that that issue was settled…

"Good. Now try to get some sleep if you want to go to the park tomorrow, okay?"

They both nodded, and I tucked Daniel in, "Goodnight, son."

He hugged me and Skylar blew me one more kiss before I made my way to the door.

"Sweet dreams," I told them, then turned off the light.

Elena continued to avoid me over the next few days, but at least we moved to the point that she didn't bolt each time I walked into the room, and I was able to at least get a good glance at her.

She looked the same as I remembered.

Beautiful, with fiery red streaks in her long dark hair, and a perfectly tight body.

But the way she moved was different.

If I left enough space between us for her not to feel threatened by my presence, I could watch her without interrupting whatever she was doing.

I liked to watch her.

The wolf was evident in every twist of her body, from the way she walked to the way she tackled Enzo for the television remote, to the way she ate.

The most primal part of myself loved seeing these changes in her, knowing they were a testament to the animal within, but then her eyes would fleetingly land on mine, and her entire expression would shift to one of loathing anger.

It was a hard look to see in those doe eyes of hers, especially considering the way she used to look at me, but I suppose I'd better get used to it.

Because I'd come to a decision about that talk I was supposed to be having with her about the truth.

A truth that I had realized she could never know.

The revelation had crushed me like a ten ton weight, but my heart finalized it before my mind could change.

Elena, despite what had happened to her, was finding a way to be happy.

I watched her with my Pack and saw something I'd never seen in her before.

Contentment.

She'd ached her entire life for a family. A place to belong, and she'd found it here with our Pack brothers...and with our Alpha.

That was the deciding factor for me.

Watching her interact with Alaric and seeing the trust she held for him in those bright eyes.

I couldn't take that away from her.

Not for a reason so selfish.

Elena, my little orphaned human who'd been lost in the world had finally found her family.

She'd found the parent she'd always craved.

And Alaric loved her the same.

I could tell in the way he watched over her, advised her, tenderly patted her shoulder in encouragement or comfort, or just generally spent time with her.

He'd stepped into that role in her life, the same as he had for me, and I knew how lost I would have been without him.

I couldn't shatter Elena's image of him, no matter what it meant for me.

Despite what Alaric thought, I wasn't what she needed most.

This was.

This bond with her new family would be what kept her anchored, it was what kept her in control and made her able to tackle this hellstorm that my actions had forced her into.

She needed to be able to trust the Pack; trust Alaric.

Because without that trust, I was all that she had.

The part of my wolf that wanted its mate was perfectly okay with that.

Throwing Ric under the bus to redeem myself in Elena's eyes, but she had always had a way of bringing out my humanity.

And my humanity knew that I alone wasn't enough.

I had forced her into this situation, and somehow she'd ended up with something she'd always needed.

It wasn't fair for me to rip it all away.

I loved her too much.

And she loved me too; I know it. It's why she was as angry as she was; as hurt.

I would find another way to earn her forgiveness.

We were both wolves now, and I had nothing but time.

I could wait.

'Elena?" I asked, walking into our empty bedroom.

"In here," her voice came from the bathroom and I walked over to lean against the door jam.

Elena was in nothing but a towel, damp hair falling around her shoulders, cascading down her back, as she leaned over the sink, brushing her teeth.

"Hey," she offered, spotting me, then rinsing out her mouth as she finished up.

"Hey," I addressed back, eyeing her in lazy strokes.

Her gaze caught mine in the mirror, "The twins asleep?"

"Laying down and tucked in," I promised, "They'll be asleep soon."

She nodded and picked up her hair brush, running in through the wet locks, "That's good. Were you wanting to take them to the Civic Center tomorrow? That's the park you were talking about, right?"

I nodded, and strolled into the room, moving toward her, "I figured we could go after practice tomorrow. We should be done around one or so."

"No all day lessons again," she teased a little.

I smiled and dropped a kiss to the side of her neck, "No, kitten, just us and the young tomorrow afternoon."

She sighed a little, falling back into my chest as she sat her brush down.

I held her, inhaling the scent of her skin, "I figured you wouldn't have any objections."

"I don't," she promised, and I kissed her shoulder, trailing my lips up to her earlobe, then back down.

She exhaled slowly, "You know, I think we fighting earlier."

I chuckled, "You want to go back to arguing?"

"No."

She turned in my arms then, and pressed her lips against mine, her hands moving up to my hair.

The towel fell from her body as I pulled her tightly against my chest and deepened our kiss.

This is what I'd been waiting for all day.

"Mhmm," she murmured, pulling back a little, "You need to shower first. You smell like dirt."

I groaned as she backed away, but complied when she gave me a quick kiss.

"I'll wait for you in the bedroom."

It was the fastest shower of my life.

True to her word, Elena was still in our room, and still blissfully naked when I entered, toweling the water from my body.

"Better?" I teased her, and she smiled, sitting on the edge of the mattress.

"Much."

I leaned down and kissed her shortly, but I could feel her hesitance, and after so long together, knew it meant that there was something on her mind.

