Chapter 8: Dalliance

Gideon stands abruptly in surprise while Leora lay still and unbothered on the ground. Gideon’s alert and in panic, first nature was to protect Leora but immediately realizes that Leora was still relaxed. He looks at her and back to the intruder. The girl that found them was beautiful, she had long wavy dark hair with glowing eyes, and lightly tanned skin, covered by a black turtle-neck shirt over two layers of jackets. One grey cotton with a hood under a denim blue jacket. Brown cargo pants with pockets full of what seemed to be snacks and two more flashlights.

The girl reaches down and pulls out a biscuit from the left side pocket. As she reaches down Leora stands and hurriedly grabs the biscuit that the girl pulls out. “Mine,” Leora giggles as she gobbles it. Standing in confusion Gideon takes a step closer to the ladies and Leora pulls his hand to her side.

“Gideon, this is my aunt Cora. Don’t worry. I told her about you.” Leora says as she squeezes his hand for comfort. It was one thing to meet someone new, it was another to let the people of your life meet the new creature that became special to one’s life. Gideon registered in his head that this lady was her family. He stood straight and firm to get a good impression from her as he extends his hand for a civil greeting.

“Hello, my name is Gideon. It’s a pleasure to meet Leora’s family.” His extended hand hangs in the air as Cora squints and crouches, walking around him as she smells him. A scent Cora once was familiar with, once she called home, a scent so nostalgic that when she realized whose pack he was from her eyebrows came together and a frown appeared upon her face. Taking Gideon’s hand, she shook it lightly and let go as if it were one of her brothers’ hands with a booger hiding in between the fingers.

Cora put up a face so friendly none of her siblings would recognize. She glances at him and Leora and finally speaks, “nice to finally meet the wolf that my niece smells like when she comes home floating.” A smile creeps on Gideon’s face and Leora’s face turns bright red blushing as her eyes threaten to glow revealing how much that line affected her. “I’m glad to have that effect on her, but I’m sure I’m the same and no one tells me.” Cora took to a liking that he said that to comfort her poor niece’s heart from exploding in embarrassment. She tilted her head a bit and smiled at them. “I’m sure one of your pack knows.” She smirks and continues turning to Leora, “I’m happy you met him.” Her eyes were so genuine and honest, yet held a warning in her look. Leora, understanding what that look meant, knew she had to tell him. It was just a matter of time until she does. However, until that time comes she will cherish every bit of time she can have with him. It wasn’t her intention to fall in love, let alone find someone. She didn’t want to build a relationship only to cause him trauma in the end. No. It was simple. She fell in love and that’s it.

“I’ll see you home. Okay?” Cora waves goodbye to them as she walks back and eats the biscuits that she had in her pockets.

“For a wolf, you sure didn’t sense her from a mile away,” Leora says jokingly.

“I did sense her. It just didn’t seem like a threat at first but she spoke to us. What else could I do?” He banters.

“I’m glad at least someone from my family knows about you. I trust my family. I trust Cora a lot. And she liked you, that’s a good sign, right?” Leora’s smiling face was too bright for his heart that all he could do was hug her tight and breathe in her scent. She was his home. As crazy as it sounds, and as too fast as it came, she felt like home to him.

“If one of my aunts or uncles, let alone my parents, meet you I think they’d think you’ve always been with the pack.” He smiles and leans down to kiss her forehead. They return to lying on the leaves and continued to look up at the stars until dawn.

********* *******

“You’ve got a nice smile there.” Gideon snaps his notebook shut and turns to face the voice in his room. Leaning on the door frame was his uncle Daniel. He was more of a big brother figure to him than an uncle. Despite the wide difference in their years, his uncle never matured in his view. He still bothers his brother Idris, Gideon’s dad, like they were just teens. Daniel gets satisfaction from pranking his brothers, his sisters, and his in-laws. Oliviana Willows never tamed the enthusiastic and playful nature of Daniel. She feared that one day when his spark of joyfulness fades it gets replaced with something far more dangerous than his silly pranks.

