Nikola’s P.O.V

Hagen drooled. A lot.

It wasn’t a surprise, per se. I knew he did it — I’d seen him drool all over himself numerous times over the years — but it was still indescribably disturbing to witness the shape of a troll’s foot form on his shirt from his spit alone.

No, it wasn’t exactly disturbing– that wasn’t the word. It was disgusting, and witnessing it in close proximity made my spirit convulse with revulsion … and yet, I was still here.

My mate was drooling like a newborn baby, and my heart was still staggering to do its job.

It was true then; this proved it — love knew no bounds.

Shifting slightly, I adjust the hand beneath my head as I watch Hagen sleep.

Hagen was a very serene sleeper. The complete opposite of his usual roving nature during his waking hours.

He had barely moved throughout the night and was still now. Only his eyelids moved, shifting with the faintest hint of motion beneath them.

He must’ve been dreaming now, but I didn’t think it was a frightening dream because his breaths remained long and deep.

In the quiet, I align my intake with his until we’re breathing together.

His cheeks were full, like he’d stuffed a cookie between his lips when I’d dared to blink. Those lips… pink and plump, and so effortlessly tempting… I ignore the drool — for my mental health.

Casting my gaze higher, I search his face for more facets of him that could only be uncovered this close.

By the way, this is why everyone thinks you’re creepy. I just thought I’d let you know, as the loyal wolf that I am — Neo inserts with that tone he took on whenever he tried to separate himself from my actions. Because they’re your actions! I’m just an unwilling accomplice.

I would think an ‘unwilling accomplice’ would have complained before this moment if they didn’t support this — I retort while I study the dip in Hagen’s nose that led down to the button at the end. The sun hasn’t risen yet, but I suspect it will soon. You too have been watching him for hours.

What else am I supposed to do? Go outside? I can’t — Neo retorts smartly. Besides, you know I’m not one to turn down a perfectly acceptable meal.

I shall keep that in mind — I reply dryly.

Neo could make as many excuses as he pleased, we both knew that where our mate was concerned, he and I were one and the same. Besides, I hadn’t meant to spend my entire evening like this. It was an accident really.

When I’d settled on my side of the bed last night, I had every intention of pursuing sleep, but then Hagen had turned onto his side and faced me, and that was all it took. I’d been charmed by just the sight of him, and now, hours later, I still hadn’t found the strength to look away.

I tried to. I did, but I couldn’t. That… worried me.

Groaning something intangible, Hagen replaces whatever I’d been thinking about as he suddenly rolls over and slings his leg over his beloved pillow barrier.

At first, my dark magic had itched to set the thing that kept me from holding my mate aflame. But throughout the night, I’d become eternally grateful for it because while it kept us apart, it was also the only thing preventing that dreadful puddle of drool from assaulting my shirt. Small blessings.

Hagen strips that blessing away now as he shoves at the pillow beneath him, breaching the pillowy border between us. My body turns to stone while he wriggles about– searching, but after a few tense seconds, he sighs and falls back asleep. He melts back into the bed as if nothing had happened while I remain an imprisoned carving.

Barely breathing, I stare at the hand that had landed just inches from me, as if it were a bomb. It felt like one.

It shouldn’t. It shouldn’t have had my blood pounding in my ears, but it was– he was.

Hagen shifts a little, his hand dragging itself closer– hunting, and I retreat so quickly I almost fall from the bed. My magic saves me from making a sound, delivering me on my feet instead, but it does nothing to aid the delirious want taking me by storm; it only makes it worse.

I hadn’t noticed before– hadn’t been able to while lying down, but when Hagen had moved, he’d kicked his covers back, and now, he laid open in ways I’d only ever dreamed. The white top he’d worn to sleep was driven up now, revealing a glimpse of the smooth plains of his stomach, and his grey shorts that were now bunched under his thighs, hugging the curves of his ass.

Good Goddess. I wanted Hagen. Now more than ever, Goddess, I wanted him.

I wanted to climb back into his bed and pull him into my arms. To keep him there, locked tight so that I could feel his chest expand against mine and pleasure in the warmth of every exhale.

I wanted to touch him everywhere. To brush the fallen strands back from his face, run my fingers through his hair, and trace the parts that made him whole, and mine, with my nails.

