He apologized. He gave me an explanation. I should be satisfied, and I should forgive him. But the thing was, I never blamed him.
“You will not tell me again if I ask you where we are heading, right?” I asked, and he chuckled deeply. Suddenly he drove the car away from the highway toward the barren road, and I looked at him suspiciously.
“Is this the time when you are going to kill me and bury me somewhere?” I tried to joke, but with him, I couldn’t say anything. He was so…unpredictable.
“Oh god, now you know my plan,” he said and looked at me smiling. He was joking, phew.
We drove, and I knew where he was taking me. I visited this place just a month ago. The no man’s land. But why was he taking me here?
He stopped the car when we covered a considerable distance, and I was sure there was no sign of human settlements. He opened the door and stretched his hand for mine. I happily complied.
We were standing in front of an infinite streak of trees. “Easy, mate, hold me; I don’t want you to get lost,” he said and intertwined our hands tightly. My cheeks flushed whenever he talked to me like that.
I was like Casper the ghost. Even the tiniest bit of blush could be seen on my face. Yes, I was that pale. He looked so excited and energetic as he took me deeper into the woods. We walked about a mile or two before he stopped before a tree. He took a knife out of his pocket and rubbed the lichen off the wood.
Then I noticed there was a marking on the wood of the tree. The initials were in a crescent moon, and in between, there was initials R&J. Wait, I have seen that moon. It looked exactly like the one on my collar. Fuck, I have not told Reed about it yet.
He smiled, looking deep in thought, before he started walking further again.
“What was that?” I asked.
“Huh?” He smiled and shook his head. “It means we are heading in the right direction.”
We walked a mile again before finally stopping in front of the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. There was a lake in front of me illuminated by the moonlight. It looked so calm and beautiful.
“You like it?” His lips brushed my ear lobe, and I shuddered visibly. I nodded; that was the only thing I could do. I was awestruck to see such a beautiful sight.
“You brought me to the lake?” I asked him in a soft whisper. I walked to the edge of the lake and looked into the lake; it was crystal clear. This lake looked untouched, unaffected by the human influence; I doubted if even animals came here. It was pure.
I smiled at my reflection on the lake, and it widened when Reed appeared in it too. From the corner of my eye, I noticed he had a faint smile on his face.
I looked down at the glistening water of the lake, and a happy smile took over my face. He quickly put his shoes aside and dipped his legs into the water. It created a wave in the lake.
It reflected beautifully in the moonlight, and that lake, coupled with the trees around it, looked mesmerizing.
I wondered if I had seen something like this, serene yet beautiful, in my life. Suddenly it struck me that the sight was familiar; I had seen it somewhere… but where?
I blinked twice before remembering it was the same sight from the vision where I saw Reed last time, on his knees. It was as if my feet carried me on their own, and soon, I was standing at the exact spot where I saw him last time.
There was still a tree standing beside it. The tree was half burned and half alive. New branches were sprouting from the burned ones. I didn’t know when I started crying, and soon, I was in Reed's arms. My cheeks were tainted with tears. Why does he have to suffer so much? Nobody deserved that.
“Hey, shush…don’t cry, not for me,” he said, wiping my tears, and smiled.
I nodded and walked back to the spot where he was sitting earlier.
We sat there for what it seemed to be hours. No one said a word. We didn’t need to. It was silence. Both of us were lost in deep thought. Not a word of comfort or something exchanged, yet somehow, I felt like the luckiest person.
“Reed?” I fumbled with my hands. He looked at me.
“My wolf wants to meet you,” I said, and he smiled the most heartwarming smile I had ever seen him smile.
We stood together and remained standing awkwardly there for five minutes before I chuckled nervously.
“Will you turn?” I said, and his eyes almost widened, and I could see a faint blush tinting his cheeks. “Not that I haven’t seen you already.” What?
“When…how?” I could only mutter. He laughed his slow sexy laugh, and I was already melting.
“I changed your clothes when you were in heat,” he said, and my lips formed an “O.” With that, he turned to give me space.
Reed’s POV
I heard bones creaking, breaking, and forming. I turned when there was again silence before it was broken by the ear-piercing howl behind me. I turned, and there she was, standing on all fours.
I have seen countless wolves, but she was the most beautiful thing I ever laid my eyes on. Her wolf was big, obviously because she was the alpha. Her fur was chocolate brown, and her eyes were silver. She looked at me and took a few steps cautiously.
Even though she looked intimidating and powerful, I felt no fear of her. She looked into my eyes, and everything changed. So much love, empathy, and I don’t know what were pooled in me through the mate bond.
She stood in front of me and bowed. For her, I was the alpha. I got on my knees so that my nose was bare inches from her snout. I lifted my hand and stroked her chocolate brown fur. It was rich and smooth. The sparks erupted, and this time it was like I had touched a live wire.
She closed her eyes and leaned into my touch. She howled loudly, and I laughed. I guess she liked my touch as much as I did hers.
“Elsa.” The words were automatically out of my mouth for no reason, and she opened her eyes. She looked at me for a second before lunging over me and covering me with her licking. “Elsa is the name of my wolf mate.” I realized.
She stood from me, and I sat. She put her head on my lap, and I scratched her head for the whole night. I loved every second of it.
Somehow, I finally felt contained. Full. Instead of broken.
I looked up at the moon shining from the clouds. The moon goddess was looking everywhere but me. I could feel her stifling her smile. Oh, Moona. I shook my head.
“I hate you, Moona,” I said mentally, and this time she finally acknowledged me by looking at me from the sky and smiling.