The woman's voice found her again, but this time it did not come from the wind, but rather, inside her own head.

"If you want to find me, try searching for me in him."

A panel of moonlight danced across the black water like a path towards Tamer.

She waited but no further words or explanation came. The suddenly blinding moonlight faded away. She was left alone with her thoughts and the now softly whistling wind.

Her first instinct was to touch the rose again to see if any other visions flourished, but all she found was a discarded stem; somehow, the petals had completely vanished. She raked her mind for answers, but she could recall nothing. There was a sweetly grassy taste upon her tongue, but she could not for the life of her figure out what she'd ate.

What the hell? She wondered, eyes darting around. There was definitely a rose here. Did...something happen to it while I was hallucinating?

No. While it was possible Tamer might not have heard it being so far out, she was positive he would have at least smelt something if there had been a person nearby. 

Her hands curled around her knees. Am I going crazy? She gave a nervous laugh. No, it's too soon for that right?

Biting her lip, she realised, I am hearing voices.

She watched Tamer shiver in the dark expanse of the lake. Could he really have answers? Was it even appropriate to listen to the voices in her head in the first place?

Visions aside, there were other pressing issues that she had to find out before she could even begin setting her mind toward deciphering magical roses. She didn't bring it up because she could see how unbelievably angry it made him, and rightfully so considering everything he'd been through to save her, but while she didn't have the emotional capacity to unravel such a mess, the truth was that what Xavier had said unsettled her.

She trusted Tamer. And yet, the idea that he could be preying upon her via their mate pull unsettled her. All her life little girls like her were told stories about Lupine seducing human women to feast upon their souls. The hysteria was so deeply beat into her that she began to question the man she loved. She trusted him – or so she kept telling herself over and over. The truth was that Tamer had lied to her about being a half-breed. What else could he be hiding? Was there a predator inside him who really did enjoy the taste of her blood?

Her palms clammed at the mere thought. She dreaded being eaten alive more than being burned at the stake. For her own sanity, she was going to need to find out if Tamer had some desire to eat her, whether subconsciously or not.

She noticed the blood on her fingers. There was a lot more than she was expecting, like she had repeatedly stabbed herself on the thorns over and over. She swallowed. As nerve wracking as it was, she decided to bare all her vulnerabilities before him so she could know for certain. That lacy white wedding dress, the symbol of her supposed purity – she pulled it over her head and tossed it into the dirt. She shivered, but it was not due to the cold. He wouldn't eat her. This man had traded everything just to save her. Still, to tempt a creature she'd been told was a danger to her whole life... She licked her lips. If he could resist her naked and bleeding, she knew he'd never harm her.

She dipped her toe into the lake. She could sense that the water was cold in how the temperature seemed to electrify her, but strangely, it didn't bother her. With that dress off she felt so much lighter. So liberated. She was supposed to die a virgin sacrifice, but here she was, alive and with her clothes off, about to present herself to the man she loved.

She dipped her legs in. She waded through the panels of moonlight glistening upon the black surface like it was a wedding aisle, and gradually the water rose to her navel.

She knew there was something wrong with him when he didn't react to her scent or even sound. Presumably, he was lost in thought at how the hell they were going to make it out of this scenario alive.

"Tamer," she whispered.

She rested her hand upon the sharp conture of his shoulder blade; Tamer flinched like some bolt of lightning had surged between them. She felt it too, a powerful goodness blossoming like a rose upon her palm. The fear began to dissipate; her heart began to race as a dizzying giddiness intoxicated her mind. To defy all logic for desire was the insanity that was a mate bond. Yes. Even in this terrorised scenario, she longed for him.

Tamer was so surprised he went crashing face first into the lake.

Winter burst out laughing. His head burst through the surface of the lake, bright red.