I wanted to catalogue him— every inch of him. To map his body with my hands and mouth, to pull him apart with my magic and lap at his skin with my tongue, and—

I take a step back and then another until I’m out of the open bedroom and in the living room where I was meant to be in the first place. A sharp ache cuts at the centre of my chest, enough to make my steps falter but not enough to make me go back.

This was the effect of an open bond. I knew that. But I’d been dealing with the bond even when Hagen wasn’t, so why did the way I craved him feel so much greater now?

I sit myself down in the centre of the couch, needing something fixed to ground me while my over-stimulated brain tries to put the pieces together.

I had been struggling to function in Hagen’s space from the moment I’d stepped into the studio yesterday, but I’d had a hold on it— I did have a hold on it. This was just another impasse, one I’d best, just I had before.

I could handle living surrounded by his scent, just like I could handle being close to him.

I would because I had to, because I couldn’t let him down again.

I tell myself that as I stare straight ahead, at the wall at first, and then, at my sleeping mate.

══════════════════

I hear him groaning first. It’s a jumble of alien-like shrieking sounds that are honestly alarming before I pinpoint a yawn that is far more civilised.

My mate was a noisy riser. I take special note of that.

Spirit suddenly burning hotter, I hastily try to quiet my mounting heart rate before Hagen has the chance to notice. I’d managed to calm myself, mildly, by daybreak, and my only intention was now to present nothing but a collected front once I saw my mate.

Though my greatest efforts to cull myself are wasted as my magic begins to stir, gathering quickly to cast me to my linker’s side now that he is awake. I best it, barely, knowing that if I were right there when Hagen awoke, the rest of the day would be in tatters.

While my mate continues to make his waking an audible announcement, Knots eagerly rears his head up from the puddle of scales he’d settled into at the doorway, but he stills once he meets my gaze. Deflating like an unbound balloon, he sinks back down with a pout instead of slithering off the greet Hagen.

“He’ll warm up to you,” I tell him, but he just looks away.

Knots may blame me now, but I was saving him the burn of rejection. People didn’t see a friendly, overly tactile creature with the inner spirit of a puppy when they saw Knots; they saw a python that terrified them, and Hagen wasn’t much different. But I was sure that in time, he’d warm to him. Hagen was just that type of person.

With one ear attuned to my mate, I continue slicing the rest of the watermelon before me into perfect triangles to add to the already prepped oranges, grapes and pawpaw. Breakfast was mostly finished, but you couldn’t call it breakfast unless it included fruits — Ma’s rules.

“Is that—” Hagen starts with a yawn before he pauses. I catch the distinct sound of him sniffing before he croaks, “food?”

The corner of my lips tugs up at the sheer hopefulness in his tone, “Perhaps.”

What comes next is the hurried shuffling of sheets before heavy stomps come rushing my way, and then, there he stands.

I’d never seen what Hagen looked like when he woke up– not this close.

I didn’t know the way his usually wide brown eyes could narrow so small when they were heavy with sleep, or the way his hair became flattened to the side he’d slept on. There was a puffiness to his face too, and it made him seem so much softer, so much sweeter.

My fingers tighten around the knife in my hand, the plastic handle suddenly at risk of shattering.

Hagen’s eyes linger on me as well, but before I can interrogate what he sees, he looks hastily from me to the plates of sandwiches, bacon, and prepped yogurt bowls. His jaw slacks, causing his mouth to hang open as his eyes glaze over.

“Nikola,” he whispers almost reverently.

I can’t help my chuckle. “Good morning to you too, Hagen.”

“Morning,” he mumbles absently, his eyes still glued to the spread. “Is that all for you, or—” he glances up at me, eyes pleading.

I swallow as I turn towards the cabinets, taking this moment to pluck two glasses free despite not needing them.

“If you believe I alone can consume this, then I worry about your current perception of me.”

“Oh Goddess bless you,” he groans with a near sob. “Goddess bless you, Nikola!”

Despite my internal war, when I swivel and spot the way Hagen stumbles forward, looking so genuinely happy over something I’d done, there’s the only joy I feel in that moment– a pleasure that sours within an instant when my rose-tinted lens shifts enough for me to spot something other than Hagen’s beauty.

“Thank you for the blessings, but not another step.”

The cartoon hearts pulsing in Hagen’s eyes split down the middle and shatter. In an instant, his expression turns forlorn as he looks at me as if I’d just revealed myself to be a villain.

