Chapter 21:

Camila was having a very entertaining conversation with Sara and her mother about her tendency to go around kissing everyone at school. In her words, 'making friends.'

She felt a hand lightly touch her shoulder and shock prickled across her skin.

Taine sounded relaxed. "Sorry to interrupt but I'd like to borrow the Luna for a moment."

Sara's mother, Alicia smiled warmly at the pair. "Of course, we should get going. Lovely to meet you Camila....Say bye Sara."

Sara wriggled out of her mothers hold and hugged Camila below the waist. She tugged on the hem of her dress forcing her to crouch down to eye level. She whispered cheekily in her ear. "Remember what I teached you," Camila remembered alright.

Camila playfully glared at the giggling child. "Bye-bye Sara, I'll see you soon."

Camila turned to Taine. And tried to make her smile look natural. It didn't slip past her notice that Taine saw right through it. "Yes Alpha?"

"let's go."

With Taine is was never, "If you have eaten enough and finished socializing then please let us go back to my house."

He was a man of few words and she was beginning to see that it was just who he was. He didn't (usually) mean to upset her with his shortness. She would need to get used to him. They were two matched, yet mismatched puzzle pieces that needed to learn how to fit together.

For some it was easy, but for them, it would take time. They would need to learn to give and take. Smooth out the burrs and let the other get close enough to try.

---

Taine would have loved for them to walk back together in silence.

But when Camila was in good mood, silence was a foreign concept. She babbled about complete nonsense, nonsense according to Taine. The food, the weather, the people she liked and didn't like. The lady who had magenta lipstick on her teeth the whole night, the "creepo" wolf that kept giving her weird looks...Taine didn't mind, he could tune her out if he needed to. He was happy with the bubbling chatter as long as she didn't expect him to talk back with the same un-understandable zest.

Abruptly her chirping stopped and he was gifted with the blissful sound of silence. After a moment or two, he realised that it wasn't as he remembered it. The silence felt too thin, too...empty. It no longer appealed to him as it once had.

He glanced at Camila to see a sour expression lace her features. Her eyes were downcast.

"What?"

Camila's eyes snapped to his, irritation spilling out of her gaze.

"You weren't listening." He could practically hear her deeper thoughts. You never listen. She felt like Taine shut down mentally and physically at the smallest sign of her happiness.

It was true, Taine was only half-listening, that much he could improve on... but he didn't need to concentrate on her words to hear the lifts and laughter in her voice. The lightness of her breaths as they walked. Accompanied by his own thoughts and the sharp scent of the pine trees. It was an infectious mood and he didn't want to disturb it.

"Sorry... keep going."

"No."

He looked at her furrowed brow. "Please?" The word felt forced and the sound felt even more foreign as it left him. It hung in the forest-fringed air waiting to be acknowledged.

Camila rolled her eyes and smiled sweetly, her anger broken. "Only because you said please."

After continuing her spiel for another few minutes a comfortable silence settled over them as they spied Taines house coming into view.

"Taine I have something to say."

"Oh, do you really?"

Camila ignored the sarcasm in his voice. "My speech?" She waited for him to acknowledge what she was talking about. When he didn't she continued.

"I know ignored what you said, but I want you to know that I'm not sorry about what I did. Not at all."

Taine glanced down at her, she was biting her lip and looking at him expectantly.

"Okay."

Camila frowned. "Okay?"

Taine nodded. Another few moments of silence passed between them. Camila broke it as she always did.

"I know your dad passed away...but your mum? Do you have any other siblings?"

Taine waited so long to answer the question that she wasn't sure he had even heard her. "No siblings. You'll meet my mum one day. She lives outside the pack."

Camila was incredibly curious but knew he wouldn't budge if she pushed for an answer. At least meeting Taine's mother wasn't something she needed to worry about for now.

They reached the house in silence. Camila was itching for some chocolate after the long day but told herself to hold back. Chocolate isn't healthy. Deep down she knew that the real reason why she refrained was so that she could stay walking next to Taine a little longer. She had a suspicion that Taine had intentionally led her down the garden path...The walk back had been suspiciously long.

