He has truly shocked me.

And everything makes sense now. Kallista's eagerness, Finn's nervousness.

I promise this will be the second to last time you wake up alone.

He was talking about our wedding day.

My brain suddenly shuts down, only restarting when I remember that the question usually requires an answer.

"B-but, we barely know each other," I stammer out, but his grin doesn't falter. Maybe he expected that I would have reservations.

"We are mates. I know that I love you, that I will love you until the day I die, and well into the afterlife. I do not need to know anything else," He answers resolutely.

"But, but werewolves don't even get married!" I say, and I know I'm grasping at straws, when I'm really just trying to buy time.

Finn laughs at this. "You grew up on human television and movies, Onyx. Romance books and love songs. In many ways, you're more human than wolf. I want to show my love in a human way, not just wolf."

His words have the impact they were probably intending. He truly does understand me, better than anyone ever has, better than I even understand myself.

And all everyone wants is someone who understand them. Who sees them, their soul, and everything they are.

And Finn sees me. And I see him.

"Yes," I choke out, and tears run down my face. "Yes, I'll marry you!"

I throw my arms around him, half laughing, half crying. My emotions are all over the place, but the only thing certain about them is the love I have for Finn.

Finn pulls away from me, laughing breathlessly. He takes the ring out of the velvet box, and placed it on my finger. It fits perfectly.

His hands shake as he does so. "You'll have to forgive my unsteady hands," He apologizes. "You gave me quite a scare."

I laugh, still crying, and throw myself into his waiting arms once again. He puts his hands on my face, and stares deeply into my eyes. "You are so beautiful," He whispers, and my lips meet his.

Things get out of control from there.

We kiss each other with so much intensity, the sparks between us could have burnt down the entire forest. I wouldn't have cared if it did.

My hands go to his hair, and I shove my fingers through the curls, and he groans slightly. Our lips are feverish against each other, our tongues flickering like the flames of the candles that surround us.

I rip off his shirt, not caring when buttons fly in every direction, only caring about maximizing my contact with my mate. My mate, and soon, my husband.

He is much more gentle with me than I am with him, carefully lifting my dress above my head and setting it down lightly next to us. His patience infuriates me.

He laughs when I tug on his belt, willing it to come off. "Patience, my love," He whispers into my ear, sending a chill down my spine. "I have waited for you for so long, I will not rush this moment."

And he has waited for me. He has waited for me when I had forgotten him, when I shared my bed with another male. He has waited for me to heal from the wounds I received at the hands of that same male.

Screw patience.

Once he undoes his belt, I rip it from the loops, throwing it carelessly to the side, which only makes him chuckle more. In one swift movement, he wraps his arms around my lower back and my neck, laying me gently on the blanket.

I wrap my arms around his neck and my legs around his muscular back. "I love you," I whisper in between kisses. I have never said anything more true.

"I loved you before you even knew my name," He replies, and lightly undoes my brassiere. "And I will love you when we are old and gray, until the sun stops shining. Perhaps not even then."

He kisses my lips so softly I wouldn't have even known they were touching, were it not for the electricity I felt at the contact. My whole body felt like it was being electrified.

He continues to torture me with soft kisses down my neck until he reaches a soft spot so sensitive I moan and arch my back until my chest is pressed to his.

"Do it," I whisper breathlessly.

He pulls away, taking my face in his hands. "Onyx, are you sure? I'll only do it if you're sure," He says, and his voice is strained. His eyes are dark, and I realize that he's fighting back his wolf.

Thane was going to Mark me without my consent.

Finn would rip himself away from me right now if I even hesitated.

"I want you to," I promise, and there is no doubt in my voice because I have no doubts. "I want you, Finn. In every way."

"Then you shall have me," He says, his voice husky. He kisses the spot gently, and once again, I moan, which makes him growl against the base of my throat.

"I love you," He repeats softly before sinking his teeth into my neck.

I cry out in pain, but it quickly turns into noises of pleasure. Suddenly, my mind is not my own. My spirit is not alone.

I can feel his emotions so well, I can nearly read his thoughts. I can feel his heart and mine beat at the same tempo, and now we are truly mates, in every sense of the word.

His teeth remain in my neck as he gently pushes himself into me, but that pain doesn't last either.

The pain never lasts long with Finn.

**

When I wake up, I'm no longer outside. I'm in a bed. Finn's bed. Our bed.

My eyes meet Finn's concerned ones. "Hey," I say weakly.

"Hey," He says, his eyes softening. "You were out for a long time. Will tells me it's normal for you to need rest after being Marked."

I look out the window, and sure enough, the sun is already setting. I have been sleeping almost an entire day.

"Drink this," Finn instructs, handing me a glass of water from the nightstand. "And take this."

He hands me two pills, and I recognize them as painkillers. "Why these?" I ask curiously. My neck doesn't hurt at all from being Marked.

Finn looks away momentarily. "Trust me, you'll want to take those."

I shrug, and do as he says. He takes the cup back once I've finished drinking, and as soon as his hands are freed, he tilts my head up and kisses me deeply.

I pull away after a moment. "I have to pee!" I blurt out.

Finn laughs, kissing my nose softly. "I already told you I built bathrooms specifically for that purpose."

I groan in embarrassment, quickly rushing out of bed. In my hurry, I nearly fall over when the simple act of standing up hurts my inner thighs.

"Oh," I say, my mouth forming an o-shape as I realize why he gave me the painkillers.

"Oh, indeed," He nods, smirking slightly.

I throw a pillow at his face before wobbling into the bathroom.

When I look in the mirror, I cannot believe how different I am from when I came here after that night. Everything has changed, me most of all.

