6. Goodnight

...Darius POV...

As I watched my dad walk away, I turn back to Wynter.

"Are you ok, Little One?" I ask, looking for any sign of injuries.

She just challenged my father and lived to tell the tale. She managed to block his attack without even lifting a finger. This girl was far more powerful than I had given her credit for. She already had me under her spell, but I felt compelled to find out more about her with everything that's just happened.

She reached up and touched my cheek with her small hand, instantly calming me down. I've never met anyone that had so much power over me. Just the thought of harm coming to her made me furious. Even though I knew I stood no chance against my father, my instincts were to protect her. 

'She must be my mate.' I thought to myself. I've never before had the desire to be with someone in the way I desire to be with her. 

"What's a mate?" She questions me once more, bringing a smile to my face.

I remember her asking me earlier. However, with the sudden appearance of my father, her question was quickly forgotten.

I pick her up and carefully carry her in my arms. I sit down at the base of a nearby tree in the soft grass. I set her down on my lap as I begin to think of a way to explain what a mate is to her. 

I look into her eyes as I try to find the words.

"A mate is a person with which you share a special bond. They are your other half. The person that completes you. With your mate by your side, you become more powerful. Not just in strength but love. The love from a mate bond is far better than anything else in this world. The love you share gives you the confidence to do anything." I explain.

"Why do you think I'm your mate?" She questions.

"I don't know for certain. Werewolves don't find out who their true mate is until they've come of age." I explain.

"What do you mean?" She questions.

"Well, when a werewolf turns sixteen, they can connect with their wolf. Once that connection is made, they are then able to find their mate." I explain.

"But I already have my wolf. And I'm not sixteen." She states.

"Yes, and that's very rare. In fact, I don't think a wolf has ever shifted that early. I have only heard of a few rare cases in which a werewolf shifted at the age of fourteen or fifteen. And even then, those are just stories. No one even knows if it was true or not." I state.

"Then why do I have my wolf?" She questions.

"I don't know, my little one. I'll have to look into that." I say.

"Is there something wrong with me?" She asks after a moment of silence.

"What makes you think that?" I ask, caught off guard from her sudden question.

"I don't know. It's just from what I could gather from what your father said. He seems to think I have something to do with some sort of..." she began but cut herself off.

"I can't remember the word he used..." She said, scrunching up her tiny nose as she tried to remember. 

She was so adorable. Her antics only made me smile.

"P...pr...pra..." She began, but clearly, it was not a word she was familiar with.

I could see her struggling, trying to recall what my father had said. However, it didn't look like she was going to remember any time soon.

"Don't worry about that for now. My dad has never been a fan of rogues. He's a kill now. Ask later type of person." I say.

"Why?" She questions me.

"I don't know why; he's always been like that as far as I know." I say, trying to think back if there was anything someone had said about why my dad has always had it out for rogues. I had never considered it to be abnormal, as I knew no one liked rogues. To pack wolves, rogues were always seen as the worst of the worst. Something that I also believed until I found Wynter.

"What changed?" She asks.

I look at her curiously, only to realize that she must've been reading my mind.

"To be honest, you changed me. You made me see that not all rogues are bad. Perhaps they're just misunderstood." I state, beginning to realize how grossly mistreated rogues really were.

"Do you really believe that?" She asks, jumping happily in my lap, making me smile.

"Yes. I guess I do." I say, holding her close to me.

I use the moment to familiarize myself with her scent. I place my nose in the crook of her neck, taking in her calming scent. Her scent does wonders to me. I find myself always wanting to be near her. It feels as though if I were to leave her side, that I would never find out what true happiness is. However, at the same time, I know that I can't be with her at all times. She'll have to go back to her parents, and I'll have to go back home at some point. I'm sure my father is waiting for me to return.

I smile as she jumps up from my lap and wraps her arms around my neck. We stay like that for who knows how long.

"What time is it?" She asks, grabbing my attention.

I pull out my cell phone from my back pocket and check the time on it.

"Nearly 3 am." I state.

"Oh no!" She cries, jumping away from me.

"What? What's wrong?" I ask, growing concerned.

"My parents.. they'll be wondering where I am. They had gone hunting, and I sort of snuck out while they were gone." She says.

I nod my head in understanding.

"Let's get you back home then." I state, standing up, and placing her small hand in mine. 

I'm happy that she doesn't try to stop me from coming with her. Rather she allows me to follow her deeper into the forest.

About twenty minutes later, we approach a small cave. To the naked eye, a person wouldn't even notice it. It was covered by tall grass, preventing others from knowing what lay behind. It was a brilliant hiding spot. 

"Will, I ever see you again?" She asks bashfully.

I smile as I see her bite her lower lip anxiously. She's so adorable, and she doesn't even know it. 

I crouch down to her. 

"Would you want to see me again?" I offer.

"Yes." She says firmly, smiling at me once more.

What I wouldn't do to see that smile on her face for the rest of my life.

"Then I'll make it possible." I say, bringing her in for a hug. 

I wrap my arms around her and smile as she wraps her arms around my neck. We stay like that for a few moments before I realize that I also need to get going. My father will be wondering what's taking me so long. The last thing I would ever want is for him to find out where she lives. The less he knows, the better.

I feel her arms loosen from around me. I let her go unwillingly and watch as she turns away to walk to the entrance of the cave.

"Wait!" She gasps.

I run to her, wondering what happened.

"What about your shirt?" She asks, making me smile, and my heartbeat begin to slow.

I was worried she had changed her mind and didn't want to see me or something else like that.

"Keep it. It looks good on you." I say, smiling.

"Are you sure? Cause it's quite big on me." She says, questioning me.

"I'm positive. It looks far better on you than it does me. So keep it." 

I watch as she smiles, then heads back to the cave. She suddenly stops in her tracks. 

"Goodnight, Darius." She calls, turning around to look at me once more before entering the cave.

'Goodnight, Little One.' I say in my mind, knowing that she would hear me.

I leave, knowing that she's safe with her parents. Then make my way back to pack lands. I was overjoyed knowing that she wanted to see me again. I couldn't wait until I could spend more time with her. I was truly captivated by her. As I made my way back to the packhouse, I began to work on a way to see her again—a way in which would not put her at any risk. I don't know what I would do if something happened to her.