"Let's go out again tonight," Asra suggested.

I quirked an eyebrow at him, my hands elbow-deep in vegetable peelings. Although I had woken up late, I was determined to get back to work. It gave me time to get into my deeper thoughts and feelings about our evening and relationship.

Asra was growing on me, as much as I didn't want to admit it. The bond was working in his favour, that was for sure. Every time I looked at him, it made my heart feel full and warm, and my stomach feel queasy. Is this what it was supposed to feel like? A giddy, strange fluttering in my tummy.

Even now, as he barged into the kitchen sprouting words of plans, I couldn't help but admire his physique. He had come straight from the training grounds, his arms and knees coated with dry dirt and grass in his hair. His eyes had a wild look to them, pupils blown and chest heaving with adrenaline. Perhaps that was what caused him to come here so unprompted. Did he feel the same way I was beginning to feel?

"Tonight? As in.... a few hours, tonight?" I frowned.

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, tonight, tonight."

"Oh..."

"Well, do you?" He cocked his head.

"Do I?" I repeated and held his gaze. "What did you have in mind?"

"It's the full moon." He shrugged. "I figured we could picnic by the lake."

"Will I be preparing the picnic?" I wondered.

He laughed lightly, causing some of the women to stare. "No, I will have it arranged."

"Will you pay them more than two coins?" I crossed my arms. "Extra work deserves more."

Asra grumbled but nodded his head. "I will."

"Then okay." I nodded. "Sounds good to me."

"Really?" His eyes widened.

I laughed. "Yeah, I enjoyed myself last night. It was... nice."

He grinned, canines glinting from his post-training high. "Great. I will see you later, flower."

Asra left without another word, the door swinging shut behind him. I stared for a moment before shaking my head in disbelief and continuing with meal prep for tonight's dinner. It was two o'clock, so I wondered what time he would expect us to go down to the lake. If it was a full moon, would we go after dark?

The prospect of another date weirdly sent chills down my spine. I felt excited, and it was a strange feeling. I had to stay level-headed though, for my own dignity, of course.

***

"This isn't secretly a ploy to kill me because I am human, is it?" I hummed.

Asra laughed, his voice echoing around the surrounding trees.

We were nearly at the lake, the treetops casting darkness among us so it was becoming harder to see as the sun started to set. Asra's body proved to be a good guide over the rough terrain, even though I had travelled this path many times. It had been a while since I last went swimming.

Admittedly, my anxiety got the best of me.

Every time I thought of going to the lake, I thought of how Blake found me. How he took down my secret guards and drugged me. It had saliva pooling in my mouth as the urge to turn and run away weighed on my mind.

"I could never kill you."

I shook my head. "Doesn't mean you couldn't hire someone to."

His deep chuckle shook my very soul, and thankfully we passed by the rock face of the waterfall. I sighed with contentment as the lake slowly came into view. This place would never get boring. The soft flowing water, the twinkling stars above the canopy of the trees...

"Relax, Ailia. I can hear your heart. Nothing is going to get you here whilst I am around." Asra reassured me.

My heart warmed at his words but turned into an inferno when I saw what he had set up for the two of us. By the side of the lake, facing the sunset, was a picnic blanket. But not just any old picnic blanket, this one was decorated with tall pillar candles. A woven wicker basket sat in the centre, surrounded by the flickering flames. There were scatter cushions all around and a folded-up blanket to the side.

"Did you do all of this?" I wondered as we came to a stop before it.

He shrugged. "I did."

"All of it?" I raised my eyebrows.

"All of it." He nodded. "Even the food. I thought I would give it a go."

My heart raced with excitement, wonder settling in my chest. He had prepared all of this for me, for us? Why did that make me feel like goo?

"Come sit, Tulip, before the sun goes down and we miss it." He chuckled.

He took my hand again, pulling me to sit on the blanket. I fell among four red cushions, plump and supportive beneath me. I grinned, taking the wine glass he offered me.

"Drinking whilst we have work tomorrow, is risky." I joked.

He chuckled. "Two nights in a row."

I waited patiently as he poured me a glass, gesturing for me to taste it. It was another reddish wine, slighter pinker than last night's. It tasted less fruity and more... I don't know, tart? Could wine taste so different from one bottle to another?

I had a lot to learn if so.

"Like it?" He cocked his head.

I nodded, humming a yes. "It's nice."

He grinned, topping my glass up more before filling his own. "Good, it was one I had lying around I thought it would be a nice treat."

"You just have wine lying around? Like in your sock drawer?" I snorted.

He rolled his eyes. "In my wine cellar, Tulip."

I laughed, my shoulders shaking at his tone of voice. "Yes, sir."

His eyes darkened but I just giggled over the rim of my glass, turning to watch the sun. The sky was cast in a magnificence of oranges and pinks. The clouds were sparse, leaving us a clear view of the sky.

"So..." I began, dropping my eyes to the picnic basket. "Whatcha got in there?"

He smirked, placing down his glass before prying one side of the basket open. I leaned closer as he pulled out a dish, covered with foil.

"Nothing too fancy, just... nibbles."

Nibbles. I snorted at the word. It sounded so delicate but coming from Asra's lips... It didn't seem to match his aesthetic.

"These are pieces of meat I purchased from the butcher." He gestured, peeling back the lid. "Then I have some loaves I cooked, and some salad..."

I watched as he pulled out some soft light brown bread rolls, and I reached for one to sniff. They smelt so divine. One of my favourite things as a cook was fresh bread and the way it could fill an entire store and bring people in from the outside.

"You made the bread yourself?" I wondered.

