Moonbound Hearts

Growing Closer

The following night, Victoria was waiting for him again, but this time she'd brought something—a small thermos and a paper bag that smelled like fresh sandwiches.

"I thought you might be hungry," she said as he settled beside her on the log. "I realized I don't even know if you've eaten dinner before you come here."

The simple gesture of care made his chest tight with emotion. When was the last time someone had thought to bring him food, to worry about his basic needs? "You didn't have to do that," he said softly.

"I wanted to," she replied, unpacking turkey sandwiches and pouring hot coffee into two cups. "Besides, I was hoping we could stay a little longer tonight. Talk more."

They ate in comfortable silence for a while, watching the water flow past their feet. The coffee was perfect—strong but not bitter—and the sandwich was clearly homemade with care. It struck him how domestic the moment felt, how right it seemed to be sharing a simple meal with her under the stars.

"Tell me about your family," Victoria said eventually, curling up against his side. The casual intimacy of the gesture made his wolf purr with contentment.

Aidan's hand stilled on his coffee cup. This was dangerous territory. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything," she said simply. "Brothers, sisters, parents. What they're like, what you all do together. I want to understand the people who helped make you who you are."

"I have an older brother, Marcus," he said carefully. "He's... protective. Takes his responsibilities seriously. And my mother, Elena. She worries about me constantly."

"That sounds sweet. Are you close?"

"Very," Aidan said, and the word came out rougher than he intended. The truth was, he'd never kept secrets from his family before Victoria. The deception was eating him alive, creating a distance between him and the people he loved most.

Victoria must have heard something in his voice because she turned to look at him. "What is it?"

"Nothing," he lied. "Just... family can be complicated sometimes."

"Tell me about it," she said with a rueful laugh. "My parents have been calling nonstop since the wedding cancellation. They keep asking if I'm 'alright' and if I need to 'come home for a while.' Like I'm going to fall apart without a man to take care of me."

"Maybe they're just worried about you," Aidan suggested, though the thought of Victoria's parents disapproving of him—if they ever met—made his stomach clench.

"Maybe," Victoria agreed. "But I'm thirty-two years old. I've been taking care of myself just fine." She paused, then added quietly, "Though I have to admit, these past few nights with you... I haven't felt this happy in a long time."

"Victoria," he started, but she pressed a finger to his lips.

"I know we're moving fast," she said. "I know this is crazy. But I can't bring myself to care. You make me feel alive again."

Before he could respond, she was kissing him, soft and sweet and tasting like coffee. He melted into her, his arms coming around her waist to pull her closer. This was what he'd been craving all day—her warmth, her scent, the perfect way she fit against him.

When they broke apart, both breathing hard, Victoria rested her forehead against his. "I have to ask you something," she said. "And I need you to be honest with me."

Aidan's blood turned to ice. "What?"

"Are you married? Engaged? Involved with someone else?"

The relief that flooded through him was so intense he almost laughed. "No," he said firmly. "There's no one else. There's only you."

"Good," she said, smiling. "Because I was starting to wonder why such an amazing man was single and available to comfort random crying women in the woods."

If only she knew how unavailable he really was, how impossible their situation truly was. But looking into her trusting green eyes, he found himself unable to shatter her happiness with the truth.

"Your turn," he said instead. "Tell me about your work. What's it like being a veterinarian?"

Victoria's face lit up. "I love it," she said. "It's hard sometimes—losing patients, dealing with owners who can't afford treatment. But there's nothing like helping an animal that's in pain, or reuniting a lost pet with their family."

As she talked about her work, her passion evident in every word, Aidan found himself falling even deeper. She was everything he'd never known he wanted—kind, strong, compassionate. The way she talked about caring for creatures who couldn't speak for themselves made his protective instincts sing.

"Do you have any pets?" he asked.

"A cat named Pixel," she said with a grin. "He's a terror, but I love him. What about you?"

Aidan almost said that his family didn't believe in keeping pets, but caught himself just in time. "No pets," he said simply.

They talked until well past midnight, sharing stories and dreams, learning the small details that painted the picture of each other's lives. Victoria told him about her favorite books, her terrible cooking skills, her dream of opening a wildlife rehabilitation center someday. Aidan found himself sharing more than he should—his love of running through the forest, his complicated relationship with responsibility, his fear of disappointing the people he cared about.

When Victoria finally stood to leave, she hesitated. "Aidan, can I ask you something else?"

"Of course."

"What do you do for work? You mentioned security, but you're always so vague about it."

The question he'd been dreading. "It's... classified," he said, hating himself for the half-truth. "Government contracts. I can't really talk about the details."

Victoria nodded, accepting the explanation, but he caught a flicker of something in her eyes. Disappointment? Suspicion? He couldn't tell, and it made his chest ache.

"I understand," she said quietly. "I just... I want to know you. Really know you."

"You do know me," he said, cupping her face in his hands. "The important parts, anyway."

She leaned into his touch, but the moment felt different somehow. More fragile.

"Tomorrow night?" she asked, as she always did.

"Tomorrow night," he confirmed.

But as he watched her walk away, Aidan couldn't shake the feeling that his web of lies was beginning to unravel. And when it did, he wasn't sure either of them would survive the fallout.