They walked up the stairs in silence and stopped by her door. She said goodnight, but both stayed rooted at the door. There seemed to be more to say. Something tangible in the air between them. Something that had lain dormant until this moment.

"Mila, I..."

Yes, you're a good kisser if that's what you wanted to know, but you can kiss me again just so I'm sure...

"Yes?" She could see him swallow in nervousness and discomfort. He didn't meet her gaze, choosing to look at the wall behind her.

"When you spoke. I was...I was impressed."

Camila grinned. "Really?" She could tell this was difficult for him to admit. So of couse, she had to keep prodding.

"At first I was furious...but after you started..."

Camila lightened the mood. "But I mean, did you really expect anything less? You should have known I wouldn't give up so easily." Camila still did not understand the real reason why he refused to let her speak...but baby steps. This was almost him admitting he was wrong.

Taine raised an eyebrow and smiled at her quizzically. "Look's like I'm going to have to keep five steps ahead of you."

She couldn't help the grin that spread over her face. "I guess so."

Camila looked down at her fingers. For some inexplicable reason, she didn't want to say goodbye just yet.

The emotional high of the night was slowly coming down and a wave of emotion came over her as Camila re-realised. I am the Luna now. We're an Alpha pair.

An alpha pair with a chasm between them.

Soon after meeting Taine she had envisioned the evening in her mind. Her induction as ending in twinkling laughter, alongside tall glasses of rose flavoured moonshine and chocolate covered strawberries, but now Camila refused to let her mind think of the many things she wanted. The list was evergrowing.

Camila looked up at Taine from under her eyelashes and teasingly asked. "So, how does it feel to be an Alpha with a Luna?" These were the words that left her lips but her eyes were screaming, Are we not going to acknowledge the fact that we kissed today?

Taine only offered a simple word that did little to satisfy Camila. "Good."

Okay cool, I didn't wanna talk about it either.

Camila gestured to her room door with her thumb. "It's been a long night. I think I'll head to bed." She shifted her weight between both heels, itching for something more. Anything.

Camila turned off the sensible part of her brain and seized the moment. If she was going to wait for Taine to make the first move then they would be waiting until their fur turned grey. The idyllic nature of the night was lowering her inhibitions and making her senseless.

She opened her arms and crossed the distance between them. "Celebratory hug?" It wasn't a question.

Camila didn't see Taine's reaction to her boldness, she just focussed on the feeling of his body against hers. She closed her eyes in a moment of reckless abandon, letting the warmth that emanated from his body coil around her and hold her in place. She felt the softness of his cheek press into her hair. She felt his warm breathe on her skin.

Nervous, embarrassed and guilty she quickly tried to pull away from his addicting touch. What was she thinking? She loosed her hold and tried to move away but Taine's arms like a vice, her firmly in place. She felt his rigid body relax slightly. Her heart beat loudly in response.

Camila tried to move her head to see his face. To say she was surprised was an extreme understatement. The most affection he has shown her took the form of a snotty T-Shirt.

He cleared his throat and said gruffly, "Don't pull away...Not yet."

She felt herself stiffen, but still, Taine didn't let go.

After clutching her to him for a fathomless amount of time Camila gently pushed against his arms and felt them drop. She glanced into his eyes and saw a turmoil of emotion in their depths.

She whispered goodnight as she shut the door of her room. As the click of the lock echoed in her ears she let out a deep breath and pressed herself against the cool wall. Letting its calming iceyness clear her head.

She felt her wolf push against her, her instincts demanding more from her. But she couldn't. An internal battle she had been struggling with became overwhelming. Why didn't she just let go? Why couldn't she let herself fall...but she was afraid. Afraid of herself and the power behind her emotions. It was all too complicated when it should have been so effortless and simple.

Loving Taine meant betrayal of the highest calibre. And Camila wouldn't betray herself.