Chapter 8 Earning It: Cyrus POV

• I looked at my bare chest in the bathroom mirror with Leo's shirt in my hand. Tracing the long scar down my chest before glancing at the scars along my arms. I shook my head and pulled the shirt on. I wasn't ready to talk about that yet. Guilt washed over me as the image of Leo's worried gaze came to mind. I quickly pushed the feelings down with a shake of my head before walking out with my only possessions in my hand. Leo smiled at me gently as he slipped them from my hands and gestured towards the bed while avoiding my gaze,
• "You can sleep in my bed. I'll sleep on the couch."
• I scrunched my eyebrows at the thought of not sleeping next to him,
• "Why?"
• He looked at me in surprise,
• "I just don't want to make you uncomfortable like I did-"
• I held up my hand, swallowing my anger at the fact that what Marren had done was affecting interactions with my mate. Taking a breath, I closed the distance between us and kissed him hard. He dropped the clothes and pulled me to his chest by my waist, kissing me back. I ran my tongue across his bottom lip, causing him to moan before letting me inside. After putting up a small fight, I gave in and left him to explore my mouth while I savored the taste. I pulled away from him after a while and pecked his lips once more,
• "There's no other place I'd rather be than in your arms. What happened at lunch has nothing to do with you. I just struggle with...bad memories sometimes. I'll always crave your touch because, like you said, you're a part of me. My other half."
• He looked down at me, his eyes filled to the brim with relief and happiness,
• "I'm sorry for suggesting it."
• I smiled and kissed his cheek before stepping out of his arms and towards the bed,
• "You never have to apologize to me."
• I heard him chuckle at his own words being used against him. I watched as he threw the clothes into, what I think is, a hamper. After he steps into the bathroom and closes the door, I examined the room. It was huge, considering it was originally for one person. Besides the king-sized bed I was laying on, there was a large flat screen sitting across from it. A long couch was sat against the right wall beneath a longer window. Next to the t.v. was the door to the bathroom, which had a walk-in shower with inlaid stone walls. Next to the door were four sliding doors that led to, what I assume to be, his closet.
• Up against the left wall was a dark wood dresser. Then there was the door that most likely led to the rest of the house. Next to that, a large desk made of the same wood as the dresser that held a computer. The floors were wood, and the walls were painted dark green. It was nice, not that I had much to compare it to. I turned back to the t.v., seeing as to the fact that some show was playing. I stared without really watching it since, about five seconds in, I realized I'd found nothing interesting about it.
• Crawling back towards the top of the bed, I leaned back against the headboard and closed my eyes. The sound of a door opening caused me to open my eyes cautiously. What I saw, though, made me bite my lip to hold in a moan. Leo had his back to me as he scrubbed his hair with a towel. My eyes traced every muscle before landing on his sweatpants-covered ass. Fuck. My mate was a living sex symbol. Not that I was mentally ready to take that step, but by The Mother, did he make me wish I was.
• When he was finally satisfied, he released his hair from the towel and the lengthier section on top of his head fell down messily. Sexily. I watched as a drop of water slid from a strand and made a slow journey down his back. A moan escaped before I could stop myself. He turned around, causing his damp hair to whip to the side slightly. I bit down on my lip slightly harder as I caught sight of the washboard abs. He smiled, amused with the reaction he was causing,
• "Like what you see, love?
• I gathered my willpower and rolled my eyes before looking back at the television,
• "I don't hate it."
• He chuckled and tossed the towel in with my clothes before making his way to the bed. He crawled in next to me and pulled me onto his lap. I smiled as he hugged me to his bare chest. It was nice and warm. His chest rumbled gently as he spoke,
• "You wanna watch something, baby?"
• I yawned and leaned my head back into his shoulder,
• "Not really."
• I closed my eyes as his finger brushed against my cheek,
• "You still tired?"
• I nodded, and he turned off the t.v. before putting, what sounded like the remote, on the nightstand next to him. He kissed my cheek before putting me on the bed. I turned onto my side as he slid off the mattress. Cuddling into the pillow with my eyes still closed, I heard him turn the light off before climbing back in behind me. He draped his arm around my waist and pulled me into his chest. I fell asleep, surrounded by his scent.
