I jumped, pivoting to notice Hiro leaning against the store with a rose in his hand. He played with the petals of the red flower and kicked off the wall, taking vast steps to me. A smirk formed on his lips while Hiro held the stem of the rose toward me. His broad shoulders stiffened, and he seemed even more immense as I remained hidden in the blossoms.

I slowly stood, tucking my hair behind my ear. My eyes couldn't leave Hiro. My tongue caught in my throat. Every inch of my body wanted him like the Moon Goddess had shined a spell on me, but my mind told me no while the Sun Goddess had other plans. Marry the next High Priest, Cyrus, and become the leader of the Rosa Covenant.

"No," Cecily said, taking the rose from Hiro and replacing it with a bundle of forget-me-not. "She loves these." She giggled, adding gypsophila paniculata between the blues with her magic. "The rose is too simple for love, if you ask me."

"Oh, you are a chlorokinesis." Hiro beamed at her, showing off his perfect smile, and watched Cecily nod like an excited kid. "Thank you." He turned, inching the bouquet to me.

Brushing my hands over my apron, I eyed the flowers. "No, thank you, Alpha," I said, walking away from Hiro.

"Enya." He ran around me, placing his hand on the stall. It shifted, dropping wild black tulips on the other side. "Whoops." Hiro raced around while the shop lady helped him pick up the flowers.

Cecily giggled before following me to the next store. We fished through jars of spices on the racks outside until the owner shadowed us. His face was full of dirt, and his hands cracked from work.

"Ladies don't need these spices," he said, motioning to the salts.

"We need the items on this list." Cecily pulled a plant-based parchment from her apron and handed it to the man.

He scuffed, shaking his head, but pulled jars from the back area. Cecily raised a brow at me before removing a teal vessel from the shelf in front of us and popping the top. She sniffed the inside and gestured the jar toward me.

"Smells expired," I whispered to her, glimpsing at Hiro as he finished helping the flower lady.

"I can't get you all of this," the shop owner said, aggressively pointing at the list. "You two do not need this."

"Sir." Hiro's voice shivered down my spine while he skimmed my back with his vast palms. "Get them twice of everything on the list, and the items better be the fresh shipment from the Pacific ship."

"Twice?" Cecily asked, confused.

"But—" the shopkeeper protested, but the Alpha snapped his fingers, interrupting him and driving Jude to jog over.

"Jude, make sure he gets two of everything and let—" Hiro said, paused, and looked at Cecily.

"Oh, I am Cecily," she said, smiling with a curtsy.

I scrunched my brows together, nudging Cecily for the curtsy. Shaking my head, she giggled, eyeing Jude.

"Nice to meet you, Cecily." Hiro scowled at the spice keeper. "Have her pick out a special spice from your secret room."

"Secret room?" Cecily asked, surprised, while Jude signaled her toward a door painted black.

"Are you ready?" Hiro asked me with his hand gesturing to his carriage.

"Ready for what?" I replied, strolling in the other direction. "Thank you for the spices, but I am not a dog, so I will not run with my tail wagging when you call."

"Oh, so you got my letter," he said, observing me to the shop neighboring the spices.

"Of course, I got your letter, Alpha," I said, opening the door and listening to the bells.

Hiro held the entrance with his arm, shadowing me as I ducked under. His scent filled my nose, the masculine earthy fragrance of pine needles and rain, a common odor for werewolves running around the forest, but Hiro's aroma heated my core for more. I walked away from him, closing my eyes to take in his scent without him knowing. The sound of the door shutting had me opening my eyes, and I wandered to the wood crates of cheaper clothes.

Crouching down, I knelt on the floor with my legs tucked into my dress. My hands shifted through the blues and purples until I stopped at the flower patterns.

"Enya," Hiro said, kneeling on one knee before me and touching my elbow. "With you being my mate—"

"Shh," I interrupted him, placing my palm on his mouth. "You can't say that. The council had forbidden us to be that word, and we can not continue said word."

Hiro smiled under my skin, cupping his hands on mine. He kissed my knuckles, luring his gray eyes into mine.

"I hold various words to fantasize about you, peaches."

I pulled my hand away, rubbing the top like it would erase his kiss. "Please don't." Standing with purple iris patches in my hand, I walked away, listening to his chuckles.

The shop owner handed me her wicker basket. "I have new dress patterns from the Pacific ship. Would you like to see them?"

I shook my head, comprehending I couldn't afford it. "I only have an inconsiderable amount of shillings."

"Do you have any blues or greens in the silk?" Hiro asked, snatching the basket from me.

"No," I whispered to him. "Silk is way too much."

