Liora’s POV

The air surrounding the woods seemed different today. On other days, I come here for peaceful moments. It provides a calm and serene environment for me; the sound of the rustling leaves and damp soil under my feet all remind me of my memories here. But today, the trees seemed to be against my presence. They were judging me for coming around today. Maybe because I had a different purpose other than for peaceful moments. Why on earth did I succumb to his demand of meeting him here? Wasn't I thinking straight when I agreed? I played with the hem of my clothes as my fingers fidgeted the tunic I was wearing. I continued moving deeper into the woods, but my heart was not at peace. It was as if I was about to break into a battlefield filled with untrained rogues. But I wasn't going to meet rogues; I was going to meet the one that captured my breath, leaving me breathless. It was the Alpha, Jaxon. And for no reason, it was worse, worse than meeting an army of rogues. My thoughts became dirty for some moment, drifting back to our moments of vulnerability, the kiss we had shared was magical, the best of its kind. The way his lips moved while in the act, the softness, the way he took over me completely. I was still unable to get myself back. I had melted in his hold; every one of his touches was unforgettable. He had managed to leave his scar on me, a part of me longs to have him all day. But right now, I am here to meet him again, but I don't know how to carry myself around him or what to say. After an intimate moment with the one you love, which was done unexpectedly, how do you react after that? What do you say to each other at your next meeting? I could hear my heart beating uncontrollably in my chest. The sound overpowered the breeze, threatening to break off from its position. As I was still trying to steady myself, I turned and I saw him coming. At first, he was backing me, standing very close to an oak tree. He scanned the environment but didn't see me, and he decided to wait a little longer for me. Unable to calm and steady my heartbeat, I contemplated running away. I didn't want him to see me in such a disorganized way. I tried moving toward the pack; maybe if he caught me, he would lie that Mira needed my attention at the training ground. "Oh no, I'm so sorry Jaxon. This was never my intention, Mira needs me right now, and she said it's an emergency. Could we please reschedule?" I practiced how I would coarse him into believing me. But unfortunately, my feet betrayed me. I found myself moving closer to his direction, and the wolf giggling in excitement. 'Alpha Jaxon," I called out, surprised at my voice. This can't be the one who leads thousands of warriors in a war. This can't be the great warrior of the Silver Moon Pack. Indeed, love can make one misbehave. He turned around in my direction to hear my voice. Upon meeting each other's gaze, we looked away immediately. "That was a bad start for this meeting, Liora," I told myself truthfully. None of us talked for a few seconds, and before you knew it, the tension between us turned into awkward moments. My cheeks were already reddish tomatoes from blushing. I could not hold up a gaze with him, same. All I wanted was to be far away from him, or better still, for the ground to up and swallow me. 'I... uhm...uhm ...when did you arrive here?" I asked instead, trying to break the choking silence between us. I already know the answer, but I wanted to say something to keep him talking. I felt like a fool for pushing him to hold a conversation. Jaxon wasn't the type of guy to shy away once it involves matters of the heart, then what happened to him?" He smiled as he tried to get an answer for me. "It wasn't even a minute before I arrived." After he finished saying that, dead silence fell between us again. The silence was much and suffocating. I find it annoying that I would leave the pack to come and stare at each other and the ground. I roamed my brain to find a topic for discussion, but I found nothing. We both stood facing each other like statuses. I never expected we could go dumb on our first meeting after the intimate moment. I found it more embarrassing that my brain was short-circuiting when I needed it most. I avoided his eyes like a plague in our awkward moments. Indeed, we have forgotten how to talk. I shifted my weight nervously from one leg to the other, as I tried to remain the same. Suddenly, it felt like something was draining the air in the forest. We became short of air, struggling to breathe in enough of it to stay alive. This was the place I visited almost every day of my life to get enough air. This was the place where the branches kept singing and blowing winds from different directions. 