We sat on opposite ends of my bedroom bay window. Although it has been raining almost non-stop for the past several days, tonight the sky was clear. There were no stars in the skies. The moon was bright and high tonight.

I don't think I ever had the chance to sit next to her until now. Being so close to her without her pushing me away, I could take my time to look at her.

Katya was a tall woman. She reached the tip of my nose when most women hit my chin or shoulder. She was thin, but not too thin and because she was wearing my white t-shirt, I could see her flawless long legs. Her long, straight obsidian hair fell down her shoulder and to her back. Those big, chocolate eyes were hooded and wary. She always has her guard up.

I watched her pull her legs into her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. Propping her chin on her knees, she looked out the window. Katya looked vulnerable.

"How old are you?" I asked.

Her gaze fluttered from the window to me.

"Twenty-one," she replied.

I'm taken aback by her answer. She was mature for her age, but then again, my mate wasn't like other female wolves. It was clear she carried scars and a horrible past. Whatever happened changed her and made her this way.

"And your brother?"

She looked away. "Seven."

I thought our conversations would continue like this. Where I would ask her questions and she would provide me one-word answers, but a moment later I watched her pull in her bottom lip to chew before she looked at me again.

"You said you're my mate. How do you know?"

My eyebrows crinkled. Did she not feel the mate pull? I felt it. It was unbearable. It feels like a magnetic pull. It tugs and knots my stomach. It twists and turns until I can no longer breathe. She consumed my mind every second of the day. Even my parents have commented on how unfocused I have been.

When I looked at her, I knew she was asking because she truly didn't know. It was written all over her face.

I stood up and her eyes became on full alert. I raised my hands and approached her.

"I want to show you something."

She didn't move and when I was close enough to her; I sat down next to her. Taking hold of one of her hands, I spread her fingers with mine and pressed my palms to hers. Her eyes fell to where our hands touched.

"Do you feel that?" I whispered, feeling strength and power pulsed from our hands and spread through our arms. It warmed and assured me.

Suddenly, she moved her fingers and intertwined them with mine. My heart skipped a beat. Her hand fit perfectly with mine.

"You were made for me, just like how I was made for you."

Our gaze connected and held. I lowered my gaze until it stopped on her lips. They were plump-small and round. A pink hue stained them.

I wanted to kiss her, but I didn't want to scare her too.

Forcing myself to think again, I continued, "Did anyone tell you about mates?"

"I've heard stories, but I never believed in them."

She pulled her hand away, and I felt the loss. I wanted to touch her some more. But I'm more worried about her pushing me away. Katya wrapped her arms around her legs again.

"Why don't you believe in them?"

Katya shrugged. She clearly didn't want to talk about it.

"Why didn't you talk to me before?" I asked.

She seemed to think about my question because it took her a long time to respond.

"I don't know."

I decided not to pressure her too much. I have plenty of time to earn her trust. For now, I'll settle with her sitting by me and not pushing me away. Her attention returned to the window. She was looking at the moon.

The look on her face looked weary, and I realized it was extremely late. She must be tired. I was about to ask her to go to bed, but she asked a question.

"Who was the guy that was with Rosemary?"

"Judah?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Is that his name?"

I nodded. "Judah is my Gamma and Rosemary's mate. They just recently found out they were mates."

"I met him before... at the edge of the territory."

It took me a minute, but I realized she was referencing the night we first met. It was a shocking night for me. I didn't expect to find my mate. Not very many rogues cross our border because they are afraid of death, but when I saw her, I couldn't be more relieved and ecstatic. I also recall Judah got bit by Liam. My lips curved into a smile at the memory. Judah was pissed that night, Liam had a jaw locking bite.

"Do you trust him?" she inquired further.

I nodded my head immediately.

"We grew up together. We're practically brothers. You met Ace too. He's my Beta."

"The one with the piercing and dark blue eyes..." she wandered off.

I couldn't believe it. Katya only met Ace once, maybe twice, and she could remember small details like this.

I chuckled. "Yes. He also has a mate. You haven't met him yet."

"Him?" She looked surprised, and it was adorable. I'm excited she was asking the questions.

"Yes, Ace's mate is a male."

She nodded her head in understanding.

"When we were seven years old, we went to the woods to play a game. None of us wanted to admit defeat. We continued daring each other until it went a little too far. I fell into the rushing water and couldn't swim back to the edge. The rapid current kept pulling me under.

I thought I was going to die, but Judah asked Ace to tie an old boat rope around his midsection. Risking his own life, he jumped in after me. He could barely swim, but somehow he was able to catch up to me. He held me in his arms while Ace reeled us back to shore.

Together, we laid on top of the sandy shoreline breathing hard. When we finally caught our breath, I saw Ace had burned and scarred his palms by pulling both Judah and I back to shore. We were so young, but we had each other's back. That's how I knew I could trust them. They were with me when I needed them most."

I don't know why I was telling her this story. Maybe I didn't want her to stop talking, or maybe I wanted her to trust me. She was in deep thought.

"I feel that way with Liam." That was all she said.

I wondered if I could ever get her to open up to me completely. She looks so closed off.

Then we fell into a comfortable silence again. I watched her while she looked out the window. Being this close to her soothed my wolf and me. It has been a long while since I felt this content. Even nights were becoming long and restless.

Honestly, I don't care if she wants to talk to me or not. I just wanted to be by her side.

Soon, her eyes fluttered close. They were becoming heavy, and she was nodding off. When she fell asleep, her body tipped off the window seats by the bay window.

Immediately, I stood up, flew to her side, and caught her before she could hit the floor. I swept her in my arms. She sighed and snuggled closer to me. I smiled because even when she was fighting or not understanding the bond, her wolf knew who I was.

I leaned down and brushes my lips across her forehead. I should have carried her back to her room, but I didn't. Instead, I sat back down on the wide window seating of the bay window and held her close to me.

Her long hair had fallen to cover half of her face and I moved to smooth it back.

I thought to myself in silence. I want to know all about her. If I ever find out who caused her to be like this, I won't spare them.

On the outside, I pretend to joke and laugh in the direst situations, because it would make things easier on the people around me. If an Alpha showed any sign of weakness, his pack members would harbor doubts about their own abilities.

But beneath all those layers, I took my work seriously. I'm not going to lie, I have made my fair share of mistakes but I have tried to turn an unpleasant situation into a good one.

And when it came to Katya, I don't know where to begin or how to correct my mistakes. Each time she runs away, I feel lost.

I don't want to lose her.

I glanced down at her sleeping form again and pulled her closer to my chest. Leaning back against the wall, I listened to her even breathing. I inhaled her scent and like a drug it relaxes my muscles. Moments later, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

When I woke up, the sun was high in the sky and Katya was no longer in my arms. However, it was the best sleep I have ever had in a long while. I could still smell Katya's scent on me and around my room. She had just recently left.

Yawning, I stood up and stretched before getting ready for the day. It started to rained and pouring again outside. I walked to the bathroom to shower and brush my teeth. When I came out, I had a towel wrapped around my waist.

Glancing at the closed connecting door, I strained my ears to hear. I could hear them softly whispering back and forth. I walked to my closet to pull on a shirt and a pair of jeans and then slip on my shoes to start my day.