“I want you to wash up first,” I state as I set the knife down. “We’ll eat once you’ve brushed your teeth and washed your face…” I glance at the trail of dried spit on his cheek, “at the very least.”

Hagen’s cheeks turn an alluring shade of pink as he huffs, “You serious?”

I let silence reign as I settle my hands on the counter and stare at him.

“Nik, come on. We’re both guys,” he starts in a protest that sputters out when I raise a brow.

I may be falling in entirely new styles for the way Hagen looked when he woke up – adorable and innocent – and I may be currently fighting tooth and nail to hide it, but even I had my limits.

“Breakfast will be ready by the time you’re done,” I state before I pick the knife back up and finish slicing the rest of the watermelon.

While I start plating it, Hagen stands in his place for a few seconds, seemingly too stunned to say a thing.

“This is my place,” he huffs. I don’t reply. “I don’t have to.” Silence. “I can just eat cereal or make my own food.”

Seconds tick by with me focusing only on prepping the food as if he’s not even there before Hagen finally throws his head back and groans.

“Fine. Fine!” he snaps, throwing his hands up as he goes trudging back to the bedroom. “But only because I’m hungry.”

I watch him go and only when he’s out of sight do I let the smile that tries to tear my lips apart free.

My mate was adorable.

I pull the drawer beneath me free in search of cutlery but freeze when the distance between Hagen and me grows, causing that sharp ache to sprout from the centre of my being, this time, stronger. The pull of the bond pairs itself with the persistent surging of my magic, until I felt a fresh sheen of sweat break out on my forehead with the effort it takes to resist them.

To my horror, for the second time this morning, unwelcomed panic surges forth within me.

I didn’t usually panic– only had the night of my first date with Hagen, but I couldn’t help it now because I didn’t know how much longer I could manage this.

Before, I had coped with the pull of mate awareness by seeing and speaking to Hagen, which proved adequate to soothe my need at first, until it wasn’t. Scenting was a great alternative, but Hagen quickly shut that down. And now, we were living together which caused my body to crave more, and being this close to Hagen without being able to claim him in any way… it was testing my restraint.

To say I was hanging on by a thread….

“Happy now?”

I straighten as Hagen returns, his face fresh and clean. As he approaches, I watch him closely, searching for… anything akin to the need I was contending with– something, but I spot nothing.

“Very,” I reply as I circle the counter and pull his stool out for him. “Thank you for cooperating.”

Hagen looks me up and down with mock disdain that dissolves the longer his eyes linger on me, “Yeah, whatever.”

I pull my own seat back to settle beside him, but the moment I do, a fresh waft of his scent invades my senses.

Neo growls his approval, pushing forward in search of more, but I wrestle him back. Indulging in Hagen’s scent any more than I already was would cast me down a slippery slope, so instead, I shift my stool slightly to the left, away from my oblivious Hagen.

When I look at my mate, I find him staring at me.

My heart drops, fresh worry tightening my insides until he suddenly sucks his teeth and scrambles beneath the stool for the pump. Silently but furiously, Hagen cranks the stool up inch by inch until he stops and looks at me, now eye to eye.

I blink at him, confused, but when he blows out a small, satisfied breath, understanding washes over me.

I bite back my smile, “Are you ready to eat now?”

“Yup,” he replies excitedly, his eyes gleaming once they settle on the food.

Almost drooling again– Goddess forbid – Hagen reaches a hand forth before he stops himself suddenly. I frown as he withdraws quickly, settling his hands in his lap and shifting about in his seat.

“Is something wrong?”

“No! No!” he dismisses quickly, “I just thought maybe we could say what we’re grateful for.” He adjusts his position once more, “It’s just something we’ve always done home, and I mean, I can’t really do it when I’m alone, but I thought maybe,” more squirming, “I don’t know. I just thought maybe we could do it and— why are you smiling like that?”

I hadn’t noticed that I was, but now that he pointed it out, my face almost ached from it.

It wasn’t quite what he’d been saying, though that too was warming a very domestic part of me; it was how he was asking for this.

Hagen had always rambled when he was nervous; it was like his mouth started moving, and he didn’t know how to make it stop. He’d never been nervous around me before, so I’d only witnessed it from afar, but he’d done it with me six times since my birthday, and I found it cuter each time.

