Okay so slight change of plans - this chapter isn't going to be THE chapter - I apologise. HOWEVERRRRRR I do indeed think you're going to L O V E it !!! 😉

SURPRIIIIISE X

I also wanted to say a massive thank you for 630 thousand reads!! I feel like I'm hitting milestone after milestone and I can't thank you guys enough x LOTS OF LOVE X

Also - a shoutout to pinknekool for yet ANOTHER trailer for Golden! If you guys want to check it out then head over to my instagram @nobodygirlinsta and it's saved in my story highlights under fanmade trailers! SO SO SO much love to you! x

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CHAPTER 62

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Trent hasn't said a word since he finished speaking, which was at least ten minutes ago.

Instead, he just lets me hold him, his hands slowly losing their grip the longer I hold on until finally, they drop to his side, swinging like a pendulum.

As soon as his fingers have completely removed themselves from the window I take a hold of his wrist and guide him to the bathroom. With a gentle tug, his footsteps follow me like a child's, padding softly along the carpet.

He still doesn't say anything as I turn on the light and make him sit on the edge of the bathtub, his tall frame only seeming normal due to the size of it.

The last time that I was in this bathroom I had pushed him away, I'd sat under the shower and cried until I had passed out. It was strange to think that that was only a week or so ago, so much had changed. I had changed.

I already know by the glazed look in his eyes and the emotionless expression that Trent isn't paying attention to me. He's caught up in his own thoughts and revelations, no matter how much he wants to not be.

All I can do is wait for him to be ready to speak again - he'd waited for me to do the same.

Carefully, I unfurl his hands and assess the damage, trying to peer through the blood and splinters. It's not like I think he won't recover, but I want to look after him - it's one of the only times that he's not looking after me.

I slowly begin to remove the pieces of wood from his skin, trying to be gentle as to not hurt him but by the way his body is unmoving, it's clear that the pain is barely anything to him.

I don't mind the silence while I work - it gives me a chance to process everything in my head at the moment. The almost cinematic replays of the stories that Trent's told me, the secrets he's entrusted me with.

The way he has opened up to me and was waiting to see if I would accept him or not.

I already knew the answer - of course, I would.

After everything today, from the beach to even five minutes ago has made me realise nothing more than the fact that whatever this man could do, there wouldn't be anything that could turn me against him.

He wasn't evil. Not in the way that I knew. Not in a real way.

Even the thought of hurting someone he loved was enough to torture him, I could only begin to try and understand how much he was hurting in knowing that he had done it.

Especially in a way that couldn't be undone.

It made me realise why he put up with Lou, why he seemed scared of what he had said to me. It wasn't because he didn't want me to know the secret, it's because he was worried that I would turn my back on him.

Realising that all the splinters are out of his hand, I stand up, dropping them into the bin as I grab a dark hand towel to clean his skin. I wait for the water to turn warm before I run it underneath, letting it soak up.

How was it that I felt so safe around someone who I know could rip me apart without a moments notice? It wasn't because I wasn't afraid of werewolves and this entire supernatural world that I'd fallen into, but because under all of it he was still just a man.

And he was a good man. Far better than any that had already been in my life.

I sit back down beside him and lift his hand onto my lap, cautiously wiping away the blood as I prepare to assess the cuts left behind.

When I take the towel away, however, there are only faint scratches - the only indication that anything ever even happened.

I chuckle under my breath.

So, there's my answer to how quickly they can heal.

When I look back up I jump slightly upon seeing Trent's eyes watching me. Gone was the blank expression and now it mirrored my own - amusement at my expense.

"I didn't think it was that quick," I explain, a little embarrassed as I drop his hand. "Still getting used to this werewolf thing."

"Well, it has been a hell of a day for it."

It takes me a second to realise that Trent is actually speaking and not only that but making a joke and I can't stop my smile from widening.

"Yeah," I agree quietly, "That's true."

