Chapter 25

~Derek POV~

Walking down to the beach, I replayed last night for the eighteenth time. I'd been with three other women, and each had had its intensity, but none so like with Aaden. I felt her legs tightening around me again, her soft gasps in my ear, and her bare, heated skin against mine. She'd been the first virgin I'd ever had, and that had really made me wish I'd waited. Maybe then I wouldn't have slept with the evil entity that murdered my family. Rage welled up in me before I honed in on Aaden's gentle breathing. I didn't want to wake her with emotions.

Wrapping my jacket tighter around me, I stared out at the endless water. The sun was just beginning to come up, and the sky was streaked with purple from the previous night and orange from the coming day. I thought back again to Aaden. Before our marriage, she'd freaked out over being knocked up. I myself had never considered kids really, because most of them were pains in the ass anyway, but now that really didn't measure up to what I had thought prior to finding her. My first panicking thought was losing her. What if, like my family, she and any kids we may have burned down with our house? The pain leaked into my chest, but I quickly pushed it off. If I let it take over, Aaden would wake up and worry. She'll be just fine. No matter what the future holds. Somehow, I believed this. But what a weird thought. I could both picture and not picture a family. Although hazy, I could see Aaden, her eventual red eyes glistening as she adoringly looked down onto a little brunette baby's face. But I pushed the image away quickly. With this war, I had no idea how long I could promise her, and there was slim to no chance of survival. I was thankful though that with this, she hadn't pushed to become a mother so quickly. She understood that the war and pack came first right now.

Thinking of her again, I started walking back to the car. It was stupid to wake her, but I wanted her arms around me again. I'd heard that when you were first married, that honeymoon phase was almost strictly physical, but I'd never believed it until now. And with limited time to be so, why not take advantage?

Opening the door, I did my best to block the icy wind and quickly shut the door behind me. She lay comfortably on the seats, her eyes closed delicately. She was covered only by the thin blanket I'd thought to bring, and my jeans suddenly felt tighter. "Aaden," I murmured, squeezing onto the seats alongside her. I gently reached out and brushed her tangled hair from her face. "Hmm?" she sighed, stirring slightly and reaching out without opening her eyes to place her hand on my jaw. I pressed a small kiss to her wrist and her eyes fluttered open. "What time is it?" She asked. "About a quarter after five." "Is something wrong?" "No." "Then why did you-" In answer, I placed my hand in the small of her back, pulling her body to mine, and kissed her deeply. I felt the skin of her face flush as she returned my kiss. Carefully, and breaking the kiss only for a second, I shucked my clothes, and settled on top of her. Her body fit so perfectly to mine, and I loved it almost as much as I loved her. I remembered then that I had failed to say it yet. Damn, I was a terrible husband.

Her fingers threaded through my hair, pulling gently as I brought my mouth down to her breasts. Softly, I ran my tongue over them, saving her rosy nipples for last. She gasped quietly as I sucked, leaving slight discolor. I ran my teeth over her right nipple before sliding down to brush my lips over her stomach. I growled as she dug her nails into my shoulders, and kissed the soft part of her belly again. When she arched her back, I came back to face her, and her eyes were bright and loving. She placed her hands on either side of my face and I laid down gently on her. "I love you." She said. I pushed away my indecision and stared down into her eyes. "And I love you, Aaden." Her pulse jumped under my fingertips, and although I was happy to have finally said it, I was shamed that it shocked her. She should have known these words before we'd even said 'I do'. She pushed herself against me, and I took her mouth, pushing all the way inside her as I did. She moaned gently, and I pushed my head into her neck as I quickened my thrusts. I felt her tightening against me once more as her climax came. With a muffled gasp, her body released, pulling me into my own.

~Aaden POV~

The soreness between my legs reminded me that it was all real. Derek had really said he loved me, and last night had been true. What I did want right now was a warm shower, considering for the past twenty-four hours, I'd been naked with a blanket as thin as a top sheet for my only cover.

After Derek had woken me up this morning, we'd enjoyed our day at leisure. It was the only day we got before having to return back home, where I would finish my training and receive Derek's bite. Hopefully, I could accomplish this within the next month or two. It was unbelievable how much lore, knowledge and training you had to go through just to be turned into a wolf. My thoughts were broken when Derek reached over and took my hand. "What are you thinking about Mrs. Hale?" He asked, smirking as he turned the car into the parking lot of the little diner we'd chosen to have breakfast at. I smiled, feeling my skin flush at my new label. "Just anxious really, I'm both nervous about and ready to be a werewolf. Sometimes it just doesn't seem real still." His grip tightened on my hand, and he lifted it to press a kiss to the back of it. "It's real." He said, pulling the key from the ignition. I smiled again when he opened my door. "Very real." I agreed, wrapping my arms around his neck to kiss him.

When the time finally came for us to head back home, I felt both sad and happy. Sad that our 'honeymoon' was so short, but hey, we had business to attend to and I was just glad we'd gotten away for the few hours, but I was also happy because we were returning back to our friends and, in the pack's case, family. Derek buckled his seat belt and put the car in reverse, reaching for my hand again. Hearing his words this morning had left me jittery and more in love than I had ever been with him. I think the only time I could love him more was when we maybe had a child later on. Before I'd met Derek, I'd never really considered being a mother much, but I did think about it. The only time it became a predominant thought was when I began falling for him. Obviously, this was the worst time to consider it, and there wasn't a chance anyway considering I wasn't a werewolf yet. Lost in my thoughts, Derek's voice brought me back. "Ah, home shit home." He sighed, making the turn into the driveway and up the hill into the garage. I laughed, "Oh come on, you missed everyone, admit it." "The pack, yes. Farren and Spencer, maybe. No one else." "Not even Vlad? How about Ethan?" Derek gave me a sour look, making me laugh harder.

"Anybody home?" I shouted as we came through the back door. "Ah, the honeymooners return!" Vlad came from the side room, and kissed my cheek. "Did you enjoy your time away?" He asked, wiggling an eyebrow. Derek covered Vlad's face with his hand and shoved him away. "Of course she did, idiot, can't you see the afterglow?" Ethan followed behind him, smirking. I felt color light up my cheeks, but I couldn't help grinning. "We've been home for fifteen seconds and already I feel like murdering them." Derek said, wrapping an arm around me. I laughed and hugged him close, "As annoying as they are dearest, we must not slaughter them." I playfully chastised him. "Whatever, get your ass in there and start studying. I have been dreaming about preemptively biting you." He said, giving me his heart stopping grin. What a man I had chosen to spend my life with.

**Welcome to 2016 guys! I can't believe it took me this long to get another chapter up, and I apologize. I'm in the course of job hunting and prepping for a wedding, all the while working my first job. I hope you guys are enjoying and I'm going to do my best to have another chapter up soon! Have a great day!**