I couldn't have packed my bag any quicker than I did.

I was ready to escape and not have to think about anything going on around me.

Luca was still outside on the phone when I came downstairs with my duffle bag in hand.

"Sorry, I had to give a few people a heads up that I would be gone," he told me, walking inside. "Give me a second to pack a bag and we'll leave."

I nodded as he jogged off into his bedroom.

Making myself a quick snack, I was done eating by the time Luca came back into the kitchen.

"We'll need to bring a few things to eat with us," Luca told me.

"To eat?" I asked. "Where are we going?"

"Pretty far up into the mountains," he replied. "I can make due on the river, but I'm assuming you don't want to eat fish for every meal."

I grimaced, shaking my head. I didn't have a problem eating fish, but I certainly didn't want it for breakfast.

Luca went to his garage and got a cooler that he brought back inside so we could stock up on food.

"Ready?" He asked as we loaded the last of the groceries into the cooler.

I nodded eagerly.

I carried his duffle bag for him while he carried the cooler out to his truck, my own bag over my shoulder.

As Luca walked up to lock the house door, Bates was pulling down the driveway in the bug.

"Bitch move," he yelled at Luca. "Do you know how much gas costs these days?"

Luca laughed.

Bates pulled into the garage and parked before getting out to help me put our duffle bags into the backseat of the truck.

"Here, let me help," he told me, noticing that I was struggling with one hand.

He turned to make sure Luca wasn't listening.

"You need to talk to him while you guys are away," he whispered. "This would be the perfect time to get things off your chest."

"Get what off my chest?" I asked, avoiding his eye contact.

"What we talked about the other night," Bates reminded me.

I looked over his shoulder to see Luca approaching.

"Maybe," was all I said as I closed the backdoor of the truck.

"Y'all have fun, but not too much fun," Bates said as Luca got into the truck. "You've got less than two weeks until the induction ceremony."

Luca flipped him off, making me laugh.

Bates laughed as well as he walked over to get into his Jeep.

We backed down the driveway, followed by Bates, and Luca shut the gate behind us before driving off.

As we passed through the pack border, I noticed how many guards were standing along the fence. Lincoln wasn't kidding when he said they had doubled security.

We drove for about an hour until we reached a road that was off the beaten path.

After a few minutes of a precipitous drive up the mountain, we reached even ground and took a path that led down to a cabin sitting on the side of a wide river.

It was relatively small, but cozy nonetheless.

Luca parked on the gravel driveway out front.

"My grandpa used to bring me out here," He said, unbuckling. "I loved it because it was so isolated. It was the first place I thought of when you said you wanted to get away."

I smiled as I got out of the truck. The sound of the rushing water from the river was the first thing I noticed.

The second was the sunset.

I could see the warm color of the sky as the sun set behind the mountain, the chilly night air settling in.

I followed Luca up to the front door as he pulled out a set of keys to unlock it.

We walked inside and I immediately shivered.

"It's freezing in here," I laughed.

Luca walked over to the thermostat.

"We kept it cold during the winter to conserve the energy. I hardly come up here anymore," he told me.

"Why not?"

He shrugged.

"Don't have the time, I guess."

I held my arms as I looked around the cabin.

The floor plan was completely open concept. A small kitchen and dining area were on one side; there was open shelving next to the gas-range stove and a small table that seated four in front of the fridge.

A running rug stretched from the kitchen to the living room to stop right in front of the couch and chair that sat in front of the stone fireplace.

I followed Luca to the door that was on the other side of the room and he opened it to reveal a small bedroom that also had a fireplace. The king-sized bed was the only thing that could fit inside the room other than a nightstand on one side of the bed and a small dresser on the other.

"It's quaint," Luca said, opening the en suite door. "It needs some serious work and updating."

"I love it," I told him, already feeling the anxiety slipping away from my mind.

I placed our duffle bags on the bed and went back out into the living room, walking outside through the back door that led out onto a deck.

If it hadn't been so cold, I would have lit the fire pit that sat outside and cuddled up with a blanket next to it. But the frigid air on the mountain made me retreat back inside the house.

"Are you hungry?" Luca asked me, pulling things out of the cooler to put them inside the empty fridge.

I shook my head.

"I ate before we left."

"I'm starving," he admitted.

I sat in the kitchen with him as he fried himself eggs, insisting the entire time that I wasn't hungry.

"So what do you think?" He asked, gesturing around us as he finished his food.

"It's so cozy," I told him.

"Isolated enough for you?"

I laughed.

"Yeah, it's definitely secluded."

"I'll take you hiking up the mountain tomorrow," he told me. "It's an amazing view at the top. Hopefully it will be a bit warmer."

I nodded.

"That sounds great."

I felt a chill and rubbed my bare arms, wishing I'd had the foresight to bring a sweatshirt.

Noticing this, Luca stood up from his chair and lit the fireplace.

"This will warm us up a bit quicker," he said, adjusting the logs in the hearth. "I should have had more gas put into the heater."

Getting out of my chair, I sat down on the rug in front of the fireplace, pulling the blanket that was draped over the back of the couch down around me.

