"What if Dolly or Sam find out we're both home?"
"We'll figure it out. They won't though." Ian rested his head on my shoulder.
"You're way too confident when you can't predict the future," I mumbled, closing my eyes while I sank deeper into his embrace and enjoyed the warm bubble bath we were currently taking.
We'd both slept longer than expected, waking up well into the night. Ian was so tired he didn't even shift into his wolf form. I didn't know if it was because I was in heat or we'd just really exhausted ourselves with our first sexual experience, but the extended nap had been worth it.
Last night was magical, and I still was a little buzzed from it. I was also extremely sore, and walking seemed like a whole new struggle, each step making me flinch in pain.
Didn't think the aftermath of losing your virginity could be a pain in the ass. However, I had Ian, who wouldn't dare let me walk five steps from the bed; his strong arms scooped me up and placed me right in the shower.
While I cleaned myself off, he began to prep a nice bubble bath with a unicorn bubble bomb he'd bought me for my birthday and then changed my sheets, which made my heart swell with love. I didn't think guys were comfortable around a drop of blood, but Ian never really cared, even when I'd gotten my period and would be in desperate need for a chocolate bar and vanilla ice cream.
Once I was clean and walked out of the shower, Ian dimmed the lights and revealed the perfect romantic bath setting: the large marble bath surrounded by different colored candles. He must have taken one of the rainbow roses from the vase in the living room because there were tiny bits of petals spread on the floor that lead to the warm, lit bathtub.
If I weren’t so sore, I would have gone for another round of sex, but we were still trying to recover from the experience, and Ian admitted he was a bit lazy to find another condom.
Relaxing with him in the bath was really soothing, and I did notice that the heated tension between us from last night wasn't present anymore.
We'd also noticed a mark on the left lower part of my stomach. It wouldn't be visible when I wore jeans or shorts, and I could hide it pretty well even if I wore a bikini, but it appeared out of nowhere, and what was more intriguing was it matched the mark on Ian's neck.
"You're okay?" Ian asked.
"Yes! You worry too much." I turned my head slightly and opened my eyes to look at him. "Are you worried about the mark?"
"Not really. I don't think it will hurt you. I kinda think I know what it is."
"Is it what I think it is?" I asked. A sweet smile formed on his lips and he moved very so slightly to give me a kiss on my right cheek.
"That we're mated? Ya, that's my hunch."
It was hard to hold back my urge to squeal as I tried to keep my "cool, sexy" appearance, but inside me, I was literally on cloud nine. Reika looked to be content as well, her teal eyes staring at me with love and happiness as she relaxed.
"Really?" I whispered, unable to hide the joy in my voice as I turned around in his hold to stare directly into those silver eyes I adored.
The satisfied smirk that formed on his lips made my smile widen, and he gave me a passionate kiss as my answer. "Really," he confirmed.
"I wish we knew more about this bonding thing. Like, does that mean anyone who is intimate during Heat phase automatically becomes mated? Is that essentially the main way of doing it if the Moon isn't involved?" I questioned.
"I checked out some of the books at the other sanctuary, and I did find a chapter on it," Ian admitted. I relaxed against him once more, placing a soft kiss on his neck before resting my head on his shoulder.
"What did it say?"
"There's a few different ways wolf shifters can bond. There are the ways where the Moon draws you to your mate, there's during heat exchange where both shifters have a mutual connection or well their bodies do anyways, and there is blood exchange through a bite or pouring of your blood into the other shifter."
I lifted my head to meet his gaze, arching an eyebrow at him. "So we've upgraded to vampire wolves?"
He chuckled, giving me a kiss on the lips before he lifted his hand to gently press my head to rest on his shoulder once more.
"No, but I did think the same thing when I read about it. For the Moon bonding, once the individuals have sex, it usually seals the deal. When both are in Heat and their bodies are also compatible, that can also initiate and complete a bond. The blood thing is like how you see in movies when the female mysteriously gets into a car accident out of nowhere and the male interest is there to save her at the last second," he explained the last part dramatically, making me giggle.
"It really is a little far-fetched. Please don't tell me it's exactly like that," I whined.
"Nah. It actually isn't done unless the female is very important to the pack or individual shifter. It takes a lot of blood."
"Does she have to swallow it?" I knew the disgust is apparent in my tone as I asked.
"Uh...there wasn't an instruction section on that. I hope not," Ian mumbled, and he sounded just as displeased with the idea.
"Do you think Sam and Dolly will ever tell me? Like...we obviously can continue hiding the fact I know, but...I wanna be a part of the community too? I know we still don't know if I'm a wolf shifter or not, but if I bonded to you, that confirms something, right? Not to mention I still have Reika and she appears to be a wolf in my head. I don't think it's my imagination," I vented.
