36

Staggering, I struggled to find my way home while it began to rain heavily. I would love to know that someone would be waiting for me at home, but there was no one.

Arriving at the dead end, I jogged the short distance to not give the rain a chance to take over me completely, although it had almost done so.

I unlocked the front door, shoved it shut with a jerk, and immediately went to the bathroom to take a shower. The smell of forest and rain clung to my hair, which smelled pleasant, but I wanted to feel the warmth pattering down on my body from the shower water I had turned on. I took my time, because in here, surrounded by the fruity smells, the world still seemed fine.

It wasn't until I had soaped and showered every patch of my warm skin that I climbed out of the cabin and ran up to my room, towel wrapped around my body, to change into fluffy light blue pajamas. It was still light outside, but I wouldn't go out today anyway.

Fully dressed, I decided to have a movie night by myself and so I ran into the living room, but just as I was looking for a good movie in the closet, the doorbell rang. Rolling my eyes, I ignored the ringing, which eventually stopped and ended in an annoying, loud knock.

I ran to the front door, tying a high ponytail on the way. Annoyed, I pulled open the front door and expected the worst, but it was Jayden who suddenly stood in front of me and looked me up and down. I didn't miss his grin, maybe he was making fun of my childish pajamas.

"Which one should it be?" he said and held out a bag for me, in which I could see lightbulbs of various sizes. I looked up at him again in amazement and then remembered my excuse to get away from him.

"You ran through the rain to bring me lightbulbs?" I asked him, amazed at his sudden politeness towards me. "Well, not just because of that."

He pulled a pack of chamomile tea out of the bag and although I didn't want to, I had to start laughing so heartily that he beamed from ear to ear at the sight of me. "Don't worry, my grandma always has whiskey in the house, you don't have to drink tea because of me," I grinned at him, whereupon he put the tea back in the bag.

"Does that mean I can come in?" At that moment I realized that I had unconsciously offered him something to drink and I couldn't simply undo that, and deep down I didn't want to either. "Yes," I answered shyly and opened the door a bit further, whereupon he ran his hands through his black, wet hair and walked past me smiling.

"I hope I didn't bother you with anything," he then began and turned to me. "Where do you need a new lightbulb? I can screw it in quick." Wide-eyed, I took the bag from him and chewed my lips nervously. "Aaaamm, I'll do that tomorrow!" I ran into the kitchen, holding my breath, feeling a little bit ashamed for having lied to him, especially since he was suddenly so nice and also the only one who was kind of there for me.

"Do you have another one for me?" I turned to him in confusion as he stood in the doorway pointing at me. I looked down at myself questioningly and then had to smile when I realized that he meant my pajamas. "Certainly not your size," I replied, then turned to one of the closets to put the bag away.

"Would you like a cup of tea then?" I looked at him questioningly. He looked like he was about to say yes just to impress me, so I laughed to calm the situation and got the opened bottle of whiskey out of the fridge. He exhaled in relief and then followed me over to the living room.

"So you wanted to watch a movie?" he asked and stood at the living room wall to look at the cassettes with interest while I put the bottle on the table and ran back to the kitchen to get two glasses. When I came back into the living room, he had already taken off his shoes and jacket and made himself comfortable on the couch.

"Yes, I actually wanted to, until my tea supplier came by unannounced." I shook my head, grinning, and he just seemed to be examining me curiously, which suddenly made my face blush. I didn't like being watched so closely and nervously sat down on the other corner of the couch to fill both of our glasses.

"And if the supplier agrees to watch any movie you want with you?" He leaned forward in his thin black sweater and watched me pour. "Well, then maybe I'd put in the cheesiest film for women just to torment him."

He took his glass in his hand and waited for me to take mine too, then looked me in the eye long and hard. I got so hot at that moment I thought I was on fire. It was as if time stood still. A feeling I've never felt before. Of course I had similar feelings with Ludwig, but this was something completely different.

There was nothing nicer. Nothing I'd rather be looking at, and before I lost myself completely, I averted my gaze and took a quick sip of the chilled whiskey to calm my racing heart.

"Well, I'm in. Torment me, Chiara. I can take it. As you know, I have a little sister who likes to watch sappy films herself." He gave me a superior wink and leaned back, glass in hand, waiting for me to load a tape.

