"I forgive you." I whisper against his parted lips before going back to kissing him again. You never realize how much you miss something and someone until you lose them or the opportunity to do it. In my situation, I knew how much I'd miss Josh. I knew how much I'd miss his touch and his hold that he always protectively and possessively had on me. I knew I'd miss his kisses and his love, and I think that made the situation so much worse.

Even though I knew all of that, it did nothing to compare to the emptiness I had felt inside of me the past couple of days. This mate business is no joke. The Moon Goddess wants you together, and makes it incredibly painful if you don't comply to her demands. She's pretty controlling when you sit down and think about it. Goddess, if Maya from the beginning of the school year were to see me now, she's be incredibly disappointed that I had let this male consume every part of my being. I put everything into this kiss. Everything I've felt the past few days; how much I miss him, all my love, all my anger and resentment, my loneliness. And he does the same, the contempt he holds for himself and the hate he's feeling. His kiss is almost painful… almost. Josh is just gentle enough to drown me in lust, the exact opposite thing I should be thinking or drowning in. We should really discuss everything from the past couple of days, but the fact that he is now inside me has my mind virtually clouded.

Here we are. A couple of werewolves making love on the forest floor, next to a creek and not once have our lips fell from one another. One of his hands move to lift my leg and wrap it around his waist, I refuse to be on top right now. He can do all the work, that can be part of his punishment. My nails are clawing his back as he greedily swallows my moans. "I love you so much, Maya." Josh whispers. "I missed you so much, I am so fucking sorry."

My hands hold his face as he thrusts into me again, "I love you." It doesn't take either one of us long to finish. It wasn't like he was taking his time, and I haven't felt this happy in days so I was greedily taking everything I could get. When he does, we just lie there together. My fingers are tangled in his hair; our bodies have a thin coat of sweat layered upon it. His face is buried into my neck as we both work to catch our breath. I have no idea how long we laid there, and I didn't quite care because in this moment things were perfect. We weren't fighting, we weren't crying or hurting because we were in one another's arms. For the first time in a week, I've felt content and secure... dare I say, happy? I'm afraid if I think that, everything will come crashing down. I've never really been truly happy, because of the whole Kermit trying to kill – no torture – me, and Thomas trying to marry me thing. So the underlying emotion of fear was always there and present, I just never made it known. "You're enough for me."

That's the one thing I want him to know, that he is more than enough, more than I deserve and it isn't fair that I've let him think otherwise. Because I know how that feels. I know how it feels to never do anything right, to never be good enough. I was never good enough for Kermit, he'd always find reasons to punish me. I was never strong enough to protect my mother, because in the end whenever he'd finish with his cruel and unusual punishment, my mom would still cry. I wasn't a good enough Luna, bringing war upon my pack within the first week of being inducted. It's truly an emotion I am more than familiar with so I understand how much it sucks. I feel warm water tricking down my shoulder and I am aware that he is crying. I tighten the hold I have on his neck in an effort to comfort him. "I'm such a dick, Maya. I know that, but please don't leave me." Josh sobs into my shoulder causing tears to well up in my eyes.

"I'm not going to leave you, Josh. I won't ever leave you. If I was going to leave you it would have been the moment you walked away from me."

It would have been so easy to run away from everything. But the Twilight pack is my home, it's where my wolf and I belong and a good portion of that is because Josh was there. Even though we weren't speaking, trying to catch glimpses of him was pretty exhilarating. My mate's hold on me tightens as he pulls out of the junction of my shoulder and neck. His orbs are wild and frantic as they turn darker, Jax is coming to light. "No. We wouldn't have let you leave. I wouldn't have let you go."

Maybe I should have pretended I was leaving, that would have cleared up this whole mess a lot quicker than this whole giving control to Amber for four days. "I'm here." I whisper while caressing his jawline. Gulping, I break eye contact. "It wasn't just you who made a mistake, Josh. I should have taken into consideration how you were feeling and what you would have wanted from me in that particular situation."

He shakes his head and innocently pecks my nose. "If we considered what you did, 'a mistake' – which it wasn't because you saved lives, despite the fact you risked yours – than you only made one 'mistake'. I made a mistake every day that I didn't look at, love or speak to you." The rough, calloused palm of his hand caresses my cheek lovingly. "I embarrassed you in front of the pack."

"Yeah, you did do that." I fight off the shudder that's working to make itself known. "Did we lose the pack members I fought to gain from that?" Usually after a show like that one, where their Alpha is left crying on the ground, it could be considered a weakness and it wouldn't surprise me if we lost a few wolves. Wolves naturally want to follow a strong wolf, I'm hoping me pledging my loyalty to Josh and him taking over was enough to win them over. Especially members of my old pack.

Josh shakes his head, before resting it against my own. "No we didn't." I can feel the anger he has towards himself. "No one left, I think it helped that you submitted to me and it isn't like I've been the nicest guy to them. Not yet, not while we're still transitioning and they are coming from packs that have fought against us."

