I Can Hear Your Voice

t w e n t y - t h r e e

July 1st.
12:01 a.m.

[Matteo's POV]

It's been a few days since Luka has found out about everything, and he's finally gotten the hang out of blocking the mind sharing. Though sometimes he undoes it to catch me off guard, we don't allow ourselves that shortcut. We want to wait for the mate bond to catch up to us.

I quickly straightened my shoulders when I heard the click of the front door opening, revealing Luka who was wearing a plain warm yellow t-shirt, light blue jeans rolled up at the cuff, and black Dr. Martens combat boots worn confidently on those feet of his. We were going for a run through the forest. Me as my wolf and him as his shifter.

I couldn't begin to explain my excitement.

I walked forward, grabbing his attention while lacing my hand with his, pulling him down the porch stairs and into the swell of trees across the driveway.

I was way, too excited.

We really, both needed this run.

Luka has recently told me that the reason he had taken up kickboxing was to release some pent up energy. It was a reprieve from the facade he forced on himself.

I hadn't shifted into my wolf in a...long time. May, was it?

I'd never shifted after the day I found Luka during his shift. It felt like ants were digging themselves into my skin—I didn't feel comfortable as my wolf. I couldn't stand 5 seconds of being in that form because all I could think about was when I almost snapped Luka's neck, directly in my jaws.

If I had done everything differently, none of this wouldn't have happened.

Luka wouldn't have gotten hurt.

If I had noticed...I wouldn't have hurt him.

I wouldn't have scared him...

I was supposed to be the safest person; the person Luka could trust. With anything.

And I ruined it.

I...squandered it.

I̴̝̝̲̞̦̼͉͎̣͓̩̪̟͔̽͛̾̆͂̓́̒̀̈́̑̆͘͜͝͝ť̷̢̩̳̈́̌̉̊͛̇͑̾̀̌'̴̨̨̢̺͉̮̰̬͉̮̫̗͎͔͛̌̃̈́̄̂͝ṡ̸̤̜͉̘̜̹ ̵̠̃̋͗͗͗a̶̜̺͎̙̟̾ͅl̸̡̮͇̘̭͉̫̤̱̭̂̾̂͊̉͂̀̅͂͊͐͘͝͝͝ļ̶̨̲̟̟̞͓̙́͆̄̑̆͗́̕ͅ ̸̨̛͓̎̐̈́̆̿̄͆̆̂͗͛͘̚̕y̷̛̥̱͖̯̤͙̗̺̞̿́̾̓͛́̊͋͑̀̎͑̌͝ȯ̴̡̳̍̇̔́́͛̌̉͠û̴̧̱͓̼͓̺͉̦͈̦͉̹̠͐̎̾͒̚r̷̡̰̣̥̦͙̠͊̓͊͂̈̊ ̴̨̡̛̝̟̳̺̤͈͇̬̇́͐̓́̽͝͠͝f̴̨̻̬̲̮̹͇̓̈́̀̋̂̋̂̔̒̊̏͜͠͝͝ȃ̴̗̱͔͈͎͕̱͉͒͗͠ͅu̷̢̗̮͓͈̦̜̱̦̟̘̺̖̎̿́͘̕͠͠͠ļ̴̧̦͉̭͖̠͍̣̉̽͘t̶̢͍̘͚͚̯̬̫͈̼̋͆͘͘͜.̸̡͉̻̭̤͇̘̊͌̾̾͝

It's all my fault.

I smiled at my mate, beaming when he curled those lovely lips back at me.

Į̵̡̥̬͎͚̖̜͈̄̐̅̌̍̊̉͆f̸̖̮͈̋̅̂̅͂̓̔͝ ̶̝̦͓̇͜ỳ̶̮̐̂̂͌̓̒̃̈́͛̀͐̕͘͠ó̵̙͍̩̟̻̺̩̼̹͐̃̌̐͊͗̐̔̃̏̕͘̚͜ủ̸̢̨̦̟͔͙̬͎̹͎̊͒̽̒͌̽̏̓͂́͌͘ ̷̡̨͖̪̠̳̃͋ḩ̶̢͈̰̫̖͎̤̖̟̥͚̂̉̃̓͊͌͘͝͝͠ͅä̶̫́̈́͗ͅḑ̴͙̥̟͙̳̤̻́̇̊̅̊̏̇͌̄͘͝͠ ̵̹͇̳̠͈̪̭̦͕̎́̍̀͝k̸̡̜̟͖̼͍̜͇̙̹͆̑̿͑́͗̂̆̔̔̃͜ͅn̷̼̩̹̩̬̯͓̬͈̤̅͌̊̂͒̽̿̾̓̽̈́́̽̚͜ơ̷̡̡̢̭̱͎͇̻̖̣̼͙̺̇̆̎̌̓̍̐͊͆̌̀̕͘ͅw̸̩̠̝͍̮̼̞̟̤͛̅͋͐̓͗̚̚͜͝ͅn̴̻̥̮̻̪̞̠̲̗̊.̷̮̌̋͂̒͆͐̚͘͝.̸̢̮̞̥͓̯̥͚̻̬̼̈́̇̎̆͝͠.̵̧̹̦̠̻̪̩̻͚͈͕͈͍̊͊̑̚͝