Chapter 29 - Relationship Status

*“For the two of us, home isn't a place. It is a person. And we are finally home.” ― Stephanie Perkins*

***Kiya***

That was the best sleep I’ve ever had.

The sweet song of the morning birds beckoned me to awaken, but I wanted to stay in bed for a little longer. Neron’s scent from his bed wrapped me up in a warm cocoon, coaxing my lips into a smile. I took a huge whiff after burying my face deep in the pillow I slept on last night.

One of *his* pillows.

I opened my eyes expecting him to stare back at me only to find the bed empty with the only remnants of Neron and the girls as tangled bedsheets and blankets.

Sunlight streamed through the window from the open curtains, immersing the bedroom in honey-colored gold. Neron’s room was just tidy enough to show how much he cared for his space. Simplistic in nature, it exposed how the alpha desired the simple things in life. The light haloed around the geometrical shapes carved into the perimeter of his ceiling. I lowered my eyes to spot a desk tucked in the corner, messy with artwork and art supplies. His closet stood beside it, along with his wardrobe. My feet remembered his carpeted floor from last night. His personal settee rested opposite of the bed.

What was more interesting was the frame pictures hanging on his walls and lamp tables around his room. None held the artistic talents his hands would make. They were scraggily, extremely colorful drawings made by a child’s hands. Did the kids of the pack draw those pictures for him? And he kept and framed them?

*How precious*!

Yawning, I stretched my hands above my head and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. My body felt well-rested, the typical aches and pains absent. However, what replaced that was a mass of reverent heat spreading from the crown of my head to the tips of my toes. I shivered. I brought my hands up to my bottom lip, running the pad of my fingers over the slightly chapped skin burning from the Alpha’s lips.

I kissed him again. He stole my breath away again and immortalized his toned, hard torso to my front. My body jolted at the memories of his fingers kneading and pinching the flesh of my ass, aching for more of his sinful touches. My muscles tightened and brought life to the need throbbing in between my legs, pulsating for more.

Pulsating for *him*.

“Shit…” I muttered under my breath, clenching my thighs as the forbidden fire scorched every cell in my body. I tried to think of anything else besides the damn alpha and his equally damning scent and muscles, but I couldn’t. It was *all* I could think about on this golden morning.

I’m a woman with a hormonal storm raging under her skin that only Neron could tame.

And that wasn’t the most shocking part.

I told Neron last night that I desired him. I felt a desire for him.

That man brought out this emboldened side of me. Hiding my emotions and desires was always an easy and simplistic thing, but there was something about Neron, *this* Neron, that made me feel I can trust him. I could be honest with him. The old me would’ve swallowed a silver bullet before she ever admitted to emotions as hot and sinful as this.

But, goddess, it made me feel *powerful*.

I slid off the bed, waddled to the bathroom, and splashed cold water on my face. It practically sizzled under my hot cheeks. When I peered in the mirror, my reflection showed someone else. This person had their pupils blown wide. Her cheeks were flushed, and her lips wanted more. That person was me.

For the first time in my life, this side of me didn’t make me keel over in absolute disgust. I didn’t want to exorcise this hellish spawn out of me. I wanted it to stay. I wanted to embrace it, for it to teach me things I didn’t know about myself.

*This is normal, right*?

Then there’s that craving. The kind that was dangerous to handle. It was too unstable with the threat of spinning out of control with the right caress. I had that control for so long.

And I let that control go twice. It’s fucking *addicting*.

My body was still repairing itself from the past. Time was slowly erasing the brutal memories from my cells. I failed to expect that a single touch from Neron’s mighty hands made it writhe with pleasure. My mind forgets the world exists when he’s so close to me.

I exited the bathroom, running my tongue over my lips. I knew that man was dangerous. Everything about him reeked of danger. But that danger made me feel **alive**. I wanted to crash and burn as long as he’s with me.

“**I don’t know why you have to be so poetic, Kiya, but you can say the word**. **You’re horny and that’s okay**.”

“*Fucking hell, Artemis*!” I heard scratching behind the door. When I opened it, Lupin trotted in, greeting me with a bark. “Good morning, handsome boy!” The husky careened his head left and right when I scratched behind his ears, his tail becoming a propeller.

“**There’s nothing wrong with admitting that the thought of Neron gets you hot and heavy**. **Your hormones are acting just as they’re designed to**. **It’s a perfectly healthy response to being in the presence of a beautiful man carved in a goddess’ blessing**.”

I smirked, suppressing a scoff. “*Oh yeah*? *While I am inclined to agree*—”

“**You know I’m right**.”

“*Yes, you are*. *Are you happy*? *Now, let us not forget about you*.”

“**I’ll save you the trouble**. **There’s a new term people your age use that I think accurately describes what I’d like Onyx to do to me when given the chance**.”

