Wilder drove for at least an hour. Driving through the dark woods was somewhat terrifying, but I became slightly concerned when I didn't feel the typical anxiety override my thoughts. Wilder was keeping the self sabotage at bay. I eventually had given up on trying to make him uncomfortable with my silence, and I reached for his hand. Ever since then he has been smiling contently with my fingers wrapped around his. The trees stretched for miles upon miles.
"Where are you taking me?" I questioned, holding the jokes of him killing me at bay, in fear that he might actually be considering it.
"We're almost there." He hummed. The frustration I was supposed to be feeling at his lackluster answer was nowhere to be found. With a forced huff I turned away, keeping our fingers intertwined.
"You couldn't be mad at me if you tried." He smirked, but didn't turn to look at me.
"I actually am sort of mad at you." I mumbled under my breath.
"And why is that princess." He muttered pulling the 'princess' card on me. He said it so sickly sweet that it made me want to puke.
"If you must know, it's because you called my best friend a mutt. That was rude of you." I growled weakly. My growl was nothing compared to his actual one, but it was an effort, clearly not executed well, as it sent him into a fit of laughter. This only succeeded in making me angrier. I pulled my hand away from him and turned to the window, actually upset this time.
"Whatever." I muttered when his fits of laughter calmed down.
"You're too cute to be mad, plus I liked your growl, it was cute." He smiled, this time turning to look at me.
"It wasn't supposed to be cute." I turned to look at him, glaring at the side of his head, but I rewound our hands together. He smiled at my action, but said nothing more. We drove for another 30 minutes or so, putting us at about two hours out. I was starting to grow tired, as the sun had set long before we even started driving.
"5 more minutes, baby."Wilder whispered. I hadn't realized that I was dozing off until I heard his voice once more.
"I'm up, just resting my eyes." I smiled and continued to force my eyes open. A little longer than 5 minutes had passed when Wilder finally pulled into a driveway in the middle of nowhere. I hadn't even seen the house from around the corner due to the dense coverage of trees.
"Were here." Wilder encouraged me to open my eyes with a hand on my thigh. My eyes, half closed, snapped opened and took in the scenery before me. It was beautiful at night, although there wasn't clear visibility of the sky due to the trees. I imagined the galaxies and planets I would be able to see if the trees could clear a path for me.
"Let's go in." Wilder stated. He was already out of the car and on my side, pulling my upper arm to help me out. I allowed him to lift my tired body from the seat, and rest me down onto the forest floor. It was at that moment, I realized I didn't have shoes.
"No shoes." I hummed under my breath. Wilder smiled down at me and lifted me up onto his hip like a small child. I groaned in annoyance, causing him to chuckle and adjust me into both of his arms, bridal style. We walked up to the large cabin. I noticed the large porch swing, hanging from the ceiling. It was so serene and wonderful, I could almost imagine living here with a family. I shook the thoughts from my head and looked the house up and down. Unlike his mansion, the cabin was modest in size, but still decorative, and clearly expensive. There were wide expanses of windows for walls on the sides. I could almost imagine watching the sun rise and set everyday from the kitchen and bedroom. This would be the life.
"You like it?" Wilder asked. I nodded, speechless to the beautiful dream house before me.
"It can be yours." Wilder finished his statement. My heart stuttered at the thought, but I quickly calmed down in his hold. We walked in, and it was still just as beautiful as I imagined. We walked in to a living room area. I was greeted with tall ceilings and a gorgeous open plan. The couches looked modern but still rustic, and not to mention the beautiful end tables and coffee table. The glass reflected the theme of the side wall, completely made of glass. Wilder stepped into the living room letting me take a good look at his home, before he turned right too go up the steps. There weren't many, but they led to a hall of doors, where I assumed the bedrooms were located. He walked to the room at the end of the hall and opened the door. There was a generous expanse of room. The wall was completely made of glass, but this time, due to the tall ceilings, I could see over the tops of the trees. I took not of the beautiful city far from the mountain top. We were up high enough, I could see the whole valley from where we stood, but more importantly, I could see the sky and stars. It was as beautiful as I imagined. The shining stars mimicked the shining lights of the city, making me feel as though the sky was poured down onto the land below.