"Hey...!" The loud tone of Tamer's voice cut off abruptly as if the words had been stolen from his lips. His eyes drank her in her pale form nearly glowing in the dark. Her black ringlets of hair obscured her breasts so that just a slither of flesh revealed itself in the shape of a crescent moon underneath. His eyes followed the crystallised dewdrops that trailed down the valley between her breasts, following all the way down to the shapely curve of her hips. Golden light ignited within his iris.

Tamer looked like he was trying to say something but continued to stutter and stumble over his words. He heated, tearing his gaze away. 

Winter's eyes softened. She noticed how he kept stealing glances from the corner of his eye – he was such a dork.

"It's okay to look, you know," she whispered.

Tamer hesitated. "Aren't you cold?" he asked.

"A little," Winter lied.

Tamer took a deep breath. Slowly, he stepped towards her. With ther bodies pressed she felt the great strength in his arms as he squeezed her tightly. His large frame swallowed her smaller one, the muscles in his torso imprinting her own. His body was burning. Face forced into his chest, she turned her head to the side, finding her ear met by his heartbeat. It was fast, but at the same time, almost rhapsodic like a lullaby. She sighed, some of the tension in her body diffusing. That sound meant he was alive and therefore, was beautiful.

It was the first time she'd ever felt his bare skin upon hers like this. Purely electrifying. Just the touch of his body quelled the anxiety in her heart. She was so glad to have him here like this that she got emotional. Tears burned in her eyes. She could have lost him tonight.

"Tamer," she said fondly, almost having forgot why she was out here. "You're the one who's shivering."

"L-Lupine have quite naturally high body temperature, you know?" he stuttered. "I'll warm up!"

The ice-cold water gave her that same kind of magical rush just like when she touched the rose. All she felt was pure energising empowerment like she was literally standing in her element. Or was it Tamer who stimulated her?

"I'm actually really not cold. "

Tamer frowned, eyeing her suspiciously. "Honestly?"

She shook her head. "Nope. Maiden of Ice flowers, remember?"

She smiled smugly, finally finding a psychical endurance she excelled at better than him. Tamer withdrew with his arms still lingering on her shoulders; his eyes flickered downward, biting his lip.

"Honestly? Even so, it can't be good for you to be out in freezing water like this..."

"I'm fine, Tamer," she assured. "It actually feels really good to actually have the opportunity to wash like this. And what about you? It can't be good for you either, right?"

It took a moment for the reluctance to pass from his eyes. The water was a literal punishment to him – that was why he insisted on enduring it.

"Amazing," he said simply, squeezing her with admiration. "I never knew you had such discipline."

It was like that vision had ignited a small flame in her chest. The closer she got to Tamer, the brighter it burned.

He slid his arms around her waist, pulling her back into him. Tamer simply held her for awhile. They stood in silence, lost in each other's embrace.

The sigh he eventually gave her was unbelievably deep.

"What's the matter?"

He wavered to the will of temptation and let his eyes drink in the naked woman before him. The moonlight Tamer magnetised now shined upon her like a wedding veil; the black waters such a contrast to her bare skin that she almost appeared to glow.

Tamer's brow furrowed and he forced what looked like a very difficult smile. He brushed her cheek gently like he was handling something actually porcelain, something he could break so easily in his arms.

"Nothing," he whispered, tucking a dark lock behind her ear. His lip quivered until he smothered it with a bite; his eyes sparkled, suddenly a lot more than just moonlight reflecting within them. "I was just thinking about how I could have been calling the beautiful woman before me my wife tonight."

Her heart sank. Breaking eye-contact, Tamer chewed on his own knuckles, crossing his other arm over himself.

"You still can, you know," she said gently.

His voice was meek. "I don't want it tainted with the memories of such an awful night."

It was her turn to sigh. Saying nothing, she laid gentle kisses all over his face, forcing him to look at her.

"One day," she whispered, holding him together in her arms.

Tamer's breath trembled. He nodded. "One day," he whispered back.

She wasn't sure she believed her own words. There wasn't enough hope in her heart for that. But it was what he needed to hear.

