Leo stared at Sara as she picked flowers intended for her nest. Miiiineeeee, his beast rumbled in his chest. Miiine. He couldn't help but agree with the monster. Sara was his. Is his. Will forever continue to be his.

He knew from the moment that he met her that they were meant to be together. The exact moment. He did not have to look upon her face or her body to understand this. For his beast to claim her. Her scent was enough. When he was gifted the beauty of her viasage, his heart swelled and that was when he accepted his afte of being bound to her for eternity.

Truly, the moment he met her it reminded him of his romance novels. Although he was not a dashing prince or warrior, his strength and heart were that of both. He belived in soul mates and knew that they were meant to be. Still though, when he was resolutely ready to let her go and free her from him, he hadn't been to certain if destiny would work out. She was his but that did not mean that they would live and love together.

His beast howled mournfully at the memories of leaving their mate and Leo caught himself unconsciously rubbing at the center of his bare chest trying to relive the sharp ache present there.

At that moment his Sara chose to look up. He was taken aback by her beauty and grace once more. Exactly like he had when he first met her. Her brown eyes shined at him with wonderment and pure joy, her smile causing her mouth to twist up at the sides in a delightful display of her happiness.

IN that moment, Leo was not sure what brought on the thought, but he imagined his beautiful Sara's petite body rounded with their young. Her heart-shaped face would be more filled out and her body would be glowing with beauty and vitality. He groaned silently, his cock instantly hard. However, that was not what drew his attention. What held his attention was the fact that all offspring of New Species looked exact replicas of their fathers. Their poor child would have a tail and a flat nose. He would have animal-like eyes and nothing of his mother. The thought of the child looking exactly like him did not cause repulsion but rather sadness. His child would have his mother's love but none of her features. None of her beauty and grace and her stunning brown eyes.

He closed his eyes momentarily, mourning the lack of likness his child would bare toward his mother. He did not want to appear weak infront of Sara and therefore willed his pained, crunched-up facial expression into one that he hoped was neutrality and opened his eyes once more.

When he opened them, his spotted his Sara standing just a few feet from him, her arms filled with varying colors of flowers with her signature bright smile in place. At the look of pure joy plastered in her facial expression, Leo could not help but lose himself in her joy. He too smiled.

Leo lifted his hand out toward his Sara but then realized that it was a mistake given that her arms were full of flowers from her nest. He took a second for himself to redirect his thoughts away from their nest and mating bed and quickly gave up given the fact that they would soon be in that exact space.

He opened his eyes and took the one stride needed to reach out to his mate and once he was in front of her, he lifted her into his arms. Leo marveled at the small size of her and how little she weighed. It should not have come as a shock to him since it was no the first time she had been in his arms, however, the thought of her pregnant must have made him subconsciously worry about her size.

No need to worry, he thought to himself while heading out of the meadow and toward his home, my Sara, my mate, is a fighter.

Hey guys! I know that this one is short but I find that it is easier to write short sections and post them quickly (a few days apart) as opposed to long sections and it taking me a few weeks to post a longer section. I am not sure when I will post next because the next part should be long but I'm hoping within the next week since I already started it!

Sneak Peek of the Next Chapter: Nest, food, and the bi *cough* making love really since this is Leo, the gentle romantic, we are talking about *cough*