"Are you sure you didn't want to finish our fight?"

Her eyes found mine as I pulled away, and she smiled, almost tiredly, "No, baby, I don't want to fight."

"But you want to talk."

She paused, then gave a small nod, and I sighed.

Knowing from experience that this was something I might as well embrace and get comfortable for, I moved to my side of the bed, grabbed my phone of the nightstand to plug into it's charger, and settled onto the mattress.

Elena took my lead, hitting the light before crawling into the bed with me, pulling the blanket over us.

Once she was settled, I started.

"Talk."

"You were right about Daniel," she said, her voice a calm hum in the darkness, "About him needing to be ready. I don't like it, but you're right. It's safer for the twins if they know how to protect themselves. But that means Skylar too. I get that Daniel has more responsibility on him, but it's not fair-"

"I already told Skylar she could participate."

Elena paused, then asked, "You did?"

I nodded, "She wants to learn, and I like the idea of her being able to protect herself too. But she also needs to focus more on learning to control her magic. It's as much a part of her as being a wolf is, and she needs to learn her limitations. I want her primary focus to be the magic, but I will let her join us off and on during the next few weeks for training. Starting Friday."

Elena was quiet for a moment, then I felt her nod, "Okay. Then Daniel should keep practicing his magic as well. I know he's basically got it under control, but we don't know how they might change as they get older."

"Agreed," I told her, and she sighed, "Good."

"Are we done now?" I teased her a little, reaching over to rest my hand on her side.

Elena's own hand found mine and laced our fingers together, "Not quite...there was one more thing."

I waited, but she didn't elaborate.

"Tell me."

Another moment of silence, then, "I love you Damon. So much. You are an amazing father, a strong and loyal Alpha, and the best husband I could have ever wanted..."

Her voice was thick, as if she were fighting off tears, and I frowned, "Elena-"

"But the entire time I've known you, it's always felt like there were two of you," she cut me off, "Or two sides of you...and lately you've made it harder for me to find a balance between them."

I wanted to ask her what she meant, but knew better than to rush an explanation.

Especially when she seemed genuinely upset.

So I squeezed her palm and waited.

"You flip personalities like you're two different people," she said after a second, "Even when I was human...it was like there was this part of you who I was in a relationship with that loved me, then there was this mysterious, jealous asshole. Obviously that came to make sense after I turned, but then it happened again. When you and I were together, you were different. I mean, we fought and bickered, and fucked, sure, but you were calmer in a way, more sympathetic and compassionate. But when we caught a Mutt, or got back with the Pack, or were under an order from Alaric, you switched to Enforcer mode, and I lost you…"

"You never lost me," I promised her, but she shook her head, dropping my hand, "Yeah I did. The part of you I loved and recognized would slip away into something else. A mindless torturer, a soldier who wouldn't think twice about murdering under command. And now that you're Alpha, and we have the twins…I see them losing you too. I see you change from their father to Pack Alpha, like a switch is hit, and they see it too..."

She trailed off and I swallowed, "What's your point, kitten?"

"This evening is my point," she said thickly, "Damon, I can love you as my husband and respect you as my Alpha, but for you there's no gray area. It's all or nothing. You don't know how to be my Alpha and my husband. You want to switch between the roles whenever it's convenient for you, and maybe my mistake was that I've let you for so long. Because now, with the twins, you can't do that, Damon. You can't be their father, then their Alpha. You have to be both; simultaneously. Just like you need to be with me. Another incident like today can't happen."

"If you mean what happened with Skylar, I-"

"I mean us," she cut me off, "I mean you pulling the Alpha card whenever I don't agree with you...I'm your wife, Damon, the mother of your children; your partner. I can't be beneath you."

"Elena," I sat up, "You know I didn't mean it like that. And you know that I would rather have the Pack at my side than at my feet any day. I'm not Giuseppe."

She sat up too, keeping the blankets wrapped against her, "I know, baby. I know this whole thing just sort of landed on you. I know how hard you've been working to change things for us, to move the Pack in a better direction and to keep us all safe, but this is more than about just the Pack. This is about our relationship. With each other and with the twins."

I stared at my mate through the darkness.

My wolf senses made her wet eyes all too noticeable, and I hated the fact that the tears were there because of me.

"What do you need me to do?" I asked her softly, reaching for her hand again.

Her gaze held mine and I saw her swallow, "I just need you to be my husband, Damon. Even when you're my Alpha. I need you to treat me like I'm your wife, not like I'm just another member of your Pack who should give submission whenever it's demanded. And when it comes to sex…"

I could feel the heat from the blush that colored her skin, "I don't want you using the Alpha against me. I like being able to choose my submission to you. Having you demand it...that doesn't work for me."

I waited a moment before answering her.

"Okay."

"Okay?" she pressed.

I nodded, squeezing her hand, "Okay."

She was quiet, as if waiting for more.

"Just okay? Nothing to add or input?"

