His Willow

Chapter 32

Fresh notes of cotton and roses wafted through the air and smacked me in the face as we continued our walk, hand in hand and leaning into one another. 

"Repeat the plan again for me, angel." Alaric murmured down at me, causing my eyebrows to furrow and my eyes wander up to his, confused and slightly irritated.

"But Alaric we have gone through this twenty times already." I sighed through the mindlink, growing restless and tired of his constant worrying and requests to repeat the plan. He knows full well that I know what to do, and it's getting on my nerves slightly. I love Alaric to bits, but his constant worrying and stress like a mother hen was driving me insane.

"Say it again, angel. Please, it will give me peace of mind, and this will be the last time I make you say it, promise." He pleaded, playing with my fingers and kissing the top of my head. I rolled my eyes playfully and gave him a bothered look.

"I hang out with Jessie for a couple of hours, no later than ten o'clock. We can't cross the pack borders under any circumstances. We stick together, no strenuous verbal or physical activities. If I need anything I call you and if danger arises I ditch Jessie and run for my life towards you, mind linking you the whole time. Did I miss anything?" I asked sarcastically, lifting a single eyebrow in his direction, watching his eyes widen at my sass and clutch his heart dramatically.

"You could have slipped in an I love you, and don't hate you for repeating the plan in your speech somewhere," Alaric grumbled lowly, making me smile and nudge his side, needing him to loosen up a little.

"You know I love you, Alaric, but I'll be fine, I promise. You'll never get any of your work done if you constantly stress about me." I said, going onto my tippy toes and planting a kiss to his jaw, the furthest I could reach.

"I'm always stressing about you, and that will never change sweetheart. This is the first proper time I'm leaving you alone, and I can't help but worry. I know Jessie's a nice girl, so I don't have too much to worry about, other than that horrendous nickname she has for you." He said disgustedly, his face creasing up at the thought.

I didn't see what was wrong with the nickname, sounded cute and non-offensive to my knowledge.

"I'm sorry I'm just a little on edge, and I hate taking it out on you, I'm scared too, but it will only be a couple of hours, and I want to prove to myself that I can last some time without you beside me," I said, leaning into his shoulder and clutching his hand tighter, not liking the worried emotion running through our bond.

"Wow am I really that bad?" He gasped dramatically, his jaw hung wide and a surprised twinkle in his eyes, making me smile widely and shake my head.

"You know what I mean mister," I said with a giggle, my anxiety easing slightly.

The vast field ahead with large trees, flowers and washing lines caught my attention instantly, especially a spikey brown haircut, bobbing between the sheets and wrestling with the wet clothes.

Alaric brought me to a stop and gave me a nervous look, making my smile slip away and my worry coming back full force, noticing his vulnerability crack through his facade, he was hurting, and it's now that I realise how stressed out he truly is about all this.

Lifting my hands and cupping his cheeks, I lower his face down to my level and capture his lips with a kiss, pouring my love and soul into him and healing some wounds as best as I could. We both needed this, and I felt his heart thrum against my chest, slowing down to a gentle beat with his shoulders relaxing and his arms loosening from the tension.

"It will only be for a couple of hours, and we will stay here, there is nobody around, and I'll be in safe hands. I'll talk to you frequently to keep your mind at rest, how does that sound?" I said softly, cupping his face in my hands gently and brushing his cheek with my thumbs as though I was dealing with a fragile artefact.