The woods to the right of the packhouse led uphill to thick pines and if you kept going, crossing the wide stream, you'd find our secret spot.

I watched the packhouse begin to grow busier as time passed, the males who were finished with breakfast were filing outside, ready to warm up for training. All the males trained to be warriors no matter what title they held. The higher the title, the more training.

Deacon sighed, straightening his posture as he looked over at me. "I have to go train, but I'll be done in two hours. Wait here if you want, or do something else, but no going back to your room. Shift, explore, we can run together later." He smiled softly, getting up from his spot on the clovers beside me.

I returned a tight smile as he backed away, giving me one last glance before taking off through the clearing and down the mountainside. The rushing water from the waterfall below drowned out all the sound around me. It was just me and my thoughts now.

Here, in our secret spot, no one would bother me. No one came to this spot unless they were cliff diving into the deep, turquoise lake below. It was a rock quarry a long long time ago. Some have been here, but it's a little ways to get to the top of the cliffs, so no one really put effort into coming here. I was sitting in a cozy little clearing between the forest of trees. No one would find me here, thankfully.

I watched the water of the stream flow down from the elevated grassy mountain behind me and down over the cliff, trailing over smooth stones on its course, dropping down a thirty-foot waterfall before splashing into the lake. It was a beautiful and peaceful spot, meadow flowers covered the clearing surrounding the shallow stream.

Sniffing around, I found the rock that held my scent. My rock. I lowered myself onto the cool stone beside the stream, away from the ledge, and took my sandals off, dipping my toes into the crisp cool spring water.

I allowed myself to relax as I lied down on my back with my head resting in the clovers, feet submerged in the tranquil moving water. The knots that had been twisting my insides for so long were letting loose. I sighed, feeling the calm feeling that's been so foreign to me. It was different not having to worry about anything here. This was a safe place where my mind could shut down and I could just feel.

I closed my eyes letting the sun graze over my eyelids in between the swaying branches as the wind blew softly, the only sound being the water trickling by my feet.

I took in the smells surrounding me, fresh pine, a deer or two, meadow grass, clover, wildflowers, the wet earth of the creek...

Peaceful.

A sensation came over my skin, feeling like the sun was beaming on me, urgent and persuasive. Tiny goosebumps crowded up my legs, over my thighs and slowly caressing the rest of my body before landing on my face, where I felt a current slowly buzz through my body.

I knew what that meant.

Opening my eyes briskly, I sat up so fast it made my head spin. I glanced around the small enclosed clearing, not seeing anything out of the ordinary.

But he was here...

Focusing my body on the sensations I was feeling, I located a set of silver eyes peering at me from the dark shrubbery just behind me, where not long ago, Deacon had disappeared from.

My eyes locked with his. His dark gray and white wolf inched out of the forest, his tail low and the front of his body sliding onto the ground, pawing closer to me as a whimper came from the wolf. He was waiting for my approval, begging me to allow him this one moment. Male wolves only ever do the submission stance if it is for their female, or when they have been bad.

I knew this wolf.

Slowly spinning around toward the male, feet tucked under me, I waited, signing that he could approach.

I clenched my fists as my heart raced and those steel butterflies erupted again. It was going to be hard to do this.

I did need to ask him regardless if it broke my heart. I needed to know.

"What are you doing here?" My voice was weak with dread.

The wolf inched closer again but I held my hand up. He retreated back into the forest slowly, a whine followed by the snapping of shifting bones, shielded from my view.

He came back out of the woods, standing tall with only a pair of jeans hanging from his waist, so low that the v-line of his hips was visible and I had to close my eyes to focus on reigning in my wolf.

We always kept clothes hidden in the forest.

His presence was so close to me. I wasn't able to shake the wisps of his soul that gravitated toward mine, my eyes lingered up his body as I let my lids flutter open slowly.

So strong.

Muscles staring at me, such strong abs - a six pack to be exact, his tanned skin stretched by them. Pecks made of steel shifted under his skin with movement.

His shoulders were broad, arms containing so much strength, cords of muscle, like steel cables under flesh, moving as his fists clenching. Unwillingly, my eyes traveled up to his handsome face, that strong jaw and prominent cheekbones, eyes as blue as the sky staring back at me.

His presence screamed warrior. An Alpha warrior. The future leader of the Crescent Moon pack.

I couldn't take my eyes from his. We were alone. Just the two of us, captured in a moment. The pain in those blue eyes was clouded with need, mimicking my own.

He inhaled, closing his eyes as a shudder ran through his body. I did the same. His scent allowed my mind to relax, but my body was going into overdrive from the buzzing sensation thrumming through my veins.

I felt him close the distance and I opened my eyes, widening them as my heart hammered out of my chest once he approached me with caution.

He stood tall over my shaking form as I sat still, peering up at him.

Green grass looking up into a blue sky was how I could describe our eye contact.

"Zaryn..." I breathed his name, watching as he shuddered from his name gracing my lips, his attraction towards me was pungent.

"Nova." His voice had the same effect. My fingers dug into the earth to steady me and keep the wolf at bay. His voice was like liquid ecstasy as it came out.

"I think we should talk."

Hope you like the changes made to this pre-edit edit chapter! I wanted to go in and fix a lot of things for editing LIKE THE FACT THAT THERE IS NEVER WINTER IN A YEAR IN A HALF?! lol. There are a lot of mistakes, but I like the book. I'm glad you all liked it as well.

Is seeing her mate on her own going to cause unnecessary pain? Ofcourse. But how will her wolf react?