“What’s got you smiling big, Giddy?” Daniel walks to Gideon, still holding his notebook, waiting for a response. Not wanting more questions, he passed his notebook to him. It’s time someone else knew. Daniel opens the notebook to where a pencil was stuck in between. He sees a rough yet detailed sketch of a girl’s face. A girl he hasn’t seen before yet seemed familiar at the same time. His brows came together in a question but relaxed after glancing at Gideon’s nervous face.

“I knew it was a girl. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anybody.” Returning the notebook to Gideon, he sits on the edge of the bed curious for more details. Gideon keeps the notebook and returns his attention to his uncle who made himself too comfortable in his room. Daniel raises his eyebrows and grins.

“What’s her name? Does she have a sister? Or better yet, damn. Does your dad know about her?” Gideon breathes out a heavy breath as if he’d been holding it. He smiles in relief and sat next to him.

“Her name is Leora. She has a younger sister, way younger than her. And no.” Gideon sits with his elbows on his knees as he puts his head in between, rubbing his head to remove the growing migraine.

“Tell me all of it.”

“I don’t know how to say it. She’s like a dream. It’s like whenever I meet with her I’m in a different world, you know. She’s so beautiful and amazing and the more I think of her, the more I want to just be with her. I don’t want to disappoint the family and leave us unprotected, but I found someone I want to protect more, you know. I just…” Gideon presses his face in his hands trying to understand the situation he’s in.

“I get it. You want to protect the pack but you feel like this Leora girl needs your protection more?” Daniel clarifies.

“No? Maybe? I don’t know. She doesn’t need my protection she’s well trained on her own, but I just want to make her safe and she just feels like home.” Giving up on rubbing his migraine off Gideon lies on his bed with his arms covering his face. Daniel watches his nephew act like his older brother when he found out he was in love. Gideon’s actions mirrored his father and he couldn’t help but chuckle.

“What’s so funny?” Gideon asks. Daniel copies him and lies on the bed with his hands together and resting on his stomach. “You’re just like your dad. When Ris realized he found his mate it was hilarious to me. Ris was always so stoic and responsible and so uptight, it was beyond irritating. But then he met Ley, your mom, and he just became nice. It was nice for me because he wasn’t all up on my business anymore.” Daniel chuckles again with the memory of Idris walking like he was on cloud nine every time he met up with Hailey.

“What about the family? Was Grandma happy about that? Did she like her? How’d he introduce her?”

“Why don’t you ask your dad?”

“That’s the answer isn’t it, but I can’t ask him out of nowhere. Dad’s like… he’s… he’s like before he met mom. The way he was with you is how he is to me, now. I trained to be what he expected and I just… I don’t want to disappoint him.”

“You won’t. I can’t guarantee that, but he won’t.” He taps his nephew’s stomach and sits up straight.

“I’m glad I came here. I was just going to invite you to a log-cutting race, but this is nice too.”

Gideon chuckles at his prior offer, but he knew what he should do first.

The night sky was covered by solemn gray clouds. The wind was a little too chilly for Leora so she covered herself more with the thick knitted cream-colored turtle neck dress she was wearing. It covered her feet. She proudly wore the dress her mother had made a few weeks ago for her. She snuggles into her warm dress as she waits for her mate. Mate, she thinks again. Her heart pounds a little more realizing Gideon was her mate. Nothing but utter bliss envelops her as she thinks about the other times she’s spent with him.

One of her favorite times with him was when they both tried fishing with their bare hands. They both set foot on a far river that was known for fish swimming up against the stream. They watched bears catch fish successfully several times. They had waited for the bears to leave for them to try their way of hunting.

“Take off your pants!” She shouts.

“What?”

“They’ll get wet in the water! Now, come on!” Leora was wearing shorts so it made sense that she didn’t remove hers.

“I’ll just fold them!” Leora ran to the cold river water splashing around to get used to the temperature. Her body warmth was starting to spread in her when Gideon came into the water and started splashing around beside her.

“Did you get anything yet?” he says as he splashes water on her.

“I was just trying to get used to the water!” She cups water in her hands and throws it to him. He slightly screams in a high-pitched voice when the water touched his back. His scream made Leora laugh so loud that she fell into the water ignoring the cold. He splashes water on her in an attempt to make her stop laughing, but when he bent down to scoop up the water he lost his balance and fell in. She laughed even harder until they forgot what they were supposed to do there in the first place.

