I left the castle, heading towards the nearest village. I didn't want to worry Isaac but i didn't want to feel imprisoned there either. The idea of finally leaving Arden just for my experience of the outside world to be limited to within the grounds of the castle set me ill at ease. I longed to walk the streets of Paris, to see the Eiffel Tower and eat at little cafes. I longed to see new towns and lose myself in a crowd of faces. I wanted to explode new places and new cultures. Although I was so grateful for what I had experienced with Isaac, I also wanted to experience the world.
My chain of thought led me to think about all that had happened. Something had happened in Isaac's past, something he hadn't told me and I don't know if he ever would. However Gloria knowing more about his past wasn't a huge factor in why I was disappointed, it stung a little but no, it was a much bigger picture. Firstly, I understood how someone could become so easily manipulated, take Arden for example, an entire city who relied on a magical spell that went back centuries to exist. An entire species entrapped in the old way of life.
However, that Isaac wasn't someone I had met, therefore I could make no judgements on that Isaac. All I knew is that he failed to mention to me that they had a romantic relationship before he assigned her to train me. Why? That's the main question. The only reasoning I could come up with is that he was trying to protect me because that's always the most obvious reason, isn't it? Was he afraid? Did he think I'd react in a bad way?
I wasn't angry. Everyone had a past, I just wish he would've felt comfortable enough to trust me with that information, to trust that telling me would be better than leaving me in the dark. If not for Lily's warning I would've found out about their previous .. relationship in front on the entire pack. I also was a bit unnerved by how little I knew Isaac. He knew almost everything about me , he had met my father and my best friends, he had been in my childhood home, he knew my favorite artist and books and colors. Yet he never seemed to open himself up to me.
I stopped when I finally reached the village and after a quick scope of the place I found a small bookshop hidden away in the corner of the store. I searched through the shelves, before a book at the end of the room caught my eye. I pulled out a book to see it lined with pages and pages of beautiful towns and landmarks all over the world. I looked up, seeing nobody in the shop so I gingerly sat on the floor and spent the next half an hour flipping through the pages and getting lost in new places.
I almost didn't hear the door open until a loud squeak resonates through the small shop and I jumped slightly, on high alert as I looked up with wide eyes. An older woman stared down at me, a lilac shawl wrapped around her graying hair.
"My god child, what are you doing reading on the floor? You almost gave me a heart attack!"
I rose slowly, offering her a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I was so absorbed, I lost track of time."
She gave me a small, knowing smile. "It happens to the best of us. Here let's see what's gotten you so interested. Ahh, travel." She waved her finger at me, waggling her eyebrows. "Young people should try to travel as much as they can. We didn't have those kinds of opportunities back in my day."
I let out a light laugh. "I definitely agree with you."
She crossed her hands over her chest. "Is something on your mind? I know I long to escape whenever things get hectic."
And that's how I found myself having tea with the old lady who owned the bookshop. She assured me she knew who I was, being part of the werewolf community so then I told her all that had happened. She slammed her mug of chamomile tea down on the coffee table and my eyes went wide, wondering how that table has lasted this long without an indent or scratch.
"That little weasel, imagine. I applaud you for being so understand because I would've wringed him by the neck by now. Take the advice of an old lady, love is never easy. But all relationship are built on a foundation of trust. Do you think you'd be able to forgive him, to try to understand him?"
I bit my lip, pondering over her words. But I knew the answer in my heart. "I think so."
"I think he needs time to open up to you. Let him do so naturally. Our alpha is a tough man, he's been hurt in the past.He's probably afraid of revealing his insecurities. He only sees himself as a proud male alpha, someone who protects his mate and along the way he's forgotten that sometimes he needs a little protecting too."
I smiled gently, the woman's words put me at ease. But she raised her hand.
"But also, what do you want?"
It came without any hesitation. "I want him."
"Then I think it's time you be true to not only him, but also yourself."
-/-
I headed towards the pack-house, my mind made up. I knew I had forgiven Isaac before I had even realized. The truth was that since I had left Arden, he had been nothing but kind and patient. He tracked down the vampires and pulled me out of that horrible situation, he stayed by my side after my father died and he made the transition into a much bigger and intimidating world that bit easier. Before the idea of mates was unthinkable, the idea that someone could fit your soul so perfectly, but having experienced it, it wasn't scary or overwhelming, it just felt natural. Even Gloria, she obviously had problems in her own life if she resorted to such a way of thinking.
If anything, the only thing really bothering me was what Gloria has mentioned about Isaac's mother. I recalled the way his eyes narrowed to a murderous dark glare, so utterly differently from the light and playful swirls of grey that lit up beneath the morning sunlight. I broke into a jog, eager to see him, to hold him. Something must of happened for him to react that way, for it to affect him that badly. Although I couldn't lie that I was curious, I also just wanted to make sure he was okay.
I ran into the back of the house, through the kitchen entrance. Inside I found Finn and Allen sitting at the kitchen table, staring at me with wide, apprehensive eyes.
"Aurora." Finn said, standing up to hug me. I fell into the familiar embrace of friendship.
"That idiot." He said angrily but Allen was on his feet in minutes, his worried expression making me feel uneasy.
"Luna, I don't want to pressure you but maybe you should go talk to him. He's not in a good state right now ..." he said and I nodded briskly. "Where is he?"
He cleared his throat. "He's in his office." I ran down the corridor, nearing the same office I had spent hours wrapped up on the window ledge, getting lost in novels and Isaac would carry my back to my room. Or I'd sneak over to his desk after he'd fallen asleep on his work and draw a mustache with one of his sharpies and his groggily open his eyes and grin weakly at me.
I threw the door open, hearing it slam again the wall and he turned back, his eyes wide in shock as they saw me. He let out a breath and turned fully but made no move to approach me, as if he didn't know how to act.
"Aurora.."
I ran towards him, throwing my arms around his neck and the book I was holding fell to the floor with a small cluttering sound. He breathed deeply, his sense of relief filling the atmosphere as he held me just as tightly.
"I'm sorry." His voice came out a whisper and I shook my head against his shoulder.
"I don't care anymore, I just care about you."
He leaned his forehead against mine, breathing heavily. "The last thing I wanted to do was to hurt you."
I squeezed his hand in reassurance. "It's gonna take a little more than some past baggage to drive me away."
"I should've been honest with you. I should've known that Gloria wouldn't take me finding my mate so easily. We agreed that our ... relationship would be over the second one of us found our other half. I thought that it wouldn't go further than that. I put you in a situation that could've ended very differently because I was so easily manipulated by her, it's disgusting, I shouldn't have been so easily - his words became more and more infused with anger and resentment towards himself as he spoke, so I shushed him, raising a finger to his lips.
"Isaac. Everyone makes mistakes. You're not exempt from that. It's a natural part of learning."
"I should've told you about our relationship."
I frowned slightly. "Maybe yeah, I was kind of curious why you chose not to."
"I didn't think it was important because she meant nothing to me. For me, you're it. My mate, my world, my everything. I was afraid of how you'd react and I was being naive and stupid."
I nodded slowly, leaning my head against his chest, hearing his heart beat speed up as the scent of forest engulfed me. "You're forgiven. But you have to make me some pancakes to make it up to me."
He smiled softly down at me. "I think I'll be able to handle that much."
-//
So some of you probably wont be happy with how quickly she's forgiven him. That's not to say that she doesn't realize they still have things to work through but this is how I think it should've gone 😀