You can do this, you can do this.

My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest.

Sweat dripped from every pore, making my hands sweaty as they reached out for the next bar in front of me.

You can do this.

As my feet landed on the wooden platform, I lowered shaking arms to look at the timer on my wrist.

Four and a half minutes left.

Chest heaving for air, I reached out and grabbed the salmon ladder bar and shifted my body weight to thrust it into the divider above it—continuing this movement until I was four feet higher and could reach the platform above it.

I pulled myself onto the platform, trying not to think about how high I was in the trees.

Swallowing my fear, I grabbed the rope in front of me and swung to the next platform that was a few yards away.

When I landed, I saw Luca standing on the ground a little more than a hundred feet away.

"Go! Go! Go!" He yelled enthusiastically, hands pumping in the air.

I smiled.

"Let's go! Move it! Hurry!" Fallon screamed next to him, ushering me forward with her hands, one of which held a stopwatch.

I jumped forward to the hang onto the climbing net, trying to methodically but quickly lower myself to the ground.

I could hear them cheering for me as my feet landed in the dirt, my shaking legs running me over the finish line.

Fallon clicked the stopwatch to stop it as Luca rushed forward and lifted me into his arms, beginning to jump around enthusiastically.

I felt limp from exhaustion in his arms as he kissed both of my cheeks in rapid succession.

"That was amazing, amore. I'm so proud," he said, beaming.

I couldn't help but emulate his bright smile, pulling him into a hug.

Hearing the children cheering behind him, I looked over his shoulder to see Cristina and her kids standing a few feet away, clapping for me and screaming with excitement.

Luca placed my feet back on the ground before I walked over to them, giving them each a high five.

"I want to do the defense team test when I grow up," Leesa said aggressively, her firm tone surprising the quiet boy who stood next to her.

"You have to be very strong," I told her, nodding.

"Oh, I am," she assured me quickly. "I can pick up my laundry basket even when it's full."

"I wish I could do that," a voice said behind me.

I turned to see Bates approaching, a smile on his face.

"You can't pick up your laundry basket?" Leesa asked him.

"I don't have a laundry basket," Bates said shaking his head.

Her nose scrunched at his response.

"So where do you put your dirty clothes?" She asked him.

"In a chair, in the corner of my room," he answered.

"Yuck!" Leesa said, pinching her nose.

I just laughed, Bates pulling me into a one-armed hug.

"Congratulations on passing," he said. "Are you going to join the defense team now?"

I shrugged.

"I might. I just did it this time to beat Fallon's record," I admitted.

"It won't stand for long," she assured me, cutting into our conversation. "I'm planning on doing the course tomorrow to regain my title."

Bates just rolled his eyes.

Luca moved between Bates and I, pushing us away from each other.

"I don't like this level of physical proximity here," he said sternly. "Between the hugging and the hand-holding, you two are getting too comfortable with each other." 

Bates and I looked at each other with wide eyes as Luca walked between us.

"Does he know?" He whispered.

I shook my head slowly.

"Know what?" Fallon asked, her tone loud.

Luca turned around quickly, sensing her confusion.

I felt panic wash over me like ice-cold water, Bates' countenance mirroring his terror.

"What am I missing?" Luca asked slowly, his voice deep and slow.

I couldn't bring myself to look at him, Bates and I staring at each other like we knew we were both about to die.

"Tell him," I whispered through gritted teeth, nodding in Luca's direction.

Bates shook his head quickly.

"You tell him after I'm gone," he said, beginning to back away.

I grabbed his arm to keep him from moving any further.

"You're the one who did it," I argued. "You tell him."

"Did what?" Luca interjected, although his expression told me he was already putting the pieces together.

Bates drew in a deep breath as he yanked his arm away from my grasp.

"Listen," he started off. "I think maybe this is best discussed over a phone call after I'm five-hundred miles away–"

"Spit it out now," Luca said sternly.

I grimaced as I anticipated Bates' next words.

"I may or may not have possibly..."

Bates trailed off. .

"I kissed her."

"You did what?!" Blaine screeched from where he stood next to Luca, exhibiting more emotion then than I'd ever seen him show.

The entire group of people who stood there went completely silent.

Luca's stoic expression morphed as his eyebrows drew together, his jaw tightening.

Bates went to say something and Luca held up his hand to silence him.

"You've got twenty seconds to get out of my sight and after that I swear to God..."

He didn't have time to finish his sentence before Bates was running away.

Luca's attention turned to me, causing me to gulp.

He began to say something but stopped himself, instead opting to take a deep inhale.

The look he gave me made shivers roll down my spine and I knew exactly what that look meant:

This will be discussed later.

As Luca turned away from me, Mady walked over from where she had been standing with Blaine.

"You didn't seriously kiss your mate's Beta, did you?" She asked with a disapproving and incredulous tone.

I gave her a scowl.

"Of course I didn't, he kissed me," I retorted. "And besides, it lasted like two seconds and there was nothing there. He did it just to hide my scent."

Mady pursed her lips.

"Good luck convincing Luca of that," she sighed.

"Trust me, I'm going to try," I assured her. "My back will probably hurt for a week after tonight."

"My back hurts all the time," she sighed.

I reached out, tapping her swollen belly with two fingers.

"I would say Blaine is to blame for that, but not in the same way," I laughed.

Mady just shook her head, cradling her bump with both hands.

"Just because you're pregnant doesn't mean you get to cop out of doing the course, though," I reminded her playfully. "In a year, you're going to be racing me through this thing."

She scowled.

