November 17, the day I became vulnerable around Malcom. My mom appeared in my dream and I woke up crying. I couldn't get myself to stop.

I choked while I tried to calm myself down but I just couldn't. I drank some water to stop the tingling in my mouth from crying so much. My breaths became choppy as I breathed in and out. My pillow became damp with my tears as they kept rolling down my face.

Somehow, my wolf had convinced me to go seek out Malcom. I missed it. His strong grasp around me as I fell asleep. I yearned for it as he slept in the other room.

I should hate him for all the things he's done to fuck me up mentally and physically. I should hate him for putting me through hours of pain when he was with other she-wolves but I wanted it.

I stand up next to my bed and sit down immediately. I wanted to convince myself that I was going to make a fool out of myself but I had inky thought that by the time I was next to his door.

I took a deep breath before knocking lightly on his door. I waited a few seconds with my heart pounding out of my chest. I was ready to let out a sigh of relief. I didn't weigh in the fact that he might have been sleeping.

"Come in," I finally heard. My body began shaking as I twisted the doorknob slightly and see Malcom sitting up in his bed. It didn't look like I had woken him up from his sleep but maybe I was wrong.

"I can't sleep," I said so quietly that a pin drop would be louder. I was being vulnerable with him, letting him know that I was crying. I have never let my guard down and I sure as hell didn't think it would be my first time with Malcom.

"Do you know why?" He asks me. His voice basically towered over mine. I felt my heart beating faster than it should be. I was nervous.

"Can you come lay down with me?" I asked a little bit louder than the first time I spoke but you couldn't really tell the difference. The few seconds he took to respond felt like minutes.

"Yeah I can," he finally said. The rustling of sheets indicated that he was getting up from his bed. I quickly went back to the comfort of my own bed and laid down as he shut my room door.

He was in my bed after a few seconds and I turned around and covered my face with his chest. I inhaled his scent and my tense body relaxed as his hand moved to my waist. His thumb caressed my back and my wolf let out a purr.

I cursed myself for letting out a noise of satisfaction. His hand moved to my hair and he pushed back a strand of hair that covered my face behind my ear.

"Goodnight Nicolette," he whispered to me. I let out a noise that didn't really mean anything but that I understood the phrase he whispered to me.

I felt safe being wrapped up in his arms. I wanted to feel vulnerable around him. I wanted things to work out between us but I didn't want the world finding out what I am.

It might put Malcom and his pack in danger.

———

The early light peaked through the window as the sun started to rise early in the morning. I had only a few hours of sleep but I needed to wake up early anyway.

Malcom's grip on me didn't falter over the night. My tears had dried on my face and my arm was wrapped around Malcom's arm.

I quietly unwrap myself from his grasp and looked at him sleeping from the edge of my bed. He looked so peaceful sleeping.

I quickly brushed my teeth and changed into a sports bra and leggings. I grabbed a jacket and left it unzipped. I closed my room door quietly in an effort to not wake Malcom up.

I run out deep into the forest but not too deep. I looked around the forest and took some time to make a tiny fireplace. I sat in front of it and took deep breaths to calm myself.

I held my hand in front of it and a small flame burst at the top of the wood. I felt it pulling at my magic slowly. I tried to focus letting out my magic slowly. Like all my magic was a ball of yarn and I had to pull the yarn out slowly.

"Wake your sleepy ass up."

I groan as I turn away from the loud screaming and suddenly I was falling. I let out a grunt as my body hit the ground.

"Malcom you must be tired because you didn't even notice that your mate is missing," Seth said. I look up at the ceiling as the memories of last night filled my head.

I sit up and see that Nicolette was gone. She probably woke up and felt uncomfortable. I cursed myself and stood up and pulled the sheets back onto her bed.

"Lucas says he something to show you before you go to training," he said. I run my hand over my face and walk out the door.

"Congratulations Malcom you actually slept through the night," Lucas cheered as I walked into the kitchen.

"You owe me ten dollars," Seth shouted from behind me. I roll my eyes and sat down at the island.

"Why the hell did you wake me up so early," I complain. Lucas lets out a chuckle and comes and sits next to me.

"Well before we go start training, I have something that I need to show you," he said. I jump off of the seat and sigh.

"Alright show me."

"It's not here. It's in the woods," he said. What if he cane back? What if they found Nicolette? I don't know where she is.

"Take me," I said. We walked into the woods and up a steep hill. As we got closer to the end of the hill, I could smell the faint scent of smoke. At the edge of the hill, the edge of the hill stopped and the only way was down.

"Why are we in th-." He slaps his hand over my mouth and points down the hill. I see Nicolette sitting on the ground facing a makeshift campfire.

The top of the wood was burnt to ashes but she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. A small flame burst on top of the burnt wood and she opened her eyes, full of flame and determination.

The flame started off small until her hands started to shake and the flame started to dance out of control. It burnt into a flames and she fell backwards trying to move out of the way of the untamed fire.

She wiped her hand over it and she let out a growl and her eyes still looked like there was fire in them. The wood was almost out of use and she took the two logs and threw them into a large pile of already burnt logs.

"How long has she been doing this?" I ask him, not taking my eyes off of her. She lifted her hands again and the same little flame popped up.

"A guard reported smelling smoke two hours ago," Seth said to me. I nod as I watch it burst in to a bigger ball of flame. She let out a string of curses as she stood up and slammed her fist into a tree.

It splintered and pieces of wood flew across the forest ground. There was blood falling from her nose and she spit out some blood.

She took of her jacket and it revealed that she was only in a sports bra and shorts. She tied her hair back and sat down in the same position.

"How can she sit out there like that? It's freezing," Lucas said, watching her.

"Don't you have something better to do than wonder if I'm cold?" She yelled out. Her head snapped up to where we were standing and her eyes made contact with mine.

Her brilliant eyes stood out in the colorless forest. It was all brown now. All the colorful leaves had turned brown and the only thing that stuck out were her eyes.

"You should rest Nicolette," I said. I jumped off of the top of the hill and landed on one knee and my palm hit the forest floor.

"You don't have to worry about me but your guards are waiting to be trained. I can hear them grumbling from all the way in here," she said. She grabbed the logs and threw t m into the pile making it larger. "Keep you guards away from here while you train unless you want to get burnt."

"Why are you doing this now? You just drained all of your energy yesterday," I pointed out. She slammed another two logs into her makeshift campfire and glared at me.

"My mother died before I could learn to control my elemental magic. I burst into flames in front of those children. I burnt that rouge into ashes. My power is spiraling out of control. Me practicing how to control it is like you training to be an Alpha so let me train," she growled.

"You're overworking yourself. You don't know if your power has a limit to it. You don't know if your power has a breaking point," I told her. She shook her head and sat back down on the ground.

"And did you stop training when your dad taught you? I will sit here and practice until I pass out and if you come back after training and see that I'm on the ground then you can take me back to your house. Until then I will not leave this part of the woods."

———

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