“Nothing,” I reply in place of the truth. “I wouldn’t mind saying thanks.”

“Okay. Cool,” Hagen says, already beaming from ear to ear as he straightens quickly. “I’ll go first. I’m grateful for the new year and being able to enter it with everyone I care about.”

I nod, “I’m grateful for being here with you, like this.”

Hagen’s cheeks heat as he meets my gaze, “O-Oh, cool. That’s cool– I’m grateful for that too,” he smiles nervously, “and thanks for making breakfast. It, um… looks great.”

My nails dig into the countertop, talons threatening to do the same as Hagen flushes with colour all the way up to his ears.

I would make breakfast for him every morning if it meant I got to witness the way he blushed so prettily when he thanked me for it.

“You’re welcome,” I manage eventually after clearing my throat. “Now, let’s enjoy it.”

I pick up the plate in front of me and the second I do, Hagen takes that as his cue to attack. We move around each other until we’ve got all we need, or in my linker’s case, all he could fit.

I glance between our plates, somewhat speechless.

The sandwiches on my plate were separated with spaces between each of the halves so that no crust touched. The bacon was in a section of its own, and the fruits I’d gathered each had a plate of their own so the juices didn’t mix.

Hagen, on the other hand, only had one plate, and it was almost overflowing at the rim, all the contents smooshed together. I cringe.

“What?” he asks around a mouthful of yogurt I hadn’t even seen him consume. “I left enough for seconds,” he says with a gesture forward.

I nod with a tight smile, and Hagen grins back at me, his teeth freckled by bits of granola.

… this thing called love was terrifying.

With hunger distracting us, Hagen and I eat side by side in a picture of bliss that makes each bite I take that much tastier. My mate may become feral each time he encountered food, but I still enjoyed eating with him— it felt right.

Despite the morning’s struggles, I loved being together like this; feeling his warmth at my side, breathing in the fresh traces of his salty scent and hearing his little hums of pleasure as he ate.

I didn’t think Hagen even knew he did that— the little groans and happy hums he released while he ate, or the way his lips stretched in a happy smile and his eyes closed. But I did, and I memorised it all.

When he releases a tired breath and sips on the vanilla chai I’d made us, I frown at his almost-finished plate. He’d eaten quite a bit but barely any fruit, even when he’d gone for seconds.

As he drinks, I reach over and fix a bit of each fruit onto his plate, making sure they don’t touch as I do so. He’d had lots of grapes, but barely any pawpaw or oranges. I add a slice of watermelon as well, and then the last slice of bacon before I pull back.

When I look at Hagen, I find him staring blankly at me.

I stare back at him, confused at first before I realise what I’d actually just done.

“You didn’t eat enough fruits,” I explain, but it comes out like a feeble excuse for overstepping.

“Uhh,” he drawls, frowning at me while he scratches at his head, “… okay.”

I blink at him, not knowing if he wanted an apology or further explanation.

“Each of these adds something to your diet. They’re important,” I add, decidedly following the ‘further explanation’ route. “Pawpaw acts as a cleanser for the stomach, and Vitamin C boosts the immune system.”

When Hagen only continues to stare at me, I feel awkward unease welling inside, “Can you not eat it?”

I barely finish the last word before he snorts, his features relaxing within an instant, “That’s a stupid question. I can always finish my food, Nikola.”

Either taking it as a challenge or just reluctant to argue, Hagen stabs his fork into one of the small orange cubes and pops it into his mouth. Chewing heartily, he asks, “So, what do you want to do today?”

I look away with a breath of relief. “I don’t know,” I reply honestly. “I shouldn’t be needed in the pack until the end of the week, and I’ve already done my morning meditation.”

“You meditate?” Hagen asks, eyebrows jumping up.

“It helps me stay focused,” I answer, “or ‘centred’.”

It had helped this morning, that was until I heard Hagen wake up and all the previous work became for nought.

“Huh,” he hums, “that’s cool. I just take a nap when I’m stressed.” He snorts and grins, clearly amused with himself. “Wait, when the hell did you do that?! How long have you been up?”

I couldn’t tell him I hadn’t slept last night. It would open too many doors and I was already struggling to keep the current ones shut.

“Two hours and sixteen minutes,” I say after glancing at my watch. “I am not the type to sleep in.”