"No, thanks," she said. "I have better things to do. I'm an Elder now, remember?"

I rolled my eyes, despite knowing it was the truth.

Luca had completely disbanded his entire Council of Elders—with the exception of Philip—and had elected others to replace them.

Mady was one of those he chose.

I couldn't imagine anyone more perfect for the job.

"We're leaving," Luca told me, walking quickly past where Mady and I stood.

She gave me a reassuring smile as I turned to follow him towards the truck.

"Lulu," I said in a sing-song voice as I trailed behind him, struggling to keep up with his face-paced steps.

He ignored me completely, arriving at the truck and getting into the driver's side of the cab.

"Shit," I sighed, realizing how mad he actually was.

I got into the truck with him and rode home in silence, trying to think of what I could say that could actually do it's part in remedying the situation and not make it worse.

The truck pulled into his driveway and he leaned forward to put the car into park and turn off the engine.

We each sat there for a moment, neither making a move to get out.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," I said finally.

Suddenly, Luca hit the steering wheel with the inside of his hand, making me jump.

"Fuck not telling me it happened. Why did it happen in the first place?" He asked, the volume of his voice increasing with each word.

He didn't even wait for my response as he opened his door and got out. I scrambled to unbuckle my seatbelt and get out of the truck quick enough to follow him through the garage and into the breezeway.

"Luca, stop," I told him, following his quick steps inside the house.

Giving up on trying to keep up, I stopped walking and watched as he walked through the living room towards his bedroom.

"You're not going to give me a chance to answer you?" I called after him.

"I don't want details," he answered simply.

"Maybe you do," I argued.

Luca turned to me just as he got to his bedroom door.

"He kissed me," I said. "It was the night my parents died. I had honestly even forgotten he had because of everything that has happened since."

"Why the fuck would he do that?" Luca asked.

"To cover my scent," I said. "We were trying to get to the meeting house and a wolf was closing in on where we stood. It only lasted like a second or two and it made us both want to puke."

I took a deep breath after speaking so quickly, trying to get my explanation in while I had his attention.

Luca hesitated for a few moments as he was trying to decide what to say.

"Please believe me," I begged, walking towards him. "I would never have kissed him. I don't think about him as anything other than a friend. There's no reason at all to be jealous."

His eyebrows furrowed as he turned, beginning to walk towards me slowly.

"Jealous?" He asked in disbelief. "I'm not jealous, amore. Not of Bates. I'm certainly angry it happened, but I can't be mad at you. I just..."

Luca's voice trailed off as he stopped in front of me, his hand reaching out to tug the hem of my tank-top and pull me towards him.

"I just miss you," he admitted finally, his lips close to my face.

I felt myself gulp the knot in the back of my throat.

It had been two months since my parents had passed away and two months since Luca and I had made love.

He said he had been giving me space and time to heal, but every time I tried to initiate sex, he pushed me away.

I honestly felt relieved to know that he missed me; that he missed my body.

I had begun to think that my now-crooked nose and the scar along my cheek meant I was no longer attractive to him. Even though I knew deep down it wasn't true, it was a whisper I heard when I looked into the mirror.

"I miss you too," I said back.

I looked up into his eyes, biting the inside of my lip as I watched him hesitate to kiss me.

"Why do you keep pushing me away?" I asked softly.

"I guess..." he started before trailing off to think about it.

"I guess I never realized before how fragile someone could be," he admitted. "You were so broken and I didn't feel like I could be gentle enough to fix you. I didn't want you to feel used or to use me to numb the pain."

"I'm not a china doll," I reminded him.

I saw him smile slightly.

"Sometimes I feel like the big, bad wolf, though," he said.

"'Big' and 'wolf' maybe," I smiled. "But certainly not 'bad.'"

"Don't let any of the other Alphas hear you say that," he said. "I've got a reputation to uphold."

"You're not an Alpha to me, just my mate," I said, my face drawing nearer to his.

Luca hummed.

"What if I want to be both to you?" He asked.

"I think we should get wine-drunk and I'll let you convince me," I teased.

I saw his eyes grow dark as he considered it.

"Shower first," he told me.

My eyebrows furrowed, confused as to why he would turn down my advances again after our flirting.

"You're sweaty," he reminded me, seeing the confusion on my face. "You stink."

My jaw dropped in offense and I punched Luca in the shoulder, making him laugh.

"Are you going to at least join me in the shower?" I asked, walking around him to head into his bedroom.

"I might," he told me. "But I want you to promise me something first."

I nodded.

"If Bates ever touches you again, you have to tell me so I can end his life."

I rolled my eyes.

"What if it's like a threesome situation though?" I asked. "Does that count?"

I immediately busted out into hysterical laughter at the look on Luca's face.

"It was a joke," I clarified finally, wiping tears from my eyes.

"I swear to God, woman," he said seriously. "If anything like that ever exits your mouth again I will break his neck."

"You're so violent," I told him, turning to walk away.

"No," he argued. "I'm your mate."

"Are you coming or what?" I asked him, opening the bedroom door.

Luca was pulling his shirt over his head as he walked behind me into his bedroom.

"If I ever say no to this," he said, following me into the shower, "you have my permission to shoot me."

I just shook my head as I backed into the stream of water, Luca's naked chest pressing against mine.

"Remember when you said you were an Alpha?" I asked, my voice low as I lifted myself onto my tiptoes so my lips could skin against his.

Luca looked at me like he anticipated my next words:

"Prove it."

- - -

Aww, I'm gunna miss them and this book :(

Epilogue will be posted soon!

Love you,

MaybeManhattan .x