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“What’s wrong?” Marble asked, climbing onto the sofa beside me. His siblings were all out in the forest with Willow, but, for some reason, he had decided to stay.

I smiled sadly. “I think I may have said something that I shouldn’t have,” I explained.

“Is it because Dad said something nasty to you again?” He asked.

“No,” I laughed. “It was with someone else.”

Marble looked thoughtful. “You should say ‘sorry’,” he said.

I nodded and tousled his hair. “Thanks,” I smiled.

~~~*~~~

My first period was Visual arts, and I felt uncomfortable. Because everyone was already halfway through a project, the teacher didn’t have much for me to do. So, I simply sat in the art classroom staring at a wall.

Suddenly, the door to the art room next door slammed open and a student stumbled into the room. She regained her composure and quietly said to the teacher, “Our live model couldn’t come in. What do we do?”

The teacher’s eyes landed on me and my own widened. “I have a spare student,” she said. “You can take him.”

The girl grabbed my wrist and pulled me into the classroom next door and showed me to their teacher.

I was then told to sit on a stool in the middle of the room and stay absolutely still. I took this time to look at the students in this class. There were a couple of people that sat in Issy’s group and a bunch of students that I didn’t know were rapidly sketching onto their canvases. Then I noticed the student in the back – River.

He simply sat in his seat, smirking at me as he slowly drew; staring at me the entire time.

I began to feel self-conscious under his gaze, and I shifted uncomfortably, only to be yelled at by the teacher. River’s smirk grew even wider and I looked away, choosing to instead focus on the various art pieces around the room instead of the wolf in the back until the bell rang.

After lunch, I had gym, forcing me to see River again. As if my situation couldn’t get worse, the coach ordered us to have partners for all the sports we would be with for the rest of the semester, and one could guess who ended up with me.

River gently pushed against my back, forcing me to bend my back down and touch my face to the dirt. “Wow, you’re pretty flexible,” he laughed.

I immediately pushed myself back up and closed my legs from my straddle position. I didn’t like it when he touched me.

He seemed to notice the pout on my face. “What’s the matter?” he smiled, causing me to blush. River’s smile grew softer. “Are you still worried about that time I kissed you?” he whispered.

My blush grew darker and I quickly shook my head.

“Well, good,” River grinned again and stood up, already starting the laps around the field before the coach had even told us to. I quickly followed suit.

When the class finally ended, I ran into Issy in the hallway. “Jay!” she almost screamed. “Come with me!” The girl grabbed my arm dragging me to a more secluded spot in the school. “Okay,” she sighed. “Who was that guy with you yesterday? The one glaring at River.” She asked. My facial expression must have given away my feelings. “Are you dating him?” she asked.

I felt myself blush again and nodded. Obviously there was no way to keep anything from this girl, so I decided to answer all her questions as truthfully as I could.

“Seriously?” Issy asked, bewildered. “Is that legal?”

This time I glared at her. “Of course it’s legal!” I growled in a hushed whisper, becoming angry for my mate’s sake. “I’m over eighteen, you know.”

Issy pursed her lips. “How much older than eighteen are you? ‘Cause if you only recently turned eighteen it’s still weird.”

“For your information, I turned nineteen a few months ago.” I spat, chewing my lip. I didn’t like being mean to anyone who didn’t deserve it, but anyone who dared to question the bond between my mate and I would be put in their place.  

The girls mouth formed an ‘o’ as her face turned apologetic. “Sorry, Jay,” she said. “I just wouldn’t want you hurt by some jackass who was just using you.”

I smiled and shook my head. “Don’t worry. He wouldn’t do something like that,” I reassured her.

“And I’m sorry for offering to hook you up with one of my guy friends,” she grinned.

“That’s okay,” I said. “Will you let me go to class now?”

Issy nodded, waving to me as she walked in the opposite direction towards her own classroom. “By the way,” she added, turning around again. “Your boyfriend is hot.”

I laughed, secretly hoping she only meant it in a complementing-‘nice-job’ kind of way. I didn’t want to think what would happen if someone tried to steal Rowan from me. It had more or less happened once before, and I wasn’t going to let it happen again.

~~~*~~~

“You look a little perkier today,” Rowan commented, his head shifting slightly in my lap.

I looked up from my book. “Do you think so?” I smiled, running my fingers through his hair.

“Did something happen today?” he asked as he wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my stomach.

I shook my head and paused, nodding my head after changing my mind. “Do you remember that girl I was with when you came to pick me up?”

“The one who couldn’t stop smiling? What about her?”

“I told her about us,” I said, relaying the story from today back to him.

Rowan sat up. “That’s great,” he smiled and kissed my cheek. Rowan pulled back, his eyes moving up and down as he looked at my face. Once again he kissed my cheek. Rowan’s lips moved down my face and pressed against my own, gently forcing me to open my mouth.

I slowly pulled away and smiled. “Enough,” I said. “I have to read these chapters for class tomorrow, and I have math homework.”

My mate pouted and flopped back onto the bed. “I hate school,” he grumbled as he returned to his position in my lap.

“Then why did you send me there?”

Rowan held me tighter. “You needed the socialisation.” He kissed my stomach again.

“Why do you keep doing that?” I asked.

“Hm?” Rowan asked, looking up.

I leaned back against the fluffy pillow. “You keep touching my stomach,” I said. “Why is that?”

Rowan shrugged. “It’s comforting,” he said, defending himself.

Blinking, I started to think of possible reasons why he would find it so soothing. The core provided warmth to the body, but I couldn’t help but feel that there was something more to it. “You already have kids, you know.” I grinned jokingly.

He chuckled quietly. “I know that,” he said and nuzzled against me.

“You know, you’re not really that scary for a big ferocious wolf,” I commented as I tucked a lock of his jet black hair behind his ear.

Rowan laughed. “I’m glad you don’t find me terrifying. Things would be difficult in a relationship like that.” He adjusted his position in my lap and closed his eyes, letting me get on with my reading.

Relationship; I liked the sound of that word. It sounded official. I wasn’t quite sure of wolf rules when it came to having a mate of the same sex, but everyone in the pack seemed fine with it. As far as I was concerned, if it could happen in the wild, it could happen in our packs, and I knew that other animals didn’t mind homosexuality.

I turned the page and finished reading the chapter, placing a bookmark between the pages and setting the book down on the nightstand. I gently lifted Rowan’s head up from my lap and set it in a more comfortable position on one of the pillows. I stood up and left the bedroom, closing the door quietly behind myself.

Rowan had been overworking himself recently to make time for the family. It was a sweet gesture, but he was exhausted.

I slowly made my way down the stairs and to the living room where the children were playing with their cousins under the watchful eye of Willow. “Thank you,” I said as I approached her. “You’ve been a wonderful help.”

Willow shook her head. “It’s no problem,” she smiled and stood up, gathering her kids. “It’s getting late,” Willow said after checking the clock. “I’ll be going now, and I’ll be back tomorrow.”

I smiled and thanked her again, waving as she left the house with her children. I turned my attention to the rest of the kids and sat on the couch, letting them play for a little longer. I was enjoying the family life, and I was enjoying school. I had been keeping in touch with the Red Wing pack and so far there had been no sign of my oldest tyrant brother, Cole.

Yet, there was a nagging feeling, much like that feeling I would sometimes get telling me that I had forgotten something, that this perfect life scenario wouldn’t last long. I shook my head, clearing the thoughts from my mind. My problems were behind me. I had my mate, and I had a loving family. I was perfectly content with how my life was.

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