CHAPTER 20: BULLS EYE.

NATALIE.

The filtering rays of the sun are what wake me up from my deep sleep.

I haven't slept that well in… well, forever.

Benefits of having reconciled with your mate I guess.

"...Natalie, I need you. I didn't even understand how much until you arrived. You… you complete me…"

"...I will have you. I will have you forever…"

His words keep resounding in my ears, tickling me and making me feel all kinds of fuzzy.

"I am glad you two have finally reconciled," my wolf says faintly.

"You are back! That was fast. Usually, it could take up to a week for you to be able to crawl out," I tell her.

"Hmm. Being near our mate helps me."

"That is good then, 'cause I think we are going to be staying after all," I tell her.

"I heard and I am glad. It is about time you two made up."

"I won't lie, I didn't think it would happen, with the way everyone was behaving toward me."

"You are his mate. No amount of logic or thinking or opinions can change that. He just needed time, that is all."

"Hmm. You are right."

"So, what are your plans now?" she asks, changing the subject.

"We decided to get to know each other. So he is taking me out on a date."

"A date? What is that?"

"I am not sure. From what he said, it is a means of getting to know each other, by going out."

"You… you go out to know each other? I do not understand."

"Yeah, me neither. But he promises it will be fun, so…"

"It is just weird, I guess. Why can't you stay here and get to know each other? This bed is a very comfortable place to get to know each other."

"That's what I said when he told me about it. But he just blushed prettily and said, it is not that kind of getting to know each other, and that there was no rush."

"There… there are different ways of getting to know each other?"

"People are weird," I reply.

"You can say that again."

"I need to get dressed and head down for breakfast," I tell her as I rise from the bed.

"Hmm. You do you."

I walk into the large bathroom. It never fails to shock me how large it is. In the ground there is a large… hole -a jacuzzi, as Damien called it- that I can just lie down in and the water floats around me.

It is heavenly.

Deeper into it is another large stall, with four different shower heads, with even more complicated contraptions than the one in the shower.

I stay clear of it.

Who knows what could happen if I touch any of it? And anyway, Damien had promised to teach me how to use it later.

I had asked him to teach me then, but for some reason, he was reluctant to get in there with me.

And he was blushing again.

"You really don't know why he was blushing?" my wolf asks.

"Should I?"

"Never mind," she says as she fades back into the background.

I shrug at her behavior and quickly head into the jacuzzi.

For some reason, Damien was only willing to show me how to use it as long as I stood at the door.

What a weird man my mate is.

I would be a liar if I said I didn't take my sweet time in there. It is the thought of spending the day with Damien and the promise of getting to know each other better that forces me out of the tub.

I head to the wardrobe that Damien had curated for me and pull out an off-shoulder, sunny yellow gown, with flower patterns and frills at the end.

After brushing out my hair, I take one twirl in front of the mirror before bursting into giggles and getting the strappy sandals at the foot of the bed, and then proceeding to walk out.

Today is going to be a good day.

Walking into the dining hall is literally a replay of the first time. The whole hall goes silent at my entrance before immediately picking right off where they stopped, all of them determined to ignore me.

What play is this now? I wonder.

I make my way carefully along the aisles to the food counter and take a plate.

"Good morning," an elderly woman says with a small warm smile. "What would it be?"

"Um," I start as I take in the different, vibrant array of foods available. Some, I recognize, others are foreign. "What do you recommend?" I ask as I look up at her.

"The pheasant is really well done," she answers. "Paired with mashed potatoes and lentil soup, it is divine."

"Okay," I say with a smile. "I will have that."

She loads my plate with healthy helpings of each dish and adds a large cup of Apple cider on the side.

"Thank you," I say before turning around to look for a seat.

The moment I am facing the hall, everyone goes back to doing what they were on previously like I hadn't seen them just staring at me a few seconds ago.

I search around for an open seat and see one where just two people are on. With measured steps, I head over there.

But, the moment I place my plate on the table, they both stand up and leave.

Without a glance. Without a word.

I can feel the back of my neck getting hot, prickling with the heat of embarrassment. The quiet snickers and mean whispers I can most definitely hear, doesn't do me any favors.

What is their issue?

Just as I am about to turn and give them a piece of my mind, the most excruciating pain rips through my body, crippling me and causing me to crash to the floor.

I barely register hitting my head on the floor, the pain running through me is that bad, causing me to arch myself up the floor.

Like I am being jerked upwards by my intestines.

It is torture. Plain, horrific torture.

This is not how my day was supposed to go.