I sighed, trying to align my thoughts before voicing them, "You know me, kitten, better than anyone. You know how much I fight with the wolf, and how much it controls. I know that you're right, about the personality thing. But it's not in the way you think."

"Explain it to me then."

Her fingers brushed against mine encouragingly, and I dropped my gaze to our hands, "I don't flip a switch to change from one way or another. It's not that it's black and white...it's just about who I'm with. Before I met you, I was on a default. The mindless soldier, as you put it. The Pack was my life, and I was okay with that. But I did meet you, and you changed me. You made me want more; want to be different, and when I was with you, I could be. But the Pack still needed me to be what I had always been. Enforcer. Cold. Ruthless. So I gave that to the wolf...and I gave you my humanity."

I looked back up at those bright doe eyes.

"Being Alpha now...it feels the same as it did then. I can give you and the young my heart; the best of me, but when it comes to Pack business, I have to be what I need to be to get things done. You aren't losing me, baby, I'm still right here. But when it comes to you, my wires have always gotten crossed. My wolf wants you as much as my humanity does and when that happens, incidents like today go down."

"I get lost in it," I sighed, "I don't mean to, but it happens. Then I have you there and I need you and then that temper of yours gets flying, my wolf wants your submission. Demands it. And the more you fight me for it, the more it wants it; wants you. Instinct takes over, and I'm sorry for that."

I brought her hand up to my mouth and kissed her skin, "I'm sorry. I never meant for you to feel like you were anything less than the love of my life. Because you are, kitten. You're my wife; my mate...my equal; first and foremost, I promise."

Elena let out a deep sigh, then she was climbing into my lap, her head coming to rest under my chin.

I wrapped my arms around her, letting her settle against me, before asking, "Are we okay?"

She nodded, "That was all I needed to know."

Sitting up some, she cupped my face in her hand and stroked my cheek with her thumb, "It baffles me that after all this time, I still feel like I'm figuring you out."

I smirked a little, "Got to keep things interesting, right?"

She laughed quietly, but shook her head, "I'm serious, Damon. I want to know these things...the way this stuff works in your head. I need to know. Otherwise I have to fill in the blanks myself."

I sighed and pressed our foreheads together, "No more blanks, kitten. I love you, and you and our children are the most important things in the world to me. More than my title, more than the Pack...that's why I have to separate the two in my mind. It's why I have to be husband then alpha, or alpha then father. I'll try to merge when necessary, but it's the only way I know to keep the balance."

Elena nodded a little, still stroking my face, "I know. I guess I just need the reminder occasionally, so I can find my own balance."

"Your balance is here," I told her, taking her hand and placing it over my heart, "Right here, kitten. This is where you stand, even when I'm in Alpha mode. You're my center; my grounding...there's no way you could ever be a simple Pack member to me. I love you too much."

She smiled, and brushed her lips against mine, "I love you too."

She kissed me again, then again, staying there in my lap, but I didn't make any moves to change our position.

Elena was right, and maybe I had been going to "Alpha" on her lately, especially when it came to our young, and to her body.

So tonight, I'd let her have the control.

I'd show her that I meant what I said.

I wouldn't be the male I was without her, and there was no way I could function as Alpha if she wasn't at my side.

It shamed me that I'd let her feel like anything less than the queen she was to me, and I planned on making that up to her now.

"Take me," I whispered against her mouth, "However you want me, baby. You call the shots."

She pulled away, as if my words had surprised her, and I smiled at the expression.

"Tonight, I'm yours to dominate," I promised her, then lifted my arms to prove my point.

Elena's lip curved and something sparked in her chocolate eyes.

Then her mouth was hard against my own, and we were falling back, hitting the bed with a thud.

If we weren't already naked, I'm sure my clothes would be a pile of shreds by now, and my dick throbbed.

Elena pinned my arms above my head, then reached through the blankets to grab my sensitive flesh.

I hissed against her lips when her hand wrapped around my erection, and stroked it.

Everything in me was screaming to flip her over, to dive between those perfect thighs of hers, or to take her on her hands and knees, but I resisted the urge.

Tonight was about what Elena needed.

"Sit up," she told me, and I complied, liking her demanding tone more than I thought I would.

She moved then so that she could align us, and in the next breath, she slid down onto me, her wet heat feeling like heaven.

Her hands dug into my shoulders as she rocked herself, and my arms wrapped around her body.

I buried my face in her neck as she rode me, and it only took a few moments to feel my climax build.

Elena moaned, and I grew harder at the sound, my dick just waiting for permission to spill inside of her.

I willed it to wait, to enjoy this, and then Elena's lips were at my ear.

"I'm going to mark you," she told me breathlessly, "Deep. So that tomorrow, everyone will see it and know who the Alpha submits to."

And, fuck, she bit me.

Right on the jugular in plain sight of all, my beautiful little mate sank her canines into my skin and claimed me.

I came with a shout that shook the room.

Let me know what you thought :)