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"Before I entered, you looked really lonely," she quietly admitted. "I know we've been kind of all over the place since sealing the deal and I feel like it's been hard to have you not on security because you're good at what you do, but if you're feeling lonely, will you tell me?"
I didn't know why her observation shocked me, but I held her a bit tighter as I pressed my lips to the top of her head.
"I'll let you know, Willow," I assured her. That seemed to be enough for her as we continued to share the tight embrace.
Pulling back, we shared a look before I offered her my hand.
"Let's go run," I whispered.
I loved how happy she looked as she bobbed her head in approval, her hand resting in mine as the two of us made our way outside. We gave the guards a heads up before we walked through the forest, her hand still in mine.
It felt odd to be walking like this, but I wouldn't deny the tranquility it delivered as we made our way to the deeper part of the forest. One of the reasons why we opted for this safe house was how easy it was to blend into the forest that parted with various trails.
Adding the added safety of the magic walls that protected us from random joggers, we had far more privacy than Neo's penthouse suite.
The deeper we got into the forest, the harder it was for Willow to not stop herself from skipping forward. I ended up snickering when she almost tripped out of excitement.
"A few more steps, Rebel Flower," I teased.
"Oh?" She paused to actually look at me. "Is that my personalized nickname from you?"
"Apparently it is," I assured her, pulling her into my arms for a moment. "Like it?"
"Unique," she admitted. "Sits right in between Wilting Flower and Blossoming Flower, though it may get a promotion if you keep using it enough."
"I'll keep that in mind," I whispered and couldn't help but kiss her. "I'm not used to this," I quietly admitted.
"Used to being in the middle of a forest?" she offered.
I smirked at her attempt to humor me, but I knew from the way her eyes looked into mine that she understood what I was referring to.
"This," I emphasized.
"To be honest, me neither," she confessed. "I'm used to getting lost in lust and fucking, but to take things slow feels weird, right?"
I slowly nodded and she further smiled. "As wolf shifters, we run on instinct and don't believe in the whole ‘taking things at a decent pace’ movement," she began. "But...if you want my honest opinion, I'm beginning to like these little moments. Just getting to know you without getting completely lost in our body's needs to satisfy one another is nice.”
"Do you do this with the others?"
"The walk in the park with Saint was nice, even though I was a bit drunk," she admitted. "Onyx and I don't really take things slow. At least, it's more of a rare occasion, a special one within our relationship. Neo is similar, and Dimitris is like rolling a die and determining what your gonna get in the moment."
I smirked and nodded. "Dimitris is hard to read."
"I wish he'd rely on me more."
My eyes lowered to her as she looked away as if she didn't want me to see her conflicted expression. "I feel as if he works so hard and is carrying everything when I'm his Beta. Like...he hasn't grasped the fact I'm supposed to help him, you know?"
"He grasps it, Willow," I assured her, and she looked back at me as I calmly looked into her eyes. "He knows...but just like we all have bad habits, his is not relying on others. He likes to carry the burden on his shoulders because it gives him a sense of validation, but it also makes it so that if things get fucked up, he carries that burden of an error on his own."
"That's not healthy," she muttered.
"I know," I replied with a sad smile. "It's...how he copes. If Dimitris doesn't keep himself busy, he gets lost in thoughts he shouldn't be thinking and that's a bit dangerous for all of us."
"Do you think he'll let me help him?"
I took a moment to think about it. "Eventually. I think he wants to make sure you're adapting well. Right now, you haven't been given enough time to settle into the pack. We normally settle into a routine. You may have not noticed with Onyx, but we followed one that matched with the way he sleeps and does his own independent activities."
"Like stalking me," she muttered.