We're silent for a minute while I fold the towel aimlessly, the sound of the fan above us the only noise.

He waits for me to speak, to ask.

"You told me that it was reckless for me to step in front of you earlier," I start, the golf ball in my throat staying lodged for the time being, "and now I know it's because you thought you'd hurt me like you hurt Lou?"

When I look back at him, there's no sign of panic or anger on his features, just pure acceptance, like he already knew what I was going to say.

"Yes."

His answer is short and barely a whisper but I hear it, a confirmation that settles the worries I have about asking the burning question that's fighting to jump off my tongue.

"Then why?" I ask. "Why did you stop?"

The corner of Trent's mouth curves into a smile, the glow in his eyes only building as he gazes at me, unwavering.

"Do you know that day in English class, before we were sat together? You turned and looked at me from your seat because you felt me staring?" I nod, remembering the way I had blushed. "You grinned at me and that was the first moment in my life that my wolf and I agreed on something - that you were utterly perfect."

Oh sweet Jesus, was he trying to make me melt?

"When I'd met you outside I was so confused because of Matt and the way you were with me, that I thought I might be wrong. That you weren't my mate and I just thought you were beautiful, but when you looked at me that time and I saw the way your cheeks coloured and your breath hitched, God Elle," he shakes his head slightly, clearing his throat. "If you'd have asked me to I would have died for you right there. No questions asked."

He shrugs, his own fingers tracing the lines on his palm.

"That's when I knew for sure that you were everything I could have ever dreamed of - and more. For the first time in my life, I wasn't trying to hold back my wolf or my own thoughts, they merged as one and that thought was you. Completely and utterly - you."

If my heart could be heard then I'm sure it would just sound like a vibration because I feel as though I haven't breathed in days with the way he is looking at me. Like I'm his sun.

His moon.

Everything.

"And that's why he didn't hurt me?" I quickly say, avoiding his eyes, "Because you both agreed?"

He laughs at my summary, his head tilting to the side as he brushes a hand through his hair.

"In basic terms - yeah."

"You must disagree on a lot then."

"Oh, you have no idea," the humour drops from his tone for a second, brows furrowing, "I think I'd convinced both of us that we didn't deserve a mate, or at least wouldn't be given one. So, when I met you I could barely breathe let alone try to come to terms with it - but I managed. I think an animal is a lot harder to get through to than a human and it's taken him a while to accept that you're here. That we deserve you, despite the horrific things we've done."

"I'm not scared of you Trent," I reply with a strength that's new to me, the honesty behind it pushing me forward. "I don't think I could be any more even if I tried. I know monsters and you're not one of them."

I can almost see the weight lifting off his shoulders, the peace that my words have brought him after years of turmoil. As if he had been waiting for me to let him know that he could get past this, that he was more than what his wolf had made him.

"Thank you, for saying that."

My heart swells at the genuine smile on his face, so pure and innocent. It makes me realise that he'd probably never heard anything close to it from the people he was supposed to - from his parents, his brother.

His family.

"I mean it," I admit, my fingers twisting the fabric between them into knots. "We don't get to pick the family that we're born into but we can choose our new one."

Shut up, Elle.

"I just want you to know that I don't think there's a single thing that you could do which would make me turn my back on you," I rush out, "Not ever."

His hand lands on my fumbling ones, dwarfing them as he holds them still, causing me to lift my head up slowly to him. I hadn't been able to stop myself from rambling, from spilling my guts to him but he had shown me his darkest parts and I only wanted him to know that I accepted him.

Completely.

The air around is is static as we stare at each other - both of our souls bared in a way that we've never shown anyone before.

"Elle," he whispers, an emotion in his eyes that I can feel in my heart.

Just say it.

I could feel the words itching to break free as our eyes meet, like the only thing stopping me is this wall that I've built that I can't get passed.

Just say it.

He moves in closer, his hand on my lap keeping me still.