I nod in understanding, "But we should discuss what's really important right now and then we can move onto the technicalities of my actions." Hesitantly he nods, and pushes himself off the ground and pull himself out of me. Seconds later, he's helping me off the ground and placing me in his lap. Neither one of us is ready to let the other go just yet. Of course the merger with the other two packs is important, but it doesn't matter if they don't have a strong Alpha and Luna leading them. Separately, they are nowhere near as powerful as they are together. "We've got to get on the same page."

"I think, now that there's no impending war and there's no risk of you getting kidnapped and no risk of you challenging another Alpha, then things will run a lot smoother."

I manage a laugh, the first one in days. Josh's eyes light up in pure and utter awe as he watches my lips. He seems like a kid on Christmas, my mate is completely overjoyed with a simple laugh. A slow smile emerges on his lips and I find it completely adorable. "That's true but just because my life is at risk doesn't mean that tough choices are over. We both need to be very self-conscious of our actions."

"You mean not making an action at all until I discuss it with you? And vice versa?"

I agree and peck his lips, "We're so impulsive and that will be our downfall."

"It doesn't help that we're both Alpha's."

"It doesn't help that we're both arrogant alpha's." Josh chuckles lightly and wraps me up in a hug. "But promise me that you won't ever ignore me for days on end. Please?" Before he can agree, I continue. "Because if you choose to not be around and offer me comfort, I can seek a hug from a friend even if that friend is male." Josh growls and tightens his hold on me, I grip his chin and arch my brow. "You do not ever threaten Kris with his life or mate?"

"Fine. But if he touches you again I'll break his hand."

I'd like to see him try, "Not if you want to stay in my good graces."

He sucks in a sharp breath and exhales heavily, trying to calm himself down. "There are more serious matters to discuss and I don't think Kris is one of them. In the end, you'll protect him which is what is supposed to happen in a guardian situation." Well look at that, he's learning. "Just know Maya, I am so sorry and I know those words will never do anything to make up for the past few days, I still feel it necessary to say them. Nothing I say or do can change what happened, but please forgive me."

"I have." I clutch his face and kiss him again, "I have forgiven you. It's time for you to forgive yourself."

He doesn't say anything to my response, to be honest I wasn't expecting him to. I know my mate, and he's going to beat himself up over this for a little while longer. His own personal form of punishment. He's more cruel to himself than necessary sometimes. But we're young, we're only 18 and even though we're Alpha's we act irrationally and abrupt at times. There's a learning curve to life; love and leadership. And unfortunately – or maybe not so unfortunate – both Josh and I got thrown all 3 of those curveballs at once. "Let's go home my mate, my Luna and my love."

I nod in agreement and crawl out of his lap to shift into my wolf. His midnight black wolf meanders towards me, and our noses touch for a brief moment. 'I love you, Maya and Amber.'

'I love you, Josh and Jax.'

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When we got home, it was like a freaking party. We had shifted into our skin side and changed into some clothes before we walked out of the trees, hand in hand. That alone had our pack members howling, their Alpha and Luna reuniting is cause for celebration. Somehow the sparks caused by our touch have become even stronger. I'm not sure if it's time or everything we've been through that has made us stronger but I'm going to say a mixture of both.

Unfortunately, Josh had to go resolve a dispute. A male found his mate, and she's dating a different male. It caused some serious controversy, and a fight broke out. I offered to go, but I would probably smack her upside the head and ask her why she would date before she had even met her mate. But apparently, Josh knew that and immediately said 'no thank you'. Fortunately, in this pack we heed to the Moon Goddess' wishes and unless your life is at risk or you are in danger, you have to work things out with your mate. A luxury that was apparently not given in Thomas' or my old pack. I have no doubt that in time, our new pack members that are to be inducted tonight, will see that Josh is in fact a very kind wolf. But he can't show weakness and let things slide. "What's he going to do?" Riley asks me as she rubs her belly, a new habit that she has gained.

"Well, in any other situation he would let them fight it out. Winner gets the prize, but since it involves mates and we adhere to the Moon Goddess, I'm going to say give them a warning and get rid of the unmated wolf."

Riley groans and taps her belly playfully, "I couldn't imagine being with anyone other than my mate. Why would you want to deny yourself the one person that could and does make your life complete and whole, just to date frivolously?"

I smirk because she's preaching to the choir. I see it that way now, and I practically want to admonish myself for pushing him away so much when we first met because I was so stubborn. 'I don't want a mate', blah, blah. Man I was annoying. "When do you find out the sex of the baby?"

"Tomorrow! I'm so freaking pumped." Riley will be a great mother and Lucas – though very over protective – will make a great father to their pup. "I would invite you to go but Lucas and my mom are already going." I shake my head and wave her silliness off before she apologizes. Truth be told I could probably use my Luna status but I won't do that. I'll just wait and eavesdrop outside the door like a normal person.

"Nap time!" Lucas announces while bursting through the door. Yes, he has her on a set schedule. I groan and press my lips against her tummy. "Thank you Luna Maya." I approved for him to have naps with his mate. Josh wasn't overly fond of the idea but a pup needs to bond with his father just as much as the mother does. Plus, Josh is still kissing my ass and refuses to fight over something so petty. Not that I blame him in the slightest.

