It took them a while to get home. Castle had forgotten his phone at home when he left to find his partner and since he had smashed her phone she didn't have one on her either. Beckett had given him her look of disapproval when he suggested she could call Alexis in order to get clothes so they could get home, and he'd immediately apologized, said he would buy her a new one. A newer one.
"I don't need the newest, Castle. Just get me the same one I had," she'd argued but he'd already decided he would get her the latest one.
Beckett had somehow gotten some pants to him, had walked up to the store where the police still stood and gotten some NYPD pants from one of the fellow officers. Castle had questioned if they'd asked what she'd need them for but she just shrugged and thrown them to him, told him to just shut up and put them on before anyone saw him and reported a flashing. After that it had been rather easy to take the bus home. They were both rather quiet during their transport. Castle couldn't stop but wondering what she was thinking about, what kind of questions she would have for him once they got to the loft. The first thing they exchanged were his warning of Alexis being asleep, that they would have to try their best at being quiet, and then he opened the door for her to walk inside first.
Once he'd closed the door, and locked it, he led her to his office in order to make sure they wouldn't waken his daughter. He kept glancing at her every now and then, watching that same adorable wrinkle that had occupied her forehead ever since they sat down on the bus. Castle told her to sit down on the couch while he went to put a shirt on but when he came back she wasn't on the couch like he'd expected her to. His partner was standing by the big window, looking out over the city they lived in. Carefully he walked up the the window to stand beside her, though he still kept his du stance. He wasn't sure how she felt about it all, just because she hadn't run away from him didn't mean she was accepting his other nature.
"Soo, it's real. You weren't just joking around," she whispered and he glanced at her before looking back to the city.
"No, it's real."
Her heartbeat was steady for once, wasn't picking up in speed in a panic, and it soothed him in a way he wasn't familiar with, yet it felt completely familiar. He heard her take a deep breath before she was turning to him and when he looked at her, their eyes met. His own heart started beating a little faster at looking into those beautiful eyes, he could swear he could drown in them.
"What did Alexis mean when she said you would hurt like Julie if I died?"
He immediately broke their eye contact to look at the city instead. Part one of telling the truth - check. Part two would be so much harder. He knew he needed to tell her but he felt his hands starting to shake with the fear entering his body again. Fiddling with his fingers he didn't know she noticed his change in demeanor until her hands suddenly covered his in a gentle touch.
"I-ah, we're-ah... connected," he started. "You know how some people believe we all have a soulmate out there? It's-ah, true," he stumbled across his words, damned himself for being a writer yet having such a hard time finding the words that truly mattered. "Wolves have a way of actually knowing, like we instantly fall in love on a deeper level than we ever have, we can... feel our mate in a way that no one else can. And if we part from them, in such a way that Hannah was ripped away from Julie, it's like our whole world is ripped away from us. It's like we will never heal from that wound, no matter how much time passes." He paused, wasn't really sure of how to continue. Her thumb was smoothly sliding across the back of his hand and it was... enchanting.
"So when Alexis said you would hurt..?"
He took a shivering breath before he met her hazel eyes again. Meeting her brown and green colored eyes had his heart skip a beat, his insides melting, and he gulped before he managed to answer.
"You and I are soulmates."
The confession sent relief down his body. He'd said it, the truth was finally out, and there was nothing he could do but await her reaction. Her eyes widened, yet he could see something in those hazels that told him she wasn't surprised. Maybe she'd played with the thought before.
"How long have you known?" she asked, genuine curiosity playing around in the twinkles of her eyes.
He pulled away one of his hands from hers in order to run it through his hair. "Since I first looked into your eyes," he said truthfully.
"Wow," she breathed out and looked down.
He could hear her heartbeat slightly quicken and when he searched for her eyes he could see them watering a bit. Feeling his own heartbeat increasing he didn't know what to do, and so he carefully pulled her hands into his in order to run his fingertips over her skin. She shivered at the touch and if it hadn't been for the sorrow radiating from her he would've felt proud his touch could send shivers down her body.
"What's wrong?" he whispered his question, not wanting to push her away.
"You knew wh-when you left with Gina."
If it hadn't been for his heightened hearing he would've never heard her mumbling words. He hadn't known if she would remember that, but since she did he knew he had to explain it to her.
"Yeah, I knew." He but his inside cheek before he continued. "But I only did that because you were going out with Demming." Her eyes snapped to his and she 'oh'ed. "I can't deny I wanted you to feel the same way I did, but... it hurts knowing that I hurt you. I could...feel how you got hurt by that, and I regretted it the second I put my arms around her."
"I..." she sighed. "I was about to accept your offer, had blown off Demming just minutes before I got into the room and asked to speak with you." He watched her bite her lips as her cheeks turned pink, he loved watching her blush. "Actually, it was Espo who opened my eyes, confronted me asking why I thought you were still around, and how you wouldn't come back after the summer just to watch me be with another guy."
Castle was surprised by her honesty, her openness, and he was afraid to interrupt her. He didn't want her to stop, her words calmed his heart, her voice being music to his ears. She took a deep breath and he felt his heart skip a beat when one of her hands pulled away from his only to land on his chest, right over his heart.
"I was finally accepting I had feelings for you, that's why I didn't want you back. I didn't like the power you held over my heart, the power you still hold." Her words were only whispers, her eyes trained on his chest where her hand laid firmly to feel his beating heart.
When she'd been quiet for a couple minutes he decided it was safe to talk without feeling he was the one to stop her from talking. "If it makes you feel any better, you got power over mine too."
