lked side by side. I wasn't sure what to say or how to act. It felt like all the usual words I'd use were stuck in my throat. Being this clo

g every shy glance, every twitch of my fingers. His hands were tucked casually into his pockets, but all I could think about was how much I wished h

he broke the silence with a warm c

making my heart skip. "Nobody says t

r are you just

ly, glancing a

for a moment, ever

up," he said "Life isn't al

hy I suddenly became serious. I wasn't always lik

hat serious,"

s head "What

respect, everyone looking up to you as Alpha. To you, life mi

o face me fully. "Don

me in place, filling me with an ache I couldn't understand. He cared-th

thoughts. He then nodded toward the trees, leading me

n to kill me," I joked "j

ghed "

hispered, "You really have the most beaut

hand in his. His touch was electric and my fingers tingled. It felt... natural, like this was how

ake was. The water shimmered under the sunligh

tiful," I

t. I could stay here forever. It was that b

es I run here in wolf form. It's one of th

yself leaning into his shoulder, and he didn't pull away. The silence settled ov

e of my mom," I murmu

love it

loved water. Nature. She's b

His grip on my hand tightened "

felt tight. "It is. I try to stay strong for my

rever she is," he whispered as his t

ks, but I didn't feel the need t

st as if confessing a secret. "My mo

me. I squeezed his hand, feeling

ry," I w

e things are ju

ut before I could s

nstead of awkwardness, his face l

murmured,

d he wrapped his arm around me. For the

-

Tyler. We'd been by the lake for hours. We lost all sense of time in each other's company. I carefully sli

d the stairs, a low voice

you for the

l, shirtless. He smirked at me. Something abo

," I said quickly. "I

way that made me feel exposed. "Wouldn't it be a sh

do you

y arm as he spoke in a low tone "I mean... I

ut another word, I turned and ran up the stairs with my heart pounding. I l

ell had ju