"When does school start?" I asked when I felt his mind begin to stir and wake.

"Mnnn," Jake purred and stretched, his body sliding against mine when he did.

Classes start Wednesday...tomorrow. His thoughts were always easier to understand than his words whenever he woke up.

"Are you excited for it?" I said reaching for his chin. He squirmed when my fingers caressed the short hairs that grew under his chin. I tilted his face up to look directly into his sleepy eyes as they fluttered open. How does he managed to look so handsome and charming while being so soft to my touch?

His eyes shot open wide as my thoughts reached him and a blush rushed to his cheeks. "Shut up! Stupid Wolfe," he grumbled and rolled over to hide himself from me.

Oh Jake, when will you learn that there's no escaping me? I rested my large hand over his body and rested my face against the back of his neck so that each breath I took would travel down his spine.

Damn it, Hunter. I just woke up, it's too early for you to do this to me!

"So, answer my question already. Are you excited for college to start?"

"I think I am, but..." his words drifted off but the point was clear. He was nervous and unsure of what to expect.

There was a bit of rising tension and stress in his gut as he thought about it. I moved my hand to the spot on his body and left it there. I couldn't think of anything to say, but I could at least stay close.

All of a sudden, Jake started laughing. It went down from his lips to his chest and became infectious, tempting a chuckle from me as well. "You're the worst, Hunter," he laughed a little more softly.

I was genuinely confused.

"You make it feel so simple. Normally, I would be thinking about school endlessly until it made me feel sick to my stomach. I'd get up and start studying for hours without smiling because I couldn't shake the feeling. But, you just put a hand on me and get rid of that feeling like it never mattered. It shouldn't be that easy for you," he grinned and slapped my hand that was still on him.

I started laughing myself this time. I made sure that my voice was low and my breath was hot against his neck when I replied, "You are such an idiot. Most people wouldn't complain about being comforted."

"I know, I know. But- ha! No, stop!" he cried out quickly when I ran a finger along the arch of his back. I did it twice before he realized that I was planning to continue my attacks. He rolled out of my grasp and thumped onto the floor loudly. "Bad Wolfe. My parents are still home."

A predatory grin rose to my face. "I wasn't the one making any noise," I said with my voice rumbling from instinct.

It may have seemed like my actions were sudden, but I had my reasons. It had been a bit too long since I trained with Jake, and the idea of him getting too soft scared me as the multilayered voice of prince Bastian came back to mind. His last words were both a threat and a promise that I couldn't ignore.

"You want to train now...in here? Who is prince Bastian?" he asked, picking up on my thoughts.

"He's not someone you need to worry about, Jake." As long as my mate was strong, that would stay true. The less he had to know about the silver-tongued prince, the safer he'd be. "Let's go outside then. I'll even go easy on you since you just woke up," I smiled at him while taking a seat on the edge of his open window.

Then I saw something in his eyes that made doubt everything that I knew about mating. Jake's eyes flashed a dark green for just a second. So briefly that I would have missed it if I wasn't looking right at him. His expression fired up as well and it was like a flame sparked inside of him. He looked more than ready to fight all of a sudden. "I'm not worried. Bring it on, Wolfe."

Before I could comment on the weird change in his mood, Jake put both hands on my chest and tipped me back over the edge. I recovered from the surprise in an instant and my instincts took over. My skin tingled and tightened as I took on a sturdier build. Standing on four legs, I howled up to his window.

If Jake was going to continue to be at my side, he'd need to be as strong as any wolf. No, a normal wolf couldn't protect himself alone. He'd need to be as strong as an Alpha wolf.