My Arctic Mate

Chapter 17: His Wolf Spirit

I laughed in turn. "Would you believe me if I said that yesterday was my first kiss?"

I felt the bed creak as he propped himself up on an elbow to hover over me. "Really?" He questioned, worry leaving his features as he smiled wide.

There was that smile again, the one that made my heart ache. I nodded, blushing. "You should know that I don't have..." I struggled for the right words. "Experience."

He trailed his hand gently over my chin. "I don't expect you to give me anything you're not ready for Red."

I smiled, at his reassurance. "Besides, there are things...things that you need to know about me and my wolf before you mark me."

"Nothing will change my mind, I promise." He murmured.

Gathering my bravery, I stood pacing across my room.

I spoke quickly. "There's also so much we don't know about each other. Like, what did you talk so long with Dan about last night? What exactly did he tell you about the orphans and me?"

I took another breath, letting it all out. "Also, when I was competing with Christian earlier today, he mentioned when he first met you. And I didn't get the sense that he was kidding, but his story left me genuinely confused."

"Everyone we seem to meet is immediately suspicious of my being around you. Why is that? I'm not the jealous type...normally. But I just want to know why I seem so out of place."

"Then, speaking to Poppy today, she told me about what it was like taking on the responsibility of a Luna. Is that something you want? If so, I'll have to move away from here to join your pack, how quickly does that have to happen?"

He groaned, shifting to sit at the edge of my bed. Taking my hand, he stopped my frantic pacing. I knelt in front of him, evening my breathing to stop the hammering pace of my heart.

"Red, I know you have questions, a lot of them." He smiled. "I don't want to hide anything from you, but for ease of order, why don't we start slow."

I nodded, swallowing my nerves. Looking deeply into his eyes, I spoke. "Luca, how old are you?"

Luca:

Starting off with a gut punch I see? My wolf sneered. Well the faster you answer her questions, the sooner I can meet her wolf, so get on with it. He commanded.

I inhaled deeply, "Red, Dan told me that him and Rose have kept you and the others...sheltered. For lack of a better word, how much do you know about wolf history?"

"I know the general stories, about the wolves of old. I know that a powerful Alpha can live for a long time, like Alpha Atlas." She responded, I nodded at her words.

I chose my words carefully. "There are some wolves, whose spirits roamed the world long before they inhabited human forms. When the first humans were bound to wolf spirits by the gods, it was to unite their two worlds. The world of the beast and the world of man, resulting in the creation of the first werewolves. The children of this generation, were born not as human infants, but as cubs who were more than mortal. The wolf spirits that roamed the plains chose which child to bind themselves to, that is why the wolves of old have their own legends, and their kin carry gifts from the gods."

She nodded in understanding, eyes focused on mine.

I continued, "Have you heard of the legend of a wolf spirit named Lucian?"

She furrowed her brows in concentration, "Yes, he was the wolf granted the gift of, was it light and energy, by the gods?"

I nodded slowly. "Dan told me that you and some of the other orphans have...abilities." She averted her eyes, her expression overtaken with worry.

"Luca, I –" she stammered.

I took her face in my hands, "Red, I could never hurt you and I promise to protect you from whatever it is you fear." She looked up at me, her big eyes full of emotion.

Taking a final deep breath, I went for the plunge. "Red, Lucian is my wolf. My human form is 412 years old, I am a direct descendent of the original spirits who guarded the arctic planes when the gods bound the first wolves with human flesh. And my gift from the gods...is that of lightning."

Red:

My eyes searched his face for any trace of humor or unwanted emotion. The only thing that crossed his features was sincere honesty.

"Alright." I breathed.

"Alright?" His eyes searched my face. She is taking this better than I thought, his wolf chided in his head. Agreed, he thought in return.

"Red, if you need time or...space" his voice lowered at the last word. "I understand, I just want to know that you will give this, give us a chance before you –" His words dropped off as he averted his gaze.

"Before I what Luca?" I asked incredulously.

"Before you consider accepting me, or rejecting me." He whispered.

I laughed, I couldn't help it. He met my eyes, with a look of pure confusion. I jumped into his arms, pushing him back onto my bed. My lips found his in a deep kiss, trying to impart every ounce of sincerity that I could through our shared touch.

After a long moment, I pulled back to take a deep breath. "Luca, yes, that's a lot of information. I always figured I'd date an older guy, that's just a lot older than I was expecting." I laughed more as his expression softened. "And no, I will not reject you, you crazy wolf." He smirked at that.

My tone grew serious, "Luca, there is a part of me, part of my wolf that I haven't told anyone about. I don't want to hurt you."

"I'll do anything for you Red, please don't be afraid. I trust you, you can tell me anything."

"It's not something I can explain with words, but I can show you." My eyes pleaded with him for understanding.

"There is a place, about an hour's drive from here, it's an open plain. I go there to try to...control it."

"Tomorrow then. We'll leave, just you and me." He promised me, pulling me close. I felt him kiss the top of my head. "I'm yours Red."

I smiled into his chest, letting this feeling of completeness warm my being.