Warning: some mildly M-rated scenes occuring. 

Maru woke that morning, feeling refreshed for sleeping in that weekend, yet feeling something else as well. Stretching her limbs, she trudged lazily to the restroom. She rubbed her eyes and stared at her reflection in the mirror, noticing how much paler she appeared. I'm not sick, am I? She gently patted her face before reaching for her toothbrush.

Despite such a long rest, she still felt uneasiness wrack through her body as she opened the fridge, squinting at the contents inside. Amidst pouring milk into a glass, she gasped at a sudden realization. Prolonged distance from a mate results in feelings of emptiness, loneliness, and potential depression. She vaguely recalled her mom telling her recollections when she got a mate; it would feel agonizing to not be around each other constantly before being marked. Even after, there would always be a pull.

She cursed, noticing how her sudden epiphany caused her to unconsciously overfill the glass of milk and spill the liquid all over the counter. Hastily grabbing multiple sheets of paper towels, she dabbed the accident away, becoming more awake. More aware of her surroundings.

She took a sharp intake of breath. 

"Good morning, princess."

She immediately looked up, noticing Luhan perched upon the kitchen table. She glowered at his presence, tossing the wad of paper towels into the nearest trash bin. "Normal people wait for an invitation to visit, don't they?" She snapped. She hoped her coarseness would help mask the wild thumping of her heart.

Luhan placed his hand on his chest, feigning pain. "You wound me. I was only checking up on you. You do realize it's already 1 in the afternoon." She ignored him. He watched her drink the glass of milk, entranced by every gulp."You're not a morning person, are you?"

"It's 1 in the afternoon," she mocked.

"Touché." Luhan hopped off the table, striding to lean against the counter beside her. 

Maru almost choked on her glass of milk, wary of his proximity. Suddenly feeling shy, she turned away, walking toward the pantry to find something to eat.

Luhan followed, his chest just barely touching her back as Maru perused for breakfast.

Maru scrunched her nose; there was no way she could bend down to look at the lower shelves without bumping bottoms with Luhan. She turned, ready to tell him to back off, but she froze. His arms were propped up on either side of the doorway, trapping her. Her mind blanked. Her words lodged in .

They kept the intense staring battle, although Luhan's more confident while Maru's was meek. 

"Wh-what are...you doing? M-move!" Maru made a weak attempt at shoving his arms out of the way. She opted for lamely stepping under his arms, but he grabbed a hold of her shoulders immediately.

Noticing her tenseness, he let go, taking a step back as well. "How about we spend some time together?" He drawled, fiddling with the pantry doorknob. "I think I'd like to get to know my mate." 

He waited as Maru internally conflicted with herself whether or not she wanted to.

"Did anyone see you come over here?" He shook his head. "You want to hang out...here?"

Luhan allowed for a small smile to emit for a fraction of a second before composing back a stoic expression. "If that's what you'd prefer. I think I might prefer it as well; it would give us more privacy."

Maru produced a horrified expression, much to Luhan's delight. "I need some time to change." She walked out of the kitchen towards the stairs.

"You look just fine."

Maru fidgeted in her spot, her expressions contorting wildly on her face. She couldn't disobey a Beta, but she cannot stand him constantly looking at her in her tattered pajamas and haggard appearance.

Luhan sighed. "Go ahead."

She bolted up the stairs, trying not to waste any time.

She raced into her closet, rummaging around for a pair of clean jean shorts and opting for a regular t-shirt, since she's just in the comfort of her own home. 

Maru almost tripped sprinting towards the bathroom, hastily brushing out her tangled bird's nest of hair. She pursed her lips; she didn't really own any makeup, but some lip balm on her bare face would have to do for now.

Downstairs, Luhan strolled around, first stopping back in front of the mantle at the ornament he held the other day. What could've been so important about it? It looked like a regular decoration with no writing or imagery on it. He continued, noticing only one picture settled on the wall near the television. He recognized Maru as a little girl, smiling brightly with a couple teeth missing, and the woman holding her he assumed as her caretaker.

"Um, hi." Luhan turned around, taking in her appearance. "I, uh, normally spend my Saturday mornings just watching some TV, if that's alright with you."

Luhan shrugged. "Fine by me." He sat on one end of the couch, and furrowed his eyebrows when Maru sat on the opposite end, but said nothing.

Maru pressed on the remote beside her, and quietly watched the latest comedy. For the next ten minutes, she kept feeling Luhan's stare at her, and kept fidgeting in her spot.

Luhan gazed, watching as her right leg lightly shook in her seat, and her eyes glancing at him in her periphery every now and then. "I said I wanted to get to know you."

"Oh." Maru turned in her seat, her back resting against the arm of the couch, facing him. She raised her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "Well, what did you want to know about me?"

