Dekatessera [ 14 ]

When the next morning came, I tried to wake up before Tristan but that plan was dead in the water as soon as I slowly opened my eyes to see he was already awake. Lifting my head from his chest, I mustered up a sleepy smile when he gently ran a hand over my hair. 

"How long have you been awake?"

"Not long." He smiled softly and his eyes scanned my face before he lowered his head and pressed a kiss to my forehead. There was a brief moment of silence until he lifted his other hand to brush an errant strand of hair away from my cheek. "You're so beautiful, Kara."

My face warmed at his compliment and intense stare and I quickly laid my head back on his chest. His heart was racing and I couldn't help but smile to myself when I realised it was all because of me. He seemed like the most collected person ever yet whenever I touched him, it was a whole other story. 

Deciding to test it out, I placed my hand on his abdomen over his shirt for a few seconds before I inched my hand lower to slip under the soft material. He visibly shivered and I continued, feeling the hard muscles against my palm. His skin was warm to the touch and I lifted my head to look him in the eye. 

He was already staring down at me with slightly darker eyes and his lips parted. His hand was still resting on the back of my head and he wedged his fingers in my curls when I laughed at how his heart rapidly sped up.

"Two can play at this game, Kara." He murmured lowly, reaching down to firmly grip my wandering fingers in his hand. In one swift movement, he switched our position so I was pinned underneath him. "Let's see how fast I can get your heart racing."

The look in his eye was so serious that I gulped when I realised what I had started. His hands slowly lifted my shirt to expose my abdomen and the cold rush of air was soothed by his hot fingers sliding across my skin to curve around my waist. Just the feel of his touch drove me crazy, but I told myself that my heart was beating so fast due to anticipation. 

I had no idea what he would do. 

His head lowered to mine the same time he let go of some of his weight, tentatively pressing his hips to mine. When I didn't voice any objections, Tristan continued and brushed his nose against my jaw as he laid a soft kiss to my neck. I knew it was a losing battle when I held my breath, overwhelmed by the feel of him on top of me. 

My hands quickly gripped his shirt when his sharpened canines lightly dragged across my skin, exactly where I would bear his mark. "Tristan." I gasped, feeling completely dizzy because of it all. The pressure from his hips on mine was getting too much for me to handle. "You win! You win!" my heart was racing to the point I could feel it hammering against my chest. 

Pulling back with an accomplished smirk, Tristan stared down at me as his hands gripped my waist. "Never start anything you can't finish, αγάπη μου." 

"You didn't play fair." I frowned, bringing my hands down to hold his wrists. His grip on my waist didn't let up and neither did the weight of his hips on mine. "I only used my hand. I want a do-over."

Tristan let out a quiet chuckle. "If you want to touch me, you don't have to pretend it's for a game."

Lifting myself up onto my elbows, I narrowed my eyes slightly. "I'm a very competitive person and I don't want to let you win."

He smiled but still had something to say as he moved to lie flat on his back. "I've already won, but do your best, Kara." He rested his head on the pillow and turned it as I thought of what to do. 

He was unpredictable so I had to be unpredictable too. 

Slinging a leg across his hips, I hoisted myself up to straddle him. As my hands slid under his shirt again, I listened closely to his heart and frowned when I realised he was controlling his heartbeat. Knowing I couldn't do what he was expecting, I lifted my gaze to his and smiled. My hand inched upwards to feel his heartbeat as I stopped in my tracks. 

The soft look in his eyes caught me off guard, and I suddenly felt guilty for ever treating him so cruelly. 

"I'm sorry, Tristan."

His dark eyebrows twitched in confusion but his heartbeat remained steady. "Have you given up already?"

"I know this isn't what you're expecting, but I've thought about it and just need to say it." I stared down at him and at that moment, the little game between us was forgotten. What started off as me trying to get his heart racing turned into a sincere apology I knew was long overdue. "A couple of weeks ago, I told you that I would never choose you for anything."

His smile dropped and his hands settled on my waist, almost moving me off his lap. Staying steady, I applied pressure on his chest and shook my head. 

