I didn't feel embarassed.. didnt try to cover myself. I felt his eyes on my skin, lingering.. and i let them. He led me to the treehouse on the other side of the clearing. Stopping at the ladder rungs, he grinned at me expectantly. I scoffed, shaking my head with a smile and pulled myself up each rung.. feeling his eyes on my bare ass the entire time until we were fully inside the treehouse.

He looked me up and down, biting his lip which was oh so sexy. Excitement pulsed through me. Shaking himself out of the trance, he walked over to a chest and threw a large tshirt at me blindly.

"Put that on. Please. Or actually dont but..." he turned to stare at me, biting that lip again. " you may want to." His sly grin drew my attention away from his arrousal. I had to calm myself from the obvious excitement seeping out my pores as I pulled the shirt over my head. It was long enough to cover me, hitting right at my upper thighs.

Once he was dressed in basketball shorts and a tshirt, i watched him spray the masking scent around the tree house before going over to the matress and lying down near the edge, leaving the inner side closest to the wall open. He looked at me expanctantly, holding out his hand.

I shouldn't get on that matress with him..

I know nothing will happen.. the masking spray prevented that. But still.. just being that close to him drives me crazy. Thinking about the fact ill never get to be around him again for a while began to make me sad.. i shouldnt lead myself into a deeper hole.. its only going to be worse.

But the temptation is difficult.

"Nova. Stop thinking so hard. Lets just be. Come lay with me. I just want to talk. And hold you. One last time before we are forbidden from each other. Please come here." His soft eyes pled with me, their color changing to a light blue.

Sighing, i pushed myself, one foot infront of the other as i took his outstretched hand and crawled over him to the space next to the wall.

"Why do i have to be on the inside?" I smirked, lying on my side to face him.

His finger came up to trail down my cheek while his eyes drowned in mine. "Because im your protector." I felt his warm breath fan my cheek sending shivers up my spine. All the worries i had before, were gone in this moment with him.

That's what a mate does to you..

They make you feel safe. Protected. Special. Like you are the only one in the world..

Only im not.

"How did Grace fare after i attacked her?" I wondered.

His eyes closed briefly. "Don't know. I didn't stick around. I was busy looking for you.. then i found that very impressive deer carcass lying in the woods.. " his mouth tugged upward on each end into a grin. "Thats my girl."

My girl..

"Zaryn..." my eyes shifted downward to stare at something other than his eyes which i would gladly drown in for a lifetime. Something innocent in them held promise, while at the same time I knew he could promise me nothing at the moment.. other than the now.

"Nova. Dont. Please dont. Dont remind me that this moment might be the last for a while okay? I know its too soon for me to say this.. but.. I've known you my whole life. I know everything there is to know. How you hate ketchup.. how you love scary movies and you love them more if you have someone to hold onto during the worse parts.. how you dont like white gold.. you prefer yellow. You hate any food with red sauce.. you hate wearing shoes but you do it anyway and you also have a big heart despite the things people like me have done. Nova i love you and i know you dont trust me anymore. I know i have fuçkeđ everything up but i swear to you... if i had had one clue that... that she wolf was going into heat, i would have steered far away. I saved myself for my mate, as cheesy as that sounds.. and it was all for nothing because of one awful night that constantly keeps me up at night. I know you hate me for it.. but ill never stop loving you and till my last breath, i will find a way to get out of this.. i promise you." His eyes were telling me the truth. "If you can somehow forgive me one day."

He loves me...

And he saved himself for me.

But Grace is who he lost it to

I felt myself choke on emotion. Every word he had said to me were fears i had secretly harboured .. thinking he wouldn't want me before, because i was too young and naive in his eyes. My vision blurred and my nose stung as tears fell onto the pillow past my cheeks. I cried, sobbing silently as he pulled me into his chest.

"Shhhh let it out. You dont have to be strong. Not in front of me. Im always here for you." His words were whispered into my hair, feeling his kiss on my forehead that enflamed my skin in a fiery heat.

I was at a loss.

I cant have moments with him anymore.. i cant be a respectable female if i run off with him. We both have duties. I want him.. my heart wants him to ourself... but with all the shame and guilt that comes with being his mate.. i dont think i could ever let him have me. Unless Grace was purely gone and he had the chance to start over which may or may not happen.. i cant leave myself available, waiting for him.

This is truly our last night together.

No matter what my wolf wants. No matter what his wants. This was it.

"You know this is it Zaryn." My bleary green eyes met his own blue ones. His emotions had gotten the better of him as well.

He clutched my hands in his, our bodies slightly touching, eyes scouring my soul. "Only for now. I wont stop Nova. I wont stop trying to find out why things happened the way they did. I wont stop trying to prove to you that we belong together.. even when Grace is gone, i wont stop. Ill never stop trying to be the wolf you need me to be. Even if you move on."

My heart felt as if its shards had mended itself.. close to the way it used to look.. but nothing considered whole. I felt at ease with him but not knowing the future ravaged my soul with agony. I flung my arms around his neck, nose going into his skin as i inhaled, my tears staining his skin.

Large masculine hands came around my back, holding me tightly, just rubbing... soothing my soul.

Screw it. If this was our last night together, i wanted to taste his kiss. Ill suffer the consequences of feeling lost without his touch later. Right now i just needed this. A last lingering remnant of his love for me.

Raising my head, my lips found his which welcomed mine with earnesty. His lips so soft.. all those static sparks dissipated once our skin touched, leaving trails of fire in its wake. I felt hot..

His lips covered mine, kissing delicately as if afraid he might hurt me.. as if my lips were delicate petals.

A sweet kiss.

The feeling of losing him after tonight, set my kiss into one of frantic movements... devouring his taste. His male essence. His tongue licked my bottom lip, asking for permission. I granted it to him without another thought.

The things we do when we are so wrapped up in each other.

He explored my mouth, his tongue tasting all of me. Our breathing picked up, our hands pulling up under shirts to touch each others skin. The fire seemed to cool with every touch and caress but the fire burning inside my lower heat wouldnt stop. I was aching for his touch, my arrousal evident in the air.

He pulled away, hands gripping my shoulders to push me down in the matress as he flipped to sit atop of me.

"We should slow it down Nova." His voice rasped thick with desire. I felt that desire, hard against my abdomen as he strattled me. I lay, panting beneath him.. my chest heaving for air but nodded at his suggestion.

He gave me a soft lop sided smile as he stared at me. "You have no idea what you do to me. Or my wolf." He breathed as he lowered himsef back to my side, turning me so we were face to face.

Even thinking about him with Grace makes my blood boil... i try my hardest to block it out. He. Is. Mine.

Whether i want him in the future or not, depending on what happens.. he is still mine. Unless things go terribly wrong and i have to choose another, he is mine.