SCARLETT

My life had been completely flipped upside down. Roman knew what I was, and not only did he find out because he had felt me prodding around in his head, but he had his suspicions before that. Perhaps I wasn't as good at hiding in plain sight as I first thought I was.

I wasn't aware of the fact that our gifts didn't work on our mates, and I felt like an idiot for not knowing. My own mate knew, but I didn't? Some gifted wolf I was.

My muscles throbbed as I pushed the barbell up for the third time, my chest on fire and my biceps contracting painfully. I was wearing black workout gloves - which not only gave me a better grip on the metal, but hid my mark. It was a win-win situation.

Erica grunted next to me, working out with her own set of weights, her bump looking more prominent by the day. I was scared she was going to pop a blood vessel looking at the weights she was lifting, but she lifted them up with minimal effort. It was clear she had been training for a long time.

Finding out that Roman's father had struck up some kind of deal with the Enclaves scared the crap out of me. What was stopping the same from happening again?

Stop. Roman wouldn't do that to you.

I was battling with my inner thoughts. It was as if I had a devil on one shoulder, and an angel on the other - I didn't know who to listen to. Both of their cases were convincing.

Telling Roman about my gift - it was as if the words didn't want to come out. They were stuck in my throat and every instinct of mine was scolding me for being so vulnerable. I wasn't used to it, but I needed to try. If Roman wanted to hand me over to Nyx, he would have done it by now, right?

My mate hadn't given me any reasons to distrust him, and I needed to remind myself of that. Handing me over would cause harm to the mate bond, and that would cause physical pain to the both of us.

I was conscious about practising my gift now though. Roman knew I could manipulate people's minds, and we hadn't talked about where we stood with it. Would he be upset if I practised on his pack members?

I wouldn't make them feel anything sinister, but it was important I used my gift when I had the chance. Otherwise, I would lose my strength and my own emotions would suffer as a consequence.

The hairs on the back of my neck suddenly stood up, and my heart thumped against my ribs as Roman's voice bounced off the walls of the gymnasium. "One more. You got it."

I tilted my head up to gaze in the mirror. He was standing behind me with his arms crossed, and I huffed, attempting to wrack the barbell, only for him to take a step forward and do it for me with one hand.

That was hot.

"Are you finished?" Roman asked me, and I wiped the layer of sweat from my forehead, standing up from the bench.

"I think so. If I do anymore, my arms might fall off." Although that could be a good thing.

Roman beckoned me with his head, and I waved goodbye to Erica before exiting the gym.

"I wanted to talk to you away from everybody," Roman said, testing the water and gripping my hand in his as we strolled. I felt the sudden urge to pull away, but I didn't. The only way I was going to become more comfortable with him was if I did things outside of my comfort zone. I wanted to hold his hand - so badly. But I couldn't shift the thoughts telling me it was dangerous to do so.

"If it's not too much, can I ask you a little more about your gift?" Roman's tone was hopeful, and he flashed his white teeth at me. God, my insides felt like they were going to melt.

"Mmhh," I hummed.

"What's the process of doing it? I have a lot of questions, but if I could just hear the basics of it, I'd be happy with that."

He sounded genuinely interested and it shocked me. Never did I think that someone would actually be fascinated by my ability to control emotions. I always thought it would make them turn their noses up in disgust, but Roman was proving otherwise.

"Okay, well." I took a deep breath. "I can push out emotions onto other people. The way I make them feel are my own emotions stored up, which is why if I don't use my gift regularly, my own thoughts and feelings become too much. I need to do it as a release, otherwise, I get really uncomfortable."

Roman frowned. "Have you been using your gift while you've been here?"

I nodded. "A few times, but not as much as I would have liked. My head's been buzzing lately." At the mention of it, my brain throbbed, reminding me of how much I'd been neglecting my own needs. "There's a cool down time, so I can't use my gift again after I've already done it. The effects are also temporary, and the person usually only feels the desired emotion for three to five minutes before it fizzles out."

"Right, so if you need to escape someone, it doesn't give you much of a window," Roman stated.

"Exactly, and if I try to push too much out onto them, they can also catch onto the fact that the emotions they're feeling aren't their own."

Roman listened intently, allowing me to go through the motions of explaining to someone for the very first time what I could do. He was gazing at me like the sun shone out of my ass, and it was far from the treatment I believed I would receive.

