There was a soft click, as if a door opened gently, that stirred me from my sleep. Blinking rapidly to clear the haze from my eyes, my heart jolted in fear for a moment when I looked at my right and found an empty bed.

For a second, both my wolf and I worried, felt dejected that we'd be left alone on the morning after our mating.

But then my eyes looked further and my heart skipped a beat once again, this time smothered with emotion.

Drake gave me a sheepish smile as he carried a second tray of food and coffee inside, tapping the door shut behind him.

His nose twitched before the trays were haphazardly abandoned on the dresser. Firm arms wrapping around my body and soft lips pressing against my forehead.

"I'm here. It's okay hun, I'm here." He murmured soothingly as my wolf whined through my lips before pressing our nose against the mark left against Drake's throat.

It was silly, to even contemplate that Drake would've left me, left us behind. I knew he wouldn't. And yet, for a moment, for that one split second-

"I'm sorry." I murmured against his skin, feeling my heartrate slow down after finally calming down. Drake shook his head in response, pulling me further in his hold.

"Don't be. I wanted to surprise you with breakfast in bed but didn't think how my disappearance could trigger unwanted memories."

I simply shook my head, wolf too overwhelmed for a moment to speak. However, the gesture and words did get through the haze and now I was getting emotional for a whole different reason.

"Breakfast... in bed?" I murmured, sniffing and wiping over my eyes as Drake backed off with a grin, bouncing out of the bed to hurry towards the trays.

Soon enough a tray was placed over my lap, resting securely on a small stand. I blinked and smiled, eyes landing easily on the single red rose in a small vial-like vase.

Touching the delicate petals with a finger, I smiled at Drake, who seemed rather bashful, long hair tied together in a loose pony tail as he hopped back in bed with his own portion.

"I uh, didn't really know what to do, but I thought breakfast in bed would be a nice treat." Drake murmured as I slowly sampled from the scrambled eggs and bacon.

They were still hot, nice and fluffy while the bacon itself was cooked to crispy goodness. I could feel the waves of pride that gleamed from Drake as I ate the meal he prepared.

It was simple but good. And it was the thought behind it that made me blink back tears. I didn't need any bombastic gestures or pricey gifts.

Just the fact that Drake wanted to surprise me, had snuck out of bed to cook both of us a meal and went out of his way to get me a rose as well.

And when I looked up to sneak a peek at him, he was already looking my direction, grinning bashfully and sending me a wink that made my stomach flutter oddly.

"I have a few things planned. All surprises of course." He added before I could open my mouth. Frustration made me huff, though I couldn't stop myself from smiling as I hurried to devour the meal, much to his amusement.

However, when I went to move out of bed with the full intention to take a quick shower, I quickly was physically reminded of late night's... exercise.

I hissed as my back spasmed in protest, alerting Drake of my predicament. And while he had the good grace to remove the trays and gestured for me to roll over with the intent to massage my back...

There was no hiding that proud and slightly smug glint in his eyes. I huffed in response, folding my arms under my cheek as I relaxed in the bed with a muttered "This is your fault, you know."

Drake chuckled, pressing a kiss on my bare shoulder blades as he replied, "I'm taking full responsibility for them, aren't I?"

A groan of satisfaction slipped from my lips as his fingers effortlessly found all the tension within the knotted muscles. Within seconds, I was utterly relaxed, threatening to fall asleep with utter contentment.

And while Drake massaged me from the tips of my fingers to the top of my toes, we talked. We talked about growing up, the list of shenanigans both of us went through, laughing with one another and ultimately spending several more hours in bed.

Just relaxing and talking.

"So, how did you become a Nomadic wolf then? You mentioned your father was raised in a pack before." Drake questioned, pulling me closer as I nuzzled against his throat and sighed.

"Mum was a free spirit born to equally free parents. She was born in the Nomadic lifestyle and though she had tried pack life, she always felt held back... contained."

My fingers traced mindless patterns on his chest as I continued, "Dad was born and raised in a pack and left it eagerly when he found his mate in my mum. They've tried to find an accepting pack but either the pack wasn't all that open to the idea of Nomadic wolves, or my parents' wanderlust kicked in."

Drake hummed softly, fingers sifting through my hair, a grooming gesture as he replied, "Most packs are wary of transient members. A lot of vulnerable information could leak if it was spread to the wrong people."

I nodded in response. "Most likely it was the reason why Mom and Dad decided to become purely Nomadic. Roaming freely in the wilds, staying within human settlements whenever they needed to." A smile slipped on my lips as I added, "And then I was born."

Pleasant memories flooded through my mind, memories that I easily shared with Drake. Moments in human cities, the childlike awe I had felt at all the bright lights and loud sounds.

But I too found them too loud. The city was too crowded, too busy for my taste, for my parents' taste. So we had shifted and left for the peace and quiet for the woods.

And as a young pup, I had been filled with energy, rambunctious and tripping my parents up by darting between their paws. Nipping at their low wagging tails and latching on, allowing them to drag me quite a distance before I let go.

But as I grew older, wiser, I wanted more. A Nomadic lifestyle was nice, peaceful and quiet but there were too many risks for my taste.

Unconsciously, my wolf had been aching for a pack. The safety that rested in numbers, the need to look for and hopefully find a mate.

