Moon Marked by the Goddess

Twelve

I've laid in bed for the past few hours tossing and turning. Sleep has been evading me. I feel so restless, a part of me desperately wants to go to Vincent now. I've been starved of the mate bond affection for two years, why wait any longer? The rational part of me, says I need to take time and be cautious.

By making him wait aren't I doing pretty much the same thing Jackson did to me? I was blessed with an amazing mate. Why am I lying here fighting with myself? I should go and talk to him, right? I grab my phone from the night stand and check the time. 2:38am, he's probably sleeping. I guess one night isn't too bad. I'll go see him in the morning. Then I can start taking my life back, no tiptoeing around afraid to bump into my mate.

Lying back, I try and get comfortable. Changing positions several times, I realize I'm not going to get any sleep tonight. I'll go for a run, and clear my mind. I haven't taken the time to just run in my wolf form in a long while, because of how far out I'd have to go to make sure no pack members would see me. This will be nice.

Climbing out of the bed, I slide my feet into a pair of flip flops and quietly make my way out of the apartment. Not wanting to wake anyone else up. Once out I take the stairs down. When I make it to the second floor I pause. He's right down the hallway. I could go and see if he's awake. If not I could go run. I walk down the hallway, and stop right in front of apartment 9. I raise my hand to knock, and stop. It's almost 3am, this is creepy isn't it? I should just go. Lowering my hand, I turn and start back toward the stairs.

I slowly make my way down to the first floor and walk out the doors into the cool night air. I look around, seeing no one I quickly strip and pile my clothes into a ball near the door before calling for my wolf. The change takes over quickly. It feels so good to be able to change without a care of being caught. I take off down the street, letting my wolf take over, I head toward the forested area behind the pack house. Running through the trees, with the wind blowing through my fur is a euphoric experience.

This is the most free I've ever felt. I stop for a moment to catch my breath, after a few minutes of running. I lie down and rest my head on my front paws. When I hear a rustling to my left. I stay low and look for the cause of the noise. I approach slowly, ready for whatever is coming my way. I don't smell anything unusual, but I stay on high alert. More rustling come from a bush about 10 yards in front of me. As I slowly ease up a squirrel pops out. I attempt a chuckle, and a few yips come out, which startles the squirrel. It runs, and I give chase. When I've almost caught up, it jumps onto a tree, and sprints up it. Leaving me behind on the ground.

Shaking my head, I decide to head back. Leisurely I jog back to the pack house. My pile of clothes are still beside the door where I left them.

I look around, then let the change overtake me. A thin sheet of sweat is covering my body, and the gentle breeze is freezing. I rush in my clothing and then into the pack house. Putting my shoes on in the foyer. I make my way up the stairs and pause again at the second floor.

I walk back to apartment number 9, and knock on the door before I lose my nerve. I wait a moment, and then knock again. I guess he's sleeping. Feeling a little dejected. I make my way back to the fifth floor so I can attempt to get a little sleep tonight. I have a mate to see in the morning. As I make it out of the stair well I hear knocking. I quickly exit and look down the hallway to see Vincent. He's wearing a pair of grey sweatpants, and socks. No shirt, no shoes, but he may still get service. That's how that saying goes, right?

"Looking for me?" I call out, feeling a bit bold.

He turns quickly. Seeing a full frontal of him shirtless has my mouth dry. His muscles are defined but not bulky. He has the perfect V leading down into his sweat pants.

"Oh, uh... yeah. Sorry. I know you said you needed time, but I needed to see you." He says his cheeks turning red.

"It's okay. I just left your room, so you aren't the only one creeping around at this hour." I chuckle.

"How did I miss you? Did you take the elevator down?"

"Well... I'd gone down. Then chickened out, felt like it was creepy. So I took a run."

He pulls me toward him so quickly it almost gives me whiplash, and his lips are on mine. His left hand caressing my cheek, and the other around my waist. His hands have me on my fire and his kiss has stolen the breath from my body. He pulls back. "I'm sorry. I should have asked first."

