Blood Floweret

« Chapter Sixteen »

For the first time, she went with Cassius to the training field. 

He was acting like an excited kid that just entered the candy store. Grinning nonstop, holding her hand, and she soaked up his joy. They left the Alpha's house and began walking towards the woods. He practically skipped with every step, his behavior exactly like a childish antic, but she found herself enjoying it. 

And for the first time, she was grinning back. 

Her heart was finally beating with the intention to live, to find happiness, and she was welcoming everything she had missed. Her anger could not shackle her down anymore. People could not steal from her. She would jump into the unknown with her kindness as a shield because that's who she wanted to be. 

She felt her wolf rising to the surface in their mind. She nearly missed her wolf, there had been quite a stretch of silence while her emotions override everything and blocked out any sense of rational thought. Her wolf pushed at their bond, asking, and she agreed wholeheartedly. 

Without saying anything, she tugged on Cassius' hand. He paused and rose a playful eyebrow, they were still in the stretch of forest before the training field. 

"Yes, my love?" He queried. 

She shot him a grin and then she began to strip. His eyes widened and then recognition of what she was going to do. 

"I get to meet your wolf?!" He squealed. Literally squealed. His hands came up to cover his mouth, his eyes alive with absolute joy, and she let the shifting process take over her body. In the midst, she let her wolf come into her mind. She relented full control to her wolf. 

"Wow," Cassius breathed, looking at them with amazement, "You are gorgeous, I love your fur!" He didn't even have to ask to touch, her wolf rubbed against him with a deep purr, and his fingers settled to run through the fur between their shoulder blades. 

Her wolf used the mate bond to speak to him, 'I'm Neela.' 

"Neela," Cassius repeated, eyes soft, "Such a pretty name for a pretty wolf." 

Her wolf was absolutely floored, soaking up all the affection from their mate. She watched on with happiness, this wonderful feeling that she had found whenever she was with her mate. Cassius brought happiness and joy to those around him. He brought a smile back to her face and he made her heart beat for him. He was her breath of air and she was falling for him. Fast and hard, from the very day she met him. 

He was a perfect mate. 

Neela yipped and pranced around Cassius, nipping in hopes of playtime. Cassius laughed, spinning to watch them, and his green eyes glimmered with joy. Her wolf sat back on her haunches and then tilted her head, waiting. 

Cassius sighed, grinning, "Alright, guess it's time I explain, huh?" 

They titled their head further, questioning, and she joined her wolf's conscience. Both girl and wolf in one body as they awaited their mate to explain why he wouldn't shift. 

"You see, I'm a halfblood," He didn't beat around the bush but his tone was still light, as his past no longer bothered him, "My mother was a human, my father a werewolf, so I don't exactly have all the genes for a wolf. I have all the acute senses but I just can't shift," He shrugged, sending her a sheepish smile, "Does that.. change the way you think about me?" 

She shifted, Neela allowing her to handle these emotions, and she quickly pulled on her clothes. She came to stand in front of him, he watched her with such a vulnerable expression. He had grown to be proud of himself and he never felt the fear of rejection as bad as he did right now. What if his mate didn't like him? He couldn't join her for runs, their wolves couldn't play. He would have told her sooner but he didn't want to overwhelm her as she had her own issues. 

For a moment, he felt small, as he awaited his mate's response. Heart beating hard. 

She smiled, placing her hands on either side of his face, "Silly boy, I love you for who you are. I don't need you to be anyone else." Those three words spilled from her lips before she could even think about them but they swelled from the depths of her heart and she wouldn't take them back.

His eyes widened, "Did.. did you just say what I think you did?" 

She stood on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth, "I think so." 

He gripped her waist, pulling her body into his, and his grin stretched so wide, "My little valor, with all my heart and very soul...I love you, too." 

And then he leaned down and kissed her. 

She had never been kissed before, let alone with such passion, but it came as second nature to her as she returned it. Her eyes fell closed on their own accord as she felt warmth spread to the tips of her toes. So this was what love felt like. She was so far in over her head, she could hardly breathe. Consumed by him, she was left breathless as he pulled back. It seemed like an eternity and she gazed into his eyes. Their green color was like the serenity of the forest, she got lost in them. 

He couldn't believe how beautiful she was, inside and out. He memorized every little detail of her gorgeous face and he dreamed of her eyes staring into his very soul. She didn't offer any judgment of his past, she just accepted it, and he wasn't expecting her to admit she loved him. But by god, he could hardly control himself. He wanted to say those words so badly for days but he didn't want to scare her off.

His eyes fell to her exposed shoulder, where her shirt had shifted, and he saw something on her skin. His brow furrowed softly and he looked into her eyes, "What are those marks? Did they give them to you?" 

She sighed, fingers touching her skin, "No, I was born with these. I don't know what they mean. It's another unsolved mystery in my life, I guess." She shrugged. 

He reached up to touch them, "They are so beautiful." 

Suddenly, she felt something jolt to life beneath her skin as his fingertips grazed her skin over the mark of the moon. He pulled his hand back with a sharp inhale and she cried out as pain shot through her body. She was utterly confused, clasping a hand over it. Her mark had never done this, it almost felt alive, an energy crackling beneath the surface of her delicate skin. As if it was responding to the touch of her mate. What in the world?

"What was that?" Cassius breathed, looking at his hand. 

"I-I don't know," She stuttered, confused, "It's never hurt before and I mean never. It always just existed and nobody could explain it. Did you have a lot of electricity on your finger or something?" She half-teased, raising an eyebrow. 

"No," He said, looking from his hand to the mark and back again, "That felt... odd. I can't even explain it." 

"I'll have to ask Darren," She decided, "He might know something." 

Cassius only nodded. 

He almost looked dazed. She pulled her shirt back over the mark and then she grabbed his hand, "Come on, we don't wanna miss the training!" She said excitedly. She had wanted to learn how to defend herself for so long, she was ready to learn.

He shook his head, smiling, and they headed to the training field together. 

♦       ♦       ♦       ♦       ♦       ♦

*sips coffee* 

I'm writing this while I eat my breakfast before I head off to work lol but did anyone catch that? Hmm. Might be a surprise coming soon *wiggles eyebrows*

I absolutely love these two together. Vascal forever! They may be my favorite couple [shhh... don't tell Kianu Reeves that]. As always, this didn't go according to plan, but it went exactly how it was meant to. I love it when characters tell their own story.