"I did." He licked his lips nervously. "It has been a few years since I had to crack out my old recipe book."

My eyes widened, an excited laugh escaping my throat. "You have a cookbook?"

He grunted, looking away from me. "Perhaps."

"No! It's not a bad thing, I just never pictured you as a chef." I laughed.

"It was most of my mother's doing. I wanted to be like her a lot, and I copied some of my favourite recipes. Which were mostly bread and cakes."

So he was a baker.

I grinned, nodding. "That's cute."

He growled. "I'm not cute."

"I beg to differ." I teased, sipping on my wine.

His blue eyes sparkled with a challenge but he never acted upon it. Together, we made a sandwich with the selected meats. Once I had one on my plate, he started to pull more food from the basket. My eyes widened as he produced small cupcakes, jam tarts and even sausage rolls.

"Oh, I love sausage rolls!" I grinned, grabbing one to bite.

I hummed in satisfaction when the flavours hit my tongue. "You make these?"

"Those... were from the butchers." He grunted.

I giggled, patting his thigh. "You have a good choice of butcher."

He rolled his eyes, grabbing my wrist in his strong grip. I was hauled over to him, made to lie over his thigh. I squealed in surprise, throwing my arms out to try and force myself up but his hand pressed into my back to keep me down. I was glad I set my glass on the floor because it would've gone everywhere with how hard he pulled me.

"Asra!" I complained.

A small pat came to my ass that had me jerk in surprise and he laughed, releasing his hold. I pushed myself up onto my hands, turning to glare into his eyes. He was laughing at catching me by surprise and I blew my hair out of my face before forcing myself to sit.

"You looked like you wanted to sit on my lap." He shrugged.

I straightened the knee-length dress I wore, thankful for Piper's help. She was due to leave tomorrow, postponing her departure for after the full moon. Wolves tended to be most instinctual around the full moon, and I have not had the honour of watching it in person yet. I had seen how primal they appear through glass, but tonight would be the first time I get to watch for any changes.

I was excited about it, but also fearful. I wasn't sure if I could handle another injury if it came to it. Plus, after tonight, it meant Piper would be leaving. The one person I felt closest to, was going.

"What's on your mind?" Asra wondered as we ate our nibbles.

"Me?"

"No, the squirrel in the tree." He laughed.

"There's a squirrel?" I wondered, turning.

His laughter must've scared it off because I never saw a squirrel.

"You, Tulip. I was waving in front of you and you were not home." He mused.

I blushed, dropping my head and rounding my shoulders. "I apologise. I should be more aware of my surroundings."

"Nonsense." He shook his head, wrapping his hand around my thigh. "What was it you said to me this morning? I got your back."

My heart warmed and I risked a glance to his face to find him smiling softly at me. He leaned over to kiss my temple before continuing with his meal like it never happened. My skin still burned from his kiss and his touch on my thigh. Just a millimetre of fabric separated the heat of his skin, and yet, I felt it like I was naked.

Once the food was gone and the sun was on its last slither of daytime, I leaned back into the pillows. My elbows propping me up, I gazed up at the night sky. The sun faded to dark, the stars slowly coming out of their hiding spot to shine down on the night. The moon was bright, a glowing ring that lit up the entire sky.

It was beautiful.

"Amazing." I breathed.

Asra had moved the picnic basket to lay beside me, plumping pillows as crossed his arms behind his head and laid down. I hesitated, looking down at him with the urge to get a little closer... His chest was wide and tempting, waiting for someone, for me, to reach down and just...

Asra looked up at me, quirking an eyebrow. "Are you going to lay or am I going to drag you over my knee again?"

His threat did nothing but excite me. I hid it through a scoff before moving closer. I hesitated for a brief moment, cautious of how close we would be if I were to lay on him. Swallowing what little resistance I had left, I slowly lowered my head until it rested on the broadness of his chest and shoulder. One of his arms moved from behind his head, wrapping beneath my neck and around my side, fingers tickling at my skin.

I exhaled softly, letting out puffs of tension as he pulled me close. Together, we lay staring up at the sky until the moon was in its full glory. As the minutes went by, Asra seemed to grow fidgety. I could see the hairs on his arms stand on edge and hear the grumbling in his chest.

I slowly pushed myself up, his dark eyes widening as I gazed down at him. His canines were out, his chest heaving as he looked at me.

"You alright?" I wondered.

"Just the moon." He forced a smile.

"What does it feel like?"

"Like I need to shift." He snorted. "It is begging me to give in and be free."

Licking my lips, I pondered my next response. If I was to do this, I would be risking my own damn sanity. But I could see how much he was resisting the change by how much his body seemed to vibrate.

"So... shift," I suggested.

His eyes widened. "Are you sure, Tulip? I will be a beast."

I nodded, nervous. "I have to get used to it at some point, right?"

He shrugged, pulling himself to sit upright. "If you are sure. It won't take me long and I can understand what you speak."

Sighing, I nodded again. "As long as you don't eat me."

"If I was to eat you, it would be with my head between your legs." He warned.

I flushed, arousal pooling in my stomach. He had intended it to be a distraction, and it paid off as he jumped to his feet and stepped away from the blanket. With wide eyes and bated breath, I watched as his body began to transform. His skin sprouted dark fur, back arching and limbs lengthening. It sickened me, to the point my heart got stuck in my throat, but I was locked onto target.

I couldn't tear my eyes away as Asra shifted, his face turning into a snout, his hair billowing in an unfamiliar breeze... Finally, he stood on all fours and turned his dark, dark eyes toward me.