"My mate can control emotions," Roman said breathlessly, chuckling and shaking his head. "Do you realise how incredible that is?"

I shrugged. "It's a curse."

"I beg to differ, Scarlett." Roman squeezed my hand, bringing us to a stop, and he cupped my cheek, taking a step toward me until my back was up against a large oak tree. I gasped, the heat radiating off him and making my insides swirl. "I'm beyond proud to call you mine."

He dragged his lips closer to mine, and without thinking, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him to me, connecting us in a passionate kiss. I had never felt so accepted. So wanted. So desired. It was an alien sensation, and it was incredibly overwhelming.

I arched my back, my chest pressing against Roman's, and he snaked his arms around my waist and smiled into the kiss. He tasted like peppermint, and the musky scent of him made my head spin. Goosebumps pricked my skin as Roman peppered desperate kisses down the side of my neck, and a small moan escaped my mouth.

My nipples turned to stiff peaks, scraping against Roman's T-shirt. He smirked, hooking his finger underneath my sweatshirt and moving it upwards, drawing delicate patterns along my ribs. Our mate bond sizzled, the touch causing my breath to dissipate. I felt like I couldn't breathe, but choking had never felt so good.

"How does it feel not being able to manipulate my emotions, my little mate?" Roman teased, reaching into my bra to roll my nipple between his fingertips, the action making me pool between my legs. Our combined arousal surrounded us, like a deadly tornado ready to claim anything in its path. "How does it feel knowing you don't need to control my mind to get whatever you want from me?"

I was craving my mate, my lust for him running rampant. "Roman, touch me."

I didn't need to ask him twice, and he dipped his fingers into my leggings and underwear, plunging his fingers into my wetness. My eyes rolled to the back of my head from pleasure, and after making sure that we were deep enough in the forest that no one could see us, I reached for Roman's belt.

He arched his eyebrows, halting. "Scarlett, I don't expect you to -"

"Shut up and take it off, Roman." I didn't recognise my own voice. My eyes went wide as honed in on the waistband of his jeans, the fabric being pushed down to reveal his hard cock.

Fuck, he was big. How was I ever going to fit that inside of me?

I took it in my hands, and Roman immediately grunted, tilting his head back as he continued to pump his fingers in and out of me. I thought that having his fingers inside of me was pure ecstasy, but watching Roman's reaction to me pleasuring him was something else. It resurrected something inside of me.

I moved my hand quickly and Roman placed his large hand on the trunk of the tree above me, caging me in as he groaned loudly. Moans slipped past my own lips, and my stomach tightened as I felt my orgasm approaching.

"Is my mate going to come for me?" He smiled, squeezing my waist when all I did was nod, ceasing the movement of his fingers. "That's not good enough for me, Scarlett. I need to hear your words."

"Yes, yes, Roman," I said breathlessly. "I'm so close to coming. Please keep going. Please."

"You look so beautiful stroking my cock," he grunted, bringing me to the edge, groaning as my walls tightened around him and I released, my hands gripping onto the front of his T-shirt. The world crumbled around me, starry lights flashing before my eyes as elation filled my body and seeped from my pores.

Roman cursed loudly as he came, his cum dripping down my hand, his own hand moving to grip onto my wrist as he thrust harder into it. He muttered my name over and over, and my body sagged against the tree, Roman removing his hand from my leggings to hold me so I didn't fall.

My legs were shaking, and I smiled as he pressed a soft kiss to my forehead, removing his T-shirt and wiping the cum from my hand, keeping eye contact as he cleaned me up.

I had been taken care of, but I still couldn't take my eyes off his sculpted bare chest. He was God-like, and I was never going to get over how attractive he was. I couldn't even put it into words.

"Someone looks like they need a nap." Roman chuckled, hooking his finger under my chin and smiling at the blush that had risen to my cheeks from my orgasm.

Snap.

I gasped at the sound of a twig snapping.

"Alpha Roman. I'm sorry to interrupt."

The voice caused me to jump, but Roman didn't seem fazed - almost as if he knew the person was there. He turned with a grunt, scowling at the guard that stood before us. I prayed he hadn't seen or heard what we had just done.

The guard looked tense, and I mimicked his form. What was going on?

"Yes?" pressed Roman.

The guard dipped his chin, his black hair flowing in the strong wind. "Nyx is at the border. He wants to speak with you."