When I return, Finn is laying on the bed with his eyes closed, and I notice that he has dark circles underneath them.

"Have you slept yet?" I ask in concern as I get into bed next to him.

"No," He admits, his cheeks blushing slightly. "I was worried about you."

Oh, Finn. Selfless to a fault.

"Go to sleep," I tell him. I'm quite tired myself, despite the fact that I had slept all day.

"I can think of something better to do," He nips at my ear, making me squeal.

"After you've slept," I giggle, and he playfully pouts as he pulls me into his arms, and we both fall asleep like that.

***

My sleep is not restful.

I am plagued by nightmares of my grandmother begging me to save her, of Greyson begging me to save him, and of Thane calling me a whore before ripping out Finn's heart.

When I wake up, I know what I have to do to truly move on and leave my past behind me.

I sneak out of bed, silently putting my clothes on, and Finn is still asleep when I reach the door. I'm thankful now that he had waited to sleep, because he won't be awake for what I do next.

I tiptoe through the house, and since it is so late, nobody is awake. When I'm outside, I exhale in relief.

Until I hear him.

"You're leaving me?" Finn says, his voice full of anguish.

I turn around to face my mate and now my fiancé. "Not forever," I insist, and when I take a step to him, he takes one back.

"Why?" He asks, his eyes full of hurt.

"There's something I have to do," I say quietly. I can't explain it to him, because it won't make sense. It doesn't even make sense to me.

I walk until I'm face to face with him, and I rest my hand on his cheek. His eyes are full of tears, and his jaw is clenched.

"I promise you, Finn, I will come back to you," I vow.

"The last time you promised that, I didn't see you for months," He whispers, his face trembling slightly under my touch.

I can feel his pain and anxiety through the bond.

"I can't marry you until I do this," I kiss his lips softly. "I promise you this will be the last time we are ever apart. I'll be back before the sun rises."

My heart breaks when I look at him.

"Promise me you won't forget," He says, his voice strained.

I thought he was going to try to stop me.

Perhaps he does understand.

"I promise I will never forget you again," I swear, and I won't. He is my life. I would never forget again.

He nods slightly. "Be careful."

"I will," I promise, and I can't believe he's letting me go. The phrase "if you love something, let it go" comes to mind, and if that is true, he loves me more than anyone has ever loved another.

I walk away from our home, and I feel his gaze on me until I am too deep in the trees to be in sight.

I use my magic to conceal me, and as I travel through the forest, I am invisible to everyone and everything.

When I reach the outskirts of Blue Moon, it is too easy to sneak past the guards. They don't even glance in my direction.

I reach my destination.

My grandmother's tree is just as healthy as it once was, and for a brief moment, I wonder if someone has been watering it. If anything, I'm surprised Thane hadn't chopped it down and used the wood in his fireplace.

I use my magic to lift the tree from the ground, taking the roots with it.

"I was wondering when you would come back for it," The voice from my nightmare calls out.

Only this is no nightmare.

I turn to my former mate, draining the life from the grass, ready to attack.

I hesitate when I see him. He has grown a beard, and his hair is longer, messier. For this first time since I met him, he looks unkempt.

His magic slices through my darkness, and I am fully exposed to him.

"Have you come to kill me?" He asks, not sounding upset, only curious.

"I should," I say, keeping my voice steady. "It's not like you don't deserve it."

"True," He surprises me by agreeing.

"Would you even stop me?" I say, shocked by his cavalier attitude.

"No."

His words chill me more than they would have if he had said yes. I don't recognize him at all.

I shake off my surprise. I came here for one reason, and one reason only. "Unfortunately for you, I'm only here for my grandmother. No assassinations planned."

"Very unfortunate," He drawls, and his face is somber. There is no hint of the arrogance that once graced his face and every movement.

"Are you going to stop me?" I ask, my magic still crackling around me. He didn't remember the last time we fought each other, and has no reason to believe that I could kill him where he stands.

"No." Again, a monosyllabic answer. His face is blank, devoid of any emotion.

I use my magic to carry the tree with me as I take a step back from him.

"Wait," He calls out, just as I'm about to wrap myself in the Darkness once more. "Are you happy with him?"

His question shocks me. "What?" I ask, dumbfounded. How did he remember that day at the lake?

Thane's green eyes go from my neck to the ring that still sits on my finger, and where it will stay until the day I die.

I realize then that he can probably also smell my scent, that it is mixed with another's. He knows I've been Marked by someone else.

"Yes," I finally answer his question. "I'm happy with him."

Happy doesn't even begin to cover what I feel with Finn, but I have no desire to kick a man while he's already down. I smell alcohol, and I know that he's been drinking.

Thane only nods, like he's unsurprised by my answer.

I take another step away from him, waiting for him to stop me, but he doesn't.

He is completely broken. And it's not nearly as satisfying as I thought it would be.

Which is why I tell him what I say next.

"Warn Ares," I say, and his eyes widen slightly at her name. The Moon Goddess was not lying at all. "There are people conspiring against her. I don't know who, but she is in danger."

I'm not fully sure why I decide to warn him. Perhaps looking at the shell of the person he once was has made me feel something for him that I never thought I would: compassion.

Vengeance is not nearly as sweet as people paint it out to be.

Thane nods, but I can see his fists clench. "Be well, Onyx."

"You too," I say, and I'm not sure if I mean it.

I wrap myself and the tree in darkness, leaving Thane behind me.

It is all behind me now.

I return home to my mate before the sun is up.

Found out I have to get surgery so prob won't be around much for the next few days, may be late responding to dm's. will update on patreon when I can.
vviticus