"What are you thinking about?" Wilder asked. I hadn't realized he was looking at me until his attention was drawn back to me.
"Kiss me." I pleaded. His eyes immediately filled with an unknown emotion. I stared up at him expectantly, but the kiss never came. He walked over to the large bed placed in the center of the far wall facing the windows. What a beautiful way to wake.
"Adi, We need to talk about everything." Wilder said. He had sat me down and placed himself next to me.
"What do you want to talk about? I told you everything you needed to know, what more could you want? You've won. I don't want to leave, I've quit my job, I want to stay with you, and you're basically the only person who can keep me calm. Without you I wouldn't make it. Isn't that what you wanted. You wanted a life partner, correct?" He took me. He waned me. Why won't he accept that I have given myself to him?
"Adi, no, that's not what I want. I don't want you to surrender to me. You've given up your fight. You've changed yourself to fit my needs. I'm not trying to mold you to my every whim. I want you because of your spirit, because you are you." His elaboration went right over my head.
"You took me, to make me yours." I muttered in confusion.
"Yes, I took you, and in all honesty I shouldn't have, but I couldn't stand to watch you suffer anymore." He placed his hand gently on my cheek, and I didn't flinch at his movement.
"How long did you watch me?" My eyes met his firm stare. I waned an honest answer.
"Months." He responded sharply. I took a deep breath, but his physical contact kept me calm enough to continue the conversation.
"So, you took me because you saw what I went through?" I asked him, curious to see how he would answer. Did he take me because he wanted me, or to save me? I know I shouldn't be hoping for one answer or another, but I couldn't help but be wanted.
"I felt every slap, every nightmare, every bit of stress. Once I first found you, I knew you were my mate, and from that day forward, I felt what you felt through the bond. I took you because I wanted you to be happy for once. I wanted you to feel loved and cherished, and that is what I intend on doing." I was left gasping for air after his explanation. He truly wanted to show me what life could be like, how life could be better. It was never about him. He has been looking out for me.
"So when I told you I loved you, why did you reject me?" It was the question that had been eating away at my mind ever since it happened. He sighed, and tucked me into his embrace.
"You said that you loved me because you felt like it was what I wanted to hear at that moment. It may be true, you may love me, but at that exact moment, you were looking to appease me, not to be honest with yourself. I would prefer you hating me than to you unconsciously lying to me." He whispered in my ear, and with one final kiss to my temple, I was entranced with this man. I turned to him awestruck.
"Kiss me, please Wilder." I managed to spill the word stew from my brain that he had just turned to mush. With a wide smile he looked down at me.
"Gladly." He quipped back. I felt his lips touch down onto mine, and everything after that passed in a haze. His warm lips brought me to an unreal level of happiness, and I know he felt it too. We kissed softly on the warm mattress, letting the night pass us overhead. I wasn't sure how long we had been going at it, but eventually he moved from my lips up my cheek, and to my ear.
"Mark me, Wilder." I whispered in his ear. He pulled away slightly from his kissing to look into my eyes. I did my best to convince him with my look that it was something I genuinely wanted. He stared for a moment, and finally he nodded.
"I love you." He said firmly. It wasn't the way I expected that to go, but the initial emotion that I was greeted with was pure ecstasy, before it turned into pure shock.
"You- you love me?" I questioned happily. He smiled down at me.
"I can feel the joy radiating from you." He smiled and leaned back down into my neck. I stretched open for him, as I felt his sharp teeth graze the length of my neck.
"I love you too." I smiled as I felt his sharp teeth poke my gentle skin. His teeth pierced my neck like knife into butter. I never imagined that it would be so easy to break skin with teeth, but the shock and adrenaline wore off quickly, and it was replaced with pain. When the pain became unbearable, I squirmed and Wilder let off.
There we laid, looking up to the stars together. The night was fading, and the sun was rising, but neither of us waned to sleep. The warmth of the embrace kept us awake long into the morning, and just as I had wished, we watched the sun rise together.
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Double update who? Me! That's right! Bet you weren't expecting this, but I'm on a roll. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, because I sure did. Love you all and don't forget to drink water!
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-B
4/25/21