Chapter 3 AFFECTION

I look at you

and I want to kiss you

More than anything

I just want a kiss

A kiss to tell me that you trust your lips

against mine.

A kiss to prove to me

that I can still see the world

with my eyes closed.

A kiss to remind me

that actions truly do

speak louder than words.

I look at you-

and I just want to kiss you

- Affectionate Poems.

Milos waits patiently at the base of the S-shaped stairwell. He has promised to show Wanda around the territory today, as she has been in her room for the past four days, coming out only when it is time for food. At a point, she asked that her meals be brought to her room, but Alpha Stocles insisted that she ate with the royals at the table.

He hears a sound and looks up. He does a double-take when he sees her. She is wearing a long, flowery dress, which hugs her body in an inviting manner. Her large hips move majestically as she walks down the flight of stairs. Milos draws in a shaky breath and tries to look away, but he is drawn to her like a bee to nectar.

He swallows. "Good morning, Wanda"

"Top of the morning to you, too, Milos" she replies, cheerfully.

She smiles at him, and Milos feels his wolf leap. He stares at her small, kissable lips, which reveal the whitest set of teeth he has ever set his eyes on.

"Ready for your excursion?"

"I was born ready" Wanda replies, rubbing her palms together in anticipation.

Together, they leave the mansion, and they spend quality time sightseeing. Milos shows her the Art Gallery of the Alpha family, which contains the names and drawings of the Alphas who have led the pack for centuries. The Lunas are also painted, their paintings placed side by side their respective Alphas. Wanda is enthralled by all that she sees.

"Why is your picture not here?" She asks, furrowing her eyebrows. It is the cutest thing Milos has ever seen, and he wants to kiss away that frown. He actually wants to do a whole lot of other things to her. He wants to kiss those lips until they swell with pleasure. He wants to........................

"Milos?"

He catches himself, clears his throat, and says "When I become the next Alpha, my picture will appear here." With you right beside me. Soon.

Next, he takes her to the hospital, where sick wolves are being cared for. Wanda is moved and speaks lovingly to the recuperating wolves. They, in turn, howl in admiration of her beauty, gracefulness, and kindness.

Lastly, they go to the mud pool, where the werewolves play and throw dirt at each other-all for fun. Wanda is excited and wants to play in the mud. Milos finds this to be very weird, but she persuades him, and they play for a very long time. Exhausted, they head back to the mansion, and they get a lot of stares on their way back.

Milos cleans up in record time and goes to see Wanda. Nowadays, he has become accustomed to being with her. He always wants to see her face, and hear her throaty laughter. He knocks on her door.

"Come in, Petra," she says, in a low tone. "Did you get the lavender shampoo?"

"No, but I got the aloe vera shampoo," Milos says, shaking with laughter.

Wanda turns and laughs heartily when she sees him.

I could listen to that sound all day.

"Well, I want to wash my hair, I think all the mud in the pool got stuck in my hair, and it is taking Petra ages to find the lavender shampoo I asked for. She raises her slender arms in mock annoyance. Milos stares at her in pure admiration, saying nothing. Wanda eyes him playfully. She is about to speak when Petra opens the door and rushes in, shampoo in hand.

Petra gasps when she sees Milos on the bed. "Oh my! I am so sorry Master Milos. Milos simply nods and dismisses her with a wave of his hand.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Master Milos, Wanda says, cheekily. She bows, mocking him playfully.

Milo instantly grabs her and lifts her up as effortlessly as he would a bag of wool. He dumps her on the large bed and tickles her. She screams, wriggles, kicks thrashes about, but he keeps at it. She later resorts to pleading, and after some time, he frees her.

Out of breath, he collapses beside her, and they both laugh, their breaths heavy. He lifts his body, and rests on his elbow, facing her. He whispers, and she can feel his breath on her face.

"Now, you know what you get for teasing me".

Wanda looks into his blue eyes, and she feels drawn by something she cannot fathom. She moves her eyes from his, and her scrutiny ends at his lips. He inches towards her, and she swallows. When their lips touch, the feeling is inexplicable. His lips move against hers, softly at first, then he deepens the kiss. He nibbles on her lower lip, and Wanda gasps in surprise at how wonderful this gesture feels. He immediately plunges into her open mouth, and their tongues dance. His tongue sweeps across her mouth, and she moans in pleasure.

Milos pulls back slowly and looks at Wanda. Her eyes are still closed, and he reads her face like a holy grail; he can see that she is still savoring the kiss. She slowly opens her eyes, and she looks at him, her eyes narrowed with pleasure.

"I need to tell you something, Wanda" Milos finally finds his voice.

"What? Right now?"

"Yes," he answers.

"Okay, I'm all ears."

Milos proceeds to tell her about how the moon goddess chooses mates for each wolf, especially the Alpha, and how he had seen her in his dream once, even before he met her. He also explains how he must find his mate before his 25th birthday, which is in two months, and how he must impregnate her before he can resume his Alpha duties.

"What are you insinuating?" Wanda asks.

"If there is one thing I know, it is that I am sure you are my mate. I can feel it in my spirit. The circumstances behind our meeting are not ordinary, I am certain that they were orchestrated by the moon goddess. Please, Wanda, do not reject me. I'll die if you do. Because I am madly and unrepentantly in love with you, Wanda."

There is a long, painful silence, and Milos braces himself for her rejection.

"This is a lot to take in, Milos. I am trying to process my thoughts and my feelings for you. I do not know about love, but I care deeply about you, and I love how you make me feel. I also do not know what the future has in store for us, but I would like to experience it together with you. So, let's sleep on this, tomorrow is another day" she says, with a note of finality.

Milos smiles and kisses her muddy forehead.

"Now, back to my hair, whatever are you going to do with it?" She asks, widening her huge brown eyes.

"I'll wash it for you," he assures her. "I used to wash my mother's hair before she died."

"I am so sorry, darling," she says.

"It is alright, it is all in the past now." Milos' mother, Luna Midea, had died of canine distemper, and infectious canine hepatitis. The healer wolves had tried all they could, but she lost the battle.

Milo washes her hair slowly and runs his fingers through her surplus curls. As he does, jolts of electricity course through Wanda's veins. Her nipples harden, and she feels an oddly familiar ache between her legs. When did she first feel it?

Oh, when he kissed me. Dayuum, I am horny as hell.

After washing her hair, he wipes it gently with her towel. Wanda loves how he takes care of her, and she smiles. Next, he applies hair cream and moisturizer to her hair, and then leaves it to dry.

They settle in her bed and slide under the covers. There, she tells him about her life as a human- before he rescued her, and he, in turn, tells his experiences as a werewolf. He mesmerizes her with his war stories, and he also cracks a few jokes.

Hours later, they both drift to sleep. Hand in hand, with her wet head on his chest.