And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.

John Muir

His mother fussed over him that morning, cleaning out the scratches at his side, even when they were already closing, the bruises lightening from deep purple to something that looked far more than his skin color even when it had a terrible yellow tint.

"Did you really need to let him throw you against a tree?" Grace asked him with a raised eyebrow where she sat next to him. "We all know that you could have easily ripped out his throat without doing that."

"At least makes it have the appearance of a fair fight. And not like I picked on him," Luke gave back with a shrug, regretting that motion nearly immediately. Damn it, that still stung.

"You got in quite a good strike with your claws," his father commented as he entered the kitchen. "I talked with his father. Daphne can expect a formal apology the next time she sees him, but that probably won't happen before the end of this year."

"You should probably have a talk with her," his sister said idly. "According to Ollie, she spent most of the night curled up downstairs waiting for you."

"Didn't you had plans for this afternoon?" His mother asked him with a raised eyebrow and he sighed.

"We did. Iceskating. I talked her into it. I had it all planned out." He couldn't help but pout at that. He had looked forward to that. And he had it all planned out for Daphne and him, including that small, romantic cafe where they could have gotten hot chocolate afterwards and where he could have given Daphne her birthday present.

Now...Now his wolf was getting furious at even the idea of taking her anywhere where he didn't have full control of the surroundings. And Luke couldn't fault himself for that either.

Too many people had tried to fuck with them and that would stop now if he had anything to say about it.

"You always did badly when your plans where thwarted," his mother said with a grin and he glared at her.

"Very funny, Mom," he told her with a sigh.

His father just chuckled, chucked something metallic, and small into his direction. He caught it easily, a key finding its way in his hand and he stared at that. Was that...

"The keys for the forest cabin," his father said drily. "I would be thankful if you would actually use it."

"Stephen!" His mother exclaimed, slapping the back of his father's head who just rolled his eyes.

"Oh for god's sake, Cecilia, if they wanted to mate than they would have already done that," he told his wife with a raised eyebrow."The keys wouldn't change anything."

"Go up there. It's a much better idea than dragging her anywhere with a lot of people. And you need to have a talk," his father said when he turned back to Luke. "I didn't put my foot done about her shifting yet. And I don't want to but the wolf is under the surface and it's not backing down Luke."

"You said she wouldn't just shift someday," Luke said carefully and his father shook his head.

"Not without a good reason . But she nearly did it yesterday," his father answered tightly. "She was shaking with it, Luke. I was half expecting to have my hands full with a very angry, very furious newbie werewolf," his father said drily.

"So I should try to talk her into it," Luke surmised grimly. Fuck.

He didn't want to influence her like that. If it was about what he wanted...then he would have her shift weeks ago, as soon as her injuries that Kyle had inflicted had healed.

But she had been...terrified about the idea of that and he hadn't wanted to push her. He hadn't wanted to upset that fragile balance the two of them had struck of her willing to slowly let herself fall in the place that he was offering for her.

Every time when the two of them had the time to be more...physically intimate, it calmed a piece of it. She was so hesitant but always so willing to trust him to give herself over to him and he never wanted something more but to just hold.

"If you can. I would prefer her to shift in calm surroundings the first times," his father said calmly and Luke just nodded. That would go great. "And you'll need to be the one to draw out the wolf."

He had expected that. Really there was just one way how he could probably draw the wolf to the surface and it probably wouldn't be especially pretty for Daphne. The first time never was for most wolves.

A few minutes later, he was driving over to the Hyde's taking the 5 minutes to sort out his thoughts.

The cabin in the woods had been in the family for a few decades at that point. It was upstate in the forest, surrounded by nothing but acres of family property. His father had slowly started to buy more and more of the forest around their house and in the state, giving their pack room to roam without needing to worry about other people. Not a lot of people went up there and it gave them something that Luke and Daphne could get nearly nowhere else: Privacy. It was only an hour away from their home, but it would give them complete and utter privacy .

The cabin was near to a couple of hot springs, something that Luke and his sister had grown up playing in, in both forms a lot of the times and really...that was something that Luke really enjoyed and wanted to share with Daphne.

It would do them a world of good to get away for a little while.

Daphne opened the door before he could even knock, throwing herself in his arms, her hands clutching on to him like he could go disappear any moment.

"Are you okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?" Her voice was terrified, her hands searching over his body and he caught them before they could make contact with the bruises on his ribs, pulling them to his mouth and pressing a kiss against her knuckles.

"I am fine, sweetheart, I promise," he soothed her, reaching out to touch her cheek and press a kiss against her forehead. "Good Morning, Birthday Girl," he greeted her, allowing himself to dip down and press a kiss against her lips. Just as always, she immediately opened up underneath him, welcoming his tongue into her mouth. There was no trace of hesitation in her kiss, nothing that told him that she was scared of him.

If anything she was clinging to him even more desperately than usual. It shouldn't have surprised him but it did nonetheless. If they were a mated pair, if they had a completed bond between them then both their reaction after a challenge to their bond like yesterday would have been to refresh the bonding. In other words...both would have sought out the other for physical comfort and a new mating bite.

