Today is the day. After two weeks of working out, I have built up my stamina enough to get through the shift, according to Caleb. Personally, I don't feel any different from before. Sure I can climb the stairs without having to stop at the middle to catch my breath, but I still suck at jogging and running. Plus, Caleb tried to teach me how to fight but apart from getting some bruises from falling, I can't see a difference. I am still the same lazy potato that I was before.

However, Caleb says I'm ready. So I guess I am ready. Tonight, he'll take me out on a date, and then we will continue with the marking and whatever follows. I am so nervous. Not just for the marking and the shift. I think it's our first ever date. Like a real date! And I don't know what he has planned.

I am currently sitting in front of the mirror and Faye is fixing my hair. She came to help me get ready. She chose my dress, she put on my make-up and now she is trying to make my hair some fancy beach waves by burning it with a curling iron. I'm grateful though. I could never get ready on my own. I'm too nervous.

Faye notices me fidgeting with my fingers and clears her throat to catch my attention.

"What are you so worried about?" she asks wrapping another section of my hair around the iron.

"I... I can't actually tell you. I mean it's weird. It's your brother" I say and she chuckles.

"Girl you can talk to me about anything concerning Caleb. I swear I'm very interested in my brother's love life. Is that what you're worried about?" she asks and I hesitantly nod.

"I mean, I'm dirty Faye. I've been touched in ways you can't even imagine. I'm not that confident with my body. What if he doesn't like me. What if I can't please him? I... It's stupid but... I really want him to like me" I kind of whisper and she chuckles.

"Sweetie, Caleb is head over heels in love with you! He doesn't care if you're dirty, which let me tell you, you're not! You would be if you were willingly giving yourself like that. What you've been through doesn't make you dirty. It makes you brave! Caleb knows that and appreciates it! Plus, I doubt anyone could please him better than you. He loves you. You can please him just by talking to him" she says and I nod.

I guess she's right. I know he loves me. And I love him too. So, getting intimate with him shouldn't be something that troubles me so much. I breathe slowly and nod, feeling more confident about myself.

"Thank you, Faye" I say smiling to her and she smiles back. With some last touches here and there she finishes my hair and takes a step back to admire her creation.

"Oh my god, I am a genius! You look like a goddess! He is going to melt just by looking at you!" she exclaims clapping her hands excitedly. "Too bad I won't see his face when he first sees you!"

"Thank you for everything! I look gorgeous and you're the one behind it! You're the goddess!" I say touching my hair. Somehow she managed to keep the softness they had even after putting tones of hair products on them.

Not to mention the make-up! A subtle smokey eye, perfect thin eyeliner and full red lips, matching the color of my dress.

"Last but not least, heels!" she squeals and hands me a pair of black stiletto heels. I had to borrow a pair from her since I skipped the heels when we went shopping. Thankfully we wear the same size so we had no problem finding a pair that fits me.

Faye leaves me to my room wishing me good luck and I sit on my bed waiting. He should be here any second now.

A knock on my door made my heart race. He's here!

I get up and walk to the door, slowly opening it. A very sexy, dressed in a black suit, Caleb stands in front of me. His eyes roam my body, lingering to my curves. His gaze meets my eyes and I can see both him and his wolf are excited to see me.

"You look amazing. Just, beautiful" he whispers pulling me closer and pecking my lips.

"You don't look that bad yourself" I say checking him out too. He looks so sexy in that suit.

"Are you ready to go cupcake?" he asks and I nod. He offers his hand for me to hold like a real gentleman. I laugh at the cliché but attach myself to his side anyway.

"So where are we going?" I ask.

"To my car" he says teasing me.

"Exciting. After that?" I continue trying to get a real answer.

"On the road"

"Caleb!" I exclaim and he chuckles.

"You'll see! Trust me, tonight, I'm going to make sure it'll be the best night of your life" he says kissing me softly and opens the door for me to sit in the car.

He starts driving and I can't keep my eyes off of his strong grip on the wheel. The muscles of his hands moving and teasing me.

I think I'm no longer nervous. I'm excited! I can't wait to feel his touch on my skin, the tingles, the butterflies.

I push my knees together trying to soothe the sudden heat between my legs. I really hope he won't smell my arousal. It will be too awkward for me to handle.

I look at him, trying to see if he had any clue about my embarrassing situation but he has a poker face plastered on and I can't figure him out.

"So, are we going to dinner? Or is it a theater play? Opera? Ballet? A charity ball? A simple ball? Come on you have to give me a clue... You instructed I dress up formal. I can't think of anything else that needs a formal attire"I sigh and push my knees together tighter. I need to get my mind off of his body.

God he's so hot!

"Well, all I can tell you is that I have everything planned to the detail for tonight. That is if you can control your urges" he answers with a smirk.

Fuck! He knows.

I feel my cheeks blushing and I shift my gaze outside the window to cover up my embarrassment.

"Can you please pretend you don't know?" I whisper and he pulls the car to the side of the road.

We are in the middle of the woods. Nothing around us. No theater, no restaurant, not even a freaking gas station to buy a soda and popcorn for mobile Netflix. Why did he stop here?

"I know nothing" he says before exiting the car and walking around the front to open my door. He offers his hand to help me out and I, still blushed from earlier, enjoy the tingles on my hand when I touch his.

He wraps his arm around my waist, locks the car and starts walking through the forest. I stop at the edge of the road, where the asphalt stops.

"You coming cupcake?" he says motioning for me to follow him deeper in the woods. "I'm not gonna bite, yet..." he says smirking.

"That's not what's holding me back" I say and squat down to take off my heels. "If you wanted us to take a stroll in the woods why did you make me dress like this? I could have worn my Nikes and yoga pants" I say and I see his eyes darkening. I guess he likes the idea of me in yoga pants.