“*The thought of you using human slang tickles my fancy*.” I giggled as I left Neron’s room. Lupin followed behind me, bumping his head gently against my calves. I gravitated toward the kitchen when the smell of cooked pancake batter filled my nose. “*Tell me what you’re thinking about*.”

“**I want Onyx to blow my back out**.”

I choked on my spit. “*ARTEMIS*!”

“**Or is it break my back**? **I can’t ever keep up with your slang**. **It changes every other day**.”

“*You can’t be serious*!”

“**I’m an animal, Kiya**. **My tastes aren’t that unorthodox**. **You’re still navigating yours, but I’m set on mine**. **One of these days, Onyx is going to rut into me like a feral beast and I’ll enjoy it**. **Until then, I have my thoughts on the matter to keep me occupied**.”

My shock wasn’t from Artemis admitting to having lurid fantasies about Onyx, in her right, of course, but how she said it so *calmly* made me wonder if the vixen in her was truly under control.

Things much easier when we were repulsed by intimacy.

If my cheeks weren’t burning from Artemis’ commentary, they were when I entered the kitchen. Aiyana and Alana were sitting at the island in their pajamas digging into their pancakes while Neron manned the stove with his back was to me. He dropped another pancake onto the plate beside him and poured more batter into a pan from a pitcher.

Lupin walked up beside him and panted happily when his owner pet him on the head before scurrying to the far corner of the kitchen for his breakfast.

“Can I have another pancake, Neron?” Alana asked as Aiyana poured more syrup on her stack.

“Just one?”

“Um…” She eyed her empty plate. “Two?”

He laughed. “Yes, you can. Give me a minute to make more, okay?”

The corner of my lips arched into the biggest smile I could muster. My eyes watered. This scene, this feeling, the way Neron was cooking for the girls and the happiness on their sweet faces as they filled their belly with sweets…

This domesticity…It’s almost like…

“**A family**.”

Yes. A family.

I wanted this. I want this so badly it hurts. A family to wake up to and call my own.

“Aren’t you going to join us, angel?” Neron asked, turning his head to meet me. I didn’t know how long I was idling by the kitchen door, just watching everyone. The girls jerked their heads in my direction and smiled.

“Hi, Kiya!” Aiyana said, drinking her orange juice.

“Good morning!” Alana greeted.

“Morning, my dears.” I kissed the top of their heads before walking up to Neron, crossing my arms. “You didn’t wake me up.”

“I didn’t want to. You looked so peaceful.” Neron admitted as he flipped his pancake. “The girls and I wanted you to sleep in a little more.”

Warmth filled me from head to toe. “That’s kind of you, Neron.”

“You’re a sight for sore eyes when you drool in your sleep.”

“Wha—!” Mortified, I punched his shoulder. Neron laughed, unaffected by my hit. “You’re such a douche.”

“You’d drool sometimes back at the hotel.”

“Keep it up and I’m cooking you next.”

“If you wanted to take a bite out of me, all you had to do was ask.”

“I have an acquired taste, thank you very much.”

“And I have one hell of a sweet tooth.” He faced me with his smoldering eyes, black slowly painting over his eyes as well. “And you’re looking particularly sweet for me to eat.”

*Ah, yes, the ache in between my legs has morphed into a waterfall*. *How convenient*.

“Neron, I think I saw some chocolate syrup in the cabinet if you’re looking for something sweet for your pancakes!” Aiyana’s high-pitched voice spoke up, obliterating the tension between us. I slapped a palm to my face.

*Goddess, the girls were listening to us*!

Neron snaked an arm around my waist and pulled me to him with a grin. I melted into his touch instantly. “Thank you for the suggestion, Yana! But I’m afraid that’s not the type of chocolate I want right now.”

I gawked at him, all words dying at the tip of my tongue.

*Is this ALLOWED*?!

Aiyana shrugged her shoulders and went back to eating her pancakes.

Neron kissed my cheek, passing me a plate of pancakes and a bowl of strawberries and bananas. I took them, blissfully aware of my hot cheeks. “You know I can smell you, right, angel?”

“Is it your goal in life to make me spontaneously combust?” I half-whispered, half-yelled at him. He eyed me up and down, his dangerous blues stoking an even more dangerous flame in me.

“Nope. I prefer you in one piece.” He winked.

*Did I want to punch his face or sit on his face*?

*I should suffocate him*.

Alana got her second helping of pancakes, and we all ate our breakfast in the peace of the sweet-smelling kitchen. The girls babbled on about how they’re excited to go shopping, but I couldn’t hear them with Neron’s hand caressing mine, blocking out their voices.

I folded my legs in my seat, stabbing three cut-up strawberries before shoving them into my mouth. The fire in me continued to rage, and I had to steel myself mentally from pouncing on Neron to kiss him again.

This was impossible. Neron was right. We aren’t friends. We can’t be friends. We’ve unlocked a deeper desire within each other that only called for one another. I wanted something more with him, and for the first time in my life, I wanted to pursue someone.

