Breaking Free

Mate.'

Nova just stared at him in shock while he smiled softly at her. His thumb brushed up and down her cheek as his eyes seemed to try to memorize every inch of her face. The longer Nova watched him, the more she noticed his uncertainty but also his hope. A sense of awe filled Nova when she finally understood why she felt so drawn to this blue-eyed boy. Why she suddenly wanted to spend time with him and why she was so worried about it being real with him.

'Dawn, is this really real? We aren't just dreaming right?' Nova couldn't help but ask hesitantly.

Dawn was quiet for a minute before she finally said, 'I think it is. This moment just feels... right. For the first time since I came into consciousness, I finally feel whole. I can feel his wolf and while we haven't spoken I know he is my other half.'

The longer silence filled the air between them, the more worry entered Jay's eyes until his hand dropped from her cheek and his eyes left hers. The loss of the heat and the sparks from his touch finally snapped Nova out of her state of shock as she found her hand leaping forward to softly turn his face back toward her. Jay instantly reacted as her hand touched his cheek and leaned his head into her hand while closing his eyes. He allowed her to turn his head back to her before he opened his eyes again.

Nova smiled at him as she saw the hope return to his eyes while the worry left. Her smile seemed to reassure him and the smile that had dropped before returned in force. Nova felt her heart grow until it felt as if it would burst at the sight and she instantly knew that she wanted to help keep that smile on his face. She didn't know him that well, but she felt a strong urge to get to know him.

Apparently, Jay felt the same as he finally broke the silence and asked, "Do you wanna go to the little dinner on Maple Avenue?"

A small smirk touched Nova's lip as her eyebrow raised, "That depends, what is in it for me."

"Well, some good food that you get to eat with a good looking boy," Jay smirked in response.

Nova suppressed an eye roll as she said, "Really? So where is this good looking boy? I would really like to meet him." Even though she wanted to look around and pretend to look for this "good looking boy", Nova couldn't seem to drag her eyes away from Jay.

Jay's smirk remained as he commented, "How do you know you haven't already met him and how do you know he isn't right in front of you?"

With an eyebrow raised, Nova skeptically responded, "I am pretty sure I would know if I had met a good looking guy, especially if he was in front of me right now."

That caused his smirk to drop as his mouth fell open. The sight of it opening and closing as he tried to think of a come back just caused Nova's smirk to grow. In a surge of confidence, Nova quickly leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "Sure, I will go to the diner with you," before she kissed him on the cheek. Before he could even register what was happening, Nova stood up and walked away from him and back to the tree line.

When she glanced over her shoulder at him, Jay was still planted in the same spot staring at her with wide eyes. The slight pink tinge to his cheeks brought another surge of confidence through her and Nova gave him a small wink. His eyes darkened slightly, but before he could say anything, Nova walked behind a tree and shifted after putting her mostly-dry dress back into her bag.

It was only when Nova remerged in her wolf form that Jay finally jerked into movement and went to go shift. A few minutes later they were running through the woods back to town. Nova glanced at the huge black wolf running next to her and felt a surge of warmth flow through her while her heart seemed to leap in her chest. She had known this boy for all of two days and he already made her happier than she had been in pretty much her whole life. He was breaking down her facade... and she liked it.

'Dawn, do you think he will like who I really am? Most people haven't seemed to.' Nova uncertainly asked her wolf and best friend.

'Nova have you ever really acted with him? Yes, he has probably heard the rumors and seen you at school, but have you ever changed your personality around him? Have you acted fake?' Dawn's questions caused Nova to think as her paws pounded across the soft ground.

She had basically fangirled the moment she realized he and his friends were werewolves and then chased someone who had shot at him. She had giggled, blushed, and teased him. She had even jumped off a cliff and showed him her favorite spot. None of what she had done was fake. Of course, they had spent most of their time running through the woods as wolves, but it had been real.

Nova really didn't want to mess this up. She didn't entirely understand what it meant to have a soul mate, but she did know it was special and probably once in a lifetime. Her life had always been an act. Now, she wanted it to be completely real between the two of them. Nova just hadn't known how to make the leap. Now there was some light and hope that maybe her dream could come true and that someone could love her for who she was and not for who she was supposed to be.

The two parted ways as they approached the town and quickly shifted before reuniting to leave the woods behind. Nova smiled to herself and hoped that this would somehow be the start of her also leaving behind the facade. Maybe, just maybe, Jay was her way to break free.