It's now that I realise my legs are bare and the T-shirt I'm wearing barely covers them sitting like this.

As my senses begin to awaken, my skin begins to prick and a shiver goes up my spine right before a taste of acid makes its way into my mouth.

The memories break the daze that his face has charmed me into, slipping through in the cracks of my unease.

I clear my throat and pull back from him, throwing the towel onto the counter as I move, my eyes darting around for an escape route.

"You've got blood on your shirt," I tell him, relieved that there's actually something to hide my nervous reaction, "You should probably shower."

I'm already walking towards the door before I finish speaking, my legs carrying me on their own accord, my mind fumbling with itself to get a grip.

"You're probably right," he agrees, a small but almost pained smile accompanying it.

He looks so lonely sitting in the room all by himself.

"I'll wait outside."

I slam the door behind me before he can say anything else, embarrassment seeping into me like a dripping tap, chipping away at the confidence I thought I had found earlier.

You're worthless.

My back hits the door and I close my eyes, trying to calm my racing heart.

Why had I said all that silly stuff about new families? Why was I letting myself believe that that was true? How could I forget who I was?

"Stupid," I hiss, fingers ripping into my scalp, "So stupid."

From behind the door, I hear the shower switch on. The gentle echo of the water hitting the tiles causes my head to spin with images of who's behind it and what I've walked away from.

'We deserve you' that's what Trent had said - that he didn't believe he did but I'd shown him the truth.

Isn't that what he had done for me? Hadn't he shown me that I deserved more?

The ringing in my ears begins to fade, the metallic taste in my mouth disappearing as I swallow my cautions.

I thought myself as worthless and broken and it was clear that he thought the same. The two of us had berated ourselves for so long that the idea that we could be happy was a pipe dream, something to think of when we fall asleep but never have in real life.

He had a wolf inside his head that he tried not to listen to.

And me?

I had a blue-eyed boy that had had a hold on me for far too many years.

Before I realise it my hand is on the doorhandle, my grip tightening as I take a breath, a voice screaming at me to stop.

It tells me to listen to it, to leave the room and go back to bed where I can have another nightmare about a time in my life when I was powerless and meaningless. It urges me to stop before I make a fool of myself.

But I don't.

I push it open quickly, like ripping off a bandaid. The sound of it swinging and hitting the wall like a siren announcing my arrival into the steam filled arena.

Trent isn't in the shower yet and is still wearing his shorts - thank god - but he stands shirtless, his back to me.

I would love to ogle his body and get a closer look at his tattoos but my mind is currently so numb to anything apart from the idea I have in my head and I worry that the tiniest distraction could make me crumble again.

As I step into the room and let the door swing shut he turns around, confusion dotted across his expression as he takes in my shaking figure.

"Elle? Is everything ok?"

I take a deep breath, flexing my fingers as I subtly nod my head, my eyes trained on his face and the comfort that he brings me while trying to ignore his shirtless torso.

I could do this.

It was Trent.

"I am the best I've been in a long time," I answer, my voice sounding stronger than I feel, "And that's because of you. Whether you want to take all the credit or not - it is. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me, despite what you think about yourself."

His confusion slowly drifts away, the crease between his brows disappearing as I take another step forward. I see him glance down to my bare legs and I swallow the panic that flits through me.

This was Trent.

Only Trent.

"You thought that you'd never find someone because you didn't deserve it and I thought the same. I never thought I'd find better than what I had," I correct myself, "Than what I was given."

Another step.

His eyes are locked on to me but his body is unmoving, as though now he is the one who is scared to stop me from speaking. From opening up.

"But we found each other, despite everything. That proves we were wrong."

Another step.

Now I'm only a small distance from him and I'm unsure if it's the steam from the shower or just my body heat that's making me sweat.

