One year later

I awoke one morning to the soft chirping of the birds outside our balcony, the rays of sunlight beaming through the open glass door and falling on the parts of my skin that lay bare. I rolled over the silky sheets of our king-sized bed but found the other side of the sheets cold and empty. My eyebrows lowered into a confused frown as I studied the room around me, but found that I was its only occupant.

Tossing the soft sheets off to the side, I pushed myself away from the mattress and hopped on the floor, the cool tiles causing a slight shiver to run up my spine. I followed the route to the bathroom and turned on the shower, letting the water warm up as I splashed my face in the sink and brushed my teeth.

After a quick shower, I changed into a beige floral dress that fell above my knees, and brushed my fingers through my wavy brown locks to straighten them after a night of tossing and turning in my deep slumber. Then I quickly put on my white Vans and hurried out the bedroom door in search of the man I'd gotten used to waking in the arms of.

As I passed down the hallway and towards the grand stairway, the joyful chattering and laughter echoed in the house - a noise I had not only grown accustomed to, but also started feeling empty without. It had become a part of my daily routine to wake up to the voices of the families in our pack house, ever since I'd accepted Xavier's offer and moved into the pack home, two months ago.

When I reached the ground floor, I turned a corner heading towards the kitchen, the place where the voices sounded the loudest. As I entered the busy room, my gaze roamed across the faces of the people I'd started to consider my family.

"Nora!" Scarlett exclaimed, a wide smile on her face as she gently pushed Vincent's arm away, forcing him to drop his hold from around her waist. He turned to greet me with a slight nod to his head, and a smile on his lips.

"Good morning, everyone," I greeted the people in the kitchen, most of whom had ceased their actions and stood by respectfully the second I entered the room. It was still odd, getting used to their behavior towards me, and no matter how much I'd tried to get them to treat me as an equal they continued to view me as the superior I was too ashamed to consider myself as.

"Good morning, Luna." One of the young pack members, a girl barely past sixteen, grinned widely at me as she poured a cup of coffee.

"Have you guys seen Xavier?" I asked hopefully. Someone must have seen him, it was unusual for him to wake up so early and leave without saying goodbye.

Scarlett nodded her head, which captured my attention and I diverted my gaze to fully face her.

"He's in your spot, waiting for you."

My heart skipped a beat, then started again with an excited rhythm. A big smile spread across my cheeks, and I quickly nodded and excused myself to go see him.

As I walked past the open glass doors to the back gardens of the estate, my heart thrummed in my chest in excitement, wondering what surprise he was up to delivering this time.

Being with Xavier had been one of the best things to have happened to me in all twenty-four years of my existence, no exaggeration. Everyday I would awake with a feeling of contentment, and when our gazes interlock, my heart bursts into a million butterflies.

It was no secret that I have fallen, badly, for him.

And he never ceased to remind me that he has, too.

As I strolled through the gardens and past the trails that were highlighted by hundreds of blooming roses, the sun's rays danced across my exposed skin and warmed my cheeks, reminding me of that feeling of bliss I experienced every awaking hour since I'd started this new journey with my mate.

Our spot.

Soon enough I had reached the clearing where the pond lay, and from the far distance I could distinguish the shapes of a table set in the middle beside the overlapping stones, two chairs across one another, and beside it stood the man of my dreams.

Xavier had sensed my presence from a distance as he stood patiently, dressed in a simple black shirt and dark jeans, his hair neatly pushed back and an adoring smile on his lips.

I couldn't hold back my giddiness as I broke out into a sprint, closing our distance and crashing into his arms. Xavier groaned playfully as I giggled in response, my arms coming to wrap around his neck and crushing him to me, engulfing myself in his familiar warmth and addictive aroma.

"Good morning to you, too," his velvety voice whispered against my hair, his exhale puffing an air against my cheek and leaving shivers across my skin.

I pulled away to glance into my favorite pools of striking silver, twinkling with admiration. "What are you up to?"

His lips curved as he gave me an innocent smile, gesturing towards the table filled with a wide variety of breakfast foods, from freshly baked pastries to skillfully cut fruit.

As if the smile playing on my lips wasn't enough to convey my happiness, a small giggle escaped my lips. Xavier's fingertips trailed the length of my arm, leaving an electrified sensation in their wake, and descended to grab a hold of my hand. He guided me towards the seats and we both sat down at once.

"How did you sleep?" He asked me softly, his gaze never leaving my face.

"As always, very well." Within these past two months I had had the best sleep of my life. Falling into a deep slumber while cuddled in the arms of the person I loved was an indescribable feeling. It was heavenly, to say the least.

I started with a chocolate crossaint while Xavier poured us both coffee, offering me sugar and cream to have just the way I liked. We had grown to memorize even the tiniest detail about one another, but there still seemed to be so much more to learn, and I was ready to spend the rest of my days doing just that.

"What are your plans for today?" I asked, secretly hoping he didn't have anything in mind so that we'd spend a lazy day-in, basking in each others' company.

Xavier continued with the promise of his ancestors by keeping a constant look-out for any dangers that may lurk in the shadows of their homeland, threatening the safety of both its people, and its soil - so on some days, he would be too preoccupied working alongside Vincent and Levi to spend time with me, and so Scarlett and I would plan a hangout with Ariel, and sometimes Seth and Sam would join us. The latters of whom had begun dating.

But today, I craved Xavier's company more than any other's.

He clicked his tongue, his eyes twinkling with excitement. "No plans for today."

I beamed, already planning all possible activities that we could indulge in.

"Although," Xavier continued on, and I gazed at him in wonder. "I did mean to speak to you about an urgent matter."

My fingers slowly let go of the chocolate crossaint, setting in on the plate in front of me. "Of course. What is it?" I asked, but for some peculiar reason, my emotions were suddenly running wild as my nervousness increased.

I watched Xavier confusedly as he pushed his seat back, his hard gaze holding mine captive as he stood from his seat and neared me. My neck was craned up as I stared at him in his full height while I remained in my seat, my heart beating rapidly against my rib cage.

His gaze still holding mine in a captive hold, he lowered down until we stood at eye-level. My breath caught in my throat as I was so bewitched by his heated gaze, I had no sense of our surroundings. All external noises were once again vaccuumed into the deep void and the only sound I could hear was that of my rapid heart beat, and I was once again engulfed by Xavier's addictive aroma, and my attention completely captured and bewitched by his striking silver gaze.

"Nora," his voice whispered my name. "I had waited my entire life for the moment I would connect with the other half of my soul." My eyes widened, the conversation taking a completely different turn from what I'd been expecting. "I have loved you from my very first breath, and I vow to love you until my last, and then some more; because loving you is the best thing I do."

His words pulled at my heartstrings, and my emotions were in a whirlwind as I rejoiced in the fact that he spoke the exact same words I found so hard to confess to him out loud. My eyes began to well up, and I madly blinked the tears away as I tried to clear my vision to see him better. But as I did so, I finally came to notice that Xavier wasn't only leaning down in front of me to be at my eye-level, he was kneeling down on one knee, and within the small space between our trembling bodies, his large hand clasped tightly onto a small black box that was wide open, its contents on full display for my eyes to see.

A golden, diamond ring.

The gasp that escaped my lips was so sudden and full of emotion, that it turned into a small sob. My eyes snapped back to his, full of surprise and disbelief, full of awe and love, as Xavier continued to gaze into my own with an immesaurable admiration and love.

"Nora Wilson, you are my soulmate, my luna, and the greatest gift this universe has blessed me with. Would you do me the greatest honor of my existence and accept my hand in marriage?"