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Even if he wouldn’t let me know what he had in store, it sounded like he made plans for us. I half expected him to try and forget we were even mates, favoring alone time over being with me. Regardless, I attempted to temper any excitement since I didn’t know what any of it meant.
For all I knew, it could’ve been a one-time thing.
We continued down the winding road that took us further and further into the thick canopy of leaves and branches above us until we finally hit a clearing. Levi pulled up to the suggested parking space that overlooked a path trailing down a slight hill. Even through the trees, I managed to catch what looked like moving water.
“What is this place?” I asked, curious since I had never seen anything like it near the old pack grounds.
“It’s a lake off the beaten path. The locals worked pretty hard to keep it off the map to preserve it. We like to come here as a pack some days,” Levi explained, killing the engine and climbing out. He headed straight for the back and grabbed the basket along with the rolled-up blankets. “It’s normally private.”
Beyond curious, I followed suit and couldn’t wait to move down the path. “In that case, I wish I had one of my books.”
“Do you read often?” Levi asked, sounding more curious than before.
“I try to as much as I can,” I answered candidly. “It’s usually a good escape from everything going on.”
“In that case, I’ll have to remember to pack one next time,” he said, with a hint of a smile on his lips as he began down the path with me in tow.
Next time.
So, it wasn’t supposed to be a one-time thing. He intended to arrange more one-on-one time together. It felt almost unlike him, but to my surprise, it sounded nice. Like he really did intend on trying.
My heart quickened at the idea, and that more positive expression of his made me swallow hard.
As great of a promise as it seemed, I still didn’t want to get my hopes up. Doing rather than simply saying it was a completely different thing.
The moment we reached the end of the path, where it blended into a sandy shore, that sense of awe cloaked me.
While it wasn’t the biggest beach, given that it was a hidden lake, it was enough to catch my attention. The water twinkled beneath the sun and left a wonderful glow on the landscape. It was beautiful.
Not waiting a moment longer than I had to, I kicked my shoes off and carried them further down the shore.
“I realized we never had the chance to learn anything about each other before the ceremony,” Levi began, carefully placing the basket down before he unrolled the blankets and set everything up. “So, I thought now would be a good time to start. To begin, my favorite color is green. I evidently prefer dogs over cats, and my favorite meal is a rare steak with a side of garlic potatoes. My middle name is James, after my grandfather. I’m an only child, and I happen to be an orphaned one at that.”
Standing there before him, brows raised, I could only imagine how startled I looked from taking all that information in. But that surprise from his sudden openness faded and was replaced by empathy.
“If you don’t mind me asking, what happened to them?”
“My dad always used to call my mom his soulmate, even when they were young kids. It turns out that he had been right all along—they were mates. They were incredibly happy, and they did everything together. After I was exiled, my parents left with me, and my mom came down with a rare illness. It eventually took her, and my dad was ruined. Between the exile and her passing, it was too much for him and he passed away from a broken heart right after. No matter how I tried to help him, he didn’t stand a chance without her.”
My heart squeezed at the mention of it, and I couldn’t fathom what he had gone through. “I’m so sorry, Levi.”
He nodded absently, then reached down for a few pebbles in the sand and threw one out onto the water. It skipped a fair distance before sinking into the lake. “Losing them on top of my claim made the exile substantially worse. But I’m lucky I had my pack and my friends. If not, I don’t know what I would’ve done.”
“Sometimes I wonder if I was handed a blessing in disguise since I would never have to deal with that kind of loss.”
As he skipped another rock, Levi met my gaze in question. “What do you mean?”
With a deep breath, aware of the line we were about to cross, I murmured, “I never got to meet my parents. A family friend raised me since they both died in an accident when I was a baby. When word spread about my abilities, that ridicule fell on both of us, and Lauren couldn’t get rid of me any quicker. When I turned seventeen, she helped me secure an apartment, and I have been on my own ever since.”
At the mention of my bullying, Levi softened somewhat. “I don’t suppose that time was easy for you at all. I also know we never addressed that part—how we vaguely knew of each other then.”
Even the mention of it was enough to make my skin crawl. It certainly came as a surprise that Levi was even bringing it up, or trying to connect with me for that matter, and I didn’t know how to handle it. I was hesitant about bonding, but at the same time, I had the feeling I was about to receive some type of closure I never thought I’d ever get. And since finding out we were mates, icing him out would only bring both of us pain.
Before I could say anything, Levi sighed. “I know I didn’t help when it came to how you were treated before, and I apologize for being a dick. I never stopped to think about how that might affect your standing in the pack, or your well-being for that matter.”
I nodded my acknowledgment. “That’s the most anyone has ever said to me about it. To be fair, you weren’t the worst of them.”
“I’m sure that’s true, but it doesn’t make it any better. I should’ve treated everyone I hoped to lead better than I did,” he reaffirmed, deciding at last to find a seat on one of the blankets. He gestured to the other, and I followed his lead. “A lot has changed since then. I’m still trying to understand how everything has worked out so far.”