It was already getting dark outside and I got up to think about which film to load now. As I flipped through the tapes, I felt his eyes on my back, making me fidget nervously until I suddenly felt his hand on my shoulder. A touch that made me wince in shock on the one hand, but also caused goosebumps to form on my arms.

Dazedly, I looked into his eyes as he stepped next to me and took his hand off my shoulder. He smiled briefly and then turned his gaze to the cassette, but I was still staring at him and I could still feel the warmth of his hand on my shoulder.

"Hey," he snapped in the air in front of me, freeing me from the rigidity. "Are you all right?" "Yes," I breathed, half asleep, but then I pulled myself together and turned my attention to the tapes.

"How about that?" he held out a cassette tape with a white stripe with a heart on it. "Probably a tearjerker, yeah," I grinned, and as he made his way back to the couch, I put the film on, taking several calming breaths. He made me so nervous with his presence that all I was supposed to be able to do was stutter. But why all of a sudden? It wasn't like that before either, but probably for the first time his opinion of me was important to me.

I turned around reluctantly, grabbed the remote and plopped down on my side of the couch, making sure two people could have fit between us. I would have loved to lessen that decency, just out of curiosity about its effect on me, but I just didn't and sat there.

While I was trying to press the right keys, he seemed to make himself even more comfortable, because he wasn't talking about sitting anymore. He stretched out his legs and rested his head on a pillow that was inches from my thigh. The scent of his hair, from which you could smell the rain, immediately hit my nose and with it I calmed down a little more. Like his scent was one of those candles designed to soothe the room, only it smelled better than any candle ever could.

"Need help?" he asked, leaning on his arm so he could look at me. "No, I'll have it in a minute," I mumbled, and boom, the first images began to flicker. I leaned back and he, too, lay back on his side to watch intently the film, which not only ran in black and white but also appeared to be silent.

"You really want to torment me, don't you?" he laughed heartily and got up again to drain his glass in one gulp. I watched him do it and chuckled at the fact that he was really going to pull this off and just for me.

When he turned to me briefly, I avoided his gaze and quickly looked back at the TV, but I couldn't help but smile. "May I ask you something?" he asked, after which I gave him an interested nod. "How was your life before you came here?"

I thought for a moment and took a sip. "Definitely easier," I smiled and he smiled sweetly too, while still looking at me curiously. "And your mother? What is she like?" "She's one of the strongest women I know, but also very taken with herself," I explained to him, noticing that he slipped a little closer to me.

"May I ask something now?" I looked at him seriously and he nodded after taking a sip. "Have you ever... been in a serious relationship?" He avoided my gaze and leaned back to take deep breaths in and out. "No, I didn't. Most people here have known each other their entire lives and I wasn't exactly popular."

I noticed the sadness in his voice, but somehow couldn't believe what I was hearing. After all, I've seen several women myself who cling to him like chewing gum. "You and unpopular? You own more bras than me," I grinned to lighten the mood, even though I was internally annoyed at the thought.

"They don't really want me. Before I became an alpha, I was just a normal farm boy who owned nothing but my little cabin in the woods. Not a single woman had ever shown any interest in me until I became alpha and they hit me once at your feet." His words sounded bitter, and I realized we had more in common than I ever thought. I had judged him so many times without knowing him and his past.

"You're more than just an alpha," I tried to cheer him up and put my hand on his, whereupon he looked at me and pulled his hand away from me. I thought I said something wrong, but he gently placed it on my cheek, which gave me an incredible feeling of warmth and security. I rested my cheek against his hand and rested mine on it as he drew a little closer.

I would never forget this moment, so inconspicuous and yet my whole body was glowing with excitement. There was a tension between us that made it difficult for me to even breathe. Through the silence around us, I heard my fast beating heartbeat while I looked at him and the flickering of the television lit up the otherwise so dark room again and again.

His lips were so close to mine that my she-wolf yelped in longing for more touch while his hand caressed my cheek, which only added to the pleasant tingling in my stomach.

It was going to happen, I knew it and with my heart dancing I closed my eyes and waited for my soul mate's kiss.