MIA

It has been a week since I had told Noah. A week. We have been spending a lot of time together. In secret of course. When we are in the public, we would have to pretend that we weren't anything to each other. But he would leave subtle hints here and there of his affection. Like if he walks past me, he would lightly touch my hand or he would rub his chest against my arm when reaching for something. I would do the same. I would purposely bump into him and squeeze his hand before walking away. I smiled at the thought. 

But it was in secret that our affection for each other is on full display. We would sometimes lye in bed together in silence. Just being in each other's company was good enough for us. We would always go to the garden library where I played for him. Except it was more different now. He wouldn't pretend not to listen anymore. He wouldn't read. He would sit on the piano chair with my sitting in between his legs while playing. Having his full attention. 

Noah had also become much more protective and possessive. I think it was partly because of my secret I told him of Alpha kendrick. He was still furious the next morning. He hated the thought of Kendrick touching me. But i think it was also because he had released his Lycan back to himself again. He is just more of a...wolf now. 

Right now I was checking on Solomon's wounds from last week. Just making sure everything was okay. Soul was shirtless and sitting in front with his back to me. I wasn't affected by it at all. But Noah certainly was. When I asked Solomon to meet me in the lounge in five minutes, Noah pulled me into the hallways and growled me. He didn't like the thought of me being alone with another male. But I convinced him that I will only be checking his wounds and thats it. 

Once I was finally finished I let Solomon go. As I went up the stairs, Noah's office door was slightly gaped. I smiled, I decided to walk in and see what he was doing. When I walked in, he didn't notice me straight away. He was so concentrated on what he was doing. That is until I clicked the door shut. Noah gaze instantly lifted to my own. Though his face looked emotionless, his eyes softened. I walked towards him. He pull his chair out slightly. He grabbed me around the waist and gently pulled me towards him. I quietly laughed and placed my hands on his shoulders. 

"Finally, you're done with that mutt."

I giggled and shook my head, "I don't know why you're so worried. I don't feel anything for him. He's not my mate."

"It does matter. I don't like you being alone with other males. I should be the only one you're alone with."

"I had to tend to his wounds."

Noah pulled me unto his lap. he leaned in and whispered, "You should only be tending to my wounds. You should only be with me. I don't want you with other males without me being there."

"There are going to be times where I will have to be around other males Noah. And you won't be around forever."

I could see his eyes flash with sadness. Our time is almost up. Lizzy could give birth at any day. I have been trying to avoid this, but our time has almost come to and end. 

I shook my head, "Sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up. It's just been on my mind."

Noah leaned back and sighed while staring at me. "You know what my favorite moments with you are?" He asked. 

"No."

"That moment where I see your lips slowly tilt into a smile. Your eyes shine, and your heart is on complete display. Just for me. And right at that moment, it's just pure perfection. That is what I'll miss the most about you"

I felt the tears build in my eyes. "I already feel like I've lost you. Every time I'm with you, I feel so safe and happy and loved...and I don't want this to become a memory. I want it to keep going."

Noah leaned in and softly pulled me in. He placed his lips unto mine. It was a soft and gentle kiss. It was a kiss that was savoring every bit of precious time we spent together.

We separated. Noah wiped my tears away, "No more tears Mia. We haven't lost each other yet. We both here, together. Let's just focus on that. On us."

"Okay. I'd like that." I whispered. Noah gifted me with one of his rare smiles. I leaned again his chest and smelt his scent. I won't be smelling his scent for long, so I'm going to get as much as I can before I leave. 

"What were you up to before?" I asked. 

Noah groaned and sighed, "I was doing some planning. Me and Xander have a plan of how we are going to get to get rid of the rogues."

I looked up at him, "I'm guessing it's confidential?"

"Sorry, love. But you aren't exactly part of the pack yet."

I wasn't a part pf the pack. I forgot about that. I've been here for a while now and I feel as if I am. Bit legally I am not. I'll be going back to my cottage once all of this is finished. But suddenly I realized something, "Yet?"

