*******Namjoon's POV*******

By the time I had pushed my way through the crowd of people who had watched it happen, and gotten out the door, my mate was nowhere to be seen. I started running in the direction of the base, assuming he had gone back there. When I got to the front gate, I asked the guards if they had seen him, but they said that he had not returned yet.

I turned around and looked up and down the street, trying to catch a glimpse of him. It should be easy to spot him, his light hair kind of stood out among the people in my country, but I couldn't see him anywhere.

I lifted my head a little to sniff the air, to see if I could smell him, but it was very faint, probably from when we walked through here on our way to the restaurant. I sighed and ran my hands over my short hair. I had no idea where he could be.

I pulled out my phone to text him. After six unanswered texts, I decided to call him. It went straight to voicemail, so he must have turned off his phone.

Damnit. Why did Ji-A have to show up like that? Things were going so well for us. I was happy. He was happy. My CO was going to do what he could so that we would be able to stay together.

Fucking Ji-A and her stupid fucking orange hair. And stupid face. And stupid attitude. And her non-ability to see what was right in front of her face. That and the fact that she's pushy and possessive was why I had ended our friends-with-benefits situation a year-and-a-half ago. I was never hers, just desperate. She didn't like that answer. I ended up getting a protective order against her, because she wouldn't leave me alone.

I would go to the bookstore, she'd show up. I'd go to a restaurant, she was magically there. I would go to get groceries, she was there, too, even though she lived nowhere near me or the store. I would go home, and she'd be waiting outside for me to let her in. Several times, I had to call the cops on her. The woman just couldn't take no for an answer.

I had stupidly assumed that once she knew I was mated, she'd leave me alone.

I still can't believe she came all the way here, with the hope of running into me. What did she think would happen? That I would fall at her feet? Even if I hadn't found my mate, I never would have done that. I couldn't stand her now, and I was embarrassed that I had ever associated with her.

I needed to tell Isaac all of this, but I had to find him first.

I didn't think that he was mad at me. He knew me, and knew that I loved him. I'm pretty sure that he had run because of what he did. Or what his wolf did. I could see it in his face when he looked at me. He thought that he was becoming his dad. He was worried that he couldn't keep it in check, and he might hurt me. I knew him well enough to read that on his face.

"Uhh...Namjoon-ssi?"

I looked up to see one of the two Korean guards that were stationed at the gate with the ones from the US. He bowed to me and I returned the gesture.

"Yes?"

"There are two other entrances to the base," he said. "I radioed them, and one of the other guards saw him come back on base, but they don't know where he went after that."

"Thank you," I told him. I gave him another bow, then entered the base and took off running.

They might not know where he went, but I had a good idea.

I wanted to shift, because Osian could run a lot faster than I could, but that would shred my clothes, and I hadn't bought anything to carry them in, since I didn't think that I would need it today. I didn't think showing up naked, where anybody could see me, would be the best move in this situation.

Not when Isaac and his wolf were already jealous. Even though he did absolutely nothing wrong.

By the time that I got there, I was out of breath, but relieved to see Isaac sitting on the top of the picnic table.

"Isaac," I said, still breathing hard as I walked up to him.

He held his hands up. "No. Stay back."

"What? Why?" I ignored him and took another step forward.

"I don't want to hurt you," he told me.

"Isaac, baby, you won't," I told him. "You would never hurt me."

"I could," he said, looking down at the bench below his feet. "I hurt her."

"She had it coming," I told him, taking another step. "She never has known how to back off and take no for an answer."

"But you've fucked her," he mumbled out, a tear running down his cheek.

"Baby, I didn't know you then," I reminded him. "I had no idea who you were, where you were, or how to find you. Are you trying to tell me that you never slept with anybody before me?"

He shook his head and looked up at me. "Of course I'm not saying that. I'm not a monk. And I'm not stupid enough to believe that you never slept with anybody else, either. I just..."

"Never thought that you'd come face-to-face with one of them?" I offered.

"Exactly." He put his head in his hands again. "I'm so sorry, Namjoon."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for, Isaac," I told him. I was standing right in front of him now. "You protected your mate. There is nothing wrong with that. I appreciate you sticking up for me and our relationship."

"But I got jealous," he said, looking up at me. "Like my dad. I don't want to be him. I don't want to become what he was."

I reached out and touched his cheek. "You're not him, Isaac. You never will be. There's a big difference between what you did and what he did."

"But I could turn into him."

I shook my head. "No, baby. No you can't. You're too sweet."

He finally lifted his eyes to look at me. "You think I'm sweet?"

I bent down in front of him a little so that I was on his level. "I think that you're the sweetest Omega that's ever existed. You take care of me, but also let me take care of you in return. You attempt to cook for me, even though you already know that you're bad at it. You make me laugh. You took your time to be gentle when I hurt myself when we first met. You knew who I was, you didn't want a mate, and you took care of me anyway."

"I kicked you out of my tent, Joonie," he said.

"You...suggested that I not come back," I corrected.

"Which you ignored," he said with a small laugh.

"And I'm damn glad that I did, Isaac," I told him. "It terrifies me to think of what would have happened if I never came back. If I'd never gotten to know you, if you hadn't let me in, if we hadn't marked each other. You're mine, Isaac, and I am completely yours."

He giggled again. "You're bordering on cheesy."

I shrugged at him. "I don't care. Sometimes you need a little cheese to show somebody how you truly feel."

He smiled at me and grabbed the front of my shirt, pulling me to him. "Kiss me, please."

I leaned in close, ghosting my lips against his. "Happily."

I pressed my lips to his as I wrapped my hand around the back of his neck to hold him to me, my tongue tracing out over his bottom lip to ask for entrance. When he parted his lips, I dove inside, licking over his lips, teeth, and tongue. Exploring every inch of his mouth like I couldn't get enough of it.

Truth be told...I couldn't. I would never get enough of this man. It's a good thing that we are True Mates, because one lifetime would never be long enough to show him just how much I love him.

Okay. He's right. I'm getting cheesy.

He pulled back and stared at me, breathing hard.

"Joonie, I want you," he told me.

"You have me, baby," I said, running my fingers through his hair. "Always."

"No, I mean...I want you. Now."

I laughed. "I knew what you meant, Isaac. And you can have me, now, later, any time you want. One thing, though..."

He frowned at me. "What?"

"It's your turn to claim my body with yours." 

*********************

A/N: I am happy to report that no Funko Pops have passed out today. So far, anyway. But it's cooler, at the moment, so hopefully the won't get heat stroke today. -------Kat