Chapter 12
Chapter
Twelve
“ W hatcha doing out here?”
Nate pulled his gaze from the campfire he’d started and looked at his brother. “You know what I’m doing out here.” He poked a log with a smaller limb, watching as the tiny embers flaked off. “The real question is what you’re doing out here.”
“Ah, pre-wedding jitters. Couldn’t sleep.”
“Try again.” He leaned forward and poked another log. “Just say that you are out here watching out for your older brother. Making sure I don’t hurt anyone tonight.”
Eric sat on a stump directly across from his brother, looking at him through the fire. Resting his elbows on his knees and leaning forward, he fixed his eyes on Nate. “I’m making sure you’re not hurting yourself.”
A humorless laugh escaped Nate’s lips. He half expected his brother to show up tonight. They’d always spent the evenings of the full moon together, though he viewed their togetherness through a different lens now. One that was cracked, smudged, and dragged through the mud.
He’d made himself scarce today. He knew Stella was busy doing nails and all the other beauty things his end of the salon didn’t handle, so he’d planned to finish up something he'd been working on.
And after the run he and Eric had shared this morning, he was grateful for the distraction. Time to think about what to do next. Time to figure out what to say to her, if he ever saw her again. Of course, he’d see her tomorrow at the wedding, but what would that look like? Would she still smile at him in the way that turned his insides all around? Would he ever have a chance to stare into her eyes and get lost in the blues and greens that mixed in a hypnotizing swirl?
Probably not. And who could blame her?
“I thought you might have already been in the woods.”
Nate looked up at the thick blanket of clouds covering the sky. “Doesn’t look necessary tonight.” If the moon didn’t come out, he wouldn’t shift.
Though, he’d hoped he might not shift for a different reason. But that was ridiculous. He was a cold-blooded monster. He didn’t deserve love. And while he’d entertained the idea that maybe Stella had some deep feelings for him, after last night, he doubted that was still the case.
Eric crossed one ankle over the other and leaned back from the fire. “Well, then I guess we’ll just wait this out.”
“No, we won’t.” Nate stood from the ground, grabbing the ice bucket he’d brought from the lodge he’d smartly filled with water, and doused the flames with a satisfying hiss. “Go on and get back to your room. You’re getting married tomorrow.”
“But I’m hanging with you tonight.”
Nate looked at his brother through hazy swirls of smoke. “Why?”
Eric shrugged. “You’re my brother. Why wouldn’t I be here?”
Nate grunted, which wasn’t much of a response, but it was the best he could do at the moment.
“You really don’t get it, do you?”
“Get what?” Nate asked as his brother rounded the pile of ash and stood next to him.
“Love is unspoken.”
“What do you?—”
“Ah!” Eric raised his hand, stopping his brother mid-sentence. “For once, I’m going to be the one giving the lecture, and you’re just gonna sit here and take it all in. See what it’s like to be me for a change.”
Seemingly satisfied with Nate’s nod as response, he continued. “Running away, hiding…none of that matters when someone loves you. No matter how far you go, how hidden you make yourself, the people who love you will find you. And they’ll show you over and over what it means to be there for someone. They can’t help it. But you of all people should have known this better than anyone.”
Nate shook his head. “I have no idea why.”
Eric took a step closer, the toes of their boots nearly touching as they looked each other in the eye. “Because you’ve always been the one to love people in unspoken ways.”
“Nah. I just?—”
“Just what?” he interrupted again, and Nate both admired and was a little annoyed at this newfound confidence his brother had mustered. Truthfully, he was mostly proud. “I’ve never seen you miss an opportunity to show the people you love how much you love them. In your case, actions have always spoken louder than your grumbly words.”
Little did his brother know that he’d almost been ready to tell Stella how much he loved her. How much he wanted a life with her. Now, she’d probably never know. Except, she’d probably put the pieces together after the wedding. But would he even be around to see her reaction?
“I wasn’t going to run…not like some people.” He smirked at his brother, both of them remembering how he’d taken off the night of the full moon that changed his life. “I was actually going to talk to her…until this morning.”
“And now?”
Nate blew out a sigh as he raked a hand through his hair. “And now, I’m not sure what to do. I can’t make the decision for her, even though I feel like I should. Heaven knows it would be safer—and easier.”
Eric chuckled, smacking his brother on the shoulder. “Love ain’t easy, brother.” He tipped his head to the side as he took a step back, a slow smile spreading on his face. Why was he so amused by Nate’s anguish? “But the best kind of love is unspoken. You just have to listen for it.”
Nate heard the snap of a branch and the crunch of leaves underfoot. And when he turned around, he almost couldn’t believe his eyes.
“Hey.”
Nate looked at her through squinted eyes, which was apparently all he needed to view her beauty as she stood before him. “What are you… Why are you… How did you…”
Eric took a couple more steps back. “I’m gonna head back to the lodge and give you two a little privacy…and my brother a chance to come up with the endings of all these questions. Smooth, Nate.”
