~ Chapter Twenty-Five ~

It took just a few minutes for everything to be different. Dimitri had me on my back, his large body on top of me, slotting perfectly between my legs, his lips attached to mine like he couldn't separate our skin. I'd taken his shirt off almost immediately, because his heat was so intense that I couldn't stand to be beneath it for long. My hands were travelling the expanse of his chest, dipping between the muscles and smoothing out his tiny imperfections. Time was already lost on us, though I didn't see why we needed to concentrate on anything but each other. This kiss felt like an apology and a promise combined into one, and it was driving me crazy that I couldn't just rip off his pants.

"You know," I murmured as he trailed for the first time away from my mouth, nipping at my jaw and then my neck. "We should probably find that emotional connection first."

"Mm." The vibration of his hum against my neck caused a soft sound to slip out of my throat. I ran my fingers through his hair, holding him to me, letting him trail his hand up under my shirt as he assaulted my skin.

I started to reach for his sweatpants. "I'm okay with this, though."

Just as I was about to tug loose the strings, there was a loud scream from outside, and Dimitri and I flung away from one another. He darted to the window in an instant, while I scrambled off of the bed feeling disoriented and hazy. After a moment, he sighed and turned back to me shaking his head. I frowned so he said, "Just some stupid teenagers."

"What do you mean?"

"Some girl trying to impress her crush by scaring her." He shrugged, reaching out for my hips. "It's nothing to worry about."

I couldn't help but smile as I leaned my head back to kiss him. "That's good." Our lips pressed together slower this time, gently, offering me a thousand different meanings and thoughts. I ran my hands up his arms, feeling his warmth again, which was starting to dwindle on top of me already. It was cold up here by the mountains.

He started to move forward, pushing me backward to the bed again. I wrapped my arms around his neck and subtly pressed my hips into his. He stopped, his hands teasing at my shirt. His eyes flickered open. "Actually," he whispered, "maybe you were right."

"What?" I tilted my head to the side in confusion.

"We need to fix what we broke when I screwed this up last time."

I glanced between his eyes trying to figure out if he was serious. There wasn't a single ounce of humour or reluctance; he *was* serious, and I had to admit that I was quite glad about that. It was like I blinked completely out of the trance that had led me to this point, pushing away all of the physical need I felt for him, though there was still a soft thrumming in the back of my mind. I let go of his neck and stepped back, glancing uncontrollably at his chest.

"Do you... uh..." He trailed off shyly, which didn't suit him at all. "How about we go... on a date? That's what normal couples do, right, to get to know each other?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "That isn't what mates do, Dima."

"But reject each other isn't what mates are supposed to do, either," he reminded me. "We need to find a connection that's not because of the bond. I can't think of another way."

"Okay... do you have a date in mind?"

"Not at all," he admitted. "If we're dating like humans then maybe we should do something human, though."

"Like what?" I laughed.

"I don't know... catch a movie? Go to dinner? I don't exactly watch a lot of movies anymore."

"I can tell," I teased. "I don't have anything nice, though, so we can't do most of that. But I like the idea of something human. What if I go into the nearest human city with Xanthe and get some new clothes, and you come up with something for us to do tonight?" I suggested, excitement stirring in my stomach.

He nodded. "That works, but I want you to take Maeve, too."

"Dimitri..."

"Just for my peace of mind," he insisted, staring into my eyes. "I promise I will get better at it, I just can't stand the thought of you getting lost or something while you're gone."

I sighed. "Okay fine, but I won't be leaving the pack with someone every single time."

"I'll work on it," he reminded me. I pressed a kiss to his cheek and slid out of the room, down the stairs, and through the hall. My ears were peeled for Xanthe or her sister, listening intensely to catch one of them talking. I didn't have a link with the pack mind just yet, so I couldn't just summon them to me in an instant like I wished. I took a stab in the dark and found Maeve in the gym deadlifting, and asked her to get Xanthe into the room. After just a minute, the door opened.

"What's up?" she asked me immediately, as if she knew I was the one who wanted something and not Maeve.

"I need you to take me into the nearest city for some clothes," I explained. "We have to take Maeve for Dima's sake, though."

"Oh." Xanthe blinked and a smile came over her face. "I'd love to take you into the city! You look fine how you are so Maeve, go and change - maybe shower, too. I want us gone in the next twenty minutes."

Maeve gave her sister a look but didn't argue. It wasn't worth it.

/////

"So, why did you want to come out and get some clothes?" Xanthe asked as she broswed through a row of graphic t-shirts next to the tops I had spotted across the room. I wasn't looking for anything *too* fancy but t-shirt was underdoing it a little too much.

"I'm going on a date tonight," I admitted to her.

"That's nice." She smiled. "Are you excited, or is it not that kind of date?"

I shrugged. "I don't know what it's going to be until I get back, it was a new decision we only made today." I paused, holding a navy blue blouse up to my chest in the mirror. "We want to find a little bit of what we had when he was in the basement - you know, when all we could do was talk and be around one another."

Xanthe walked up to the rack I was looking through. "I understand what you mean. It's probably best, given what happened two weeks ago."

"That's what we thought, too."

"How about this?" She held out a simple off-white top with sheer fabric sewn inside of it. It looked casual but formal, like if I were to meet a boyfriend's parents.

"I like it. Add it to the basket, I'll try it on later."

"Sure." She dropped the top into the basket hanging off of my arm. "Do you think you and the alpha will get to a point where you're, you know, in love? The typical mate stuff?"

I pressed my lips together for a moment. "I think we *could* but it's going to take a lot of work. It was never going to be easy, given Roger even if Dimitri hadn't gotten caught. I would have had to leave my old pack some way and that could have caused all kinds of conflict."

"I have to admit to you, Erika" - she held out another top that I immediately rejected - "I really want to see Alpha Stone happy. He's been alone for a long time and the whole pack was heartbroken when it didn't work out between the two of you at first. I think it's really good that you're going on this date and trying to rectify the whole situation, and I wish you both the best."

I smiled reluctantly at Xanthe, ignoring the guilt in my stomach. "Thank you, Xanthe, that's very nice of you to say."

"You're welcome." She smiled back and drifted away, in search of more clothing. Average, every day humans scuffled past her, unaware of what she could do, and gawped at Maeve whenever they caught sight of her hovering in the background, tall, muscular, yet timid as a tortoise. I turned back to the racks to continue looking, though I'd accumulated a small pile of clothes already that I needed to try on before I could leave.

*What was that?* a familiar voice asked in my head.

I gave up on looking, motioning Xanthe toward me. *What?*

*You felt guilty,* Dimitri accused.

*Just ignore that, it's passed already. No big deal.*

He hesitated. *We can talk about it later. How's the trip?*

*Just about to try some things on, then I'll pay and we'll come back to the pack. How's the planning?* It felt strange to be talking to Dimitri as if we were an average couple, rather than a broken mateship. For a moment, I felt what it would be like to have had all of this work out the first time, without all the theatrics of my freedom.

*I have a few ideas to talk to you about when you get back,* he told me, and I automatically sighed to myself.

*I'll let you know when I'm on the way back, then.*

*Okay.*

By then, I was standing alone in a dressing room, Xanthe and Maeve waiting outside to pass their judgements on my outfits. It was going to be difficult to mess this up, though; everything was being paired with a simple pair of jeans. It *should* have been simple.

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