I smirk content with the influence I have on him.

"Don't walk without shoes, cupcake. You're gonna get your feet hurt" he says after I take two steps and he scoops me up in his arms. He holds me bridal style and starts walking deeper inside the forest.

"Care to tell me where you're taking me?"

"Yeah sure. We're going - oh wait! Right. It's a surprise" he says teasingly and I sigh.

I surrender to his will. Not that I have an option but anyway.

He stops walking, finally, and puts me down. I put on my shoes and step on a paved path. I look around and notice that the path leads to a pavilion right next to a pond.

This place is so beautiful. In the center of the pavilion, there's a little wooden table and two chairs, candlelight is the only source of light, apart from the moon, and the only thing you can hear is the sounds of the night.

"Caleb this is so romantic" I say excitedly. He gently grabs my hand and leads me to the pavilion. He shows me to my seat and then sits across from me.

"What can I do for the nice couple this evening?" a waiter shows up out of nowhere, completely scaring the shit out of me. I stay quiet and look over to Caleb who enjoyed my little jump scare moment.

"We will have two plates of grilled pork tenderloin with steamed jasmine rice and a bottle of your finest red wine" he says to the waiter.

"Wonderful choice sir" he says and leaves.

I turn to Caleb shocked.

"We are in the middle of the forest. Where the fuck did he come from? And where the fuck is our food going to be cooked?" I whisper shout.

He chuckles and looks at the other side of the pond.

"If you look closely, there are other pavilions around, with other couples dining. It's an alternative, romantic restaurant that provides fine dining in comparison to privacy" he explains and I look around, noticing the barely visible candlelight that comes from other pavilions around the pond.

"That is just amazing" I say and laugh. "How did you find this place?" I ask and he smiles at my excitement.

"Perks of being an Alpha" he says smirking.

The waiter returns with our wine. He pours us two glasses and leaves the bottle on the table before he leaves again.

"Are you nervous?" Caleb asks taking a sip of wine.

"About what?" I ask mimicking his move.

"The marking, the shift. I know it's not easy, considering you'll wake up a werewolf tomorrow" he says looking deep into my eyes. Scratch that. Looking deep into my soul. He knows I'm scared to death about the shift.

"For the shift, I'm just a little... scared. What if something goes wrong?" I say and he reaches for my hand. He rubs soothing circles with his thumb, successfully relaxing me.

"Everything will be fine. I will be with you until the end. And I will make sure everything goes according to plan" he says and I feel my nerves calm down.

"What about the marking?" he asks, his eyes darkening with lust.

"What about it?" I tease.

"Cupcake, you don't want to tease me right now, believe me" he says, his voice is deep and heavy. Like he can barely control himself. God this table is just too big. The distance is too big!

The tension grows when the waiter returns with our food. We stay silent until he is gone again, just staring at each other. The heat between my legs is just growing and growing. He knows it. But I know he is in a similar state as well.

We eat our food, which was delicious. I didn't eat much though. My mind was too occupied making scenarios of how this night could end. The wine helped loosen up some of the tension but by the time we were back in Caleb's car I couldn't control my thoughts.

"Are we going home now?" I ask.

"We're not going home tonight Emma" he smirks and steps on the gas. I remain silent, just watching him drive and imagining his hands on my body. Why am I so horny?

"Almost there baby. You're driving me crazy" he says taking a deep breath.

He finally pulls into a nice lux hotel. After he parks the car, we walk to the reception. The receptionist, who was looking a little too much at Caleb, gives us the key to our suite and we walk to the elevator.

As soon as the doors are closed I grab Caleb and kiss him, pushing him against the wall. He growls lowly, his hands finding the back of my neck, and he deepens the kiss.

When the elevator reaches the top floor we pull apart and walk to our suite like we didn't just have a make-out session in there. We enter the luxurious hotel room and before I can even admire the beauty of the room I'm pushed against the wall.

Caleb's hands roam my body, he squeezes my hips sending shivers down my spine.

His mouth leaves wet kisses around my neck and my hands find their way to his hair. I tug at it earning a low growl from my mate and he moves us to the bed.

He quickly removes his jacket and shirt and returns his attention to my overly dressed body. He removes my dress while I run my hands on his abs. I feel him struggling with the bra so I unclip it giggling.

"Did you find that funny, cupcake?" he says smirking and he runs his hand down my body, his fingers rub my clit through the underwear and a shot of pleasure hits me. I can't keep the moans that escape my lips. I close my eyes and tilt my head back in pleasure.

"Caleb..." I whimper, begging for more.

"Tell me what you want cupcake" he teases rubbing the sensitive spot once more.

"You. I want you" I whisper.

"I can't hear you" he teases. I open my eyes, glare at him and pull him down by his neck.

"I want you inside me" I demand and he kisses me deeply.

He quickly removes his pants and boxers, kissing and sucking the skin of my neck, and he enters me.

Pleasure floods my body. I moan again, calling his name, begging for more and he happily gives me what I want. His thrusts become deeper and harder and it feels like heaven.

"Come for me Emma" he whispers in my ear and I obey, wrapping my hands around his shoulders for support and letting myself loose. Just when I thought the wave of pleasure was about to end I feel his teeth graze my neck. He bites my skin hard making me scream by the sudden pain. He holds me steady, still thrusting into me, until the pain turns to pleasure. It feels like I'm on ecstasy! I feel him pull out and he comes on my thigh.

But it's not over. It feels like it has just begun. My body starts shaking and I feel my temperature rise. I'm hot! I'm burning!

I open my eyes searching for Caleb and he's right above me looking into my eyes.

"Baby this is the hard part. I need you to be strong now. It will be over soon but you need to be strong" he says.

Pain shoots through my body and I scream. The shift is beginning.