I push my lips back onto his and imitate what he'd just done. I hope I'm not making a fool of myself. My arms find their way around his neck. I could die happy now, this feeling is the best thing I've experienced.

He pulls back again. "I've wanted to do that for two years. It was worth the wait." He pecks my cheek. "Will you come back to my room with me, just to sleep. I know I'd sleep better if I have you with me."

I nod quickly, before I process what he said, but I'm positive this man could get me to agree to anything right now. We walk to apartment number 9 on the second floor, while holding hands. He unlocks the door and opens it, allowing me to walk in first.

He turns on the lights, closing and locking the door behind him. The room is the size of my room upstairs. He has a dirty clothes hamper in the corner. The bed looks to be a queen and it's in the middle of the room against the far wall. His bedding is black. He has a nightstand on both sides of the bed with lamps on them. There are two doors other than one we just entered. One leads to the bathroom, while the other is a closet.

Standing here with him has made me very nervous. I've never done anything like this before.

"It's okay, we're just going to sleep. Will you turn off the light?" He says pulling me out of my thoughts. Walking over to the bed he turns on a lamp. Then he sits down on the left side, patting on the right for me.

I flip the light switch, and walk toward the other side of the bed, slipping off my flip flops before sitting down. He lays down leaving an arm out, I'm assuming for my to put my head on. I notice he still has on his socks, in the bed.

"Oh no. You're one of those weirdos that sleep in socks aren't you?" I laugh while crawling into the bed toward him.

"My feet get cold, sue me." He's pulls me toward him, wrapping both arms around me. "Thank you Rylan, for sleeping with me tonight. Wait, that came out wrong. I mean coming to sleep with me. Wait..." I'm full on belly laughing at him flounder over his words.

"I understand. Stop before you hurt yourself honey." He kisses my forehead, and rests his chin on the top if my head. "Wait the lamp is still on, don't tell me you sleep with light on too."

"Sorry, I'll turn it off." He takes one arm off of me to turn off the lamp, and then pulls me back to his body. "Good night." In just a few minutes his breathing evens out and he's asleep.

Listening to him breathe is so calming. Being in his arms like this comforting, it's what I've wanted for the last two years. To feel wanted, and loved. I could easily get addicted to this. I close my eyes and drift off to sleep.

I wake up to the smell of honeysuckles. I crack my eyes and see Vincent's brown eyes looking into mine. "Holy sh*t." I jump back. How could I forget falling asleep here.

"Well that's a way to keep my ego in check, what did I do?" He says laughing.

"I've never woken up next to someone. I was just a little startled. Sorry." I murmur out feeling so embarrassed.

"You've never woken up with someone? So you always left the night before? Cold blooded I didn't peg you as that type."

"What? No! I've never done anything like this or that before." I stammer out.

"You've never?" His eyes darken as he looks at me. "I'll be your first?" He kisses me fiercely, hand slipping under my shirt resting on my stomach. Causing me to gasp, his tongue takes that as an invitation and he slips into my mouth.

A pounding on the door has him pulling away. "Don't move. Give me one minute I'll send whoever it is away." He jumps up running to the door and opens it.

"Rylan is missing, she isn't answering her phone, and I can't get her over the mind link. I need you to help me find her." My dad's voice is like a bucket of cold water being thrown on me.

"Beta, I'm sorry I should have come to you first." Vincent says sounding very formal. "She's with me, sir."

My stomach drops. "What do you mean she's with y-... Oh... um carry on. Sorry to disturb you." He says sounding very uncomfortable. "Rylan be safe. Come see me when you come home." He calls out, right before Vincent closes the door.

"I totally blew that. I brought you here before talking to the Beta. What is wrong with me?!" Vincent says more to himself than to me.

"At least you don't have to go home and have the talk with him." I say laughing, to keep myself from crying. I so wound up I could vomit. My dad is a c*ck block.