"You would want to access the library then, Christopher?" Chris addressed the Elder but kept his eyes on his mate. He was scrutinizing Dima for any kind of reaction, anything that can give away a smidge more than he already knew.

"Yes."

"You don't need to retrieve your set of keys, use mine for now." He scrouged his pockets for the key, fished out the copper-colored metal piece, and threw it towards Mitchell who caught it with ease. "Go and help."

They hesitated at the door as the sudden somberness in the room didn't go unnoticed by both Mitchell and Christopher but thinking better than coming between a man and his mate, they left. Throughout the whole exchange between the three and even after two of them leaving, Dima didn't lift his downcast eyes. Chris saw it all.

The perspiration that got collected on Chris' forehead slowly slid down the side of his face. Meanwhile, the saliva that pooled in Dima's mouth felt more like wet granules of sand; they cut every time he tried to swallow.

Chris didn't blame Dima but Dima took the blame. Dima was feeling guilty. To Chris, it was proof of how Dima was a good and kind man because only good and kind feel guilt. His belief about his mate being the best man out there solidified. No one can convince him otherwise. The challenge was to remind Dima of what he already believed. His mate's troubled face reminded him of one of his poems.

A shuddery breath escaped my trembling lips,
I was drowning
My eyes dilated, looking all around me
My blue-brown orbs screaming for help
My lungs were filled,
I was suffocating
Legs shaking, feet unsteady
I was losing air
I was drowning
I was drowning on land,
Drowning in my thoughts.

The peculiar fact about this poem was that those 'blue-brown orbs' were actually Dima's eyes. He never gave anyone any place in his poems but Dima's mesmerizing eyes were mentioned. He should have known then that Dima was special. But nothing matters right now, what matters is that his Dima was drowning. He needs to take a dive and take it now and pull his mate up and in his arms where he will be safe. 

With commitment and newfound energy, he sauntered towards Dima who was sitting with his hands tightly held together in his lap and staring at them with despair. Undoing the hold, Chris plopped in Dima's lap.

"Look at how the tables have turned. The last time we were in here, you were sitting on me giving me some comfort."

No response.

"Dima-" Chris called out, this time softly.

The softness didn't fail to wrap his mate in a cocoon of safety and affection but guilt overweighed it. He continued staring at the drawers that were built on the desk. Ah! I didn't know that the designs on this desk were so intricate and well done.

"You are ignoring me," Chris observed and stated.

Yes, I am.

Dima's silence was eating away at Chris. Not having his mate's eyes on him was a different pain altogether, he loved the colors in them. His one eye was blue and the other has a tinge of brown in blue, nonetheless both were equally captivating. He had to have those eyes gazing at him with the adoration they gained in the past few days.

"Look at me, Dima."

The four words seemed simple coming out of Chris' mouth but they settled heavily on Dima's heart. He felt remorse but was also afraid. He feared Chris will convince him otherwise. His inner turmoil kept on increasing with the silence. 'What ifs' were crashing into him like waves crashing into a rock at the shore. Anytime he might break, the rock wall he built around as a shield to show himself as brave will crack and more water will come out. Salty water.

Chris did not give up, he was hell-bent on breaking every wall that separated him from his soulmate. He tried and tried, called Dima's name multiple times to no avail. He tried again, taking a different approach this time as Dima was having none of it. He cupped Dima's face and forced him to lock eyes.

"Good boy. Now, listen carefully. You are not responsible for what happened out there. I'd rather you not be in danger. And did you not hear the Elder? He advised us to remember that whatever is happening is Moon Goddess' will. I believe in her Dima. Your beliefs are different, they lie in a different entity but does your belief lie in me? Do you have faith in me?"

Overcome with emotions, Dima could only nod.

"It was the rogues, Dima. It was not your fault that they saw you and benefitted from it. If anything, they took advantage of you. You aren't at fault."

"No, it was my fault. I should have been aware of my surroundings. I should have sensed them."

"You couldn't have, they used something to hide their presence. Even if you knew or didn't come at that time, they would have still attacked. In fact, I am thankful you didn't see them and start a fight. They were so many Dima, they could have hurt you badly. There was a possibility that I would have never gotten the chance to know you were my mate."

"Doesn't matter that I didn't get hurt, but someone got hurt. You got hurt."

"Yes, I did but I am fine and it's all because of you my lovely mate." Chris looped his arms around Dima's neck with a grin. Although that grin slipped away as soon as he saw that his words weren't getting to Dima. He sighed.

"But you must doubt me a little."

"No. Are you silly? Why would you say that?"

"Because you are keeping secrets. I saw you talking with your eyes to your beta."

"It wasn't...you saved me Dima, in more ways than one. That thing...it is hard for me to talk about."

Sensing his mate's inner turmoil, Dima wrapped his hands around Chris' waist and murmured in a soothing voice - "You don't have to tell me; I am sorry."

"I want to."

Dima will listen patiently if that is what his mate wanted. He will bend the other way for Chris. As encouragement, he planted a kiss on the Alpha's lips. The kiss was soft, short and sweet and brought a smile to Chris' face.

"The wolf side is the other half for werewolves. Without a mate, a werewolf is an empty vessel but without his inner wolf, he is a broken one. I was that broken werewolf, doesn't matter half-broken. I say half because I did have a wolf but he was not more than a walking dead body. He didn't have a voice. My wolf was present in my mind but communication with each other was not something we could do. I was always in control, he never took control because dead bodies can't do that. Since my wolf was in mental catatonia, my senses weren't heightened. I knew your smell just because I memorized it when you were close. The day of the fight was the first when my wolf senses caught a faraway smell. You saved me, Dima. You saved me. You completed me. You gave me my mate and my lost wolf. You are a blessing I never knew Goddess would ever give me. You are my savior."

Chris stuffed his face in the space between Dima's neck and shoulder and clutched him tightly around the waist. His wolf was howling in joy. A sob burst out of him thinking about how he could finally feel and hear his wolf. That was the final straw for Dima who also let out a sob.

Right then and there, the couple broke down in each other's arms only to draw support by holding onto the same arms.

"You know what else you are? You are an angel in disguise of a devil." Chris couldn't help but make a joke at this time; he cannot let his mate's tears fall on his watch.

Dima let out a noise that can be interpreted as half-laughing half-crying.

Gradually, they calmed down and in the next moment Dima was laughing with no qualms, all the calm from before lost.

"What?" Chris asked incredulously.

"Hawkins - Hold the ding." Another bout of laughter commenced. "Ridley town - Ride till dawn." Chris couldn't help but snicker too. "And what was our town, Pentagon?"

"Pent-a-gon? It was Pants-be-gone."

After lots of tears and conversation, their heart was light enough to fall into fits of laughter as Dima recalled the ridiculous names given to the towns and written on the map earlier on their date by Chris, so they did exactly that.

They laughed...

Happily.

👑♥️♥️👑