So I had said my goodbyes to my parents, who were very understanding of my desire, my need. They acquired a PO box where I could contact them whenever I wanted but after that, I had roamed the world in search of my Fated.

Silence filled the room as I pressed impossibly closer to Drake, needing his warmth and comfort at the painful reminder of my biggest mistake.

Max.

Surprisingly, the pain at the reminder of my ex-mate wasn't nearly as painful as it had been. And I was grateful, knowing it was due to the newly formed bond between Drake and I.

That overwhelming, soul-deep ache that would've deprived me of my breath, would've left me shaking as my wolf hid in the deepest part of my mind.

Gone. Taken away for good.

Our lips found one another in reassurance. No rushed movements or sexual intent. Just gratitude, reassurance, love that was shared between one another.

A silent, unspoken vow between us. The unheard promise of I'll never hurt you, never leave you and never betray you.

You are my mate, and I take care of what's mine.

Eventually we simply relaxed, not moving to the point where Drake chuckled and physically lifted me out of bed, toting me off to the bathroom so we could wash up.

I was rather surprised when Drake filled up the large bathtub and tossed some fragrant salts in there. He tossed his shorts off with a cheeky wink that made me laugh before guiding me into the tub.

When I sat down and made room so he could sit behind me, I felt a massive sigh leave my body the second I laid back against his chest.

The time spent in the bathroom was a haze. I was washed, pampered and cared for meticulously to the point where I wanted to cry from the overflowing emotions.

And all through that, Drake made it seem as if this was nothing out of the ordinary. That this was expected.

It made me shiver in awareness and anticipation, wondering what the next planned surprise would be. Plus, it made my own wolf starting to think up a way to repay Drake, to return the same amount of affection upon this Alpha.

When I was guided out of the room and dressed by Drake, I couldn't help but cling to him. The fact that he had observed me enough to know it physically pained me to pull up my pants and worse, to do up buttons or tie a knot so they didn't slip from my hips...

And Drake was doing all of this simply to make my life easier to deal with.

Large hands cradled my face, thumbs brushing away the starting tears before Drake's lips pressed kindly against my forehead.

"Don't worry about me Kyle. While you had everything taken away from you and had your love tossed back in your face, I had a pack to fall back to. I only lost the possibility of being with my Fated while you lost so much more. Let me take care of you, show you what you have always deserved."

I returned his brilliant smile with a very wobbly one before nodding, not trusting my voice. But Drake did have a point.

During our earlier conversation, he mentioned that he always had his pack to fall back to. During the time where he was on his lowest, his Betas, his pack, his family would've guided him through the darkness.

And in turn, he did the same for others. Drake was a beacon of light, of hope to those who were tossed into the dark, glacial abyss of rejection.

"Why are you so..." I motioned towards Drake's massive form, unable to find the proper description for the powerful yet gentle Alpha in front of me.

Yet he understood. Of course he understood. He grinned bashfully, tongue in cheek for a moment as he stood, taking my hand in his before we moved out of the bedroom.

"I wasn't always so calm and collected. When the... the rejection just happened, I was self-doubting a lot. My wolf was convinced it was because of him, of our rank-"

My fingers automatically squeezed his as best as I could, feeling his thumb brush over the back of my scarred knuckles in response.

Drake sighed, shrugging a massive shoulder as he continued, "Well, I went AWOL for a while... shifted and spent my time roaming around on the territory, along with the wild wolves. And slowly, I started to put things in perspective."

"Our pack had already lived here for many generations but seeing my rejection, the resulting suffering, had changed them. Changed their outlook on the world. Mom and Dad decided to step back, guiding me from the sidelines but told me to build a pack where I, where people just like us, could flourish."

The awe and respect I felt for Drake's parents only continued to grow at that tidbit of information. Most packs, most pack leaders would give up their power while they were still healthy and capable of running the pack.

To have both the Alpha and Luna step back simply for the benefit of both the pack and their son, was astonishing.

But to watch as their son changed the pack, allowed nomads and rogues to join freely, without having to undergo pack initiation... and agree with it...

I shook my head at the same time that Drake sent me a toothy smile and a wink. "What can I say, they are amazing. I'm forever grateful and honored that I was born to two of such amazing people."

He chuckled slightly as we made our way towards the wild wolf pack, a bounce in Drake's step as he added, "Plus, Tutu would've kicked ass the second anyone stood between her grandson and his intended happiness. Even now, Elliot will flee with his tail between his legs whenever he spots her."

An amused snort escaped me before I shook my head, curiosity fighting with amusement before it finally won. "Where are we going?"

Drake turned in my direction, walking backwards as he shoved the door open and pressed a finger to his lips.

"It's a secret." He smirked, shifting before he waited beside the doorway that led into the massive territory of the pack that led into the mountains.

A smile slipped on my lips, understanding why Drake had only loosely tied my pants, or why he hadn't even thought of providing any boxers.

I shifted as well, an eagerness in my motions that made Drake bow through his front legs playfully before he darted off into the woods.

And I followed him eagerly, knowing that step by step, Drake was wiping out all the anguish had been through. Replacing the horrors of my past with gorgeous new memories.

Memories I couldn't wait to create alongside him.