One Step Closer

Isabelle


We'd returned to our room after taking our breakfast. Before we'd gone downstairs, everyone was concerned about my health due to the event of last night but after my assurance, I could see the relief that drew upon them.

It felt nice to have people around who care for you.

Kaden made me sit on his lap hugging me from behind after we hopped onto the bed, he didn't let me walk at all. He had to err carried me downstairs and the raw adoration that every of little gestures had made me feel happier than ever.

"Isabelle..." He began, the sudden hesitation in his voice was new.

I lightly grabbed his arm and interlocked our fingers, leaning against him fully so that I could look at him and my fingers could skim his jaw.

"Say what you wanted to tell me," I said.

He released a low breath at my sentence, his arms around me tightened.

"Being mates doesn't entirely mean being a couple," He divulged causing my body to get frozen.

I didn't know what else I was expecting but his sudden confession caught me off guard.

"So that means we don't have that intimate relation?" My voice cracked and the tears garnered in my eyes, the feeling of something getting snatched away from me appeared in the center of my chest causing the sting to be felt.

I wiped my eyes with the back of the sleeve of my shirt that was given by Kaden before we'd down to have our breakfast, suppressing the sniffle. It felt like those tales I read in my childhood, where's the princess lives a dream raising her expectations high and suddenly someone says something that breaks her hopes.

"Oh, God....Isabelle, why are you crying?" He pulled me closer cupping my face, the vivid concern showing on his expression. I suddenly look away and my attempt to wipe away my tears with my sleeve against got failed this time as he held my wrist stopping it where it was and turned my head to make me face him.

"You won't talk to me?" He asked, his eyes softening as he wiped my tears with his thumb.

"It's not like that, Kaden," The hiccup unwantedly left my mouth, "I'd really thought we had a special connection, I thought our bond is special like those couples in the books."

"We of course have a special connection, Angel. You are my mate," He spoke caressing my cheek, "But our relationship is something different than humans because I am not a....human."

So wasn't I....

"What are you then?" I found myself asking.

"A Lycan," He sighed out.

Lycan......

I had heard that word. Mom and dad mentioned it once, Lycans we're extremely powerful creatures on the planet the one that I had supposedly come across in the palace. My parents mentioned there were both good and bad in every species or race, and just like the humans, there were some Lycans with evil intentions and some with good values.

So far the only ones I had come across were the ones who ruined my life except for Kaden who was mending me since I had met him.

"How's our connection then?" I asked after a moment of silence.

The surprised looked took over his expression at my question, I could tell he hadn't expected me to react this way or maybe he had thought I would get scared or act differently. But I hadn't told him yet that if anyone I felt in this world was him.

"Unlike humans, Lycans are supposed to have destined partners. It's the connection of two souls, it's like we are incomplete without finding our other half," He began, as he noticed my expression that appeared due to my attempt to fully understand what he was saying he bend down to grab a piece of paper from the drawer of the nightstand.

"This is our souls without the other half," He tore the paper from the middle holding out the pieces away from one another," And once we find our other half only then we can be fulfilled, this increases our strength and most importantly completes our soul."

"Whose your other half?" I asked, pushing away my doubts and slight fear in the corner. I didn't know if being his mate and what he was saying was the same thing until he opened his mouth.

"Our other half is called our mate, love. And you are my mate, " He leaned in pressing his forehead against mine.

If I said that what he'd said didn't cause the raw emotion to build in my chest, it would be a lie. The feeling was so strong, and surreal.

"And how did you know that I am your mate?" The smile broke on my pace and I rested my palm on his cheek, tracing his stubble with the pad of my thumb.

"It's my Lycan side that recognized you, that day in the forest..." His grip on me tightened a bit but he cleared his throat as though he pushed the thoughts away, "Your smell lead me to you, the most beautiful feeling was when my eyes landed on you. I fell in love just at the first sight of you." smiling he kissed my cheek, then my forehead cradling closer to him.

"So now we are complete?" I asked, the tear-filled my eyes but this time because of the raw emotion....the feeling of being loved.

"Yes, we are complete," He smiled nodding, I could see his eyes were also glistening but the happiness was still there.

I lightly pulled away getting down from his lap so that I can sit face to face with him, I raised his hand that had the two pieces of paper. I gestured him to hold them together and he did placing the pieces on his palms, he looked confused but he didn't complain.

I closed my eyes, for the first time since that dark night I let the powers wash over me. I could feel the heat traveling in my veins gathering at my fingertips, the powerful ray shined somewhere inside me and I opened my eyes.

I could see Kaden's amazed gaze and the slight part of his lips as the very low gasp escaped his lips, he looked astonished.

Flashing him a smile I let the purple rays emit from my fingertips, the wave fell on where I directed them--On the torn paper, and they healed in a blink turning into one piece just
like they were before Kaden had torn them.

Kaden blink multiple times as if he couldn't believe that he was seeing, the shock evident on his face mixed with the awe.

"How....how did you do that?" He looked at the paper that was now pieced up together in one piece.

"My parents told me it was a blessing I got from God, they were human but I am not. In reality, I really don't know what I am but all I know is that these mere powers that I have are meant for coming in use of other people so that I can help them," I spoke, "I began learning my abilities very early in my childhood, but couldn't learn all of them since my mom and dad were taken away from me along with my sister." the sad smile splayed on my face.

His eyes softened and he reached out to me, caressing my cheek, "Isabelle..."

I didn't let him speak, if he spoke then I would get shattered into his arms again before I could tell him about my past, the part of my life that's remembrance still shook me to my core.

"My parents had told me not to use my powers in front of anyone, not to show anyone the abilities I got except for the one I could trust fully," I began, "And in the whole world if anyone had ever made me feel safe and can trust that is you, Kaden. I trust you more than my life."

He silently listened to everything I said, I grabbed the wrist of his hands that'd rested on my cheek and leaned into his gentle touch.

"I had thought in this whole world I would never find anyone who would care for me, but then I found you in the moment of my life where I had thought it would be the end. But It wasn't the end, it was a start I found with you," It was hard to stop my tears but I managed to do it anyway, "I want to tell you everything about my life, the reason behind why you found me in that forest and the captors I ran away from who....who murdered my family in front of my very own eyes because of something they wanted from me." I croaked out.

His eyes went wide at the mention of the murder, especially when I said that I was the witness of that event.

"Are you sure you want to talk about it now? " He asked moving even closer to me, his soothing voice and gentle caress that his words left me had given me the strength I needed.

"Yes," I nodded, allowing the first tear to slid down my cheek that quickly got wiped away by Kaden, "I want you to know about me, you deserve it."

"Okay," He pressed a lingering kiss on my forehead.

As he pulled away, I let my fingers undo the buttons of the shirt I was wearing. His surprise got wiped away when the sound of my wings tearing out from my skin is taken over. The feeling of feeling my flesh stretch after years promoted the slight discomfort but it got wiped away soon as my white wings stretched out.

The tearing sound of the fabric of the bra I was wearing, indicated the two holes on the backside that must have made the way for my wings before they spread out in full. They were smaller when I had seen them the last time.

My eyes fell on Kaden's stunned expression. The pure warmth shone in his eyes as he stared at me as if he had never seen any sight like this.

I forced myself to open my mouth pushing away all the fearful memories aside even though they were the ones I was going to put into words now, "It all started when we moved into the bungalow in the hills...."