"What were you and Bates talking about earlier?" Luca asked me from the kitchen as he washed the frying pan.

Shit.

I gulped.

I kept my eyes on the growing flame as I contemplated my answer.

"Amore?"

"We were talking about you," I said finally.

I heard the faucet turn off.

Not able to bring myself to look at him as he walked over to where I sat, I kept my eyes on the hearth.

"What about?" Luca asked, leaning against the mantle.

I drew in a deep breath.

"It's kind of awkward," I admitted nervously.

"And you talked to Bates about it?"

"It's only awkward to you," I said. "Bates doesn't really care, I guess."

Luca walked away abruptly, surprising me.

He walked back into the kitchen and grabbed something from the shelf, although I couldn't tell what it was now that the sun had almost completely set and the only light in the room was the glow from the fireplace.

He returned to sit next to me, a bottle of whiskey and two glasses in his hand. The amber-colored liquid glowed in the firelight.

"What is this?" I asked, eyeing him as he placed the glasses in front of me.

"Gets rid of the awkward."

He poured the glasses halfway and slid one over to where I sat.

I turned to face him, picking the glass up.

I sniffed the whiskey before taking a sip, coughing after I'd swallowed it. The charcoal taste and burning down my throat made me grimace.

"How do you drink that?" I asked, watching Luca take a gulp from his glass.

"I've gotten used to it, I suppose. There's tequila over there if you prefer."

I shook my head, taking another sip.

A few minutes passed as we watched the flames lick the stone lining of the fireplace, the logs cracking in the hearth.

I felt my body beginning to get warm as Luca poured both of us a second glass. Shedding the blanket from my shoulders, I crossed my legs as I sat on top of it.

I fought against my words that sat impatiently on the edge of my tongue as my inhibitions melted away.

Getting drunk probably wasn't a good idea, I thought.

"How many women have you slept with?" I asked Luca, regretting the words as soon as I'd said them.

I couldn't even bring myself to look at him as he finished off his glass and picked up the bottle.

A few moments passed before he sighed.

"Six," he answered, taking a swig from the bottle itself.

I wasn't prepared for his answer. I felt like someone had kicked me in the sternum, my breath escaping me.

You shouldn't have asked, I thought.

I lifted the glass to my lips and took a long swallow, ignoring the burn as it traveled down my throat.

"Is that what I had to get you drunk to ask me?" Luca asked.

My voice was barely above a whisper as I answered:

"I've thought about it for a while, just never had the courage to ask."

We were quiet for a few more minutes.

Fuck it, I thought. Might as well as the other question too.

"When was the last time?" I asked, my voice cracking.

A few silent moments passed.

"Eight months ago."

I stared into the flames, tapping against the rim of the glass as it sat in my lap.

"I haven't seen any of them since," he offered. "None of the women live in my pack. It never happened more than twice with any of them and never in my bed or house."

Luca took another sip from the bottle as he sat up straight to prop his elbows on his knees.

More silence.

"I can't imagine what you're thinking or feeling," he said, his voice low. "The thought of you saying anything similar to me makes my chest hurt."

I felt nearly lightheaded, but I couldn't tell if it was because I was lingering between tipsy and drunk or if it was because I fought against punching Luca.

"I know you probably feel betrayed-"

"Jealous," I corrected. "Just... jealous."

He looked at me with furrowed eyebrows.

"Jealous? You don't have anything to be jealous of. I never felt an ounce of emotion towards any of them."

"Jealous that they know you intimately," I clarified, pulling my knees into my chest to rest my chin on top of them.

I sighed.

"I guess I'm jealous of anyone at this point," I admitted. "I'm even jealous of your sister and Ben. They seem like they are so happy. I just can't help but think if our mate bond wasn't broken, that we would be that happy."

Luca was quiet for a few seconds.

"I never realized you would have had to deal with the consequences, too," he said finally. "I couldn't have imagined it would hurt this much."

I found myself shrugging, dropping my knees.

"I guess it will be better in two weeks," I said.

Luca fell quiet.

I turned to look at him, watching him as he stared into the fire, his hand still gripping the neck of the bottle. The shadows cast along his face accentuated his cheekbones and made his eyes look like they were glowing. Despite his solemn expression, he was still the most gorgeous man I'd ever seen.

He turned to me.

"I'm really selfish," he admitted, catching me off guard.

Luca must have seen the confusion on my face as he continued.

"I rarely think of other people. I should have let you stay in Oregon until the blue moon. I knew they wouldn't let us be together until then, I just ignored it. I was selfish to do that to you, especially so suddenly. But I just knew if I left you, that your dad-"

He stopped himself.

"That he would take you and hide you away again and that I wouldn't be able to find you," he sighed. "God knows you wouldn't have wanted to be found."

He stared at me intensely, eyes full of sorrow.

"I'm sorry I've made you miserable," he said.

I gulped down the knot that formed in my throat.

"You deserved someone so much better," he sighed. "I guess I always knew that. I can't help but wonder if Fate screwed up..."

My eyebrows furrowed as I looked at him incredulously.

