Tess
I find many things in this world scary: walking to the bathroom late at night when you don’t have a nightlight on, fake friends, the members of the Safir pack, and last, and probably my biggest fear, is the thought of spending eternity alone. Sue me for thinking that’s a terrible fate, but that is how I feel without lying to myself.
I know plenty of women out there are like, “I don’t need a man! I’m strong and independent!” but I’m not one of them. Fuck no. I don’t want to be single for the rest of my life. I want to spend my days with someone special. Laugh and see the world together.
And the thought of trusting someone so much that you can show yourself vulnerability to them? That’s beautiful. I want to let someone in. To let them help me whenever I feel low and dead inside. And in return, I want to do the same for them. Love is about giving and taking; I will love my partner through everything. We will face the darkness of this world together and survive side by side. That’s what I want, and I want it so much that it hurts!
And call me crazy, but I want my special person to be Freddy—the same person that is snarling at me right now. His eyes are entirely black without any hint of white. Black scary veins fill his face like dark lightning strikes. I won’t sugarcoat it. He looks like a monster, but I’m not afraid of him despite this.
I’m in love with him. Madly and deeply, I don’t care about what he has done in the past.
Freddy hisses at me and places a hand on my throat. His teeth elongate, and I breathe a laugh. “Are you really going to hurt me after everything we have been through? If you are, then go ahead. Be a weakling even though you and I both know you’re stronger than this.”
He pauses at my words as if they somehow shock him. That makes me smile. It seems he isn’t as lost to his bloodthirst as I initially thought. Maybe I can reach him?
I’m still chained to the table, but the chain doesn’t run so tight that I can’t move my arms. So I reach up to touch Freddy’s face, but he flinches away like I’ve burned him. His eyes flicker with uncertainty, and I know this is my chance to break through to him.
“Freddy, do you remember our time by the lake?” I blush at the memory but push myself to keep speaking. This is the bravest I’ve ever been because, believe it or not, I think being vulnerable is scary. “That day is forever locked in my mind as my favorite memory. I’ve never been that open with another person before. I tried opening up to Lucas, but he broke my heart. He didn’t accept my heart when I gave it to him. He threw it on the ground and stomped on it. But you? You took care of my heart when I gave it to you. You tended to its wounds and accepted me for who I am. I don’t have to pretend around you.”
He growls low in his throat, and I can feel the power vibrating through his body as he fights against his instincts.
I keep talking. “You’re special to me, Freddy. The person I can be both ugly and pretty with and I want to be the same person for you. Please let me be that person. I know there is a darkness inside of you, but I’m willing to love you through it,” I laugh. “I actually don’t think I’m able to stop loving you either way. I’ve fallen too deep.”
Freddy still isn’t returning to his not-bloodthirsty self, yet I refuse to give up. This is my chance to show him that love can conquer all, even the darkness inside of him.
“I think the moon goddess chose the wrong mate for me,” I whisper. “She thought I was meant to be with Lucas, but it seems I’m a sucker for bad boys. I like them a little jaded because I’m not perfect myself.”
Freddy snarls at me.
Didn’t my words reach him?
For a moment, I think I’ve lost him, that he is going to give in to his bloodlust and hurt me. But then, miraculously, his grip on my throat loosens.
I stare up at him, watching as he easily breaks the chains on my arms and legs. His inhuman strength will never cease to amaze me. I smile at him, but Freddy doesn’t smile back. He takes another step back, his eyes flickering from black to their natural bright red color.
“Tess, I want to believe you,” he says hoarsely. “But I’ve done too many terrible things. How can you forgive me for what I’ve done?”
I sit up on the table, legs dangling down from it. “Because I love you, Freddy. I love you despite everything. And I know that you’re not the monster you think you are. You’re lost right now, but I can help you find your way back.”
He hesitates for a moment longer, then lets out a deep sigh that hints at him giving in. “You’re crazy,” he mutters and closest the distance between us.
I meet his eyes. “Love has a tendency of doing that to a person, you know.”
“Is that so?” Freddy asks and cocks his head. He is as tall as me standing up as I am sitting on this high table—that seems to amuse him, and he teasingly says, “You grew.”
I snort. “Are you going to kiss me or what?”
His lips twitch, but he doesn’t waste any more time. A hand land on my cheek, and then he kisses me.
It’s heaven.
His lips are soft yet demanding like they are searching for something deep inside of me. I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me, wanting to drown in his embrace. Freddy’s tongue grazes against my lower lip, asking for entrance, which I grant him without hesitation.
The kiss deepens, becoming more passionate, more intense. I feel his hands move to my waist, pulling me closer to him as though he never wants to let me go. We are the only two people in the world that matter right now, lost in our little bubble.
But then, just as quickly as it started, the kiss ends. Freddy pulls away, staring down at me with a mixture of emotions in his eyes. It’s like he’s fighting a battle within himself, trying to control the monster that resides within him.
“I can’t do this to you,” he says finally, his voice rough with emotion. “I can’t risk hurting you, Tess. You deserve better than me.”
I shake my head, refusing to let him go. “I don’t want anyone else, Freddy. I want you. I love you, and I’m not giving up on you.”
He stares at me for a long moment, his eyes full of unspoken words. And then, without warning, he picks me up from the table, holding me bridal style in his arms.
“What are you doing?” I ask, surprised by his sudden movement.
“I’m taking you away from here,” he says, determination in his voice. “We are still on the Safir pack’s territory...not that there are many werewolves left in their pack.”
“Did you kill them on your way here?”
“...do you want a sweet lie or the truth?”
I snort. “I heard their screams, Freddy. I know you ended their sad little lives, and I’m not bothered. They deserved that for kidnapping me.”
Amusement lights up his face. “So bloodthirsty... Should I be worried about you?”
“No,” I mutter, but then I think better of it and narrow my eyes at him. He visibly gulps and patiently waits for me to speak. It’s as if he knows I have something important to say. “But if you leave me again, then I’m going to get mad, and trust me, you don’t want to see me mad, Freddy.”
Freddy chuckles, his eyes softening as he looks down at me. He has this look on his face that makes me shy. It’s like he sees all of me—as if he finds me more special than any other girl on this planet, and my heart races when he softly kisses the side of my head, “Alright. Okay. You win. Do you want to hear me say it louder? You win, Tess. I can’t fight how I feel about you. I’m in love with you to the point it hurts. I sure as hell don’t deserve you and feel bad for promising you this when there are far better men out there, but here it is: I promise I will never leave you again.”
A strange warmth fills my chest when Freddy utters those words, and then I hear a familiar voice squeal within me. It sounds a lot like the moon goddess, and I freeze when she whispers inside my head, ‘Well, hasn’t this been a journey?’ there is some amused, happy laughter. ‘I love it when people choose their own fate. And I’m sorry, Tess. I can’t give a human a fated mate, but since I doubt Freddy would leave you even though he met his fated mate, I can break that bond and form another before any harm can be made. This will be my gift to you. A second chance for the girl that somehow ended up saving two souls.’
More warmth enters my chest to the point it feels like I’m about to burst. A silence follows, and Freddy stops in his tracks as if realizing something is wrong.
“Is everything okay?” he asks.
I look up at his face and smile when I realize we share a mate bond. It burns brighter than the one I shared with Lucas, and Freddy pauses while taking in my face as if seeing me for the first time.
“What is this?” he asks.
I laugh in delight and rub my cheek against his chest. “Fate.”
The moon goddess might not have planned for this to happen, but I’m sure I was always meant to meet Freddy. He might not be the perfect guy, but that’s alright—we are flawed yet somehow perfect for each other.