Again, I have to remind myself that this is just a casual night out—one Thane proposed so I could have a break from all my training. It's nothing more than dinner between friends.
But friends don't make each other feel the way Thane does me when he sticks out his arm like a hook, smiling silkily at me with appreciative eyes, running over the dress.
“You're looking gorgeous, Willow,” he smirks before straightening and clearing his throat. “Shall we?”
I nod, my voice caught in my throat with the lump growing from my own resistance to the undeniable.
But I can't accept my budding feelings for him if it means his destruction.
Chapter 17 - Thane
“Do you remember how we used to come out here back in the day?” I ask Willow, hoping to cut the awkward tension growing from the moment we left my grandfather's house.
Willow nods timidly, her hands nervously linked in front of her ever since she discreetly slid her arm out from under mine. Her resistance only means I have to work harder, not just to keep her emotions at bay, but also to show her my sincerity in being apologetic for the past.
Back then, I'd noticed Willow's keen interest in nature and anything that sprouted from the ground. That's when I suggested she awaken the old greenhouse behind my grandfather's house, and witnessed her eyes light up with eagerness. I'd often visit her there, and we'd become friends who often escaped both our worlds in these woods, chatting like old friends who'd known each other in past lives. That doesn't sound far-fetched anymore.
Willow and the greenhouse had become my escape from the rigorous training I was going through in preparation for Alpha Camp. In hindsight, my inner wolf must have been drawn to her because of the mate bond—a pull I didn't understand back then.
But it seems that the more she trains her witch powers, the stronger that pull becomes. It takes every ounce of self-control not to pull her into my arms and kiss her again, because I know she'll only regret it later and resent me for it.
Time is all I need to make her mine in every sense of the word. No longer driven by the need to unleash her powers, claiming Willow would only be something I'd do because we both want it.
And Goddess knows it's all I want.
But I must exercise self-control so I don't overwhelm her.
“Is that why you brought me out here tonight?” Willow asks skeptically, one brow raised. “To take a walk down memory lane?”
I chuckle nervously. “No…I mean…yeah, kinda,” I say as I run my hand over my nape. “We agreed to just be friends, right? Back then, that's what we were.”
Willow nods thoughtfully, a sigh falling from her lips. “I guess you're right….”
I pull aside a branch that hangs in our way, allowing Willow to step further into the woods before I follow her, noticing the way she shivers.
“Are you cold?” I ask, taking off my jacket before she can reply and draping it over her shoulders.
She turns to me with a frown. “You'll get cold.”
“No, I won't,” I grin. “I'm an alpha. My blood is way too hot.”
Willow does a double-take, appearing stunned as our eyes meet, something unspoken passing between us in the silence that follows.
She breaks eye contact and continues walking, and I follow close behind, clearing my throat when we approach the spot I'd set up for our dinner.
“Wait!” I call out a little too eagerly, and Willow snaps around hesitantly.
“What is it? Is it the demons again? Should we go back?”
Chuckling, I move in closer and shake my head. “No,” I reply. “This part of the woods is protected by Aurora's safetyspells. We don't have anything to worry about tonight. But there's a bit of a surprise up ahead. You'll need to close your eyes.”
Her brows furrow with skepticism. “A surprise? I can't close my eyes. I might be a witch, but I can't see with my eyes closed,” she giggles, the sweet sound warming my heart.
It's nice to see her embracing her witch identity with confidence, and also dropping her guard just enough that she doesn't flinch when I close the distance between us.
“May I?” I ask, offering a hand. “I won't let you fall.”
Willow's hesitation is evident in her trembling fingers as she places her hand in mine, but the electric awareness passing through the touch has her quickly closing her eyes as if to ignore it.