"I've been wondering," she said quietly. It was strange, it was almost like she could feel Tamer's sadness, sorrow emanating from his aura like a heavy ice. It seemed to disperse a little with her touch. "Is that what keeps you fighting even though it seems so hopeless? Thoughts like that?"

He nodded tepidly. "This night has... been hard for me to say the least. I had to kill the closest thing I had to a father. But the normality at the end of it..."A tear spilled out as Tamer shut his eyes. When they opened, they had the hazy kind of daze of a man dreaming. "I always thought that if I couldn't have a family, I'd just start my own. If I just keep fighting, then maybe one day..."

She felt a ooze of warmth filter through her, but her cheeks went utterly red. This again.

"T-Tamer, when you say things like that are you..." She fiddled with her fingers, eyes darting away. "...talking about a desire to have kids?"

"D-don't get me wrong!" Tamer stuttered. "Kids are absolutely terrifying! I'm not naïve enough to want to them any time soon, I know I'm not in a good place to be even ready for it. But..." He looked down, shoulders huddling as he scratched his folded arm. "I suppose I... would ultimately want that, in the end...?"

Winter stared. Tamer scratched his head uneasily; he made a sudden fist, shouting in the awkward silence that followed, "be the dad you want to see in the world, you know?!"

What started as a quiet giggle became a full blown laugh from Winter.

His eyes flickered away before meeting her own, mumbling, "D-did I say something strange?"

"Yes, you absolutely did." She grinned. "I absolutely love that about you."

He shifted nervously. Once again meeting her gaze, the tension in his features softened upon seeing her smile. In the end, Tamer just seemed pleased to make her laugh.

That gold in his eyes; it was bright, hopeful, and purely warm – like sunlight. Spurred on by the affection in that stare and moving back into his embrace, everything about him, from the moonlight twinkling behind him like a halo to the familiar warmth of his body beating like a flame, it all felt purifying – the complete opposite of what ideas were beaten into her about purity and sex. It was like that body was her safe-place. Her haven as he had described.

"You know why?" Winter asked.

"W-why?"

She smiled, feeling a sudden confidence in her righteous about him. She was wrong to think he'dever harm her. "Because the man that all of humanity called a monster. The man himself who said he'd destroy anything that tried to kill me." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "To me, it doesn't seem like the urge to harm or take life that's actually fuelling you. It seems instead you want to do is create it. And I think that's really sweet."

Tamer's eyes widened but whether it was fear or realisation, it was unclear. He flushed red entirely, but didn't look away even though it seemed he might have wanted to. He nodded. His eyelids became a little heavy as he stared down at her through his eyelashes, drawing in with an almost mesmerised look as Winter's lips parted.

She went on her tiptoes. Soft as petals, she brushed her lips across his own, feeling his own delicately flutter back like they were a pair of butterfly wings.

With a heavy sigh, he melted like clay shaped by the tender movements of her hands over his back. The kiss stole her world away, each gentle click and caress delving her deeper into a lull of safety and security. The aura of their souls brushed and the more he kissed, the more relaxed she became. Her heart felt as though it was glowing.

Withdrawing but remaining only a breadth apart, they stayed like that for a moment.

There was no longer a single moment of unease as he took the wrist of her bloodied palm – clearly, he had smelt the blood all along. Tamer dipped her hand in the cold water and the blood diluted into the black lake. Slowly, he licked her fingertip and the tip of his tongue stirred her heart into a frenzied flurry. The throbbing sensation nullified to nothing.

She could no longer believe that this man with such a soft heart and such gentle desires had ever wanted to harm her. She felt bad for thinking it for even one moment.

"What did this to you, Winter?" he asked.

She took a deep breath. She was enjoying this moment so much she didn't want to ruin it by plunging back into that state of anxiety.

"It was... the rose," she mumbled. She decided to keep the whole vision secret for now, simply too lost in the moment to ruin it. She'd tell him in the morning.

Tamer seemed as though he hadn't caught on to what she had said at first. But when he realised exactly what she was saying, his eyes narrowed.

