Page 56

Ezra

With the map laid out on a flat surface, Ezra let his pendant find his sweet little princess. It pointed at the same trail they’d taken to the lake before. He’d seen her leave early, not long after their phone call.

“Are they still out on the trail?” Mateo asked, looking over his shoulder.

“It seems like they are heading back to the cabin now. They spent just as long at the lake as before.”

Mateo sat down on the moss and leaned against an old fallen tree, searching through his bag for something. “She’s becoming stronger.”

“And not just physically.”

Mateo held up a protein bar, tossing it Ezra’s way when he nodded. “Can I ask you something?”

Ezra gave him another curt nod and let the pendant seek her new position.

“It’s rather personal.”

“You mean being able to read my mind isn’t considered personal?” Ezra countered.

“Technically your mind is always intruding on mine , but who cares about specifics.”

He cocked his head at his friend, daring him to ask whatever it was on his mind.

“What do you and Scarlett do when you’re alone?”

“Why would that be of importance to you?”

“Because before her there would be pain when you had sex with someone, now I don’t feel any of that.”

He returned to the map, avoiding Mateo’s gaze. “She has grown comfortable tying me up, but then loses herself in my tattoos and runes. It feels as if she spends hours tracing them, asking what each one means and mapping them out like she wants to commit them to memory.”

“She doesn’t cut you?”

“No. She often forgets about sex and it has nothing to do with the torture.”

“She enjoys your company. Do you want her to cut you?”

“Desperately.”

“The urge for self-harm hasn’t changed?”

“Not one bit.”

“Why do you refrain from doing it?”

“I don’t want to disappoint her.”

“Have you two not talked about it? I thought she said she would accept you.”

“No. She said she would try to accept it.”

“Are you willing to hear my thoughts on it?”

He looked up at his friend then, and was reminded by his kind eyes that Mateo had been the driving force in keeping the three of them together.

Though he struggled daily with the blood vow and Ezra’s inability to restrain his emotions, Mateo was the one who insisted they lived and stayed together, instead of only coming together for hunts.

Mateo was his closest friend. So, he nodded, trusting him to use his words kindly.

“We all know that she has grown up sheltered, kept from anything that may be too much for what they perceived to be a fragile mind. Maybe they wanted her to be as pure as possible, but she is much stronger than anyone ever thought, including herself. If you never expose her to all of you, she will have a much harder time adjusting and getting to know you. Not the person you want her to see, but truly you. ”

“What if she hates that person? You hate me.”

Mateo’s eyes softened. “I don’t hate you, Ezra.

I hate the fact that I can’t separate from your mind.

You are a lot to take in, especially at first. The constant storm in your mind is draining.

But since you met Scarlett, you have calmed.

There is a quiet anchor within you that centres a certain part of you.

Let her get to know the person you are. Otherwise, I’m afraid you’ll have her falling for someone you are not.

Making her fall for the person that you hide behind that mask will be even harder. ”

“She’ll already have a hard time. People don’t like being lied to.”

“I don’t think you are actively lying to her. She has seen you. You are just trying to protect her from yourself in some degree. With how much she is growing, I don’t believe she needs protection—just guidance.”

Ezra could only stare at Mateo, deeply grateful for his honesty, but also scared to transform his words into actions. The thought of Scarlett rejecting him was paralyzing.

“Are you still not wanting to complete the bond with her?”

“I don’t want her to regret it. You and Vince do and the bond we share is hardly an ounce of what she’ll have to endure.”

He didn’t have to look at Mateo to know that he was anxious too.

Both of his closest friends would feel him even clearer through Scarlett.

He’d read up on werewolf bonds and from what he understood they shared everything —one’s thoughts and emotions on a constant basis.

There was nothing to separate them. Losing Scarlett completely was even more terrifying than to never know how deeply she felt for him.

“We still have time. There is no need to rush it,” Mateo softly assured, realising Ezra wasn’t ready to talk about it.

Though the sun had barely started to set, they didn’t dare carry on for the night, instead choosing to set up camp. When the weather was good, they slept under the stars. The days were long and even though Mateo assured him that they were making progress, Ezra hated how slow that progress was.

They had found traces of large wildlife, though the marks were old, and no fresh signs had been discovered.

Ezra just hoped they were on to something, because he couldn’t spend weeks, possibly even months hunting ghosts that may not even exist. Catching a lycan had always been a slim chance, but he’d hoped for far more adventure along the way.

After another unsuccessful day, they sat down and checked the map to see what public trails laid ahead of them.

Public trails would be easier to get back to the cabin with, and Vince could possibly even pick them up.

Mateo wanted to stay out on the hunt, which gave Ezra the chance to spend time with Scarlett.

Once they had picked out a trail to get back to, they called Vince.

“Hi,” Scarlett’s worried voice came through the speaker. “Do you need Vince?”

“No, I need you,” Ezra hummed, pleased to finally hear her voice again.

“So, everything is alright?”

“Yes, princess. We are planning our return.”

“You are? When will you be back?”

“We are not sure, that depends on Vince and his willingness to drive to us.”

“Vince,” she called out, returning after an echoed answer. “He’s in the shower.”

“And you are not with him? I thought he would take better care of you.”

“He’s doing a fantastic job. Don’t make him feel inadequate.”

“As you wish, princess.”

Then Ezra heard footsteps and Vince took over the call. “Yes?”

They talked over their options and when Mateo suggested Scarlett join Vince on the hike, she was all for it—even if that meant spending a few nights camping. In fact, she was thrilled about it.

They set up a meeting point, then started on their hike back to their mate.