'So... uh...how did you find your...your way into the woods?" Jaxon finally said something, but it would have been better if he had stayed calm without talking. His voice came out too loud, interrupting the stillness around the woods. "Oh uhm, hope it wasn't too difficult? He muttered again. "Please, forgive me, my mind wasn't here at all. I forgot this was like your second home." He apologized realizing he made a mess of himself. Oh goddess, this is unbelievable! The Alpha was nervous as I was too. Somehow, I felt good that I wasn't the only one creating a mess. I had a partner in crime, and he happened to be the one that invited me. I found the whole scene interesting as I wasn't the only one embarrassed, but I still maintained demure. 'Yeah, it was very woodsy," I answered absent-mindedly. What does it mean to be woodsy in the first place? Woodsy, of all words? Seriously, Liora? I winced. What kind of response did I just give him like that? We both returned to maintaining dead silence again. It was as if someone instructed us to do so. I bit my lips as I waited for an opportunity to escape his presence. How could two fully grown adults fool themselves in this manner? To think that one happens to be the Alpha of a great pack and the other a great warrior of the same pack, was ridiculous. We were both acting shy like two teenagers in love. I knew our meeting was going to be awkward after our intimate moment, but I never expected it to be in this manner. I tried stealing glances with the corner of my eye, but I caught him doing the same. We continued in that manner with us smiling at each other, each time such happens. I giggled at how much fun I was having at just stealing glances awkwardly. He was very uncomfortable, almost looking like he could pee on his pants from embarrassment. 'I, uh... I called us here to talk. Many things happened ....and ...and...we need to talk. We can't keep pretending like nothing happened. We both have a lot to say to protect our interest." Jaxon finally broke the silence. But as he stammered, he also scratched his head, ending up scattering his hair. He concentrated on ruffling his hair like it was the most interesting part of his body. I swallowed an invisible lump. My mouth was already dry just hearing him mention our little escapades. The kiss gave us an unforgettable experience. 'Oh... yeah, you are very right, the other day was...was...great, yeah." Intimate, Liora. Real intimate. Jaxon cleared his throat like he was about to give a speech. 'That kiss wasn't planned. I mean, I loved...I loved every bit of it, but...I never planned it. It just happened, Liora." I nodded like I understood all he said, but truthfully, my focus was only on our closeness. This was how we were before he captured my lips the other day. Will he do the same today? Would he take the final step and close the remaining inch between us, and make me melt in his arms again? I focused on his scent, the peculiar intoxicating scent attributed to him alone. I was a finished lady, my attention was divided. I was struggling to keep up with what he had to say, while my eyes roamed on his body, carefully observing his masculine frame. I withheld myself from tracing my fingers on his albs, those sexy albs that could make one go insane. I was very much distracted. To worsen it all, my silly mind flashed back to how he moved his lips while kissing me. The softness, how firm it felt on me. I waited patiently, eager to have him pull me to himself again and explore every part of my body, but I looked up and saw him staring away while still talking obviously to himself. I was happy that he didn't notice me striping him naked with my eyes. 'I didn't mind at all," I blurted out before thinking, how did I come up with such a response? I felt embarrassed at how straight I was with my response. It wasn't anything ladylike. I bit my lips nervously as I awaited his reply. He gave me a shocked look, he never expected me to be so plain when it comes to intimacy. 'You didn't mind? You enjoyed everything?" I bent my head shyly, my voice coming out in a whisper. 'It was one of the best moments of my life." Another silence engulfed us, but this time, it came out more intense than the first. The atmosphere was charged in anticipation of something. I could hear our hearts beat to the tone of our inner voices. We kept quiet as if lacking the words to express how we felt, and that was true. I noticed Jaxon taking a step closer to me, and that was it, my heart jumped into my stomach. I could feel it crawling out back to its position. The closeness was choking, it was suggesting only one thing, and I waited, waiting patiently for it. 'Your thoughts invade my mind without permission, Liora. I think about you all the time," he said in a whisper, melting every wall I had built around me. My breath ceased. 'You do, so much?" He nodded calmly, steadying his gaze on me. 'More than was necessary. I no longer use the right doses." My pulse quickened, and our closeness was alarming. 'I always have you in my thoughts, too; you occupy most of my thoughts," I whispered back. His expression softened on hearing that; I watched as he took yet another dangerous step closer to me and closed the gap between us. This could be it, the very moment I have been waiting for.