"A white rose, Winter?"

She nodded stiffly. "Yes. I plucked it, hoping I could destroy it to save any other girl and potentially her village. But I'm wondering if it grew again so soon because I survived."

Tamer's upper lip curled. "Those people aren't victims, Winter," he said firmly. "They are enablers. They all decided instantly that you should die to save them – not a single one stood back and said no. In fact, they made your suffering a public display." His teeth gnashed. "Who decided that their lives were worth more than yours? What about you and those who care about you? Do they even stop to question why this sacrifice had to happen in the first place?"

She stroked his face, distilling his anger. The reason for her attempted murder and all those before it was still a mystery to them.

"I do feel bad about the other Maiden though," she muttered.

"I won't lie. People could die because of us." Tamer grasped both her hands and leaned in with a fire in his eyes. "But if we win, so many can be saved. No one else will even try, so we might as well take this into our own hands. I can beat the King, Winter."

There was such conviction in his voice that for a moment, she believed it.

"No, no, Tamer, you can't!" she pleaded. "I came so close to losing you earlier. I can't let you do that again! And how can you be so sure? If they found us, then surely the King could...?"

"You will not lose me," Tamer said confidently.

Winter searched his features. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe how effortlessly he spoke, not even a touch of fear riddling him after nearly being torn to pieces earlier.

"How can you say that?" she whispered. "Even just Red and Xavier are..."

"I'm not worried about either of them. Red seems to act on impulse and above all else seems to want to 'have fun' and stir shit. If I can appeal to him in that way, I reckon he'd actually side with me over Xavier. As for Xavier, I reckon he's as powerful as I am. I was just poisoned earlier. Evenly matched in other words. While I can't say it's true, Red called Xavier passionless about his desire to save others. I actually get a similar vibe from him. I've never liked the guy."

Tamer smiled. "Who do you think is going to win, a man passionless about saving strangers, or a man passionate about saving one woman who's his entire world?"

She felt his voice tingle inside her. The soft lilt of his voice sent her heart aflutter. He really was so good at assuring her.

"And the king?"

His expression became fierce. He straightened his back and a powerful gold flashed within his eyes. "If that's my Father, then it's his genes within me, right?" His fingers intertwined with hers. "Our fate is tied together – if I die, so do you. Therefore, I cannot." He softened in both gaze and voice. "You are my entire world – it might as well all end with your death. I'm too passionate about your right to survive, to give you the right to live an ordinary life, to lose. A King who kills for fun could never understand that feeling." He squeezed her hand. "I can't lose – not when it's you I'm fighting for."

Her hearbeat quickened at the conviction in his voice. Feeling the sharp yet light trace of his nails slide up her back, he pulled her body into his and pressed his open mouth hard against her own.

The kiss was like wildfire. Hot, passionate, even destructive, ravaging her with an unquenchable lust. It made her heart feel as if it were about to ascend. Despite the danger, she'd never felt so secure in her life.

Their lips parted. When she tried to dive in for more, he touched his fingers to her lips.

"Believe in me, angel," he whispered.

Staggered for breath, Winter nodded.

"Can... I wash you Winter?" he asked. "I want to cleanse this wretched night from our skin."

She nodded.

Now that Tamer's eyes were so fixated on her bare flesh, she suddenly felt a sense of vulnerability she hadn't anticipated. Tamer had that ethereal quality: the wolf was prominent in his eyes. His gaze seemed to leave a trail of heat on her skin wherever it wandered. A similar kindle of desire melted her insides as he stared her down.

Dipping his hands in the water, her whole body tingled as the tips of his fingers grazed her. Desire left her in a sigh like steam as the touch of his hands moved so expertly. The water he rubbed into her skin – it cleansed her, yet, ignited her at the same time. Only a few caresses were enough to make Tamer's nails grow a little sharp as he washed her. Although nothing dangerous, she could feel the sharpness and the stark contrast of how tenderly his hands were as they ran all over her, just the tips of his fingers gliding over her in a feather-light touch.