There was a reason why he had spent the night away from her. Luke hadn't trusted himself around Daphne, not when he knew that she would do everything to keep him from leaving. And a simple kiss wouldn't have been enough. He didn't allow himself to imagine that. He didn't because then he would have wanted to know desperately how much better reality would be than fantasy and he had promised her time. He wouldn't pressure her. Not ever.

"I missed you," she whispered at that moment, tucking her face underneath his chin, her hands clenching in the back of his jacket. "I am sorry about yesterday."

"Don't be. That's all on Harrison," Luke promised her gently. He was floored that there was no trace of fear in her scent, nothing at all that that told him that she was scared of him. Even when he had shifted and gotten ready to rip somebody's throat out the day before.

"Are we still going ice-skating?" She asked him hesitantly, still not letting him go.

"That depends on you," he answered her lightly. "We can do that...or we can do something else if you want...I had an idea this morning," he told her and she nodded her agreement. She still clung to him, but she finally let him go. She immediately started crossing her arms, hugging herself though, something that was her tell whenever

He wanted to take her. He wanted to steal that few hours away from her before he would need to share her with the rest of her family.

"Of course, I want to go with you," Daphne exclaimed. "But...somewhere without a lot of people would be good..." she admitted hesitantly and he nodded.

"Nobody else would be there. Just the two of us," he promised her. Her face lit up at that.

"Do I need anything?" She asked him.

"Dry clothing and a swimsuit."

"A swimsuit? I am not getting in the ocean!" She protested loudly and Luke could just laugh.

"I promise, you aren't going to go in the ocean." Even when that could be fun for them as well, even Luke wouldn't do that in January.

Come March, that would be a different story.

***

Daphne packed the one sole bikini she actually owned, which she only had because Grace had given it to her a few months prior when she had bought it online and it hadn't fitted her at all.

It wasn't exactly anything Daphne could even think about feeling comfortable in, but it was better than nothing.

She was unable but to grin at the huge wingback chair that was now tucked in one corner of her room, a birthday present of Caroline and Matthew who had let the chair be upholstered in navy velvet to match her wall mural and padded downstairs to ding Luke in the kitchen, talking to Caroline and Ollie.

"You two have fun," her aunt told her with a grin. "And be back by 6, we'll have dinner this evening. And Chocolate Cake."

The drive took them only around 45 minutes and Luke held her hand throughout that. She had been thoroughly spoiled with breakfast that morning, and there had been the promise of dinner and cake that evening with her family and the extended Schuyler's so Daphne was very much on board with sneaking off for a few hours with Luke.

And they needed to have a bit fo a talk.

The car slowed down and as she looked out of the window she was startled to see that they were right in the midst of a clearing.

"Where are we?"

"My family owns a cabin up here. I thought...we could steal some time away," Luke told her softly and she leaned over the middle console to press a kiss to his lips.

"That doesn't explain the swimsuit though," Daphne told him questioningly but he just grinned on her.

"Let's get the stuff inside and I'll show it to you."

Hot Springs were the answer to the swimsuit questions. There were a few tucked right at the back of the cabin and she could just stare at the hot water that was so hot that the steam went everywhere.

It was bitingly cold outside but Luke didn't seem to have a problem with that, not when he started undressing as soon as they were near it. She couldn't help but stare for a moment, when he pulled his dark green henley over his body, showing off acres of golden skin to her.

"Gonna come inside as well?" He asked her amused and she brought out a shaky nod, her cheeks bright red as she undressed, unable not to shiver at the cold air.

She quickly stepped into the hot, slightly sulfurous water, surprising by how warm it was. It seemed to seep into every one of her pores, warming her from within and she sank lower as soon as she could, tilting her head back and sighing in pleasure as the hot water permeated her scalp.

"Come over and sit with me?" Luke invited her, his voice coming from her right but she just sighed again, not wanting to move even a little bit as she stared up into the sky, sunlight breaching the thick canopy that the trees gave them.

"It's so beautiful," she breathed and she could hear him chuckle as she felt the water sift, suddenly him next to her.

He pulled her against his chest, warm and hard against her skin and she couldn't help but shiver as she felt the naked skin on her own, the water sliding between them.

The steam around them was thick and shielding them from everything but the trees and the sky but even when that wasn't there, she trusted Luke when he told her that nobody would interrupt them.

He pulled her with him to the edge of the hot springs, able to sit on a ledge and pulling her weight upon his lap, surprising her. She squeaked as suddenly she straddled him, shivering even when the warmth of the water was surrounding him and looking at him wide-eyed.

He was warm as well, she realised, feeling the corded muscles between her legs, unable not to swallow when she recognised that that position...if they were ready for more, that would be a pretty good way to achieve that.

She took a deep breath, needing to find her bravery again as she finally placed her hands on his shoulder, when he met her eyes unapologetically, a hand reaching out to smooth wet hair from her face and pulling her to kiss him again.

