Chapter 40: Chapter 40

"And how do you know it's me? I mean, maybe you misinterpreted something?" I asked skeptically, excitedly tapping my index finger on the table. It was so exciting that I could hardly sit still.

"Misinterpreted?" he repeated, grinning, shaking his head slightly. "You can't misinterpret something like that. I felt you before I saw you. I knew about your feelings. I knew what a kind-hearted person you were. Then I saw you, in the middle of all in and one look was enough In your eyes, I fell in love with you, Love. From that moment on, nothing else mattered to me... Only you..."

His eyes sparkled when he told me this and my heart suddenly started beating fast. The way he looked at me was so full of love it almost took my breath away.

"But then Esteban came between me. I couldn't find you after that. Only again when I felt your fear. When I felt with every fiber that you need me. And then I saw you, with this creep in this side street and I didn't think long about what to do. Of course it's not my right to claim you as my own. You make your own decisions and I don't want to force you into anything, so I give you all liberties, even though I do easier," he grinned, showing his white teeth.

"Easier?" I then wanted to know and he bit his lower lip with relish, which looked so incredibly sexy that my blood suddenly boiled.

"I could tag you. Then you would feel the same as me and you wouldn't need any more time to get to know me. But that's exactly what I don't want and that's why I'm holding back."

"How do you tag someone?"

I knew that male dogs peed when they were being walked and that counted as territory markings, so I wide-eyed him too, hoping I was completely wrong.

"While we're sleeping together, I'd have to bite the crook of your neck," he then grinned dirty and I immediately turned bright red. I've had petty sex so many times, but this was something completely different. If I slept with him, I would belong to him and love him just as he seemed to already love me.

"And what if you sleep with other women and bite them? Are they bound to you forever?"

"No, just my mate. Others would be bound to me, but not in a way that meant we would die together."

I stared at him in confusion and first had to process how we had suddenly come to the subject of death via the subject of sex. He probably noticed how thoughtful I was and took a deep breath.

"If I tag you, it's a promise for life. If you were miserable, I would be miserable too. If you were happy, I would be too, and if you died, I would leave this world too. That's why "It's also true that I'm deliberately not claiming you as my own. It's a decision you have to make on your own and which, no matter what the outcome, I would accept."

I nodded and took a few calming breaths before going over it all again and trying to understand...

We sat across from each other in silence and while I kept glancing at him and playing nervously with the sleeves of the yellow sweater, he was calm himself. Why should he be nervous too? He knew what he was...

"I still can't quite believe all this," I said thoughtfully and suddenly he got up so quickly that I gasped in shock.

"Come with me, little one," he then winked and took my hand in his to pull me out of the hut after him.

The cold air literally whipped me in the face and when I looked around on the meadow between the many huts and my eyes fell on the big campfire, a lot of things became clearer to me.

They were all wolves and that also explained why no one was wearing a thick jacket here. I even saw a topless young guy addressing Reahlyn as "Hey Alpha"...

Why hadn't I noticed all this earlier... Wait a minute... Alpha?

"Reahlyn?" I whispered his name almost silently, turning my gaze away from the stranger to look questioningly at the man who was just pulling me into the forest.

He turned his face to me and waited for my question.

"Isn't an alpha a leader?" I asked nervously and he just grinned stupidly.

"Yeah, actually. But we're a small pack and I don't really see myself as a leader, but Justin likes to remind me of my rank."

He turned to the front again and I turned back to this Justin only to be shocked to realize how deep we were already in the forest.

"Where are we going? Hiking isn't my forte, you should vi-"

Before I could even finish speaking, I let out a scream and was almost terrified when he suddenly threw me over his shoulder like last time.

"My God, Reahlyn! You could just as well just warn someone!" I snapped at him with a racing heart, but he just laughed again while I watched the trees behind us as they quickly passed us.

"But then it wouldn't be half as fun."

I literally heard his grin and got a light slap on my butt as an answer. Luckily he didn't see my cheeks getting red.

Of course I've had sex a lot and was often touched on the buttocks, but with him it was something special. It wasn't like everyone else because there was so much more to it.

I lay over his shoulder for a while and just looked down at the floor. Counted the sticks that were lying there lost and since I still didn't know where we were going, I used the time to think about how I could at least stay one more night with him. Of course, I certainly didn't want to commit to him right away, I needed time for that, but I still just wanted to be around him. I felt comfortable and it was like I could forget everything here. All the pain, all the compulsion, all the evil spirits and demons...

But there was this one promise from Pablo and I knew he would make it come true if I didn't do what he ordered and I couldn't let that happen. I'd grown too fond of Josh for that.

"So, here we are," thankfully Reahlyn pulled me out of my thoughts and carefully got me to my feet.

With his hands on my waist, I stood so close to him that I immediately felt my heart beating fast. I got so hot from his proximity that I even forgot the cold around me, but then I nervously pulled away from him and looked around curiously.

Here in the middle of the forest there was nothing to see at all. We were surrounded by an infinite number of trees and at first glance I couldn't see anything that would have made this place something special.

"This is where I transformed for the first time," he then explained why we were here, as if he had read my mind and I looked over at him to notice with wide eyes that he was suddenly standing topless and the gray hoodie next to him lying on the floor.

"What are you doing there?" I asked, letting my eyes dart over his beautiful tattoos. It would be best if he only walked around like this when I was near him.

Eager for the tingle in my fingertips, I then took a step closer to him and let my hands gently run over his muscles. He twitched briefly, probably from the cold, but then his breathing immediately began to accelerate and that alone from this almost innocent touch.

"You shouldn't push my self-control, love," he then admonished sternly and, smiling, I ran my hands over his chest up to his neck, before standing on tiptoe.

"I'd like to kiss you," I whispered, trying to control my breathing. I suddenly felt like I wanted nothing more than him, but he just smiled apologetically and removed my hands from his neck.

"I can't do that now," he said unexpectedly, gently stroking my cheek. "But I'll show you something else now."

He took a few steps backwards and somehow it really hurt me that he pushed me away like that. I thought he liked me, why wouldn't he kiss me?

My thoughts were interrupted when he suddenly began to growl softly, and then I watched, eyes wide, and holding my breath as the man he had just been transformed into a huge brown wolf in a flash. I put my hand to my heart, almost certain it was about to burst out of my chest and it took me what seemed like an eternity to get used to the sight and slowly walk towards him.

"Reahlyn?" I whispered, my voice shaking, looking at his sharp teeth and thick fur. His eyes were still just as ice blue as before...

He nodded his head slightly, then cocked it and then started sneaking around me in slow movements.

I watched in fascination as he circled me and then when he nudged my side with his snout and jumped back and forth in amusement, I smiled at him and knew exactly who was inside this wolf. It was still him, only his appearance had changed.

"You're incredibly beautiful," I beamed at him, then dropped to my knees in front of him to put my hand on the fur on his neck.

It was rough, but it also felt warm and nice. That was just indescribable. Then when he laid his head on my lap and lay on his back like he was about to surrender, I rubbed his stomach and felt absolutely fine. It showed me how much he trusted me.

We must have spent hours getting to know his other side, and as it slowly got dark, I grabbed his clothes and walked back beside him.

I didn't say a word as he wouldn't have been able to answer me anyway, so I just watched him silently over and over again, looking forward to hearing his voice again...

Until I thought again why he didn't want to kiss me....