"Tristan, wait." With one hand on his chest and the other holding his cheek, I licked at my lips. "You deserve a proper apology. It was a low blow, and I want you to know that it's not true—I don't hate you. I thought I did, but it was the twisted version of you, not the one I'm coming to know."

Under my palm, I felt his steady heartbeat quicken as I continued. "The Tristan I saw yesterday was kind, thoughtful and loving. And that's the man I can't stop thinking about."

His heart thumped rapidly against his chest and with one hand, he tugged me down to him. Pressing a hard kiss to my mouth, he grinned and threaded his fingers through my curls. "I never stop thinking about you. You're all I want, Kara." He pulled back and stared up at me. "Let me take you somewhere today, somewhere beautiful where it's just us."

Leaning back properly, I stared at him for a brief moment before nodding. "Where are we going?"

Tristan grinned wider and the sight almost knocked the breath out of me. "Where is a surprise, but after I wrap up the training session. I need to be there today." He too sat up and leaned his forehead on my shoulder. "Go out with Brielle today—anywhere you want while you wait for me."

The thought of seeing Brielle again widened the smile on my face and I settled my arms on his shoulders, tilting his head back with a few fingers threaded through his hair. "You're going to make me nervous all day."

He smiled up at me. "It'll be worth it, I promise." He pressed a soft kiss to my lips before pulling back and gently lifting me off him. I watched him as he stood up and stretched, allowing my eyes to rake down his mouthwatering physique. 

Before I could get ahead of myself, I got off the bed and sent one more smile his way. "I'm going to take a shower now."

He nodded and looked back at me with gentle eyes. "I'll get you something to eat before I go."

Turning away from him, I quickly made it back to my room and gathered a few essentials before heading to the bathroom. All throughout my shower, I couldn't get the sight of his smile out of my head. It was like I was seeing him in a whole new light. 

I knew I was beginning to feel the effects of the mate pull yet I never thought I would. I briefly thought about my old pack and what they would think if they could see me with him. Maybe rumours about me were already going around. Word spread quickly and I was sure that neighbouring packs not only knew of Tristan's alliance with Alpha Ramiel but of my relationship with him too. 

A strong sense of discomfort overtook me at the thought that I would be used to further his 'nefarious image'. Maybe I didn't know about the true events of the war and his journey to becoming alpha of one of the largest packs I had ever heard of, but from my recent observations, I knew he wasn't the monster he was made out to be. 

Once I dried myself off and changed into more presentable clothes, I headed downstairs to see breakfast laid out on the table. I could sense that Tristan had left so I smiled to myself and began eating what was set out for me. 

I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to meet some more of his pack members to see exactly who I had to prove myself to. While I had acknowledged that they couldn't blindly trust me, it was the same for me. I couldn't throw myself into training without knowing if they deserved the effort on my part. I had to know for myself what Tristan's pack was like, especially when he wasn't around. 

When I had finished eating, I sensed Brielle walking through the gates and up towards the front door. Beating her to it, I grabbed my coat and pulled open the door. 

She instantly smiled. "Morning, Luna."

"Good morning, Brielle." I grinned, stepping towards her to bring her into a hug. 

"You look happier…and so does Alpha." She spoke into my shoulder and I pulled back with a sheepish smile. 

"Well, I feel happier." Before we could dwell on recent events, I closed the door behind me and stepped out onto the snow. "I have a list of things to do today. Are you sure you want to spend your day with me?"

Brielle immediately nodded with a grin. "Of course I do. I know you're probably never going to stop hearing this, but there hasn't been a Luna in a very long time. Ever since I met Christian two years ago, I've wanted Alpha Tristan to find his mate too."

I returned her grin and nodded slowly. Although the question of why there hadn't been a Luna in almost two decades burned at the back of my mind, I figured that was a conversation I needed to have with Tristan. "That's really sweet. Come on, let's go."

