Sarantaefta [ 47 ]

It took an excruciatingly long month to feel like myself again.

There had been a numbness in my chest that consumed me for the first three weeks as I healed. It was like I had felt everything all at once and suddenly stopped feeling anything at all.

I wasn't myself and everyone had noticed it. My parents walked on eggshells around me and Brielle visited me every day just to talk to me. The only person who wasn't cautious around me was Tristan. Every morning, he would make me breakfast and just hold my hand. Most days, he would do his work from home and keep an eye on me.

It wasn't like I was a ticking time bomb and everyone was waiting for me to explode, it was more like I didn't laugh or smile like I used to—nothing and no one could make me feel better except for Tristan.

He was the only thing stopping me from turning into a shadow of my former self. He kept me grounded and I often found myself on his lap or in his arms. I still longed for him as strongly as I did when I started loving him. The only flame in my heart that kept burning was my love for him.

I hadn't been the only one suffering. Over the weeks, Mindy's state of mind deteriorated. With no contact with anyone for more than a few seconds and being in the dark for so long, she became a shadow of her former self and didn't seem like the same stuck up woman as before.

In times where I let the barrier in my mind between the pack and me down, she would express her remorse and beg to be released. I had blocked her out as much as I could and focused on maintaining a connection with the rest of the pack. That was her slow torture and after a while, I stopped thinking about her.

Tristan's ruthlessness never wavered and he had announced to the pack that whatever he decided Mindy's punishment to be, they wouldn't be able to change his mind.

To my relief, they hadn't considered her a part of the pack from the moment she tried to kill me. Her family had died in the war so only her friends had cut her off. She had tried to take my life and in return, she lost everything she knew and had.

I knew it wasn't the end of her punishment. The cells weren't called Tartarus for no reason.

After pulling myself away from the edge of the dark hole I had crawled out of, I turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. I wrapped a towel around my body and patted my hair gently before letting it air dry.

Once I had done my routine, I stood in front of the mirror in mine and Tristan's bedroom, staring at my abdomen. The five puncture wounds had almost completely healed and the stitches were leaving white scars. It was a lifetime reminder that I had almost died.

The pads of my fingers brushed against the slightly scarred skin and my gaze lifted to meet Tristan's through the mirror. I quickly pulled my shirt down as he came up behind me and wrapped an arm around my waist. He pressed a kiss to my shoulder.

"Morning, baby." His deep voice vibrated against my skin. "How did you sleep?"

I curled a hand around his toned forearm, staring at him before smiling softly. "I slept well last night actually. Best sleep I've had in ages."

He smiled and pressed another kiss to my neck. "That's great news. You didn't wake up once last night." He pulled me flush against him and kept eye contact through the mirror as he inhaled my scent. "You smell so good. And you look so beautiful like this."

I raised my eyebrows slightly. "Freshly showered?"

Tristan hummed into my neck. "I meant with a smile on your face...but that too."

The warmth bloomed across my cheeks and I leaned into him, tilting my head to give him more access. It had been a long time since Tristan and I were intimate. The past few weeks saw us depend on each other solely emotionally. We still kissed passionately but it never went further than that—I had been too weak.

His other arm wrapped around my body and he caged me against him. He kissed along my jaw before pressing his cheek to mine and staring at me through the mirror. Azure eyes took me in as I lingered on the way he slowly smiled.

"If we have a daughter, I want her to look exactly like you." His nose pressed against my hair and he took in the smell of my cocoa and shea butter creme.

That elicited a smile from me that slowly widened into a grin. The mere thought of Tristan and I starting a family made me appreciate how I had survived Mindy's murder attempt.

"And if we have a son instead?" I replied, setting my hands on his arm.

He mirrored my grin and pressed a kiss to my cheek. "Then I want him to look like me. The Vasilakis genes are strong when it comes to boys."

I stared into his expressive eyes and a light sigh parted my lips. Tristan always knew how to make me feel better. "As long as we have a baby, I don't mind who they look like." I tilted my head and spoke against his lips. "The one thing I want to have more than anything in this world is your baby."

He closed the distance between us and kissed me softly as he smiled against my lips. "I promise when the time is right I'll give you a baby, Kara."

I turned around and deepened the kiss. A seed of joy cracked in my chest at the thought of a family with him, and I focused on the way it bloomed through me. It was a stark contrast to the anguish I had felt for the past month and it reminded me of why Tristan was my soulmate. His unwavering love helped me through a dark time.

It was a fraction of the happiness that Tristan had promised me when I had broken down after waking up, and I was hopeful about what it would feel like at full strength.

When Tristan noticed I was still smiling, he poured a bit more passion into our kiss.

He softly bit my bottom lip before he slowly pulled away. I gasped in some much needed air and hooked my fingers around his wrists as I opened my eyes to see his closed. He lingered in my space and the smile pulled at his lips again.

"You're feeling something, αγάπη." One hand slid down to my chest, just over my heart. He opened his eyes. "How do you feel today?"

I leaned into his hand on my face. "I...I feel good today."

His gaze flicked between my eyes. "Yeah?"

Nodding, I stepped up onto my tiptoes to wrap my arms around his neck. "Yeah. It's been a long time since I woke up happy."

He hugged me tightly and tucked his head into my neck. We stood there for a few minutes, and the warmth that emanated from his body danced across my skin, pulling me closer into his embrace. His touch was therapeutic and I closed my eyes as I hugged him tighter.

I slowly pulled away after a few more minutes. His fingers delicately brushed curly wisps away from my face and he didn't have to say anything for me to know what he was thinking. He wanted nothing but happiness for me and he was thinking of ways to make my day better.