"I didn't really have anything in mind," Luhan admitted. "Just...talk."

"Um..." Maru furrowed her eyebrows and looked up at the ceiling. "Well first, what do you already know about me?" 

"I know that you're an omega, mostly due to the fact that we don't know who your parents or family were, that you were abandoned when you were just a baby in the forests out here, you don't interact with much of the other wolves," Luhan paused, noticing the grimace on her face, but resumed, "I know your decided birthday - or rather I could know when it was: I have access to everyone's medical data. And..." Luhan smirked, "...I know that you think I'm really pretty."

Maru almost choked on her spit. "You heard me from that far away?"

Luhan scoffed, "How else am I such a skilled beta? My hearing is impeccable."

"That's a bit boastful." Maru muttered. Luhan raised an eyebrow. Maru cursed internally. She knew her habit of talking to herself would bite her in the back someday. "Sorry."

Luhan's mouth curled up slightly. "Fill me in on more."

Maru fiddled with the hem of her shirt, keeping her eyes aimed at the TV. "Uh...this is the first time I've heard you speak so much, for starters. I've lived here all my life but this is the first year that I'm living by myself. I like to eat lots of food, but most of them junk food so my health is probably really bad right now, my mom's been nagging me about it. I like to watch TV, maybe read some books, I've got a little garden growing with the librarian across town - she's pretty nice, sometimes she invites me to lunch in the little restaurant across the street..."

Luhan watched with mild amusement as his mate babbled on, his arm propped up against the side of the couch. She looks so adorable right now, he thought. He was entranced by her; by the way she lifted her hands every now and then to make little gestures to help her speak, the way her eyes seemed to brighten along with the genuine smile. She seemed so comfortable and more relaxed, and he felt himself be giddy about it. She wouldn't look him in the eye though, and for some reason it bothered him.

"Maru."

Maru stopped midsentence, turning towards him. Feeling embarrassed, she looked down, her face burning. "S-sorry, I tend to ramble a lot when I talk."

Luhan frowned. "No, I like it when you do." He felt overjoyed when she finally looked up at him, her eyes wide.

"Really?"

Luhan hummed, and moved in his seat toward her, unable to resist being near her any longer. All he felt the urge to do as she spoke was to claim her, to finally mark her as his.

Maru curled in her body little by little as Luhan crawled closer to her, finally settling between her legs. She could feel it, the need, the want to be lost in his embrace again. 

Luhan leaned forward, just enough for his nose to lightly graze hers, his eyes darting from her lips to her eyes. Maru surprised him by leaning forward to finally meet their lips for another overdue passionate kiss they've both been anticipating. Her arms wrapped around the back of his neck once more, pressing her lips harder against his. Luhan wrapped his right arm around her waist and his left hand grasping a hold on the back of her head, pressing his body closer to hers until she was comfortably laying flat against the couch.

Their lips moved against each other in sync, not as fervent as before. Luhan swept his tongue across Maru's lips, causing her to tug on his hair and earning a low groan from Luhan. He grinded his hips against hers, eliciting a soft moan from both of them. He continued pressing his pelvis repeatedly against her, savoring the small noises she made. He locked his lips on her jaw, and kissed down towards the side of her neck, nibbling gently on a sensitive area.

Luhan shifted his arm around her waist from under her, and instead settled his palm on her sides, rubbing back and forth slowly. He slipped his hand under her shirt, ghosting his fingers along her sides, inching closer and closer to her bra.

Maru felt her heart racing even faster, if that was possible. She wasn't ready to go that far. She placed her hands on Luhan's shoulders, gently trying to pry him off. "N-no...wait...stop...stop!" 

Luhan removed himself off of her, and looked back at her with a confused and frustrated expression, panting. "What's the matter?"

Maru had to take a few deep breaths before being able to coherently speak. "I...I'm not ready to mate with you... just yet," she replied. She sat up in her seat, and shakily waited for his response.

Luhan furrowed his eyebrows. "Are you nervous? It's okay if you are. I promise I won't make you uncomfortable or anything if that's what you're worried about."

"I-I know you will!" she exclaimed. Startled by her own outburst she added softly, "I just...not now. I don't want to now. I know we need to as soon as possible, but I need a little bit of time..."

Luhan sighed, and nodded in understanding. Although the pain and need to mate would only continue to intensify the more they wait, he won't force his mate to do something she didn't want to do. He noticed the apprehensive look on her face, and used the pad of this thumb to rub small circles on her knee beside him. "I understand."

The phone in Luhan's back pocket beeped. Luhan reached behind him and read the new text message.

I need you to come help me at the office.

"I have to go. I'll see you later." Luhan hesitated, but leaned over to give a chaste kiss on his mate's lips before heading out the back door, all the while internally cursing his father for interrupting his time with Maru.