Meandering down the steps of the pack house, I find my way to the front door and inhale deeply as I walk outside. A lot has changed, and it feels like a weight has been permanently lifted off of my chest now that Kermit is gone and will not be meeting the Moon Goddess or his mate, hopefully ever. Josh was right, he deserved more than what he got but Arabella is going to pick up my slack and gladly. Somehow I found myself in front of the dungeon door, subconsciously I've been wanting to visit here but I'm also terrified. Going down there means two things, drama and answers. I have a lot of questions, why Katie was so adamant on hurting me. Why Thomas wanted me. How either one could live with themselves knowing what Kermit had done to me. But for the first time in my life, I'm content with never knowing the answer to those questions.

Without a hint of reluctance, my hand falls from the door knob and I take a step back. I'm truly happy and the way to keep that going is to not necessarily forget about my past, but move on and grow from it. I'm done with the drama and worry that has plagued my life since I was 5 years old. "Their executions are set for tomorrow morning." I'm still staring at the dark oak door when Josh continues to speak. "I know you are indifferent when it comes to their deaths."

"Remorseful." I whisper and turn around to face my mate, "I feel sorry that they have found one another and because of their greediness, they can't even enjoy one another's love and company. I understand that we can't let traitors run free, and in no way is it ideal to keep them alive down here together." Not only would that be awful for them but a drain on our resources. We prefer to keep our cells empty I learned. Josh is more than ready to clear this dungeon out, he's sick of coming down here and the Twilight pack has never been one for the torture game.

He nods and intertwines our hands, "Katie's parents were put to death this morning."

"How?" The question slips before I have fully processed what he said.

He shook his head and rubs the back of his neck, nervously. "I don't drag it out and no use in wasting bullets. We just snap necks." Quick and painless. "We'll be doing the same for Thomas and Katie."

"Do me a favor babe, do it at the same time." I don't know why I don't want either one to feel the pain of losing their mate, especially after everything they've put me through. But just the thought of looking into your mate's eyes as someone kills them is enough to make me want to vomit. At least they'll walk hand in hand together to the moon.

"Absolutely." He whispers against my temple before kissing it lightly. "For you, anything." Told you he's kissing my ass.

GMWGMWGMWGMWGMWGMWGMW

Stupid soundproof doors!

I can't hear anything. "Baby girl, calm down. Come here." I quit my pacing and fall into Josh's arms. He's leaning against the banister as we await to hear if they're having a boy or a girl. "It's a boy, so try not to stress too much."

Shaking my head vehemently, my mates starts to chuckle. "Nope. My money is on a girl. Every time I call her princess I can feel her roll. She's going to be a little princess and Riley will indulge in dressing her up in multitudes of pink." Gross, pink. Yuck. Without noticing it my nose had scrunched up in disdain.

Katie and Thomas were put to death this morning and were cremated. I wasn't and am still not sure why it bothers me but it has been lingering over me all day. I guess the idea of taking mates away from one another doesn't exactly sit right with me. The door slowly creaks open and Topanga saunters out with an expressionless mask upon her face, damn it. She wanted a girl. Lucas follows out next, also no emotions on his face. He doesn't care what he has, but Goddess help him if he has a girl. That little pup will have him wrapped around her finger. Nibbling at my lip, my brows begin to rise in anticipation. When the door opens fully, and I see a bright pink shirt, I begin to scream at the top of my lungs.

She went in with a white one on.

"WE'RE HAVING A GIRL!"

"OH MY GODDESS! SUCK ON THAT JOSH!" I wrap my arms around Riley's neck as we both squeal together. I pull away and cup Riley's face, happy tears trail down her face and I wipe them away. "You're having a little girl. A little princess."

She nods and because I can't resist I hug her again. "Have you thought of names?"

Her doe eyes move to glance at her mate who nods in affirmation. "We are going to name her Maya." My smile falls, and my lips part from the realization of what they just said.

"Y- You are naming her after myself - me?" Tears begin to pool in my eyes before both Riley and Lucas give affirmation of what they've said.

Riley noticeably gulps and takes a step forward, "We hope she's half as kind, loving and selfless as you are. It'll be hard –

"She can do it." I interrupt, "she'll be perfect and so much –" I cut myself off as the feelings start to bubble within my throat.

Lucas clears his throat and pulls my attention towards him, "obviously we know that it can be controversial to name our baby after the current Luna." For whatever reason, "But we're hoping that you'll be okay–" I'm already nodding my head and wrapping my arms around Riley while happily sobbing.

Once I pull away from Riley, I hurriedly wipe my face dry. A chuckle escapes my parted lips as I do so. "We're having a princess."

GMWGMWGMWGMWGMW

Alright, so here we are. There are two more chapters and an epilogue. These last few chapters are going to be wrapping up loose ends and falling back in love with Josh because he's been a jerk wagon.

I hope you loved this chapter, don't be a silent reader.