Within their dreams (Reverse Harem)

Chapter 23

Leo's POV

I stare at her as she starts to tell me everything. For the first time since she's been here, I feel the wall she put up between our bond melt away and I jerk slightly at the rush of feelings that consume me. I feel her worry, sadness, anguish...but something more.

I felt a glimmer of it before, but now it burns ice cold, shining brightly inside her. I feel her strength, a power buried within her that was hidden from everyone, including her. It seeps from her, creating an aura around her that I'm drawn to. I thought she was exquisite before but now...she's perfection incarnate. I'm still holding the book she gave me, showing her family history. I watch her lips move, her eyes glancing down at the book every so often to show me something in particular. I nod along, one part of me listening to her but the other part inching closer, her power like an aphrodisiac.

I swallow, clenching my fists. I need to get myself together. She's finally sharing a piece of her that's been shadowed in doubt and all I can think about is being inside her again.

"Why'd you keep it from us?" I interrupt, and her eyes widen. I watch the collum of her throat as she swallows, memories of my belt around it earlier flooding my mind. I clench my jaw and shift slightly as I feel myself grow hard.

"I..."

"You what? Didn't think it was worth telling us that you're not who you've been pretending to be?" I wince at how harsh my tone is, but I don't make a move to apologise. Ivy bites her lip, inching back slightly. I growl, gripping her legs and pulling her towards me. I can hear her heartbeat pick up as she gasps, her hands trying to pry mine off her.

"I haven't been pretending," she says softly. "I barely knew what was going on myself and I wanted time to fully understand before I came to you."

"But you confided in Scarlette and Willow. Not me or Owen."

"I knew that if I told you, you would push me to unlock whatever was inside me and I didn't want the pressure of trying to become what you hoped for if I couldn't meet your expectations."

My expectations? I frown, gripping her tighter to draw her closer to me, our knees brushing against one another.

"I don't have any expectations of you." Her face falls and I curse under my breath. I can feel her starting to build the wall back up and I growl again, making her jump.

"That's not how I meant it. Don't lock me out again." I sigh, running a hand through my hair. She sits there silently, staring into my eyes like she's trying to search inside me.

"I don't care who you are, witch or not, is what I meant. If you hadn't wanted to learn more about where you came from, I'd respect that. I just want you to know your true potential."

"Is that really how you feel? Because you seemed pretty irritated when you thought I was nothing but human."

I open my mouth but the words die on my tongue. I feel her hurt flood into me without the block there and my throat constricts. It's true, I had imagined my mate to be almost as powerful as me, but the fates bonded me to Ivy and I was addicted to her, despite her being human. No matter how much I tried pushing down how I felt, I couldn't help but become obsessed with everything about her. But I may have pushed her too far before, wanting to mold her into someone the nobles would approve of. Did I make her feel inadequate? I admit I wanted to find out more about her and perhaps looking into her past without asking her wasn't the best idea, but now that she's here I just wanted her happy here.

"I know it hasn't always felt that way, but I'd love you no matter what you were. You were born to be mine, so you're always going to be perfect in my eyes."