Okay, this is just a heads up for everyone. This chapter isn't going to be like my others, how so you may ask? Instead of it being in Luka or Sophie's point of view, I thought it would be fun to do this one From Shelby's so that you guys can finally get inside her head. Keep in mind that, this is my first time doing Shelby. If she starts to sound out of character, let me know.
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Previously, on Love bite.
I turn towards him to answer, my own voice dropping low.
"Besides the one from pack doctor training, this will be the first"
Smiling at him, I then add. "Hey, there's always a first time for everything."
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Now Shelby's P.O.V
Closed off. For almost half my life, that's all I've been. Ever since the night I lost my wolf, I've tried to hide that side, the vulnerable side of me, so that I wouldn't be hurt again. I chose to be picky about who I let in, everyone else would be kept out.
It was only when I met Sophie for the first time, that I started being okay with who I was and with what I wasn't. I found a friend who I could trust, tell anything to, and not get stabbed in the back. Well, back then so I thought. When we would spend time together outside of Pack Doctor training, it felt like I didn't have to try so hard to hide my secret. A secret, which back then, Sophie only wished she knew.
Little did I know that Sophie was hiding her own secret, which to be honest I wasn't surprised by. We all have secrets. My view is if you don't have secrets, your life's pretty boring. That wasn't what bothered me about it, I just wasn't expecting the secret itself to be that big.
When the truth about who Sophie was and who she was to become finally came out, I was hurt. Hurt, not because she didn't tell me. I only told Sophie that later, so that I could Hide the real reason I was angry. I was hurt because it reminded me of the truth I was trying to hide. It felt like I got shot by my mother again, only this time, it was much worse.
When my other werewolf friends would find their own mates, deep wounds would open back up within me. Instead of telling them about this and opening up, I would always end up just smiling and congratulating them. Every time I did this, a huge hole would open in my heart because I thought I would never get a mate. Yet, here I am. Starring down the barrel of a loaded gun, about to do something I've always dreamed of doing. Marking my mate.
Snapping out of my thoughts by my mate's heart rate picking up speed, going even faster than it was previously. I walk over towards him, grabbing his hand and placing it gently in my own.
The sensation of the sparks shooting up my arm floods my body again, I don't know what to make of them still. This is all new to me. But unlike last time, I don't pull away, I just let the sparks flow for a few moments.
Letting out a sigh, I climb on to my bed, bouncing it a bit. Ace looks at me, his blue eyes lighting up slightly.
I have never met Ace summers in person, even while Sophie was dating him. Back then, whenever I would get wind that he would be in the area, I would always tuck tail and run the other way. I knew that wherever there would be Ace, Sophie wouldn't be far behind him. Just the sight of them holding hands and being happy together would be enough to make the pain in my chest worse.
Snapping me out of my thoughts, Ace speaks.
"It's you," he says, his voice barely audible. "The one I've been searching for."
"Yes," I acknowledge. Thinking I can do this easier in medical mode, I let go of Ace's hand and ask. "Ace," I say, testing his name out on my lips. "There isn't much time, I've got to mark you, can you take off your shirt please?"
Seeing that Ace can barely move, I gently crawl over, sitting on the bed now to help him remove his shirt.
"My chest hurts too much to move, I can't," Ace tells me, gritting his teeth slightly.
Reassuring him, I say, in a calming manner. "Hey, it's okay. I'll help you, here."
"Not till you tell me your own name," he then tells me.
'What, no, Ace. We don't have time for this, I have to mark you," I attempt to tell him, and then go back to my action of trying to remove his shirt.
"But I don't want to be marked without knowing my mate's name, so please," he says to me his voice pleading now.
Realizing I won't be able to get through to Ace using medical mode, I switch back to mate mode and speak.
"My name is Shelby Green," I tell him in a shy tone. One so low, only he can hear it.
"Shelby, what a beautiful name to go with that pretty of a face," he smiles as best he can.
Feeling my cheeks heat up, I give him a shy smile. "Oh, thank you, Ace."
I then gently place my hands-on Ace's shirt, slowly pulling up and removing it from his body. Ace moves his shoulder, allowing me to slip the shirt over his head.