I sat up and looked at him in question. He frowned at me, "You didn't think I'd leave you without knowing you'll be taken care of?"

"What are you talking about?"

He held my hands and was rubbing my hand between his fingers, "You won't be going back to your cottage. You'll be staying here with Xander and Lizzy. I don't want you alone. I want you to have family around you. I couldn't bare the thought of you being in pain all alone. At least you'll be in pain with some comfort."

"But Xander-" I tried to argue. 

He shook his head, "I've talked to Xander. He has agreed. You can be the pack's new healer. And if anyone goes against it, they'll have to answer to me. And that won't be good for them."

I couldn't help, but feel touched. My heart was moved. I leaned in and wrapped my arms around Noah tightly. My cheek against his, "Thank you Noah." I whispered. 

Even though he was leaving soon, he was still taking care of me. 

We were embracing each other in silence, just savoring the moment. And then I leaned back and look at him, "Let's do something." I said. 

Noah smirked, "What do you want to do, love?"

I looked out the window and thought about what we should do. I wanted to share something with him, I wanted to show him something about me. My eyes brightened. I know. 

I hop off of Noah's lap. He didn't like that. He face instantly dampened when I stood up. 

I held my hand out to him, "Come with me. I want to show you something."

He grabbed onto my hand and I lead him up to the second level of the house. We kept walking, twisting and turning arounf the halls. 

"Where are you taking me Mia?" He asked. 

I just looked over my shoulder and smiled. I finally got to the door.

NOAH

Mia was leading around the house until we finally arrived at the door. I could see she was excited but looked slightly nervous as well. What was she going to show me?

She opened the door and to my surprise...there was art everywhere. 

"Lizzy saw some of my art and she offered this spare room for me place all of my stuff."

I looked around. There were canvases and papers of paintings and sketches. They were amazing. Some were abstract and some were classic. She was really good. I turned to look at Mia. I could see she was waiting for my reaction. I went to her and wrapped my arms around her waist, I kissed her forehead and said, "You have a gift Mia. You are a very good artist."

She looked down and smiled. I could also see hints of a blush. "Thank you."

I continued to walk around the room, looking at the art while Mia was explaining the stoies behind each one. On the desk, a small, old, tattered leather book was sitting. I picked it up and looked through it. It was sketches. They were very good. 

"Oh hey! That's my-" I turned the page and my brows raised in surprised. It was a drawing of me. I was sitting next to the fire, looking into the distance. So that's what I look like. I looked like a pissed off bastard. I flipped the page and found more drawings of me in different positions. There was one of me leaning against the wall, cooking breakfast, standing while patrolling. 

I looked to Mia, she wasn't looking at me. She had her eyes on the drawings while a deep crimson appeared on her cheeks. I chuckled, "I don't mind Mia."

She covered her face and groaned, "This is so embarrassing."

I continued to chuckle and pulled her against my chest. I kissed her forehead and said, "I have to say that I feel rather flattered that I've been the subject of your drawings."

I could feel her shaking in laughter against my chest. 

She lifted her face to me, "I know I played piano for you and that alone was special, but I wanted to share this with you before you leave. Art is something that has always been in my heart next to piano."

I lightly slid my thumb across her cheeks, I leaned down and kissed her forehead, "Thank you Mia. You are an amazing artist, I wouldn't be surprised if you became a professional."

She giggled, "I'm not sure about that."

"I'm sure of it."

She placed her chin on my chest and looked up at me, "Okay, let's just leave this place for now...How about we go for a walk in the woods. The snow is melting away now."

I nodded my head, "I'd like that." I flung my arm around her shoulders and lead her out of the house. 

As we were walking out, Kieth came out of no where. He was running towards us with a smile, "Hey guys! What're you doing?"

"We're going for a walk, Do you want to come?" Mia said.

His eyes brightened, "Yes please!"