"I have a call in ten minutes but I can make you something to eat if you're up for it?"

An appetite wasn't something I had anymore. When I said I couldn't feel anything, I meant it. Half the time, I could only stomach breakfast and maybe a light snack. I had lost a bit of weight and that didn't help me feel like my old self at all.

I wasn't sure if I felt up to eating breakfast sat that moment. "I'll have the leftovers from last night later."

When I felt a slight chill, I turned towards our wardrobe and reached for my favourite sweater of his. Half of his clothes had found their way on my side but he never commented on it. Having something of his on kept me at ease and I rarely wore my own clothes when we were at home.

When I pulled it on, I rolled up the sleeves and stepped out of the walk-in wardrobe. I was just about to say something when I felt a familiar pressure in my mind. I let the barrier down and heard Mindy's voice seconds later.

She sounded tired.

'You two haunt me...in the darkness, you haunt me.'

She slipped out of my mind after that and my gaze cleared to see Tristan watching me.

"Who was that?" he asked, glancing towards the door when the sound of a phone ringing reverberated through the quiet house. His question was forgotten as he turned around.

I followed him out of the door and towards his office. He took a seat and I climbed onto his lap as he took his extra phone from the charger. He picked up the call and spoke in Greek.

"Είσαι ανυπόμονος, θείε." (Eísai anypómonos, theíe)

I rested my head on his shoulder and listened closely to his conversation. Tristan called the same person every week, and every week, they would ask about me. I smiled when I heard my name. The conversation carried on for another hour and I felt content in his arms.

When he hung up, I asked him the question that had been on my mind but I had always forgotten to ask. "Who was that?"

Tristan smiled softly. "A family friend on my mother's side. Although I've always thought of him as my uncle. θείε means uncle in Greek."

I mirrored his smile. "When was the last time you saw him?"

"When I regained my title. He helped me get the swing of things and was very supportive. He's the alpha of my mother's old pack so I can't see him as much as I'd like to."

Without even knowing the man, I felt fond of him already. Solely because he was an important person to Tristan. I wished I knew Tristan when he won the war because then I could have helped him through it too. Most people met their mates a bit after their first shift at eighteen. Tristan had to wait six years to find me.

"We're going to see him when we go to my home city. He's excited to meet you." There was an animated tone to his words and I shifted in his arms to straddle him more comfortably.

"That's in June. It's almost April."

Tristan's hands lowered to the small of my back and he adjusted my position on his lap. "We can go before then if you want. Maybe a change of scenery would do you some good."

I hummed in agreement and curled my hands around the back of his neck. "We'll see. I want to focus on the pack for now. There are still many people I haven't met yet." I sighed quietly. "They at least deserve some time with me."

He stared at me for a moment before nodding soberly. "You're right." A small smile slowly pulled at his lips. "You sound like a Luna, αγάπη. I told you it comes from within."

I smiled weakly. The whole stabbing ordeal had changed me. It forced me to mature a bit more. The silence drifted between us and Tristan stared at me like he always did—like I was his world and everything in it. He leaned forward slightly and curved his hands lower to pull me closer. 

My hand dug into his hair and I inhaled sharply.

His fingers pressed into my flesh and I cracked a small smile. "You're very touchy-feely today, Tristan."

"I am." He tilted his hips up slightly and softly kissed my neck. "I can't control my thoughts when you're on my lap like this."

I didn't tap into his thoughts in fear I would see something that would make me lose control. My eyes fell shut when I could tell he was in the mood and his body heat against me confirmed that.

My grip on the silky strands of his hair tightened and I felt my heart race suddenly. One hand of his slid upwards and rested on the small of my back, pushing my shirt upwards. I couldn't stop my body's reaction to him—I would always want him but there was a nagging thought in my mind.

As a lover, Tristan was incredibly attentive and it was his attention to detail that made me anxious. I had lost weight since the last time we made love and with the ugly scars that marred my skin, I didn't want him to see me naked.

When he stood up and laid me down on his desk, I tugged on his hair to stop his heavenly kisses on my skin. "Tristan, stop."

He pulled back instantly and the fog of desire that clouded his sight cleared when he looked at me. "What's wrong? Are you still in pain?"

I sat up on his desk, gripping it tightly as I winced. "The pain is bearable, a dull ache really." I pressed my legs together. I didn't want to say something that would make him think I didn't want him. That would never be the case but I had to think of something.

"It was Mindy. The person who mind-linked me."

His dark eyebrows pulled together in confusion as he had forgotten all about that. Her name was the last thing he wanted to hear when he was so turned on.

"And what did she say?"

I broke eye contact with him. He still had lust etched across his face and I knew that his attention wasn't completely on the conversation we were having. He looked like he was thinking about me naked and against his desk.

Sliding off the desk, I quickly put some distance between us and stood on the opposite side.

"That we haunt her. I think she's going mad."

His attention focused on me completely. "I don't care if she's losing her mind, Kara. I nearly lost mine when she stabbed you." His voice was tinged with the simmering anger he only had for Mindy. "I guarantee that the pain she feels now is only the tip of the iceberg compared to what I felt."

"I know, Tristan. I know she has to pay for what she did."

"And she will. She could rot in there for all I care. If we're 'haunting' her, good. Because the image of you covered in blood and the sound of your screams will haunt me forever."

I was tempted to slip into his mind when he looked as if he was picturing it again but I knew that would destroy me completely. The happiness that bloomed within me earlier would be ripped away from me.

"I'm ready to see her again. If I'm to continue being happy, we need to put Mindy behind us."

All traces of lust disappeared from his face and he sighed. "We need to put her behind us."