"You think that?" I asked. "Have you looked in the mirror recently? You're so out of my league. I would have thought you would have been disappointed to get stuck with someone like me. I'm sure all the girls before me were leggy blondes who-"

"Stop," Luca said interrupting me suddenly, his expression showing anger.

"I didn't sleep with those women because they were attractive, I did it because I was lonely," he admitted. "Secondly, you are, by far, the most gorgeous woman I've ever laid eyes on."

I fought against letting myself cry at his admission.

"Tell me what I can do to make you believe that," he begged.

"I don't think you can," I whispered. The fire in the hearth became a blurred glow in front of me as tears filled my eyes.

"I just can't believe someone like you would want me," I admitted. "And I know how badly you want me, because you tell me, but I-"

I stopped to take a breath, feeling my chest tighten.

"I just feel so guilty," I whispered. "I hear my dad in the back of my head. But then, when you kiss me and you hold me, I feel so content and the voice goes away. But there's this part of me that's still hanging on to trying to make them proud and trying to be good enough and it makes me push you away."

I drew in a deep breath, letting it out slowly before turning to Luca.

"I'm so tired of feeling guilty," I said, my voice breaking.

Luca put the bottle on the ground before sliding closer to me, using one hand to wipe away a stray tear on my cheek.

"How do I fix it?" He asked me, hands cradling my face.

I leaned into him, my nose touching his. I looked down at Luca's lips before returning my gaze to meet his.

"Stop letting me push you away," I pleaded.

We both pushed forward for the kiss, our mouths meeting in the middle as our lips crashed together.

My eyes closed as the taste of his mouth invaded mine. His hands moved from my face and wrapped around my body, my hands going up to his neck to pull his face closer to mine.

Our tongues danced with equal fervor, a needing feeling growing in the pit of my stomach.

Luca's hands tugged at the hem of my t-shirt as he pulled it up and over my head, breaking the kiss. Luca wasted no time in ridding me of my bra before laying me down against the blanket beneath me.

I reached over him and pulled his t-shirt over his head. He pulled his arms out of the sleeves and threw it off somewhere behind me, leaning back down over me.

I gasped as his lips latched onto one of my breasts, the other being massaged gently in his hand. He took my nipple between his teeth, tugging it slightly.

Moaning, I cradled his head in one hand, the other against his shoulder.

His mouth moved across my chest, pressing his lips against my other breast.

It wasn't until I felt the loosening of the button on my jeans that's I realized where his hands had wandered.

"Luca," I warned slowly as he pulled the waist of my pants down my thighs.

He shushed me, pulling them all the way off and picking up both of my legs to rest them over his shoulders.

Luca planted wet kisses along my inner thigh, his lips closing in on where my body longed for him to be. My eyes closed as I relished in the feeling before opening again as I felt his thumbs hook around my panties and tug them down.

"This is a bad idea," I stuttered breathlessly.

Luca groaned against my skin. I couldn't tell if this was in agreement with me or not.

He pulled my panties down to my ankles and resumed in his spot between my legs. Positioning both thighs on his shoulders, he continued the trail of kisses down my inner thigh.

I propped myself up on my elbows.

"We need to stop before it gets too far-"

My sentence was cut off by my own gasp as Luca's mouth pressed against my core, his tongue sliding between my folds.

I gripped the blanket tightly with both hands, my jaw dropping as I moaned.

Luca's tongue began to move against me in a slow, torturous rhythm.

My shoulders fell against the floor, my back arching in pleasure.

His hands moved from my thighs to slide up my stomach, pulling me closer against his face.

Moaning loudly as his tongue brushed against my clit, I could feel the pressure building between my hips with each stroke of his tongue against me.

My legs began to shake as I reached down and ran my hand through his hair, pressing his face into me further.

My chest rose and fell with every erratic breath I managed to take between each gasp and moan that tumbled from my lips.

I closed my eyes tight, feeling like I was about to explode.

My whole body trembled as I came, his name echoing around the room.

Luca pulled away, slowly dragging one hand down my torso and between my legs, using his fingers to massage me gently as I rode out the next wave of my orgasm, writhing underneath him.

I was still trying to catch my breath when my eyes opened to see him watching me intently.

I pulled the corner of the blanket over my naked body to cover myself, suddenly feeling overexposed.

Luca laid down on his back next to me, both of us now staring at the ceiling.

"Fuck," was all I could manage to say between breaths.

He turned to me.

"Hoping that's means it was good?"

I just nodded, unable to verbalize anything more articulate.

He chuckled as he propped himself up on his elbows and turned to me.

"You're fucking perfect," he said, getting serious. "Please don't forget that."

He sat up and grabbed the bottle of whiskey, shaking his head.

"This shit makes me horny," he admitted.

By all means, pour another glass.

- - -

Um... ok then.

Maybe getting away from everyone in an isolated cabin when you've got chastity to practice wasn't such a good idea, lol

But don't worry, it gets a whole lot more interesting ;)

Don't forget to vote on the chapter and comment your thoughts below!

I'll be posting tomorrow's chapter at 8:30pm EST (New York time) as I have a busy day tomorrow and won't be able to post tomorrow morning.

Out the door, dinosaurs!

MaybeManhattan .x