Song: "Kiss Me" by Ed Sheeran
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His heart stopped beating as her words struck him. He stared at her, too stunned to move, too stunned to speak, too stunned to even think.
She would choose him over Dan. But was it a choice of free will or because she had no other option?
He needed to know. As much as he wanted to accept what she was saying, he needed to know it was because she wanted to be with him.
With a racing heart, he reached up with one hand and touched her cheek. Trailing his finger along her jaw like he had that first time in the mall, she closed her eyes and trembled under his touch as he clasped her chin between his thumb and index finger. He waited for her to open her eyes again, as he searched them for understanding.
"You don't have to."
Although he was terrified of what he'd find within the windows to her soul, he needed to know exactly how she felt.
He'd never noticed how beautiful her eyes were until now. How the edges of her irises were a dark forest green, melting into an olive green before changing to a warm chestnut brown and deepening to a russet brown around her pupils. They were so captivating that he couldn't tear himself away and could barely fathom the words whispering from her lips. She entwined her fingers with his in her lap and clutched his hand in both of hers, pressing it against her pounding heart.
"What if I want to?" she asked.
He could feel her heartbeat quicken against his hand. Warmth spread through him from her touch.
Despite the pain and heartache in her eyes, he could see that deep down, she did yearn for him. She did have strong feelings for him that she'd been bottling up inside and fighting against.
They'd both been fighting this entire time. Unable to tear themselves from the bond that drew them together.
She would willingly give herself to a beast like him? He couldn't believe it.
"You... would be willing... to be with me?" He could hardly get the words out as he continued to stare into her eyes.
"How can I say no when I can't go one day, one hour, without thinking about you?" she whispered. "How can I marry Dan and live my life with him when I will always be thinking of you and wondering if you're just a few feet away, or a few miles away? How can I have his children when it's your touch that I crave?"
She closed her eyes, her brows furrowing as she leaned her forehead against his. Her breathing was growing heavier as she clutched tightly to his hand against her chest.
"I didn't understand any of it at first, until yesterday. Then it all made sense. All of it. We're soulmates. We're destined to be together, right?" She pulled back a little, her eyes searching his.
"Yes," was all he could say.
"How can I stay with him when I'm meant to be with you?" she asked before answering herself. "I can't. I can't bear the thought of leaving you now."
"Then don't," he said, drawing her closer.
Her words struck him to the core and cracked him open, breaking down the walls he'd built up around his heart. Crumbling, he released the hold he had over himself. Released the emotions he'd been bottling up. All the fear and doubt that had been eating away at him, he let them fall away. Like the crimson leaves fluttering away from the trees in the autumn, he let himself fall.
It wasn't possible—couldn't be possible. She was a human, and yet she was meant for him.
Brushing his fingers through her damp hair, her name tumbled from his lips, making her shiver as he cradled the back of her head in his palm and closed the distance between them.
YOU ARE READING
Heart of Stone (Parts I & II)
Werewolf[COMPLETE] Some bonds can't be broken, even in death. -- He couldn't endure another heartbreak. "Accepting her would be a mistake," he said. "She's a human. I can't afford to have her blood on my hands." Gwen looked away, and he knew she saw the ima...
