"A lot of people get cars and presents for their 18th Birthday. Me? I jumped into a pool to discover a world that shouldn't exist outside of a storybook."
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A magical sec...
The warriors rushed Simon to the pack hospital while Julia gave me and Eric a room to get cleaned up in. He had cuts and bruises while I was grungy from pulling an all nighter.
As soon as we stepped into the room, he pushed me against the wall and kissed me senseless. I'm pretty sure I stunk to the heavens and I head morning breath but he kissed me like I was the most beautiful thing to ever exist. His hands gently gripped my waist while my fingers were laced in his hair. It seemed like it too forever but at the same time it wasn't long enough before we broke apart to catch our breaths.
He pressed his forehead gently to mine and sighed. I closed my eyes and relished it before snapping back to reality.
"You still owe me an explanation on why you hid everything from me but I'll have it after my shower."
He smiled and nodded. Gawd, he looked gorgeous when he was happy. "I'll wait for you."
I stepped into the shower and proceeded to thoroughly clean myself. I stepped out and wore an over sized shirt that Julia gave me. Apparently, they tore a lot of clothes while shifting so they buy new ones in bulk. Also, it wouldn't set off my mate with a another person's scent.
My mate.
It was still a new concept to grasp...but it was a pleasant one. I smiled as I put on a pair of boxers and walked out. He was leaning against the door, with his hands in the pockets of a pair of pants someone tossed him after his fight.
He looked at me up and down before entering the bathroom silently. I sat on the bed and waited for him. Most of his minor wounds were healed and gone but the really bad ones were just bruises now. After the showered turned on, I decided to lay back for a bit. The sun was already up, it was about 7am but I haven't more than an hour of sleep. So I decided that resting for a bit would be a good idea.
But the steady sound of the shower and my exhaustion made me drowsy. And before I knew it was floating. But not before the bed dipped and I was cocooned in warmth again. And that was the last thing I remembered as I fell into a world of peaceful dreams. . . . . . . . . When I woke up, I was perfectly nestled in Eric's arms. I tried getting up but his hold tightened. I also noticed that he was shirtless and his arms were around my bare waist because my shirt had ridden up during my slumber.
"Where are you going?" His deep gravelly voice was making my stomach flip.
"It's time to get up." I tried squirming out of his hold.
"No. Stay" his groggy voice mumbled but I hate wasting daylight. So struggled until he gave up and let me go. I stood up and went to the bathroom to wash my face before coming back to the room to see Eric standing by the window.
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My goodness, he is gorgeous.
I sat on the bed and stared at my hands. Waiting for him to acknowledge my presence so we could talk. After getting the much needed sleep, I felt ready to tackle the issue of him withholding information.
He crossed the room to sit on a stool right across from me. I looked into his eyes and crossed my arms.
"Tell me why you felt like you needed to tell me so many lies?" I asked curiously.
He started into my eyes as he sighed. "Technically, I only told you one. As your mate, I have to ensure your safety. I kept my true nature secret because you haven't had contact with wolves yet and didn't know how you'd react. And me being an Alpha was not a big deal at the moment."
I narrowed my eyes. "I'm tired of people keeping secrets to "protect me", I am a big girl and I can handle a few scary things. I was taken from my everyday mundane life through a water gate! I'd have believed you if you told me you were a werewolf!"
He shook his head. "I feared that you might react badly and stay away. I went a hundred years without you. I couldn't stay away one more second when I first realised it was you. They told me you died. I felt the bond break. I was scared out of my mind that you wouldn't accept me." He said with sadness in his voice.
I sighed. "I wouldn't turn you away. It's not in my nature to run away from tough decisions. You should've trusted me to do the right thing."
He shook his head. "You didn't remember me. I spent everyday for a century remembering you. The way you felt in my arms, how your eyes sparkled when you laughed, how your fingers tapped when you were busy thinking. I remembered all of it. This version of you is not what I'm used to. Your personality has also changed, so I didn't know what to expect."
I tilted my head. " How has my personality changed?"
"You seem more attached to this world and less serious. You smell completely human and you are reckless. The you I knew thought 10 steps ahead for everything. You are not the same person."
I looked at him solemnly. "Did you think that I'm having a hard time? I woke up one morning a regular girl. I went to sleep knowing that I was anything but regular. I come back to find my friends had aged and moved on without me. I found out that I nearly died. I found out that my memories were wiped clean."
Tears started to prick my eyes. "It's not fair that everyone expects me to pick up where I left off. That woman that everyone remembers? I don't know her, it's not me. I'm doing the best I can with what I have and I'd appreciate it everyone stopped trying to keep things from me and force me to reckon with things I can't yet. You didn't get a chance to know me. This version of me. And the crazy thing is..." I looked into his eyes as tears slid down my cheeks.
"...I know I've known you for a long time. And I know that right now it feels like you have filled an empty part of me that aches whenever I see you in my dreams, but I still don't know you. I don't know if my memories will ever fully come back, but I want more than anything to start over."
I felt his arms go around me as I looked down. "I'm sorry if it felt like I put pressure on you. I promise that from now on, we will be open and honest. I will tell you everything and protect you from that which you are not ready to face. I would like to get to know you...this version of you. I lost you once, and I will not let it happen again." His palms held my face as his thumb wiped my tears away.