Nate shot his brother a weak glare his heart wasn’t really into, but how could it have been? Not when his heart was with the person he hadn’t expected to see tonight.
He cleared the knot in his throat and started again. “Why are you here?”
She walked toward him, one step and then another, until she stood as close as Eric had about a minute ago. Though, this felt way different. She broke eye contact long enough to find his hand, and grabbing it, she pulled it to her chest.
“Because this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.” She pulled him a couple steps back, sitting down on the log he’d vacated moments ago. Angling her body toward his, their knees touched, and the warmth of contact heated him more than the fire had.
“You’re supposed to be in bed, resting up for tomorrow.”
She shook her head. “Sleep is overrated.”
“Is staying alive overrated? Because that’s what you’re risking by staying here with me.”
“Wrong again.” She smiled at him, and it made him both happy and sad, because while he’d longed to see it again, he didn’t know how many of these moments he’d have with her. That was probably why she’d come down here this late. Probably needed to clear things up before the wedding, let him down easy. Not that he blamed her.
She leaned closer, and the warmth of her breath caressed his cheeks. Any playfulness in her eyes turned serious in an instant. “I know you’d never hurt me, Nate. I believe that with my whole heart.”
“See, that’s where you’re wr?—”
“Shh,” she whispered, placing a finger on his lips. What was with everyone interrupting him tonight? Though, even he could admit this was much more pleasurable than when his brother had. Because if Eric had gone and touched his mouth like that…
“You’ve done something to me, Nate. You’ve shown me what it feels like to have support. And it only feels right to do that for you.”
Ah, she was here out of obligation. Made sense. It wasn’t because she had feelings.
“Well, aerial courses and yoga classes don’t compare to this,” he mumbled around her finger. “So, consider your debt paid.”
Her finger fell from his mouth as her face slackened. “Is that why you think I’m here?”
He said nothing, afraid the warring emotions swirling in him would come out in his voice, and he wasn’t sure which would make an appearance—disappointment, sadness, brokenheartedness.
“Maybe I should have cut to the chase sooner.”
His eyes dropped to her lap where she fidgeted with the rings on her fingers. She was about to lower the boom. He just knew it.
“I love you, Nate.”
Wait…what?
“I fell for you. Hard. And while I’m kicking myself for not telling you last night, while I hate that I choked in a big moment, I feel like this is a bigger one. And I hope that my being here says what I couldn’t last night. That I love you…and there’s no way I’m letting you go. From now on, you’ll never have to be alone.”
He waited the span of about a thousand heartbeats, which sounded like a lot, but when his heart was hammering like his, it was probably only a few seconds. “You love me?”
“Of course I do. Is that so hard to believe?”
“Yeah, actually. I mean, I’m a monster.”
Stella brought her hands up to cup the sides of his face, her thumbs rubbing back and forth over the stubble on his cheeks. “Then I guess I know you better than you know yourself.”
“Stella,” he whispered and then swallowed. “I’d never forgive myself if I hurt you.”
“But I know that you won’t. I know your heart. And I know that beneath the gruff exterior is a good man. A great man. And I know that behind that werewolf exterior, that man is still there, just like you always saw the real me beneath the smiles and such that I hid behind.”
“But this is totally different.”
“Is it? Aren’t we all just trying to put our best face forward?” She pulled his face closer, so close their noses nearly brushed. “Too bad I’ve fallen in love with all parts of you.”
And then she kissed him. And when their lips collided, they shared words they’d never said. They were whispers of I love you with vows of you’re the one . Each touch was a promise that they’d be there for each other for as long as they could.
“Stells,” Nate huffed as he fought for breath. Running miles in the woods had never winded him as much as this woman had, and he didn’t mind a single bit. He pressed his forehead against hers, the rapid rise and fall of their chests syncing together. “I love you more than anything. In so many ways, I think you might be my soulmate, but…what does the future look like? Where can this go?”
“That’s the beauty of it.” Her eyes sparkled in the darkness. “We can go wherever we want. But first, let me just be here for you tonight.”
She nestled her head on his shoulder, and he instinctively wrapped his arm around her. And for a second, everything felt right with the world. Like nothing could have been more perfect in this moment with her, right there beside him, supporting him just like he’d done for her.
“I will love you for the rest of my life, Stella.” When she said nothing back, he looked down to see her long lashes fanned over her cheekbones and the steady rhythm of her breathing. She’d fallen asleep. He shook his head as he softly chuckled to himself. This woman. She’d followed a monster out into the woods and then fallen asleep on his shoulder. Maybe she really did trust him.
And that meant he needed to follow through with his plan. She deserved at least that much.
He scooped her into his arms and walked up the hill toward the lodge when a breeze rustled through the trees. A wisp of her golden hair floated across her face, and it only made her more beautiful, especially when a single beam of light shone on her face.
He jerked his head to the sky, wondering when the clouds had parted. He was too late. If this was a race against time, he was going to lose. But the one who had the most to lose was Stella. He’d promised to take care of her. And that was exactly what he was going to do.