Five

SKY POV

I lay down in my bed, the window open, feeling the cool breeze on my olive skin. The scent of last night's rain that still clung to the wood wafted through the window, bringing back memories of him. I moved my legs over the soft blanket beneath me, letting my mind drift to the last time Z and I were alone together when he claimed to love me deeply. Our playlist played softly in the background, each song a reminder of our youthful growing love.

I closed my eyes, twirling my long pink hair with one hand, and drifted into my thoughts. I pictured him in bed with me, his one green and one blue eye gazing into my blue hues as we both smiled. Our love was so new and fresh, yet it felt ancient, as if we were lovers in a past life.

I could almost feel his hand moving along my thigh. I thought back to the last words he spoke to me before I left, "I will love you to the day that I die." I smiled as my own hand moved along my bare thigh, feeling the soft skin as his hand would have. I bit my bottom lip, picturing him moving toward me before his lips touched mine. So soft, perfectly made for me, made to kiss me, to soothe me, and to be my wisdom in troubling times.

I envisioned his lips lightly touching mine before deepening the kiss. Our tongues danced together, expressing our love. My hand still moved up and down my thigh as I missed his touch, his body, his voice, and most of all, him.

My thoughts drifted to how his mouth moved down my cheek to my neck, feather-light kisses landing on my special spot. My hand stopped twirling my hair and touched that spot, feeling the absence of his lips.

My mind wandered down memory lane. I pictured his naked, beautiful body pressed against mine. The warmth of his skin, my bare thighs holding him between my legs, my hands running along his smooth skin. A soft groan escaped my lips as my hand moved toward my core. My fingers softly moved over my velvet lips, feeling the slickness. Another moan escaped as my body yearned for more—more touch, more memories of the one my body stubbornly craved.

I let my mind drift deeper, thinking of how his strong hands moved over my full breasts, his mouth playing with each one. Biting, licking, and sucking on my hard nubs, each touch sent jolts of pleasure through my body. My hands gripped his broad shoulders, although, in reality, one clung to the sheet while the other moved hungrily on my body. I closed my eyes and just felt. I felt my own fingers moving along my sweet core, feeling the nectar caused by him, even though he wasn't there to cause it.

I moved my fingers inside my core, imagining his own moving inside me. His movement was slow, torturous almost. His eyes watched my body react to his fingers, enjoying the pleasure. I inserted a second finger, and my mind replayed the part I loved most during our lovemaking. He gripped my thighs, moving me to the foot of the bed, his fingers still playing with me as I opened my eyes to watch him. 

"Keep going." Evie encouraged me with images of him standing over me; he whispered for me to open my legs. Slowly, I followed his command, letting him see my glistening core. I moaned louder as his fingers picked up speed. He suddenly stopped and removed his fingers. I remembered my groan of frustration and the smile on his face as he moved toward me, sliding his hard member over my slit, coating it with my juices. He moved his fingers to my mouth, and I tasted my essence on him.

"Fuck, I loved that," I admitted as a longing exploded in my chest. A longing that made me furious. 

"No!" I growled angrily.

"YES!" Eveie moaned hungrily, my eyes shot open filled with outrage at how I had let Z take root inside me again. 

"I am not this weak." I hissed, angry that I had let thoughts of Z invade my mind; I bunched the bedding in my fists. As the moments passed, I tried to force myself to sleep; yesterday had been a long night at the police station, and I had barely slept. The wine had kicked in, making me feel drowsy, but the yearning in my stomach, the wanting of Z, gnawed at me, stopping me from finding any peace. Frustrated, I kicked my legs on the bed, feeling the pent-up anger surge through me. 

"You are never a bother. Call me whenever, you know that." I heard a voice declare lovingly, full of concern and adoration. My heart plunged, recognising the voice and hearing those words. 

As he got closer, I could hear him on the phone, his deep voice murmuring words that sent a chill down my spine. He was talking to a woman, calling her "sweetpea." Jealousy flared in my chest, hot and bitter. Despite my better judgement, I found myself on my feet and at the door, listening intently.

"Z." I whispered, chewing my lip. Evie, my wolf, was howling needily for her mate. She could sense his closeness, which only fueled my anger. How could my wolf forgive someone who thought so little of us, someone who made a deal to reject me to grasp at power, someone who apparently had moved on anyway?

"I miss you," he said softly, his tone gentle and affectionate. Yeah, I'll be home soon. I'm just dealing with some packing stuff," he explained. 

"Were we really 'just' pack stuff? Seriously? I am still his fucking fated mate, even if I didn't want him." I seethed to Evie.

"We do," She whined needily.

"We don't." Regardless of my feelings, It didn't mean he could just brush me aside and label us as 'just pack'. 

"I love you. But in future, call me before you do stuff like that. Ok?" He cooed. What the fuck was this? He never cared for us when we did stupid shit. In fact, he seemed to like it. 

My heart twisted painfully. Who was this woman? Was she someone special to him? Had he moved on while I had been struggling to forget him? I pressed my ear closer to the door, desperate to catch more of the conversation. 

"I can't wait to see you," he continued. "You always know how to make me feel better, sweetpea." 

"And I don't?" I argued with him in my head, like he could fucking answer me. The jealousy turned into a burning rage. How could he? How could he talk to someone like that while I was just down the hall, tormented by thoughts of him?

Evie's howls grew louder in my head, her pain and longing echoing my own. She didn't understand why we were fighting this, why we were resisting the pull of our mate. But I couldn't forgive Z, not after what he had done, not after the deal he made with Neo.

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms as I tried to control my breathing. I needed to confront him, to make him see how much he had hurt me. But as I reached for the door handle, something stopped me. Was I really ready for this confrontation? Did I truly want to face him now when I was so raw and vulnerable?