The shirt itself is filthy. It's a normal gray tee, one that's well worn, and has dirt, mud, and food stains all over it.
When was this last tossed in the washer? When was the last time Ace tossed himself in the washer? I wonder.
Upon helping Ace remove his dirty shirt and tossing it to the floor somewhere, I'm made aware of something new about him. While we were bringing him here, every passing pack member said that he had a stench to him, I couldn't smell anything, and now, I understand why. Ace's sent, to me at least is intoxicating. He smells of sweet, fiery embers and coal.
I just sit there on the bed and stare at Ace for a long moment, taking him in.
He's beautiful. Even with the way he looks right now, he's not what I pictured in my dreams, he's much better. I don't know between Sophie and me, I think Sophie lucked out on this one. But then again, that's what all new mates say when they see each other for the first time.
I want to take him in some more, but realizing I don't have much more time, I decide against it. Looking up at him, he gives me a slight nod.
Crawling gently over on top of him, I look down at him, his blue orbs staring up at me. I then pause for a moment, my own heartbeat racing, I am scared out of my mind. I have never kissed a guy in my life, not even in my dreams.
How am I supposed to do this?
"Just follow your instincts and you'll be fine," Ace mumbles, snapping me out of my thoughts once again.
"I don't have any of my instincts anymore," I tell him, breaking down slightly and looking down, shifting my gaze away from his, wanting to curl back into myself and hide.
"Hey Shelby, look at me," Ace tells me in a reassuring tone of voice. I do as he says and look back up towards him.
"It's alright."
Letting out another long overdue sigh, shoving all the nervousness I just felt out of my mind, I move in, and just like that, Ace's lips connect with mine.
To say that my first kiss feels good, or like all those songs and movies said it would, would be an understatement.
It feels like a whole arsenal of fireworks went off in my chest all at once. At the same time, sparks shoot from all different directions of my body, causing me to tremble slightly. Chill bumps then appear on my arms, even though I'm already getting hot. I'm already on cloud nine, and I haven't done the mark itself.
"What will that fill like? I wonder to myself. Well, only one way to find out.
Sliding my lips down Ace's neck, planting little kisses as I go, I start to get butterflies. Not wanting to waste any more time than we already have and fearing it might cause more damage, I skip going down to Ace's chest and head for his shoulder.
Upon finding the spot, I stop for a moment, preparing myself for what I'm about to do.
"Ace are you ready?" I ask him, trying hard not to let my nerves show.
"Yes Shelby, I'm ready."
Closing my eyes, like I was about to let my wolf take control, I pull in a breath. "Please my wolf, please give me the strength and the tools in order to do this."
Suddenly, a sharp pain erupts from the top part of my gums, I hold back a cry as two of my top teeth transform into a pair of canines, both sharp enough to pierce my own tongue if I'm not careful.
This is it, there's no turning back.
Without even thinking about it, I plunge my teeth into Ace's flesh, the taste of blood enters my mouth, I ignore it and keep going deeper until I seal the connection.
Gritting his own teeth, Ace then bites down on his lip, trying hard not to scream out in pain. Then like in every marking story I've heard; Ace's cries of pain quickly turns into moans of pleasure.
I let go of Ace's Shoulder, just as the connection is complete. Almost instantly, my canines transform back into my normal human teeth, for the last time.
Thank you, my long-lost friend.
"Oh, Shelby," Ace says looking at me, his voice filled with sadness and pity.
My stomach then drops, he saw how I lost my wolf, he knows my secret. Turning my attention towards the gathering blood, I hold up my finger.
Hopping off my bed, I run to my bathroom and wet a washcloth, before returning to my bedroom just a few moments later. Instead of using my tongue to perform the last part of the marking, I simply use the cloth to gently wipe up the pooling blood forming from the wound on Ace's shoulder.
Dabbing away at his newly marked shoulder, I notice something, Ace's heart rate is slowly slowing down only moments after the marking.
Ace speaks. "So, you're the girl of legend," he says. "The one who survived being shot with a silver bullet, the one who's the keeper of the silver shield."
