the times I said you were my mate?" his voice quietly questioned in my mind while we continued to kiss.
Mhm.
"I'm glad I was right."
His remark made me smile against his lips and we kissed and kissed like the world was moving in slow motion. I knew we'd be late, but at this point, I didn't care. I wanted to embrace this moment, and maybe the world would slow down enough so we could enjoy the thrill of this bond.
A moment to love in slow motion.
"Why is the parking lot empty?" I questioned as Onyx pulled up to the valet mall entrance. He let go of my hand just to put the car in park before he signaled the valet driver to not approach.
"Hmm?" he replied as he reached out to hold my hand again.
"The parking lot looks like we went from traffic mayhem to the apocalypse," I emphasized and used my free hand to pull off my sunglasses. "Is the mall not open today?"
"It's open," he assured me. "For you and Aurelia."
I stared at him for a hard minute.
"What did you do?"
His smug smile was priceless. "Why do you always assume I did something?" he inquired.
"Because you always do something mischievous that I find out last minute," I voiced. "Like fuck me in the washroom after I perfected my makeup and ignore the possibility of Aurelia teleporting to us when you were ignoring her calls."
"She only didn't teleport to check on us because she knew I was probably tempted by your sexy outfit and needed a moment to fuck you," he summed up.
"Did you listen to how stupid that hypothesis is?" I questioned with a dull look. It only made his smile widen as he leaned right over to kiss me, his hand tightly squeezing mine.
"I put some shopping money in your purse," he revealed against my lips. "Go buy some sexy lingerie for me."
"For me," I corrected before his gesture clicked in. "Wait, what?"
"Buy some lingerie," he repeated. "Or anything you want, for that matter. I finally received my second black card that I requested in your name. It's in the first card slot if the cash isn't enough."
"O-Onyx," I whispered. "But I have money."
"Just because you have money doesn't mean I shouldn't pamper you," he stressed. "Besides, when was the last time you went shopping? A good while. Enjoy it."
"But...why did you book the whole mall out?" It finally made sense why the mall parking was empty.
"I actually didn't," he admitted. "Viktor did. I think he knew you'd want to go shopping with Aurelia, but due to your rise in fame, it would be rather difficult to guarantee your safety. He booked the entire mall to make sure no one else but security and the employees are on the property. Saint tipped a different mall location to the media so your fans and the paparazzi are probably raiding the mall on the other side of the city so you'll be able to shop in peace."
I didn't know what to say as I just stared at him.
"Jayce is on security monitoring with Neo so if anything happens, you'll have backup."
"And Dimitris?" I pondered.
Onyx's smile widened as he leaned in to whisper, "He's ordering you flowers for the bedroom, living room, and your office in the safe house. Shh. I didn't tell you."
"You snitch." I laughed, and he joined in.
"He's gonna scold me for telling you, but I don't give a fuck."
"I'm glad you're getting along," I confessed with a comforting smile. Onyx nodded as he looked forward, his hand stroking the palm of mine.
"You know, the years of torture and having one another and Aurelia...I never actually thought we'd find a pack that understood us," he confessed. "A group of wolf shifters that aren't trying to destroy you in the shadows, or that’s all about hierarchy while anyone who's not a Beta or Alpha is considered useless. I expected we'd either be dead, or with one another, but to be a part of the Forbidden Pack has been a comforting experience thus far."
"Aside from the interference with the various bullshit Papa Dearest initiated."
"Aside from that bullshit," he agreed but looked over at me. "Are you worried about him?"
"Truthfully?" I asked and watched him nod. I gave him a half-smile as I looked forward to avoid his gaze. "Ya. Stupid to worry about someone who abused you for years and is the reason for all the fucked-up trauma in your life...but...I can't justify it as enough for him to be