"I thought I knew what love was," I choke out, my throat clamming up, "But since I met you I've not been so sure and after thinking for so long that I didn't deserve love I-"

My words cut off as the voice in my head claws it's way forward, threatening to tear it all away from me given the chance, warning me that I'm making a mistake.

I couldn't keep doing this, I couldn't let my past stop me from trying to have a better future. I'd waited for this - I wasn't going to just sit around - I had to take it for myself.

My chest heaves with the breath I release, the negative words floating away with it. Like a tide that's drifting outwards- for the first time in years, my head feels clear.

I can do this.

I only realise that I'm crying when my vision blurs and I have to blink away the tears. The sight of Trent standing with his breath held lets me know that I'm not the only person who is feeling this - who is waiting to see if I can say it.

"I think that we might deserve love because I think I've found it despite everything... with you."

His golden eyes glow brighter like a spark has ignited with my confession.

Just say it.

The thing that I had refused to acknowledge. The feeling that had been growing for weeks and weeks like a seedling waiting to sprout. The look in his eyes that I pretended I didn't notice whenever he would smile and reach for me.

The look I knew was in my eyes too.

"I-I love you, Trent."

The words are barely out of my mouth before his arms are around me, pulling me the rest of the way into his body, his lips finding mine feverishly but with a gentleness that warms my heart. I can barely think as I wrap my own around his neck, trying to pull myself closer to him if it's possible.

I said it!

My body caves into his touch, my worries growing wings and fluttering away with every taste of his tongue on mine.

His fingers dig into my sides as he pulls back, forehead pressed to mine with the most beautiful grin I've ever seen spreading to his cheeks.

"You love me?" he asks and I giggle, biting my lip as I nod, "Well, thank the goddess for that. I've wanted to say it for weeks."

His words make my heart leap and I can barely begin to explain how much my head spins. I feel like I'm on a cup ride at Disneyland, waiting for it to stop and lose the magic but it doesn't.

I continue to spin.

"I'm going to get dizzy!" I squeal, hitting Trent gently as he actually turns us, his arms hooked under my bum, "Trent!"

He laughs and stops, lowering me gently to the ground while his hand raises up and pushes my hair back from my face. I can feel his heartbeat under my palm - like a drummer in a parade.

"I love you, Elle," he says matter of factly, as though it was as simple as pointing out the weather, "More than the mate bond, more than anything else, Moya Solnishka, I love you."

He grabs my face between his hands, squishing my cheeks slightly as he leans in until our noses are brushing.

"I love you, Annabelle Williams."

I know that he means me in my entirety, that he's trying to tell me that there isn't a part of me that he doesn't love. But for the first time ever I'm not clinging to the name and the memories of it. The only person who ever called me that with love is dead, I wasn't Annabelle anymore.

"Just Elle," I correct softly, watching how if anything my words only make him happier, "Your Elle."

His mouth is back on mine and I revel in the kiss, feeling my toes curl as my body touches his. I can sense the burning in my core beginning, like a fire growing with every touch, every kiss.

His back bends down as he pulls me in closer to him and our bodies flush against each other as our lips break apart. Trent's mouth moves across my jaw and down my neck, wet kisses littering my skin.

The scent of him combined with the sparks that seem to emit from his lips make me feel intoxicated and I cling onto his biceps to steady myself. My head tilts back with a slow drag of his fingers and I gasp at the sensation, his grip tightening.

I could feel him - as though we didn't have materiel between us and all it does is make my entire body clench, my mouth turning dry at the thought.

"Trent," I whisper, a breathlessness to it that I've never experienced before.

My voice seems to break his planned actions and he lets me out of his grip, releasing my body and taking a step backwards, his hands coming up automatically.

I already know that he's going to apologise. That he's taken my whisper as a plead but it's the completely wrong kind.

I didn't want him to stop.
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Okay so so u all hate me or did I not tell you that it was still a good chapter!!! For all of you waiting for the ahem dirty scenes- NEXT CHAPTER 🤪 kiddies don't read on x