Their eyes met and hers flickered between his, something obviously on her mind but he didn't get to ask before her hand, the one he'd still been holding, let go of his to cup his cheek. He held his breath when she was suddenly standing onto her toes, her face slowly rising to his, and he didn't let it go until her lips were claiming his in a hesitant kiss, almost as if she wasn't sure of her own actions. Her lips pulled back slightly but he could hear her heartbeat, could feel the same electricity going down both their bodies, and he knew she would return before she did. Their lips met again but with more certainty, her fingers curling into the shirt at his chest, and it didn't take long before his hands found her hips. He pulled her body closer to his with gentle movements, his head spinning when they simultaneously parted their lips and her taste invaded his tastebuds. They had to stop, had to pull away from each other, otherwise he knew he would've fainted at the strong feelings she stirred in him. And by the quickened heartbeat and fastened breathing of hers he was sure she felt the same.
"Wow," she gasped, her cheeks as red as he'd ever seen them, her lips pouting in a useless try not to smile.
"Wow indeed," he agreed and carefully pulled her into his chest in order to hug her body. To his satisfaction she didn't hesitate to put her head on his shoulder and let her arms sneak around him to hug him back. She even snuggled in, and her scent filled his nostrils in a way he'd only dreamt of before.
A ringtone sounding through the loft had him grunting, he didn't want to pull away, but he did after planting a kiss to her forehead and mumbling an excuse. It didn't take him long to located his phone and seeing the I.D. had him take a deep breath of strength before answering.
"Castle."
"We found him, when we're done with him we'll deliver him to the twelfth." Marco's voice said on the other end and Kate was watching her partner as he hummed.
"By the way, Marco?" Castle said before the wolf could hang up. "Do you know why two wolves where running around in the forest howling tonight? I thought howling was only for emergencies so to not attract humans."
It wasn't really Castle's job to keep track on the wolves in the city but, considering he had the other wolf on the line who actually did have that job, he figured he could always update him.
"Oh yeah, I sent out my pack to find him. And now that you mention it, say hi to your detective from me. I look forward to see her join us."
Castle's eyes widened and his lips parted a bit. The blonde had told the wolf about Kate, had most likely told how Castle had stepped in between them in order to protect her too. Marco hung up before Castle could say anything more and when he let his hand drop from his ear his partner was there with question evident in her eyes.
"What's wrong Castle? And who is Marco?"
"Well," Castle cleared his throat as he tried to figure out how to explain everything to her. There were still tons of things she didn't know, and tons of things he wouldn't even know to tell until it either came up or she asked the question. Kate raised one of her eyebrows in expectation and he furrowed his own in thought. "It's complicated, and I'm not even sure I understand it myself to be honest. Marco is... well, kind of the alpha, I guess. He's the one making sure all wolves in New York City follow these rules we have in order to keep our identity hidden."
"So, you're part of his... pack?"
He could see how she tried to go through every detail she knew about the myth, tried to figure out which would be true and what not.
"Technically no. Like I told you before we've built our own small pack, me, Alexis and my mother. But that doesn't mean he won't take me out if I somehow threaten our existence."
"So, he's like the alpha of all no matter pack?" she asked and he shrugged with his shoulders while slowly nodding.
"Yeah, kind of. At least here in the city, there are others in different cities. And together they build a counsel along with the elders," Castle tried to explain. All of a sudden her lips parted in a yawn that she quickly tried to smother and hide behind her hand and he couldn't stop the chuckle past his lips. "Come on, it's late," he said in a low voice as he walked up to her again, his hands searching for hers. "You can sleep in my bed if you want? I promise no funny business."
She bit her lower lip and he wondered what she was thinking, halfway wished the theory of werewolves being able to read thoughts to be true. "I'm not tired."
Tugging on her hands he was glad to see her following him into his bedroom. "Liar," he said with a small smile.
She returned the smile before her gaze turned serious again. "But what did he want?"
He let go of her hands in order to go through his drawers in the search for a t-shirt and a pair of shorts she could use as pjs. "They found John Walton, those other wolves out there tonight were out there on mission to find him, and they will deliver him to the precinct tomorrow." He told her and handed her the clothes. When he met her gaze he could tell she knew there was more, something he wasn't telling, and so he let go of a sigh. "He told me to say hi, and tell you he couldn't wait till you join us. Which you of course don't need to!" he added quickly with his hands raised up in defense.
"Join as in..?" her voice shivered a little and another yawn slipped past her lips.
He nodded. "But let's sleep, we can talk more tomorrow."
After a hesitant look on her face she finally agreed, calming his heart, and they took turns in the bathroom. When they laid in the bed they were facing each other and Castle couldn't stop himself from moving closer so he could peck her forehead, her nose and her lips. It ended with her giggling, he had never heard her giggling before, and before he could do it all over again she moved to put her head on his chest. Her scent surrounded all around him and he couldn't explain how happy he felt.
"Night Rick." She snuggled closer, her heartbeat steadying and her breathing going deeper.
"Night Kate," he whispered and closed his eyes, focusing on the feel of her in his arms.
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A/N: So, I haven't finished writing chapter 9 but since I feel generous I wanted to give you this chapter tonight anyway, I hope I'll get some more writing done tomorrow/tonight but anyway I have loads of things to do during the weekend so not sure when I'll be able to update. At least now you know you'll get more chapters, it'll just take some time because life is getting in the way. Hope you've had an awesome Halloween and will have an amazing weekend! Until next time, xxxx