We walked into the woods with our hands together. I made sure to guide Mia carefully, making sure she didn't trip up. Kieth was running around ahead of us, playing through his imagination. He was a good kid. I didn't deserve to have him as a son. I haven't really been treating him like a son. I hate myself for it. I just didn't know how to interact with him after Eleanor died. She was helped me with Kieth. She was the glue in our family. Then when she died...I didn't even know how to look at Kieth anymore. Until Mia. When I see her playing with him and listening to him...it made me feel pride in my chest. She cared for him so much, like her own son, even though he wasn't even hers. She continued to amaze me. I remember when I saw them painting and they were talking and laughing...I realized I wanted to do that with him too. I wanted to try better to be a father again. 

My wife Eleanor would have been happy with Mia. They probably would have been friends if I was out of the picture. I still miss her. Even though I didn't really show her who I really was, I couldn't talk about things with her....she still took care of me as her husband. She still loved me and pushed. I can't even remember what she looked like anymore. 

MIA

The snow was still thick, and it was reported that there was to be one last big snow in tonight before it fully melted. As we were walking around the woods some more, we had ended up coming to a big cliff. The cliff Noah confessed to me the night of the ball. 

The view was amazing. There was a blanket of white covering the forest. There were tints of blues orange and pink. It was reflecting the colours of the sky. I couldn't help but feel lost in it's incredibility. 

I turned to Noah and asked, "Do you think we could just stay here for a bit?" He nodded. 

Noah sat down against a boulder and I sat in between his legs, leaning against his chest as we stared at the incredible view. 

"Noah?"

"Mmm?" He mumbled. 

"Nature is so complex and beautiful. Do you think the human's God is real? That he really created everything?"

"Yes." He said straight away. 

I looked up at him, "Why?"

"Because no single celled organism could have created a view as beautiful as you."

I laughed. I kissed his cheek for his compliment. A cold breeze swept over my skin, giving chills. I felt Noah move a little and then heard a zipping sound. Next think I know he had unzipped his jack and pulled me into his warm chest and zipped the jacket back up while I was still inside it. Bundling us together. 

I laughed, "We look ridiculous."

Noah just shrugs, "At least you're warm now." I continued to laugh and shake my head. I could Noah grinned slightly in amusement. And he was right, I was warm. As I was moving closer to him to get comfortable, I felt something pinch me slightly in my back pocket of my jeans. I totally forgot about the picture. His wife's picture. I didn't know whether to give it to him or not. I guess I was a little scared. I didn't want him to think I was some crazy jealous psycho. I understood that he did have a wife once. I understand that he loved her and probably still does. 

I got the picture out of my pocket, I looked at Noah and see he was staring at the view, lost in thought, but still had his arms tightly around me. I looked down at the picture. The woman with fiery red hair. She was beautiful. 

"Noah?" He looked down at me and I slowly brought the picture out and handed it to him. His eyes widened in shock. He took the picture from me and stared at it for ages. 

"Where did you get this?" He mumbled. 

I looked away, "I found it inside the piano. I didn't know if you knew it was there or not. So I decided to keep it with me and waited for the right time to give it to you."

He didn't respond. He just stared at the picture and stroked it with his thumb. His brows were pulled down as he was looking at her. I knew he needed this time process things. So I unzipped the jacket and crawled out to stand. He immediately grabbed unto my wrist. I looked back at him and smiled, "It's okay, I'm going to go see what Kieth is doing. I'll be back in a couple of minutes." I felt his grip loosen. I leaned in and pecked his cheek before leaving. 

NOAH 

As I watched Mia leave and joined Kieth at his wooden fort making, I looked down at my wife's picture. I forgot how beautiful she was. I missed her. I really do. She always had such a kind heart. She was my best friend. In times of trouble, she would help me, and in her times of trouble, I would help her. I felt guilty for what I did to her. 