She smiles at the ground with the memory playing in her head when her thoughts are interrupted by a warm embrace and a familiar scent. His body covered her back making her feel safe and loved. All she needed was a time when he was with her and her day couldn’t get any more perfect than that.

“Did you miss me?” he teases. He bends his neck to the crook of hers inhaling her scent that he’s so addicted to. She closes her eyes to the feel of him so close to her. She breathes out a small yes and he continued to travel his nose along her collarbone. She felt different this time, like the walls that were protecting her were gone, and she was ultimately vulnerable with him now. He holds her tighter in his arms with the resolute of a true mate.

“I want you. I want this. And I truly believe there’s no one else for me but you.” She turns around and embraces him feeling a little overwhelmed with how much love they can offer each other despite being together for only barely a year. She looks up at him as he looks down at her. Their lips slightly parted for their heavy breaths. He looks into her eyes then back at her lips silently asking for permission. She looks at his lips as well wanting to kiss him the moment he came. They gave the smallest nods before their lips found each other. Breaths shared, warmth spreading throughout their body as time halts for them and only them. His hands climb into her hair locking her into his grip as the other on her waist. Her hands move from his waist to his nape, gently massaging and rubbing his hair. The feel of her hands was so comfortable and sensual that his kiss for her grew more animalistic.

The clouds above them started to move away and the moon, in its full figure glowed brightly in the sky. A needle-like pinch pricked his lower lip and broke the kiss. He touches his lips to look for the little sting. “I’m sorry,” she says. “I think I bit your lip.” She holds her hand up to his chin and rubs his lower lip with her thumb. It wasn’t a bite, he thinks. But he knew better than to give in to the temptation of her lips. She continues to caress his lips, so he lifts his hand to cover hers and pressed a kiss on it. He leaned into her touch and she adored him when he did that. A few moments pass and they moved to a small cliff over the edge of the island. A small cliff safe enough to sit on and also safe enough height to fall from, which Gideon and Daniel called, “cliff diving.” They sat side by side looking at the sea with a reflected light coming from the moon.

“I told my uncle about us.” Looking into her eyes waiting for her reaction.

“You did? I’m so proud of you! I have my aunt Cora and you got your uncle… what’s his name?”

“Daniel.”

“Uncle Daniel. How do you feel?” Her beaming smile reassured him that it was a good decision and feeling to finally share how he felt with someone in the family.

“Felt great actually. It was like when I first got my claws.” She chuckled at the comparison.

“I was so excited and but I’m also conflicted because I don’t want to let them down.”

“I don’t think you ever will,” she tells him. “I’m so proud of you,” leaning her forehead on his, sharing the same warmth of being in love and being supported by family.

“Leora,” he whispers “I don’t think I have met anyone like you.”

“Me too.” She whispers back.

“I love you.” He says as he lifts her chin with his hand leading their lips to a kiss.

“I love you most.” She smiles. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Gideon teases her lips by blowing on them. She leans closer wanting to feel his lips on hers again.

He snickers at her eagerness and gives her the pleasure of the gesture. The barrier feeling around Leora felt suppressed, it was there enough to be sensed but barely there to be alert for. He holds her head and waist as they share the same breath. Leora’s eagerness intensifies as she attempts to straddle him. Gideon holds her by the waist and sits her back on the ground and pulls away.

“We’ll fall if we do that here.” He chuckles, happy to know that he wasn’t the only one feeling that way.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I just… I just really want to be with you.”

“You got me, love. You got me.” He kisses her forehead and he hugged her instead of finishing what they started.

Uncontrollable passion and fierce love flowed both in their veins making it impossible to deny that they were true mates. Nothing mattered in their world but just how right it felt to be in each other’s arms. The world was not at war with anything, despite the few times he felt like something was off, fate was on their side as he believes. Not a day went by that he didn’t thank the gods that he stumbled and got lost that day, leading him to her.

“I got to tell you something.” He says as he walks her back to her house.

“what is it?” she replies swinging their linked hands back and forth.

“There’s something I want us to do soon.”

“What’s that?”

“I want you to meet my pack.”