• I woke up with an arm wrapped securely around me. Sighing happily, I kept my eyes closed. There's no way I was going to get any more sleep, but that didn't mean I couldn't savor this feeling. I hummed softly as kisses graced my neck. Apparently, I wasn't the only person who was up. I tilted my head, giving Leo a little more access, making him smile against my skin. He leaned his head against my shoulder as he tried to pull me even closer,
• "I think I might be addicted."
• "To what?"
• "Waking up next to you."
• I smiled and turned 'til I was facing his chest. Running my fingers along his muscles, I pressed my lips against his skin, leaving a soft kiss,
• "I think I know what you mean."
• He kissed the top of my head as I laid my forehead against him,
• "Do you wanna stay in bed for a little longer or get breakfast?"
• My stomach growled, as if the mention of anything but breakfast was disrespectful. Leo's chest rumbled as he laughed,
• "Well, I'll take that as a yes for breakfast."
• "Whatever, I'm taking a shower."
• He laughed some more as I, reluctantly, pushed myself from his warmth and headed to the bathroom. I stood under the massaging stream of water. I don't think I've ever felt so well-rested. It was even better because I was in Leo's arms while I slept. I hummed to myself as I used his body wash. I scrubbed shampoo into my scalp as I started half-singing a song I'd heard on the radio once. The sound of the door opening made me close my mouth quickly. I heard some shuffling before Leo's voice gently bounced along the walls,
• "You have a beautiful voice, love."
• Then the door closed. I felt my face heat up from the compliment, but settled for humming as I finished my shower. As I dried off and turned off the water, I saw an unopened toothbrush on the counter next to a folded pile of clothes. Brushing my teeth and washing my face, I examined my eyes. For the first time in forever, there were no visible bags under them. I turned my attention to the clothes and pulled on the boxers. They hung slightly from my slim waist, but not to the point where my butt was visible. Leo wasn't that much taller than me, but he was laced with more muscles than my lean frame. The jeans and shirt helped to back up the observation.
• The long-sleeved white shirt that would have fit his broad shoulders well, hung off of my smaller left shoulder slightly. I'd also had to adjust the jeans so that instead of fighting for them to stay up, they sat at a slight angle, revealing the edge of the boxers on the right side. I pulled the shirt down to cover it before grabbing the clothes on the floor and walking out. As I exited, I put them into the hamper. I heard a soft moan from behind me as I turned. My eyes came in contact with a smiling Leo, who was walking over to me. I smiled back as he closed the distance and pulled me into his chest. His arms wrapped loosely around my waist, while I wrapped mine around his neck. His hair brushed against my exposed shoulder as he leaned down to kiss the skin,
• "You look cute in my clothes. I'm almost upset that we're buying your own today. I'd much rather see you like this."
• I chuckled softly as he kissed my shoulder again before slowly letting go and heading to the bathroom. Within about five minutes, we were heading down the steps. Leo led me by the hand towards what was a very nice, and very large, kitchen. After we stepped in, he picked me up by my waist, much to my surprise, and protest, and sat me on the nice-sized island in the middle. I started to get down when he gave me a look that said he'd put me right back as soon as my feet touched the floor. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms, making him laugh as he started to pull out ingredients. It didn't take too long for the both of us to have a plate of bacon, eggs, and pancakes.
• As we eat the delicious food, I saw a large figure enter the room out the corner of my eye. I kept my face blank as I turned my head to get a better view. It turned out to be the guy who'd walked into Leo's room and woke me up with his growling. As we made eye contact, his face was blank, but his eyes flashed light green before going back to dark brown. This prompted Leo to growl angrily. My wolf wasn't happy about the blatant disrespect, either, but I kept my face completely emotionless as I put the plate down and slid off the counter.
• I placed my hand on my protective mate's chest, causing him to turn pale yellow eyes to me. I kissed his lips gently, and he exhaled as his eyes went back to their normal silver. I loved how Leo wanted to defend me, but that wasn't going to stop this guy from being disrespectful towards me when he wasn't around. I smiled at him before dropping all emotion and turning towards what was obviously a warrior. He watched me cautiously as I walked towards him and stopped about a foot away,
• "You don't like me, do you?"
• "I never said-"
• "Answer me."
• "No."
• "Why?"
• "Because you're a rogue. You're most likely taking advantage of the strength of the pack to get by."
• "So, you consider me to be a leech and a weak link."
• "Yes."
• "Fight me."