Denial.

Bale.

I stared into his eyes and I couldn't believe it. For the first time in weeks, the animal inside of me that had been unstable and unnecessarily acting up growled into my hearing when I was about to risk it all when I was ready to actually kill when I was about to detach his head from his body.

MATE!

It was loud. Very loud.

I heard him loud and clear.

The chills, the disbelief, the emotions...

What is this?

This feeling... This pull... This ache in my chest...

The same ache I felt when I watched that dire wolf put his filthy hands on him, the same ache I felt when he stood all alone on that balcony fighting back the tears.

It ached even more when I watched him struggling to breathe as he stared back at me weakly.

It all made sense now... Everything made complete sense at this moment.

Three weeks ago.