"Yes," I confirm quietly. "I am."
"No way," Ace says stunned. "Can I see it?"
"What?" I ask, making sure I heard him right. "You seriously want to see the mark on my chest?"
"Of course I do, " Ace replies, giving me a caring smile. "It is the mark of legend; how could I not want to see it?" Ace then giving me an understanding look adds. "That is if you want me to see it. Now if you don't want me to see it..."
Cutting him off, I then speak. "No, it's okay"
In that same moment, I start to remove my shirt first with my arms, pulling it over my head. Now down to my bra, I remove the one cup like I did with Sophie, allowing him to see my chest.
For a moment, Ace doesn't do anything, he just sits there. After a moment, he then speaks up.
"Is it also true what I read from your thoughts, that you..."
"Yes," I say, cutting him off. "I lost my wolf."
"Oh," he says. "How long ago did it happen?"
"It happened when I was ten, my second shift," I reply, I then add. "Oh, and the legend is slightly wrong. I was shot with two bullets, instead of one."
"Oh, sorry, my apologies," Ace says to me. "It truly is a beautiful mark."
"Figures, one of the most beautiful marks of legend, is also the calling card that makes me weak," I say, shifting my gaze downward, suddenly feeling ashamed of myself.
Ace's eyes cast down upon me, he then says, in a tone of admiration. "Nothing about you is weak, Shelby. Wolf or no wolf, you're still a fighter, and there's nothing that will change that." Seeing me raise my head at his words, Ace places a gentle finger on my mark sending tingles through my chest. "In my pack, that is a mark of survival and will become one of honor."
"I don't think so, Ace, "I tell him. "You see ever since I lost my wolf, I've been..."
"Shelby."
"Yes."
"While you yourself don't think so, I know so."
Ace's words feel me with joy, something I've not had in years. All my life, I've been in the shadows. The darkness and coldness getting worse after the night I lost my wolf, making it hard to live with myself sometimes. Hiding in the shadow's, I had to watch my own friends find their mates and move on. Only now, in this very room, on this very day, at this very moment, do I finally understand what it means to have a mate, do I understand the meaning of the word love.
The joy in me quickly fades, the self-doubt returning. No matter how many people I come to love, there's going to be one person I'm still going to hate, more than anyone. Me.
I'm about to say more when I feel Ace's finger slowly trail down and off my chest, I look up, only to find his eyes are looking heavy. The mark must be taking effect. Tossing the cloth into the floor, I then put my shirt back on and snuggle in close to him, placing my ear on his chest.
From the ear resting on Ace's chest, I can hear his Ruby heart as it thumps strongly, sounding mostly back to normal. From across the hall, I can hear a new sound through my other ear, a much faster heartbeat, a newborn baby crying, a new life being brought into this world.
This is Cody and Heather's baby. Sophie actually pulled it off, she and her aunt delivered the newborn, not that I doubted she would. Even though I can tell that the baby's healthy just by listing to its cry, something still doesn't fill right.
Feeling my own drowsiness starting to take wing, I slowly slide my eyes shut snuggling the side of my face gently deeper into Ace's chest. In the last few moments, before sleep puts me under its spell, my brain conjures up one last thought. It's something I haven't thought of up until this point.
I've just become a future Luna. Oh my God.
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Finn. Well, there you go guys, chapter 34. Not only was it one of the hardest chapters I've ever written, it is also one of the most heartfelt. I knew from the first moment Shelby told me her story, she would have a lot of self-doubts inside her, it was only when I got inside her head, did I realize how deep it actually went. Not only that, but it's this chapter that gives the book its name. This story is as much about Shelby, as it is about Sophie, Luka, and the others.
Do you guys think Shelby made the right choice by marking Ace?
What does the future hold for the two of the two of them?
What do you guys think is wrong with Cody and Heather's new baby?
As always to all of our new Emerald Shifters please be sure to keep reading, because we like to watch the numbers go up. Vote, because we love the support. Comment, so that you can give your opinion, and if you find any mistakes, feel free to let us know. Add it to your reading list and library, to stay updated. And share it, to get it out there, Bye guys.
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