When Xander brought me to his pack, I was happy, not that I would show it, but I was. Even though I didn't say much to the people, I always listened to every word that was said. Not many people would approach me however because I was quite intimidating. But then one red haired girl came to me and started to talk like I was a normal person.  She was a human girl found and lost in the woods. Xander's father didn't have theAnd that was the start of it. We became close friends. She had to go away for university, but then she came back and got married. But Matheseus wanted revenge for our escape. He kidnapped her and tortured her to the brink of insanity. Then when she was free and I found her...she was not my wife anymore. She was just a creature. Eleanor didn't want to live like that. I could see it in her eyes. Even though she had become insane, there were glimpses of my wife here and there. The night of her death, a window of sanity opened and she was my wife for a moment. She told me that she would rather die a good woman than live as a bad one. And so I did what she asked me. I killed her and I haven't been healing ever since.

Even though she was gone and I missed her...I was surprised that I didn't feel the pain that I had been feeling for years. The heartache...because I realized that Mia has healed my heart. She had brought me out of my darkness. She had broken through my hard exterior. She had shown me kindness and was so gentle. In her mind, she must be thinking that because I protect her that I must take care of her the most, but in reality, she was the one taking care of me. She is my mate. Mia is the light at the end of my dark tunnel. Just by being herself, she has changed me in a way that maybe my wife had never even could. At that moment...I realized

I love her

And I need to tell her the truth now. 

MIA

I was playing with Kieth and helping him make his wooden fort when Noah called out to me. I looked up and saw that he had tucked Eleanor's picture into his pocket. 

"I need to talk to your father for a bit Kieth. I'll be right back."

I stood in front of Noah. He grabed unto my wrist and pulled me down to sit in our original position before. He circled his arms around me tightly. He leaned in. I felt his breath against my cheek. He pressed his lips against my neck and whispered, "Thank you."

I turned my head towards him, "For what?"

Noah just chuckled, "You have now idea what you have just done do you? You helped me let go of the pain. Thank you Mia."

I smiled. He leaned in and I lifted my face more closer. He kisses me gently. Our lips move together in sync. Once we separate we turned back and looked at the view in content. 

"You son is so funny." I laughed. 

I heard him chuckle, "What do you mean?"

"He loves his mud doesn't he?"

He nods his head, "Yes he does. It's because the first time he had a mud fight it was with his mother. I think it's his way of feeling close to her." My heart hurt for Kieth. He need a mother. "He must miss her a lot...but at least he has you, right?"

Noah became silent. I frowned and turned around, "Noah?" I questioned. 

He looked conflicted like he wasn't sure on what to say. But he looked at me and sigh, "He's not my son Mia."

I felt my heart skip a beat, "What do you mean he isn't your son? Of course he's your son!"

He shook his head, "He is my son...but not my biological son."

I frowned, "But what about Eleanor, your wife?"I was so confused

"She was my best friend. She went away to go to university. But when she came back, she was pregnant and the father was an abusive drunk who didn't want her or their child. She needed someone and I was there. I got married to Eleanor to try and help take care of her and the baby. Because I thought I wasn't destined with anyone, I thought I might as well get married to my best friend."

"So you never really loved her?"

"Of course I loved her, but it just wasn't the same type of romantic love. It was a friendship kind of love and loyalty."

I couldn't believe it. Kieth wasn't his real son. And Eleanor was never his girlfriend or anything at the start. He did it to protect her. 

I could see the pain and struggle in his eyes. He didn't like the thought of Kieth not being his biological son. I raised my hand on his cheek and made him look at me, "I understand Noah. You won't have to worry about what I think. But I just want you to know that even though you and Kieth don't share blood...he is your son...and you are his father."

I see him clench his jaw and nodded stiffly, "He's my son." He said more to himself than to me. I leaned in and kissed him and he kissed me back passionately. I laid my head on his chest and I felt him tighten his hold around my body. 

"Mia."

"Yes?" 

He leaned down and whispered to me, "I love you."