Moonchild

Sixty Nine

Lukas

...

Aurie is in so much pain... But even when he gets up from the table and flees from dinner... It takes me just a little bit too long to get up... Too long to move.

The whole day has felt like im trying to walk through sludge because I know no matter how much I soothe him or listen or try hard to give my mate stability... No matter what I do... Aurie's life will always have elements to it that I have no control over... There will be things that I can't fix.

I can't fix that reporter leaking our address and exposing his location. But as I finally push my seat back... I know that I can at least see about taking up the offer that Ben presented when had shown up to take legal action against him... Even if it grinds my very soul to feel as powerless as I do right now knowing that I can't do more to protect my mate...

My precious, beautiful, weeping mate that I find shaking himself to pieces next to the house, his body angled towards the breeze whipping around us both so gently as it floats from the forest so close but so far away right now...

I'm not sure how long he's been fighting trying his best not to fall apart... But it's like as soon as he sees me something inside him finally snaps and releases him from trying to hide his emotions... Aurie's silent weeping turns into loud, emotional sobs, his knees giving me just enough time to get to him and pull him into my arms before they give out.

Right as he collapses into me, he finally drops the hard mental barrier that he's had up since the discovery of the reporter snooping on us during lunch and his grief slams into me...

At first, it's so jumbled that I'm not entirely sure what either of us is feeling until the swirling emotions eventually begin to calm just as his sobs become more organized shudders... My mate's mental anguish is much more manageable for him to break down and tolerate when he lets himself lean on me... I just wish he knew he could have always shared his heavy mental load.

...

Aurie

...

At first, I feel terrified that Lukas will see how fragile I am on the inside and be put off by how different it is compared to how strong-willed I've tried to be for so so long... But I should have known that that was stupid... I should have known that Lukas would never see me the same way I see myself.

To Lukas... I am not the fragile scared 20-something trying to make it on their own...

To Lukas... I am... Most simply...

His mate.

His luna.

The person who he seeks out and wishes to spend all his time with.

The person he wants to cuddle and hold...

The omega he wants to kiss and court and make love to...

And in all of those descriptions... I am most importantly...

Just myself.

In my Alpha's beautiful mind, I am both strong and fragile... Healing while still traumatized... And, if his innermost thoughts are to be believed...

I am his beautiful one and only...

And I know... With him wrapped so securely around me... That any plan of me leaving in the middle of the night because it would be too hard to say goodbye disappears...

How could I ever try to leave Lukas behind?

My mate loves me, and he is possibly the most patient and understanding Alpha on the planet, my sweet goofy man meat mountain... If I left, he would follow me. Without a doubt, he would pack his bags and find a way to show up in front of the dorm room I share with Cricket talking about how much he loves me and about if I'm done feeling like I need extra space or some other kind of nonsense.