First, Brielle took me into the city where she bought me a new SIM card that I could use in Greenland, and once I got my phone sorted, we returned back to the pack grounds. When I asked her to take me to the place where mostly everyone who wasn't training was, I was surprised to see everyone eating breakfast together, well a late breakfast anyway. 

"We all try to eat together on Sundays," Brielle whispered to me as everyone stopped in their tracks and looked up at me. 

It was like they instantly knew who I was because they all smiled. The first to approach me was a brunette who had one of the kindest smiles I had ever seen. 

"It's an honour to finally meet you, Luna." She took her hands in mine and in the spirit of happiness, I brought her into a hug. She seemed surprised but quickly settled in my embrace, pulling back with a wider smile. "I'm Olivia."

I smiled at her but addressed everyone in the room. "I'm Kara. Don't let me stop you with your meal. I just came to meet you guys."

A boy who seemed to be in his mid-teens pulled out his chair. "Why don't you take my seat, Luna?"

I noticed how polite and kind he was and shook my head. "No, that's okay! Thank you…" I trailed off, seeking for his name. 

"Josh." He smiled and quickly turned around to retrieve an extra chair. "Are you both staying?"

I glanced at Brielle who simply waited for my answer. "Yes, we are."

  —————

After I had spent the majority of the day with some of the pack, my curiosity was sated. Not only had they been polite, but they had also been kind. In some ways, I saw reflections of Tristan in each and every one of them. I had made sure to ask about him, and every response was accompanied by soft smiles and love for their alpha. 

It was heartwarming to know that they all had strong bonds. It was something I used to feel with my old pack and I had to admit I missed the feeling of belonging somewhere. 

While I knew that Tristan and I had accepted each other as mates, I wouldn't feel the same bond until we completed the mating process. Just the thought of it made me nervous, but I knew I longed to be able to communicate with everyone, and especially Tristan, in a mind-link. 

"Alpha wants me to bring you to the training grounds," Brielle said as we were in the midst of walking towards Tristan's house. 

I couldn't ignore the way my heart leapt in my chest. Nodding, we changed direction and I could feel my stomach knotting in anticipation. After spending the entire day with him yesterday, it felt odd to have been apart from him for the majority of the day. 

It reminded me of when we wouldn't speak to each other and the only time I would see him would be when he walked passed my room to go to his. At that thought, I quickened my pace and in a few minutes, we had reached the training ground. 

Like before, everyone was hard at work but all in human form. It must have been one to one combat because each person had an opponent and it seemed never-ending. And despite the number of people on the field, Tristan still dominated the space. 

My gaze instantly found him and Brielle nudged me with a smile. "Go to him."

Glancing at her, I huffed out a breath and allowed my legs to lead me to him. He must have caught onto my scent because he turned around before I could reach him and smiled at me. With an extended hand, he stepped towards me and linked our fingers. 

"I missed you." He leaned down to murmur in my ear, and the change in position lead my gaze behind him to the same woman I had seen the day before. It was fleeting, but I caught the look of longing in Tristan's direction. I could recognise it because it was the way he always looked at me. 

Forcing my gaze back to him, I smiled up at him and wrapped my arms around his neck to pull him into a hug. Then, the woman, whose name I had to rack my brain to remember, couldn't help but look at me. In her moment of distraction, she was floored by her opponent.

Pulling back, I kept my arms around his neck and stared up at him. "I missed you too," I spoke, not missing the way his smile widened. Glancing at his lips, I debated on whether or not I wanted to kiss him so out in the open, but Tristan put an end to that by closing the distance between us. 

His lips slanted over mine softly and I inhaled deeply through my nose as I stepped onto my tiptoes to return his kiss better. The kiss was brief but it was enough to make me want more as I lingered in his space. He chuckled and brushed his thumb over my bottom lip. Leaning down again, he whispered in my ear and I shivered at his words. 

"There's plenty of time for that on our date." He pulled back and grinned at my reaction, wrapping an arm around my waist before turning back to face his pack. 

It was after that warm encounter that I realised that I was slowly beginning to want Tristan more than anything I had ever wanted before.