"It's nothing to me," he replied, glancing at the lady. "All on the Silver order, please," he said to the shop lady.

I shook my head, reaching into my apron and handing her a coin. "Only the patches, madam," I said, gripping the material and leaving the basket in Hiro's hands.

The dust danced at my feet as I walked through the light streaming in from the window. Placing my hand on the entrance, I cracked the door, but Hiro shadowed behind me, opening it quickly.

"Where to next?" he requested, while the breeze twirled in his dark hair.

"Away from you." I stomped out of the shop, walking in a random direction.

Cecily and Jude paused at what they were doing, watching as Hiro chased me down. His heavy steps echoed behind me until his hand touched my wrist softly. His warmth sparked my soul and everything between. I paused and glanced at his hand on my skin.

"That is the mate spark," he whispered, interlocking his fingers into mine.

His other hand barely skimmed my chin, sending electricity from one touch to the other. He tilted my head up for my eyes to meet his. I couldn't focus on one part of his face, bouncing my gaze between his lips and his greys.

"If you accept the whispers of the Moon Goddess, this feeling of ecstasy will surround your entire body with bliss." The words left his perfect mouth.

I bit my bottom lip, and he neared closer, inches away.

"We can't," I whispered, spinning to face the shop's wall. "You know we can't."

Hiro exhaled and stepped beside me. "I understand, but I will not stop trying."

I smiled at the ground, peeking at him. "I hope not," I said and quickly pointed at a crate near the well of Salem. "Oh look, I think someone dropped off some kittens."

I rushed away and slowed when a black fur ball backed into the corner of the box, scared of the outside world. Kneeling, I placed my hand near the kitten, but let the little cutie take the next step.

"It's okay, little one. I will not hurt you." My voice was in a high pitch, calming to the ears. "Come on, smell me."

The golden eyes gazed at me with a wee meow. Slowly, the wet nose touched my hand before a beautiful purr. I scooped the kitten into my arms and spun, bumping into Hiro. He chuckled, beaming at me.

"Do you always take the strays?" He brushed the top of the kitten with one finger.

"Only if the kitten needs help," I replied, lifting the kitten to see the underside. "Very healthy, but Cecily would love a little one running around our cottage."

Cecily rushed over, snagging the kitten from my arms. "Look at this little bean." She placed him to her face, rubbing the fur on her cheek. "Can we keep him?" Her eyes widened before waiting for my answer. "Bean!" she yelled. "His name will be Bean," she said, returning to Jude to show him while he collected our spices.

"So, my mate," Hiro whispered, and I glared at him. "Where to next?"

"Cecily needed to see the book bounder for the parchment she made." I scowled at him. "Which you don't need to know. Stop saying something out loud and quit following me around." I poked his chest. "You don't need to know my every move."

Hiro put his palms above his head, waving a mental white flag. "Okay, but I'm not the one spying."

My cheeks burned to the point of discomfort as my jaw dropped open. "I'm sorry," I whispered, rushing past Hiro toward nothing, escaping embarrassment.

Hiro ran around me, placing his hands on my shoulders. "I never meant to upset you, Enya," he whispered while he grasped my chin, tilting it to glimpse at him. "I don't blame you for feeling the urge to want more, to spy."

He leaned his face closer to mine, playing with my hair. His hands felt my skin like our contact would mend yellow fever, rough knuckles brushing my cheek to my lips, gray eyes burning with lust. Hiro's lips parted, snarling while showing off his canines, reminding me of his different natural.

I pushed Hiro away. "We can't."

Hiro chuckled, brushing his fingers through his hair. "How about we take baby steps?"

I glanced at Cecily, flirting with Jude, and back at him. "Baby steps?"

"Yes, I get you are not a werewolf with me," he said, seizing my wrists. "Which makes my lust and desire for you over the top, but give me a chance."

"You know the council forbids it. I don't. We don't have a choice in the matter of chances."

Hiro smirked before snapping his fingers. Jude quickly brought the covenant horse over, with Cecily trailing behind in confusion. Jude eyed Hiro, talking to one another with their werewolf mind magic. Even being a witch, Cecily and I had never copied that magic. The horse pulled back slightly when Hiro clutched the rope.

"Enya," Hiro said, skimming me. "Jude will take Cecily to the book bounder and back to the Rosa Covenant with all the supplies. Please, join me."

"To where?" I asked, while scrutinizing Cecily's smile.

Hiro held his hand out for me to take. His smile melted my knees while I trailed down his tan arm to his palm.

"You will see," he expressed as my hand hovered above his, wanting to bring our touch together.

Chapter Word Count = 1,763

Total Read Word Count = 8,378

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