Late bloomer

Ten

The hall was dark, the only light coming from downstairs. I tiptoed, hoping the floor boards wouldn't creak to much in the short distance I had to travel. The last thing I wanted was to explain why I sneaking into an alphas room.

I mean, I wouldn't have to be sneaking around until Alpha Mark called Louis and I into his office.

***

Louis had come into the library to find me this morning, face pale and stuck in a frown.

"What's wrong?" I immediately asked, setting my book down and walking towards him. Louis looked down at his feet, hand fiddling with the bottom of his hoodie until I was in front of him and placed it in mine.

He linked our fingers, flashing a smile before taking a deep breath.

"My dad wants to talk to us." He said, breathing out a sigh.

"About what?" I frowned, seeing Louis was obviously upset about whatever it was about.

"I was in his office, you know the usual, him teaching me stuff." I nodded along, knowing Mark was letting Louis share his tasks as Alpha lately. "I was going through his diary for stuff to do and asked why he had a meeting scheduled with you that I didn't know about."

I furrowed my brows, not knowing I had a meeting with the Alpha either.

"He said he wanted to talk to you about the ceremonies before our mating." I nodded along, knowing about the ritual ceremonies we had to go through before mating. A royal mating of this status had to be traditional. "And he warned me. Threatened me."

"What?" I couldn't help the gasp, my stomach dropping now understanding why he was so upset. "About what? With what?" I shook my head.

"He said we can be together romantically before we actual mate. I was confused, asking what difference it made, we were already bonding." He swallowed, looking up at me with a sad smile, twisting his lips to one side. "You have to completely pure, and I have to stay away."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "What do you mean stay away?"

"That we can't be together before we mate. Like at all." Louis ran a hand through his fringe, it messing up more than it already was. I bit my lip and nodded slowly, running an idea through my head.

"What he doesn't know, won't hurt him."

Louis' eyes quickly met mine, wide and bright blue watching me. I couldn't help but smirk when a grin formed on his face, his hands reaching to pull me in closer. His face immediately brightened.

"Exactly." He surged forward, lips colliding with mine. I kissed back just as hastily, whimpering softly as his tongue pried open my lips when they parted.

He let out a low growl, one that made my knees weaken and force myself to push against his chest to slow it down.

"Louis. We can't." I gasped as he bit my lower lip, watching my mouth as he pulled it down and released it. He placed one last lingering kiss before pulling away.

Both our chests were heaving, Louis' lips as red as I'm sure mine are. My kissing experience was limited, but I'd never had a kiss like that with anyone. And I can't help but want more than I can have.

"I know." Louis rested his forehead against mine, my hands holding his where they rested on my sides. And I knew he did.

If we were gonna go behind his dads back just to hide us being actually, kind of, maybe, together, we can't actually go that far. Like he said, I had to be pure to some extent.

That meeting with Mark had not gone well, with the alpha telling us sternly not to 'fornicate'. His word not mine. My cheeks were red and I looked down and around the room to avoid eye contact while Louis argued with the man. But he could never win over Mark.

He also gave me a book, which I refused to show Louis. Inside was not for alpha's eyes.

***

"Louis?" I knocked on his door quietly.

I only had to wait a few seconds before it opened and I was being yanked in. I gasped, about to complain, but Louis' lips met mine.

I melted into him, arms around his neck as his linked around my lower back. We kissed hotly as he leant me against the wall, hands creeping lower and lower until I could feel one under my bum, starting to palm gently. I disconnected on my arms, grabbing his hand and guiding it to my hips instead as his tongue explored my mouth.

He made a rejected growl as we pulled apart, trying his luck with his other hand, squeezing more firmly, making me gasp against his mouth.

"Louis." I warned lowly, as he kissed down my jaw and licked my neck, making me curve my neck towards him involuntarily.

"I know. Just let me have my moment." He groaned, and I had to bring my hand to cover my mouth to keep in my laugh and the moan that threatened to escape. I ignored the hardness I felt against my hip as his hips pinned me to the wall, as well as my own.

"Ok, I'm done." He said with a reluctant sigh, pinching my bum as he back off.

I let out a squeak, making him laugh  and cover my mouth with his hand. "Shush." He laughed quietly.

We eventually made it further into his room, cuddling on the bed as Louis put a horror movie on, not really watching and paying more attention to each other than anything. My head was on his chest, tracing his freckle dotted abdomen and watching his muscles twitch slightly under my fingers. My thoughts wondered though, to that day I walked in on Louis with that girl in this very bed.

"Lou?" I whispered, not wanting to break the quietness. I didn't look up at him, just stared at his tanned skin and the tattoo along his chest.

"Yeah, Haz?" He murmured back softly, fingers running through my hair. I bit my lip, trying to focus on my question rather than the joy his fingers were giving my scalp.

"How... how many people have laid here like this? With you?" I could hear the insecurity in my voice, showing how I truly felt, because who knew how many others Louis had been like this with, cuddling in bed and kissing in the hallway.

"None. They never stayed in my bed."

I nodded slowly, feeling slightly lighter at his confession. "Why not?"

"Because none of them were worthy." He sounded certain, like it was a fact. But he had deemed me worthy.

So as I closed my eyes and stared to dream of the future, I saw Louis under my head in this very bed, along with other smaller heart beats.