Gemini of the Shifter Realm

Chapter 23 The Moon and The Howling Wolf

Zoe Lawson P.O.V

I stared at his WhatsApp picture on my phone, feeling a familiar knot tighten in my stomach. How could he do this to me? I sighed deeply, rolling over to the other side of the bed, my heart heavy with disappointment. Every day, I woke up expecting his picture to disappear, waiting for the moment he would finally block me. Yet, there it was, still staring back at me. A cruel reminder of what we were, and what we could never be.

Desperate for distraction, I opened the Bumble app, not with the intention of dating but in the hopes of finding someone—anyone—to connect with. I swiped over to the "friends" section, my finger moving almost mechanically. I matched with a few girls, and we decided to go bowling that night.

It was nice to get out. We laughed, bowled terribly, and ate way too much McDonald's. It was past midnight by the time we finished, the malls beginning to close around us. As I wandered, trying to find my way out, my phone buzzed in my hand. Theodore's name flashed across the screen, his video call lighting up the darkness around me.

For a moment, I hesitated, my thumb hovering over the screen. Then, I swiped to answer.

"Where are you?" His voice was low, tinged with a mix of curiosity and concern.

"Just... out. Trying to find the exit," I replied, glancing around, my heart rate quickening as I realized how lost I felt. The empty corridors of the mall stretched endlessly, and a faint panic began to rise in my chest.

"I'll stay on the phone with you until you do," he said, his tone softening in a way that made my chest ache. Even through the phone, I could feel his protectiveness wrapping around me like a warm blanket.

Finally, I spotted the exit, and relief washed over me. "Found it," I breathed, stepping out into the cool night air.

"Can you come back? Quickly?" he asked, his voice quieter, almost pleading.

"You're back in the room?" I asked, surprised. He nodded, and something in his eyes pulled at me, an unspoken need that I couldn't resist.

Biting my lip, I nodded. "I'm on my way."

When I returned to our room, he was waiting for me, and before I could say anything, he pulled me into a warm embrace. I was caught off guard, the unexpected tenderness of it stealing my breath.

"I missed you," he whispered against my hair.

"I missed you too," I murmured, looking up into his silver eyes. I placed my hands on either side of his face, my thumbs tracing the lines of his cheekbones. My green eyes, I knew, were filled with nothing but love and admiration. I had never looked at anyone the way I looked at him.

He sat down on the bed and pulled me onto his lap, his arms wrapping around me as if he was afraid I might vanish. My legs straddled his waist, my arms draped around his neck. I closed my eyes, savoring the moment, feeling the warmth of his body against mine.

"I wish things were different," he whispered, his breath warm against my skin.

"I love you so much," he confessed softly, his eyes searching mine. There was a vulnerability in his gaze that I had rarely seen, a raw honesty that made my heart ache.

I hesitated, the words caught in my throat. "Why aren't you saying it back?" he asked, a flicker of hurt crossing his face.

"I love you too," I whispered. Of course I did. God knows I could never love anyone else but him. But saying it out loud, with everything that was happening, felt like tempting fate.

"I dreamt of you," he said, his voice breaking the silence.

"You did?" I asked, trying to memorize every detail of his face—the faint lines around his eyes, the way his thick eyelashes cast shadows over his cheeks, his dark hair that always seemed to fall just so over his forehead.