John’s POV
I caught the scent of her hesitation before she even moved.
Stephanie’s hand hovered over the doorknob, her shoulders tense. Her breathing was steady, controlled, but I knew better. She was about to bolt.
In a flash, I moved, cutting her off before she could step inside. I wasn’t even sure why I did it, only that letting her slip away didn’t feel like an option.
She gasped, her eyes widening in shock. “What the hell, John?”
I crossed my arms, blocking the door with my body. “Were you planning on running away?”
Her lips parted, then pressed into a thin line. “I wasn’t running.”
“Then why did you freeze up when you saw me?”
Stephanie huffed, crossing her arms. “I wasn’t expecting you to appear out of nowhere like a damn shadow.”
I smirked. “Werewolf speed has its perks.”
She rolled her eyes and tried to step around me, but I shifted, keeping her in place.
She let out a frustrated sigh. “Move, John.”
“No.”
Her brows knitted together. “Excuse me?”
I leaned against the doorframe, tilting my head. “Come take a walk with me.”
Stephanie blinked, clearly thrown off. “What?”
“Let’s walk,” I repeated, nodding toward the trees beyond the house.
She hesitated, glancing toward the dark stretch of forest. “John, I-”
“I’m not taking no for an answer.”
Her lips pressed together again, like she wanted to argue. But after a long, tense pause, she let out a breath. “Fine. Just a walk.”
Satisfied, I stepped aside and gestured for her to follow me.
The night air was crisp as we made our way down the narrow dirt path leading into the woods. The scent of pine and damp earth surrounded us, and the sound of our footsteps crunched softly over fallen leaves.
For a while, neither of us spoke.
Then I broke the silence. “Do you feel it?”
Stephanie glanced at me warily. “Feel what?”
“The pull.”
She stiffened but didn’t stop walking. Her gaze remained ahead, focused on nothing in particular.
I took a deep breath. “I know you do,” I said, keeping my voice even. “Because I feel it too.”
She exhaled sharply. “John…”
I stepped in front of her, forcing her to stop. “Be honest with me, Steph. Do you feel it?”
Her jaw tightened. “I don’t know.”
I studied her, searching her face for any sign of truth. She wasn’t lying, but she wasn’t telling the whole truth either.
After a moment, she looked away. “I’ve felt something before. And it destroyed me.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
Stephanie hesitated, then let out a long breath. “I had a mate once. Or… I almost did.”
Her voice was hollow, distant, as if she were peeling back a memory she had buried deep.
“He died before I even knew he was mine,” she continued.
Something cold settled in my gut. “What happened?”
She swallowed hard. “I found out at his funeral.”
I furrowed my brows. “At his funeral?”
She nodded slowly. “I was there because I knew him. We weren’t close, just… familiar. I went to pay my respects, but the moment I walked into that room, something snapped inside me.”
She paused, gripping her arms as if trying to hold herself together.
“The bond hit me like a wave. Hard and sudden. Like the universe was playing some kind of sick joke.”
I stayed silent, letting her talk.
“My wolf recognized him. Even though he was already gone. Even though he was lying in that damn coffin, lifeless.”
My throat tightened.
She let out a bitter laugh. “Do you know what it’s like to find your mate after they’re already dead? To feel the pull, the connection, only to realize it’s too late?”
I clenched my fists. “No. But I can imagine.”
Stephanie inhaled sharply. “I lost my mind after that. I stayed in the funeral home for hours after everyone left. Just… staring at him. Touching him. Hoping, begging, somehow that he’d wake up.”
Her voice cracked, but she forced herself to continue.
“I didn’t leave. I couldn’t. I ended up… sleeping next to him. Right there. With his corpse.”
My stomach twisted at the raw pain in her voice.
She shook her head, forcing a bitter smile. “They found me the next morning. My pack thought I’d lost it completely. And maybe I had.”
I didn’t know what to say. What could I say?
So I did the only thing that felt right.
I pulled her into my arms.
Stephanie tensed for half a second before she melted against me, her small frame fitting perfectly against mine.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured against her hair.
She didn’t respond, just gripped my shirt tightly as if afraid I would disappear.
For a long moment, we stood there, wrapped in silence.
Then, after what felt like forever, she pulled back slightly. “You’re not scared of me?”
I met her gaze. “Why the hell would I be scared of you?”
She gave a weak shrug. “Most people would think I was insane.”
“I’m not most people,” I said simply.
Stephanie searched my face as if trying to find some trace of doubt. But there was none.
She exhaled, her expression softening. “Thank you.”
I nodded, letting my hands drop back to my sides.
We stood there for another moment before I reached for her hand.
“Come on,” I said, nodding toward the deeper part of the woods.
She hesitated but eventually let me lead her forward.
The trees stretched high above us, their canopies casting shadows against the moonlight. The wind carried the scent of damp leaves and bark, and for the first time in a long while, I felt at peace.
Stephanie was quiet beside me, but I could feel the tension in her shoulders slowly fading.
We walked for a while, neither of us in a rush to go back.
Eventually, we found a clearing, a small patch of open sky between the trees. I sat down on a fallen log, and after a moment, she joined me.
The silence wasn’t awkward. It was comfortable.
I glanced at her, watching the way the moonlight caught in her hair.
“I don’t know what this means,” I admitted. “But I know that I feel something. And I think you do too.”
Stephanie stared at the sky, her lips parting slightly.
Finally, she whispered, “I don’t know if I can survive losing another mate.”
I reached for her hand, squeezing it gently.
“You won’t lose me,” I promised.
She looked at me then, her eyes full of something I couldn’t quite name.
Hope.
Fear.
Maybe both.
But she didn’t pull away.
And for now, that was enough.