I completely forgot what Almec had told me. In the midst of so many stories from the past, the fact that he was going to come pick me up to go out escaped my mind.

"Are you ready to go?" Almec asked me after knocking on the door.

"Mierda," I cursed under my breath.

I closed the book immediately, grateful that he couldn't see me at that moment. I still hadn't checked my appearance in the mirror but I was sure that between all the crying and despair I must have been a mess.

"I'll be there in a minute."

"Did I tell you you're going to need a swimsuit?" Almec's voice came from outside the room. "I think I forgot about that. And don't wear something too warm, but don't forget to grab a coat for the road."

The perfect excuse came to me like a blessing. Although I can't deny that I was curious about the dress code.

"No, you didn't tell me anything, but it's okay. I'm just going to need a few more minutes to get ready."

"Take your time, I'm not going anywhere."

I was right, I looked like a mess. My eyes were swollen, my cheeks were red, and my hair looked like a bird's nest. Well, it wasn't that much of a problem either, a little waterproof makeup could solve it.

By the time I finished putting on my makeup and styling my hair in a French braid all traces of my crying session had disappeared. Plus the lilac milkmaid dress I had chosen looked very adorable on me.

"I hope you didn't get bored of waiting," I told Almec as I opened the door.

He took my hand and kissed it on the knuckles. "It's worth every second if that means I get to see you in the end. You look beautiful, by the way."

If I had any insecurity, it all disappeared thanks to Almec's adoring look. Not only did he have a way with words, but he also looked at me as if I were the representation of the Moon Goddess on Earth.

"Thank you. I wanted to look pretty for you," I confessed, looking at the floor to hide my blush.

"You always look gorgeous to me, you don't even have to try."

There he went again, saying things that made me melt. I wasn't even sure if Almec knew the kind of effect he had on me.

"Ready for our first date?" he asked me, offering me his hand.

"More than ready."

***

I expected Almec to take me somewhere in the town, to be honest, I was a little worried about having to run into the pack members. However, he had other plans, and we ended up heading into the forest.

I'm not going to lie, the first thing I thought about when we crossed the tree line behind the mansion was the hunters. I felt as if one of them was going to appear from among the trees at any moment.

"This area of the forest is private, it belonged to my family for generations. It is fenced and no one can enter, the idea was to have an area to be able to run in our lycan form."

The breath I was holding came out along with all the tension. It was incredible how much Almec knew me that even though I didn't say anything, he could already see what was wrong with me.

"Do you come here often?" I asked him, intertwining my fingers with his.

"Every day." He sighed and for a moment looked up to the sky. "My wolf gets restless if I don't let him out for a while each day, I'm afraid that if I keep him locked up I might wake up the beast."

His words hit me differently after I read the family journal. Almec's fear wasn't foreign to me anymore, instead, it became a shared worry.

I looked for the right answer, one that would give Almec hope and wouldn't expose my fear. In the end, the shadows won, leaving me in complete silence as the two of us walked through the trees surrounded by a gloomy atmosphere.

"We're here," Almec said, ending the awkward silence.

I looked around confused, the landscape was the same that had surrounded us since we entered the forest.

Almec chuckled. "It's behind those trees."

He pointed to a group of weeping willows that formed a kind of wall with their branches reaching to the ground.

As I passed between them I felt like I was going through a portal to a magical world, the curtain of green leaves was beautiful, and when I moved them butterflies of all colors flew out.

A single look at the landscape was enough for me to forget how to breathe. In front of me was a small lake of turquoise water surrounded by lilies. The water ran into the lake from a waterfall and then continued its way through a narrow river. The weirdest detail was the weather, even though it was winter, the second I crossed the trees it felt like it was summer all over again.

"So, what do you think?" Almec asked me, holding my hand.

"I don't have words to express how beautiful it is."

"It was my parents' favorite place," he explained as he guided me to where a tablecloth with food and a tea set awaited us. "Here we can be at peace, for some reason not even animals come close to this area."

"That's a strange thing," I murmured. "And why is it so warm?"

"My mother tried to look for an explanation for years but this place remains a mystery. Don't worry, though, it's not dangerous for us."

"You prepared all of this?" I asked him, pointing at the appetizing cakes. "It's really sweet of you."

Almec scratched the back of his neck. "I asked Demian to cook them for us, you know that cooking is not my forte. But I prepared the tea."

"I know you didn't cook all of this, I was just talking about taking care of organizing all of this, you should give yourself more credit." I took a cup and extended it to Almec. "I want to try that special tea you made."

"It's just tea, don't expect anything out of this world." He smiled as he filled my glass. "Besides, you already know the flavor, I prepared the one you gave me, I have to confess that I've been obsessed with it lately."

"I'm glad you liked it, you can always go buy more when you run out of it. The tea has your name so it will be easy for you to remember."