Ian's hand stroked my head soothingly, which helped calm me down just a bit. "I think you are a wolf shifter, Harper. I don't have a doubt in my mind about that. I think what is worrisome is exactly how powerful you could potentially be? That's the only thing I can think of. They never found anything on the Hunters who killed your family, and we've yet to even find out your family's background. If we had an idea of what pack your family was a part of or even a family tree of the sort, this issue would have been solved ages ago."
He moved his hand so that I could move back to look up at him. He brushed his hand along my cheek, and I closed my eyes and pressed my cheek against his warm palm. "I just don't want to be an outcast or something. I don't know. It could just be hormones." I grumbled the last part before I opened my eyes to his silver orbs.
"I know you're worried, but trust me on this? I get more access to stuff now that I'm 18, but when I reach 20, I'll be able to do whatever I want. I'll look into it in more detail. I've also been slowly gathering information at the office."
"Won't you get in trouble if O'Neil finds out?" I asked.
He smirked. "No one will find out. I'm pretty good at computers, remember? Everything I do is coded and untraceable. I feel there has to be much more to your family's murder."
"Did they ever find yours?" I questioned, the hesitation evident in my soft voice. We never really talked about what happened to his family.
Every year we visit their grave, just like we do mine; both of them were on the edge of the property, but we don't discuss it. Even after all these years, it was a sore topic to bring up and elaborate on.
"No. My family comes from a strong line of wolves, some of them who can even use magic apparently," Ian whispered. I could see the hurt in his eyes, and I immediately regretted asking to begin with.
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I gave him a kiss. He relaxed, his hands dipping into the water to rest on my hips and press me against him. "Sorry. I won't ask again," I whispered.
He gave me a sad smile but shook his head from side to side. "No, you can ask. To be honest, you're the only one who has asked in a long time. When the case was fresh, everyone used to ask all the time if I was okay or if we got any updates, but you know...with time, everyone forgets and thinks you're all better because you never bring it up."
He sighed and pressed his forehead against mine. "It bothers me. A lot more than it should after all this time. Maybe it's because of the work I do at the station. I see O'Neil and other officers...some that I know are shifters, bring these bad guys in for justice and it makes me wonder. What the fuck happened? Why couldn't they find the Hunters who took my family away from me? The more time goes by...the harder it is to dig through old archives and it just frustrates me even more that the Hunters are out there living a life of freedom like they did no harm."
I hugged him then, and he hugged me back. "I want to find out who I really am. Yet, I don't have access to this and that, and the people who can help me can't because they aren't 'family by blood' and aren't allowed to access the files I need out of protocol. It's just all these stupid rules and I'm fucking tired of it. I want answers. For you and me. I won't dare let anyone try to take you away from me."
"No one’s coming back for me, Ian. I technically died, remember?"
"I know. It’s just...I want to know what potential I have so I can work on it and protect you better."
"You protect me just fine," I assured him, knowing just how protective he was when we'd go out to town. "Everyone knows not to mess with me or you'll wreck shit up." I giggled.
"Good. Now you're officially mine, so they better back off," Ian mumbled.
I laughed this time and leaned back to give him a pleased smile. "Overprotective boyfriend," I sang.
"Overprotective mate," he corrected, his hands pulling me back to press against him. I bit my lip hard, noticing the darkened expression in his silver eyes.
"You said you were too lazy to get a condom," I reminded.
"I am. I just have to pull out." He winked when I blushed.
"Men," I mumbled, making him laugh.
"Admit it. You're just as horny as I."
"I won't deny that," I murmured, reaching out to glide my hand through his wet locks. "And I swear, don't cut your hair. I love it like this."
"I don't want hair that reaches my ass," Ian whined.
"Alright, you can trim it." I giggled.
He sealed my lips to his, slipping his tongue inside as I relaxed in his hold. We kissed for a few minutes while our hands explored the smooth surface of each other's skin beneath the water.
"When I reach 18, let's get our own place," I whispered.
"Hmm. Guess we think alike." He whispered back. I gave him a look and he gave me a confident smirk. "I know we're getting a bit big for the treehouse, so I've been saving for a place since I started at the station. I found a nice place between both sanctuaries, and I know we both don't really like the town, so I thought it would be the perfect place to have. I already inquired, and the owner said he'd reserve it for me when I'm ready."
"You're joking."
"I'm dead serious."
"But...it could be two years from now!"
"Two, four, six. He said he'll reserve it for when I was ready. We helped find the killer of his daughter, and he said that's the least he could do to thank me for hopping on the case and finding some footage that the officers overlooked."
"Ian..." I was moved not only at the fact he'd been thinking about our future but for finding the killer responsible for killing this man's daughter.
He kissed my forehead. "You're stuck with me, Harper Blake. We're officially lovers, mates, and one day I'll marry you."
I couldn't hide my joy, and I hugged him tightly before leaning back to give him a passionate kiss. "I love you more, Ian. So much more," I whispered.
I just have to trust in this love, and now that we're mated, I know that no matter what, Ian would continue to be mine.