Proven Heart

Seventeen: The Bait

The day had finally come. The day that she had been preparing for so long.

Now or never, Selena thought.

At the first sight of morning rays, she slipped away from Nathaniel’s arms and kissed him awake.

Between her and him, an unspoken ritual was made. Whoever woke first, no one set foot out of the bed without waking up the other.

She nudges her nose between his pectorals, the fur on his chest tickling her cheeks. Her pursuit to wake him up did not end until he groaned awake and flickered his gray orbs open.

Nathaniel smiled, his face still hazy with sleep.

“It’s time,” she spoke.

“Good morning to you, too.”

Nathaniel wrapped his arms around her, pressing her gently into his body. His warm response fueled her body, causing it to shiver on top of his. The gentle push of his warm breath on her neck wormed into Selena’s senses, giving her enough energy to pull away from his grasp.

He looked extremely well. Under her, Nathaniel laid in the buff. The bulbous head of his morning glory touches the fabric of her nude underwear on her bum.

“Looks like I’m not the only one who’s excited.” She jested, nervously chuckling as she looked down at him.

Everything could turn dark and gloomy, just not the radiant grin her mate held at the moment.

She rolled over him, resting her head on his shoulder. Although her body burst with energy, just laying there beside had her emotions controlled.

“That’s just my body saying ’good morning’, moon.” He laughs. Nathaniel falls quiet, shifting on the other side of the bed, before he turns back to her.

Selena straightened her brows as she looked at him with a quizzical look. He held a long, rectangular box.

Nathaniel took the palm of her hand and places the box on top if it.

“Tradition in pack Morris,” he says. “This might sound archaic to some but, male wolves gift their partners something built on history. Clothes or objects that are of value. We do it after an accomplishment. At first, this was meant to be your graduation present, but I missed that. I just thought, maybe you could use it as a good luck charm. For you, I give the knife I cut myself with when I pledged to become Alpha Morris. This is the first knife I have ever held and hunted my first kill with.”

Selena opened the box, her eyes sparkling at the sight of the knife.

The knife was not what she expected. Unlike the blade Jacob used in his inauguration, studded with gems and a golden handle, this was different. It was a simple, run of the mill tactical knife. Its edges banged up and rendered dull.

With one sniff, Selena could uncover the knife’s history, just by its smell.

The blood of his prey, the wolves that he had slain, and even his. Selena looks up at him. His cheeks had turned red.

He was embarrassed, thinking of the worst. What was he even thinking, gifting her a dull blade? It was virtually useless.

But for her, the history behind the blade was all that she could ask for.

“You trust me with it?” She croaked out.

“Why?” He sounded panicked, raising himself up on the bed.

Selena giggled at his odd fright and touched the side of his face.

“It’s a wonderful gift… and no. I don’t think it’s archaic. We have the same tradition, Nate. And I can’t wait to give you mine.”