This wasn’t just lust. Neron was flirting with me earlier, but now he’s looking at me like I’m the only woman in the world for him. Hell, I am the only woman for him. Perhaps it’s time for me to step out of the shell I had built. To venture out and take risks that could benefit or hurt me.

We dismantled our friendship with that forbidden kiss. We ruined any future platonic interactions between us in our second kiss.

I knew what we were when Neron ran his thumb over my fingers.

It was time to experience more out of life, even though it’s terrifying.

*I hope I don’t regret it at the end*.

“Girls, make sure you put your dishes in the sink after you finished eating,” I said. “After that, take a shower and get dressed for our trip to the mall. If you need help with your clothes, you can ask Raina for help.”

Neron raised his eyebrows in my peripherals. The girls finished up and left the kitchen ten minutes later. Lupin ran out to search for his next playdate, leaving Neron and me alone. This was now or never. Sucking in a breath of bravery, I turned my body to the alpha, accidentally brushing up my bare knees on his thigh.

The fated sparks burst in my muscles like tiny fireworks.

“I know we’re not friends.” I began. “We’ve entered this weird grey area about our relationship, right?”

“We did.” He answered, biting the inside of his cheek. “It’s become so much harder to see you as my friend. With everything we’ve done together, I can’t go back to the way we were before.”

“I can’t either. We jumped the fence here, didn’t we?”

“A couple dozen fences.” We shared a laugh until Neron cleared his throat, his hand tapping against his knee. “Um, did I take it too far with what I said earlier? If I made you uncomfortable, please tell me so I can correct it.”

My face fell at his panic. I reached to his hand to take it into my own, squeezing it. My hand felt like it belonged in his, safeguarded and loved by his fingers. “I liked it, Neron. Part of me is grateful that the girls had no clue what you meant. But it made me feel…wanted, but in a different way.”

“So, I didn’t make you feel uncomfortable?”

I shook my head. “No. Not at all.”

He exhaled a breath of relief, a smile curling on his face. “I’m so glad.”

“You care a lot about how I feel.”

“Because you’re very important to me.”

“Can I be very important to you as your girlfriend?”

He dropped his jaw so wide that his eyes nearly jumped out of their eye sockets. His brain must’ve short-circuited. Then again, it was shocking for me to even suggest this in the first place.

*Gotta be brave, here*.

 “I have to give a relationship a try, right?” I asked, shrugging a shoulder. “And I like you, Neron. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us to keep doing what we’re doing if we don’t know who we are to each other. Dating is, to say the least, rare with werewolves, but things have to happen at least once, right?”

He nodded slowly, still staring at me like a strung-out cartoon.

“…Say something, you’re scaring me.”

Neron recovered from his shock, stood from his seat, towered over me, and planted a firm kiss on my lips. And like snow, I melted into his heat. He pulled away after half a second, chuckling under his breath.

“The man is supposed to ask the girl to be his girlfriend.”

“Tradition is overrated.”

“Some should be kept alive, though.” His hands found their way to my hips, his pinkies barely brushing up against the hem of my top. “Girlfriend or not, you will still be the most important person in my life, Kiya. Can I be the same to you as your boyfriend?”

I couldn’t contain my giddiness. “Yes.”

Artemis was practically prancing around like a horse in my head. I took his lips into mine, making it official. Two weeks ago, I’d never entertain the idea of being someone’s girlfriend, let alone Neron’s. Now, this was a decision I’m willing to commit to. We’re destined, but I wanted to experience the normal courting experience werewolves skipped often.

*It’s time for my next adventure*.

Our kiss would’ve continued if a string of excited Norwegian along with a camera flash didn’t throw Neron off me. We turned our heads to see his grandparents, Eise and Jakob, Aunt Essie, and a grinning Nuria standing by the kitchen door.

The flash came from Nuria’s fucking *camera*.

“See! Those two can’t stay away from each other!” Eise exclaimed excitedly to Aunt Essie. “They’ll make such a lovely bride and groom! We should choose a wedding date, immediately!”

“*Mormor*, please—!”

“A trip to the old country would do you both some good.” Jakob tapped his cheek with a longing smile. “We have to introduce her and Nuria’s beloved to the family!”

“*Morfar*, wait—!”

“*Mamma*, *Pappa*, we must give them time.” Aunt Essie patted their shoulders. “But I hear September is the perfect month for a wedding.”

“Auntie!” I whined.

Nuria snapped another photo, damn near blinding me. “Lorelai owes me five bucks!”

I narrowed my eyes at my best friend. “You betted on us? And you roped sweet Lorelai into it?!”

“Yeah, but it was her idea.” She rolled her eyes. “And I have another bet in the works. Be sure you and our resident Coconut Tree fuck in the next week or so before you leave, okay? I have twenty dollars riding on ya!”

I chased the bitch out of the kitchen as she cackled her way through the house.