She loved it when he kissed her. It gave her a feeling of peace so few things gave her and it made a warmth grow and twist low in her belly that made it difficult to think. It moved through her like slow molasses, slow stroking of a fire that was burning inside her, and that just made her want more. Always more. Luke could never stop to kiss her and it would never be enough.

She moaned against him, opening her mouth against his, her nails biting in his shoulder. She felt the hitch in bis breath more than she heard it, but it was enough to give her pause, to make her blood cool a little from the kisses and made her pull back.

There were bruises running from his shoulder down the complete left side of his body, a few scratches thrown in there as well for good measure.

She hadn't noticed them before, her eyes had been staring at the muscled wall of his stomach and not high up on his shoulder.

"What happened?" She brought out tonelessly, unable to not reach out and skim her fingertips over the colourful bruises dotting her boyfriend's body. "When?"

"Yesterday night," Luke answered calmly. "It's fine. They'll be gone by this evening."

"...he did that to you?" She whispered. Harrison?

"He looks far worse than I do, Sweetheart," Luke said with a soft pleased smile. He was nearly preening for a moment before he caught himself. Not that Daphne could fault him. Knowing that Luke had beat that guy up was surprisingly pleasing to know. "I let him get a hit in, but I scratched the hell out of him," Luke explained. "All down there."

He ran his hand down Daphne's side, from the height of the band of her bikini all the way down to just over her hip.

She stared at him for a moment, her eyes pulled back to the technicolored skin on his shoulder.

"I never wanted you to get hurt because of me, Luke," she whispered. That was the last things she wanted. She wanted them to be happy. A peaceful life. No more drama.

"I didn't get hurt because of you. I got hurt because I wanted to sink my claws into Harrison to make myself very clear," Luke clarified. "And that's what I did ..." he added darkly.

"I didn't want you to need to do that either," Daphne sighed but didn't start an argument about it.

There was a part of her...that was unreasonably pleased about Luke marking her as his territory. She wondered if that was the wolf. If it was preening under her skin at that moment like Luke had been, pleased that Harrison Michaels got what he deserved, that her mate had won the fight and drawn blood. That was something that scared the fuck out of Daphne.

"It's okay," he soothed her, pressing a kiss against her temple and she allowed herself to grow pliant underneath his hands, letting him hug her to his chest.

"Is there no part of you that is actually pleased about it?" Luke asked her curiously. "Because that would be normal . Werewolves get...territorial . I had a right to make myself clear to Harrison and that's exactly what I did. And I am probably far too pleased about that, but I expected that," Luke told her seriously, and Daphne dropped her forehead to his shoulder, hiding her face against his neck. For a moment she wondered if she had just imagined the shudder that went through Luke's body at that as she finally answered, just enjoyed the feeling of the slick skin underneath her cheek, his hands on her back.

"I...I don't like that you got hurt...but I am pleased about you marking your territory and...protecting me...protecting us," she brought out hesitantly.

"That's normal, sweetheart," Luke said to her with a smile. "There'll be a day when you'll want to mark your territory as well."

"And how will I do that?" She asked him interested, seeing how Luke seemingly tried desperately not seem affected by whatever got through his mind.

That...seeing that he wanted her, that she affected him enough to make him scramble for words, Luke who was normally always so in control with everything...that was doing things to her that made her regret even wearing a bikini at all.

"Scent Sharing for once," Luke finally said. "Repeating the Claiming Bite..."

Nothing she could do right now though. But she could do one thing.

She leaned down to press a kiss against the edge of the bruises on top of his shoulder, resulting in a soft gasp from Luke. "Is this okay?" She asked him hesitantly.

"Of course, it is, Sweetheart," he agreed. He pulled her up nevertheless, pressing another kiss to her mouths her tongues tangling, her hands in his hair when she gasped against him. God. Daphne would happily do that for the rest of her life.

"Birthday Girl..." he finally said, his full mouth pulled in a smile. "You know I had other things planned before that . "

She used her other hand to pinch him in the rips, on the side that wasn't covered in technicolour bruises and Luke laughed at that, catching her hand and pulling it to his mouth, pressing a kiss there.

"Be nice , or I am not going to give you your present," he threatened her, still laughing. He grew serious then though, kissing her one more time, nipping her bottom lip with her teeth, surprising her. " Later ," he promised her. Daphne couldn't help but shiver at the tone of his voice

"I wasn't aware that I am getting something," she teased him, unable to keep her stomach from flip-flopping at these news. Really that wasn't what Daphne had expected. She thought this here was her present.

"I think I would be a terrible boyfriend if I didn't get you anything to your birthday," Luke answered easily. "Close your eyes for me?" He requested and she did as he asked, but not before placing her hands on his shoulder again, needing at least that to ground her as she sat in darkness, not a wall to her back.

Sometimes things hit her and she became scared of unreasonable things. Like the time she accidentally smashed a glass in the sink when she washed dishes.

She had stood there, bleeding under to hot water for more than a minute before she had finally been able to breathe again and fish out the shards out of the hot water. She had heard Michelle's voice in her head like she was still alive, had hears it scold her for being a child that couldn't even do one thing right.

No . Daphne was not going down that road again.