His claws had torn through a man's flesh. And yet, here she was, being washed and caressed by him, like his hands were tools for love, not bloodshed. She couldn't say how it made her feel. Her heart was beating fast, but she could no longer say for what reason. Was it fearful? Or was it more exhilaration in knowing she'd "tamed" the so-called beast that everyone believed to be a monster?

A terrifying realisation struck her. In his arms, she didn't care that he'd killed a man. Her infatuation with Tamer was literally draining her own sanity. It was like with each kiss, the animal within him sunk its tender fangs deeper into her soul, sensually tearing her humanity apart.

And she loved every moment of it.

She was starting to understand just how dangerous the mate pull was. The two of them were caught up in a whirlwind of passion that had already proven destructive. Tamer would kill and die for her. The lines between love and literal insanity were blurred.

"Let me get those scars for you," Tamer panted, drifting his lips to the corner of her mouth.

Her spine straightened as he planted a kiss under her jaw. As those soft lips of his glided down her body, she was reminded of how that same mouth had only hours earlier torn her apart. Now, he was tending to those scars with gentle, therapeutic brushes of his lips, tender sweeps of his tongue – all while his two hands rubbed her breasts in perfect sync. She could feel immersive heat unraveling from her core. She was growing desperate. He'd drive her insane if he didn't stop soon.

"I told you what it is I want," he muttered huskily between kisses. "Now I want to know; what is it you want, Winter?"

Her chest was heaving. Her heart a literal wreck of desire. She gulped, attempting to still the trembling in her voice.

"I think it's...you," she panted. "N-no, not just specifically that. I want you to win. I want to live, but that's a given. There's... something else."

Her hand slid longingly down Tamer's muscles. As someone groomed as a virginal sacrifice for the sake of her own murder, being alive in this heated moment with him felt like a rebellion. This thought made her heart race; the idea of defying her own destiny was more powerful than the basic need for survival she thought she'd been acting on.

Was that what she wanted?

"For now, anyway..." She sighed. "I just don't want this moment with you to end."

"Winter," he whispered ruggedly. He grazed his nail in a teasing circle around the outside of her breast. "This animal inside me is tormented. It feels as though there's an animal inside you that's begging to be let loose."

Enveloped by desire head to toe, she sighed shakily at the thought.

As if sensing her thoughts, he scowled. "Ah. Shit. I got carried away."

"You're mean!" Winter snapped as she realised he meant that he was stopping for now.

"S-sorry," he laughed. "I need to reiterate that I can't sleep with you though, at least not until this is all over. It's too dangerous. I couldn't forgive myself if you had to share in my pain when I fight, or heaven forbid, I die and rip your soul in two. The pain of losing a mate is the most powerful pain any person can go through. I can't let you experience that."

"I would take your pain Tamer," she insisted. "I want the both of us to be in this together, both fighting. For someone who just wants the love he lacked all his life, wouldn't it actually help you to have a piece of my soul within you at all times? To remind you what you're fighting for?"

His brow furrowed with a conflicted look. "Maybe. I just... wanted to aide you so you could live the ordinary life you deserve to have. I won't say no if you really want to, I want to give you whatever you want, but...you sharing my pain contradicts my desire to keep you entirely safe." He sighed deeply, not looking particularly happy about the revelation. "Perhaps we can talk about it after the horniness fades?"

She glared at him. Eventually, the irritation faded knowing he was just tryingto protect her.

"Thank you, Tamer," she whispered. She was surprised to find sudden tears stinging in her eyes. Gazing into his eyes, she kept smiling despite it. "I was abandoned by everyone I loved today – all except one. It means so much to me that you care enough about me you would tame the most uncontrollable feeling of desire, despite the fact it consumes me whole."

"I've wanted all my life to make you mine, Winter." Shutting his eyes, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and smiled. "It will do me no harm to wait for you a little longer."