"It has my name?"

"Yes," I took a sip. "It was a gift for you so I thought it was appropriate to call it Almec, and after knowing it's your scent it makes a lot more sense."

Almec took my hand and kissed my knuckles. "You are unbelievable, you never cease to amaze me."

"It's no big deal," I dismissed his words, hiding my blush with the cup of tea.

"It is for me." Almec squeezed my hand before letting go. "Every little thing you do is important to me."

I looked at him for a second and the adoration I found in his eyes awakened a suffocating heat in me. Almec caressed my cheek, the burning sensation was overwhelming, so much so that instead of facing it I preferred to escape.

"I'm dying to jump in the lake," I said suddenly, getting on my feet. With a little luck the cold water was going to help chase away the heat.

Almec grabbed my wrist. "You didn't even taste the food."

"I can eat after swimming a little." I broke free from his grasp, took off my dress revealing my one-piece swimsuit, and ran towards the lake.

To my surprise the water temperature was warm, making it feel fabulous against my skin. The closer I got to the center of the lake, the more slippery stones there were at the bottom. Every time I stepped on one of them I was about to fall directly into the water.

"How is it?" Almec asked me, taking off his shirt.

I didn't know how to answer, my attention was taken away by Almec's naked torso. I always imagined he must be muscular, the size of his biceps when he wore short sleeves was a great indicator of that, however, I wasn't ready to face his perfectly sculpted abs. It almost felt like a crime that he always hid them under such baggy clothing.

The surprise was such that I stumbled, falling into the water. The entire bottom of the lake could be seen thanks to the crystal clear water, and for a moment I was left observing the beauty that surrounded me.

Suddenly an arm surrounded my waist and took me to the surface.

"Are you okay?" Almec asked me, holding my face.

I nodded, "It was just a tiny slip, I'm good."

My confirmation was not enough for Almec, he raised my chin and analyzed my face as if he were looking for a wound. His face was so close to mine that I could feel his breath against my skin and for a second I lost my ability to reason.

My mind was invaded by Almec, he and his enticing lips were all I could think about. The arm around my waist began to climb up my back, stealing my breath. If it weren't for him holding me up, I would have already fallen back into the lake.

"You should be careful with the rocks, I forgot to warn you about them." Almec smiled at me and caressed me under his cheekbone. "Maybe you should hold on to me just in case."

"That would be really nice," I nodded enthusiastically, when I realized what I said my face turned red. "Practical, that's what I meant."

"Here, take my arm," he told me, after letting out a laugh. "I'll take care of you."

"My brave warrior, what would I do without you?" I joked.

With Almec's help I made it to the center of the lake, the water reached my shoulders and from there I could already feel the force of the waterfall's current.

"Can we go there?" I asked, pointing to the waterfall. "I want to touch it if possible."

"We can, but we have to be careful." He hugged my waist and pulled my body close to his. "To be safer."

A part of me doubted that that was the only reason Almec decided to glue our bodies together, however, I had no complaints. My torso touched his as we crossed the lake, the contact of our skin raising my temperature despite the refreshing water.

Falling into temptation, I placed my hand on his chest, just that touch made me want more.

"Another slippery rock?" he asked me, caressing my waist.

"No," I confessed, gathering all my courage. My voice was so soft that the sound of the waterfall almost covered it. "I wanted to be closer to you."

Almec looked down at me, his eyes held nothing but passion, and I swear that I could have lost myself in them forever if I had the chance. His grip on my waist tightened, sending shivers down my spine, I wanted more of his touch, I needed more.

He lowered his head and the small distance between our faces disappeared. Our foreheads glued together, our noses touching and our lips were millimeters apart. Almec put his other hand under my chin and caressed it with his thumb.

"I don't think I can control myself anymore," he said to me.

"You don't have to."

Almec smirked and the hand holding my chin pulled me until our lips collided. The kiss was slow, and yet full of passion. I wrapped my arms around Almec's neck as he squeezed our bodies together.

I was thirsty and Almec was all I needed to quench my thirst. The intensity with which his lips attacked mine made me lose my sanity and I was ready to demand more.

Then all my excitement collapsed in a second by a phone call.

"It better be important," Almec complained when his cell phone started ringing.

Without giving me a warning, he lifted me from the waist and threw me over his shoulder.

"It's faster if I carry you," he explained to me, starting to walk.

"You could have warned me earlier."

"Nah, it's funnier this way."

The ease with which Almec got out of the lake with me on his shoulder surprised me, in a matter of seconds I was already with my feet on the ground and with a towel around my body.

"What happened now?" He answered the call.

I couldn't hear the response, however the way Almec's expression went from anger to concern was enough to scare me.

"We have to go now," he told me. "Faustina is missing."