Dmitri didn't answer her. Instead, he ran towards the lake, and leaping high into the air, he plunged into it. Adrianna laughed at her husband who was getting more and more dramatic with each and every day. Instead of following him, she sat on the stony outcrop where she often laid.

Dmitri swum to the floor of the lake and after searching for a while, picked something up that he had dropped inside the lake on that day as he had promised himself that he would only get it when she accepted him.

​​

Dmitri emerged from water after a long time - long enough to make Adrianna nervous. When he came out, he was holding a beaded necklace in his hand, much to her surprise.

"Where did you find that Dmitri?" she asked.

Dmitri came near her and put it around her neck. He kissed her forehead, embraced her, and said, "I have been wearing this necklace ever since my childhood - ever since I could remember. I threw it in the lake that night when you came out here to vent out your frustration."

Astonished at his words, Adrianna released herself from his embrace and said, "Which night Dmitri?"

He smiled. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, he said, "When the light that came out of your body was thrown onto the surface of the lake and it glistened."

Adrianna gasped. "You know about my- my-," she stuttered.

"I know about your magic," he completed her sentence.

Shocked, Adrianna stepped back a little as her hand covered her mouth. When she found her voice, she asked, "Since when?"

"That day when you had run to this place in the night, I followed you. I didn't know why you ran here, but I could feel your anger Adri. So I just followed you. Ever since I met you, I have never been able to stay away from you. I followed you everywhere…

"Sorry, if I sound like a stalker, but that's what happened to me when I imprinted on you… Not having you around me made me mad, and I had no choice but to be with you.

"That day when you came here, I was afraid that you would put yourself in danger - being alone and coming to an unknown spot - but I had never expected for you to know magic. It was a surprise for me. You became so exhausted afterwards and fell asleep on this stony outcrop. I laid beside you…"

Adrianna was finding it all very hard to believe. "Then why did you hide all this from me?" she asked. This was such a huge secret that she had been keeping to herself, and Dmitri already knew about it.

"I can ask you the same thing Adri…" he replied. "But I was hiding because I wanted to protect you. If people had come to know about this, they would have done anything to abduct you and abuse your power. Also, because of the fact that I had imprinted on you, I would have been in the most vulnerable situation. I hid it from you because by doing so, I wouldn't have to dwell upon it and I just never talked about it. That was the best way to protect you…" he continued.

"Moreover, I had promised myself that I would bring you here and gift you this necklace…"

Adrianna's breath paced. This was a lot of information at once. She touched the necklace he had given her as tears rolled out of her eyes. She didn't know what she was crying for. Was it because he had hid so much from her or was it because he had thrown that precious necklace in the lake and had promised himself to gift it to her when she became his bride?

"Don't cry Adri… you know I hate to see you like that. Please- please... Adri…" he said as he moved closer to her, pulled her in, and pressed her against his body.

Adrianna gulped and replied, "I had been keeping this a secret because I thought you might find me creepy and distance yourself. Ed had asked me not to show my magic to anyone. He is scared that it will only attract harm."

"Shhh… I know…" he said.

She looked up at him and, through her tears, she realized that Dmitri had loved her so deeply that even though he knew everything about her, he was only quiet about it to protect her. He was so tight-lipped about it that he hadn't even mentioned anything about it to the people around him. All he wanted was her safety.

She brought her hands to his face and cupped it. "Thank you Dmitri…" she said, feeling blissful that they were the destined ones. She hid her face in his chest as he stroked her hair.

It felt nice to have finally told her his secret, and she felt comfortable knowing that he knew everything about her.

Dmitri picked her up and they kissed passionately. They had become even closer to each other. This time, she kissed him urgently. She wanted to be one with him.

---

Liam resumed his journey. He picked up on Nate's remnant scent, which was not very sharp now, and moved ahead. It had been almost a day, but they were still not able to locate Dmitri and Adrianna.

As the night fell, they had to stop as most of the pack members were tired. They found a cave and entered to take a rest.

Fleur asked, "Are we not going to travel any further?"