Hagen shudders, “You willingly wake up early?” I nod, and he shudders again. “That’s crazy,” he declares while he picks up half of the sliced and peeled orange.

“It gives me more time in the day,” I explain, but he just keeps shaking his head.

“Who needs more time in the day? The days are already long enough!”

“Are they?” I ask as I twist my stool until I face my vibrant mate. Leaning against the counter, I listen with a full heart as he nods seriously.

“Long and boring,” he states before biting into the fruit, making its juices burst free around his lips. My eyes stall there, on his glistening lips, and when his tongue peeks out to lick them clean, my magic slips.

“Which reminds me, I’ve got to pick a–ahh,” Hagen jolts as it nuzzles him, managing to caress his inner thigh before I reign it in. He looks at me with wide eyes, but I keep my face deceptively blank, not willing to incriminate myself unless I had to.

“You must pick a what?” I ask, politely.

Hagen blinks at me before he shakes his head and hastily wipes his wrist against his lips, “A-A course. A new course. Today. I’ve got to pick one, or I’m getting the boot.”

“They would dismiss you?” I ask, once my preoccupied brain manages to follow the conversation.

“Yup, and with my grades, I can’t see any other university taking me. I failed last semester’s exams, and I don’t really want to retake them, so I figured I might as well switch now.”

“Switch to what?”

Hagen shrugs, his body slumping as if just thinking about the matter exhausted him, “Whatever’s available. Can’t be any worse than Geology, right?”

I frown as sadness washes over me, almost as pungent as the misery in my mate’s eyes.

During the brief occasions we’d discussed Hagen’s education, I’d stayed quiet, not wanting to overstep, but I struggled to do so now.

Hagen was lost, blatantly so, and though I knew he was trying his very best, he kept going down the wrong path without even knowing it. I had more than a few ideas to help him, but I found myself hesitating… as I always did.

There was a very fine line between Hagen and me, I was barely managing to tread it as is, and I didn’t want to risk violating it.

Mates come together for a reason — Neo reminds me amidst my indecision. Where you fall, he lifts you up, and vice-versa. Our mate is falling now, Nikola– lift him up.

“Have you considered taking a leave of absence?”

Hagen looks up at me, abandoning the remaining fruit he’d been poking at with his fork.

“A leave of absence?” he repeats with a tilt of his head. “What’s that?”

“A break,” I supply. “For a period, you step away from your university and your classes, and once the period finishes, you return. That might not be the official name for it in your university, but I’m sure there’s a system in place with the same concept.”

Hagen’s dark brows knit as he looks down, considering the new information seriously, “I never heard of that, but I don’t even know what I’d do if I took a break.” His shoulders slump again, defeat returning swiftly, “I’d just be prolonging the inevitable.”

“You can use the time to find out what it is you actually want to do,” I reply, trying my best to use thoughtful words. The very last thing I wanted was to say the wrong thing and upset him. “You can try different jobs or take classes in different fields, participate in different events and activities until you find something that fits.”

Hagen stares at me unvaryingly, his lips parted as if he wanted to say something but didn’t quite know what. Then he shakes his head and sighs with a smile that’s too forced to be true, “I don’t know. I mean, that sounds amazing but I wouldn’t even know where to start—”

“I can help you,” I reply, deflecting the wave before it could fully overwhelm him. “Between you and me, I’m sure we can find many trades for you to try or new things to do.”

“Things like what?” Hagen huffs doubtfully, but I could see the hope flickering in his eyes, so small it was easy to miss, but I see it.

“Pottery. Potion mixing. Farming. Translating. Gnome Hunting. Taxonomy. Skydiving. Realm hopping. Stone keeping. Drums. Reef surfing.” I list in quick succession. “To name a few.”

Hagen blinks at me before he laughs, shaking his head again as he examines his plate.

“It would be fun for you, if anything,” I say as I lean a little closer to him, trying to meet his eyes. But Hagen doesn’t look up. He just keeps staring at his plate, his heart racing almost as fast as mine.

I frown as I study him. This wasn’t anger or annoyance. This was… fear.

Pinpointing others’ emotions was usually a difficult task for me, but fear– fear never evaded me. It had a distinct scent— raw, unbridled ash, and when it set itself over a soul, it cast the darkest of shadows.

“What are you afraid of?”

Hagen winces at the question, his body curling inwards a little. “What am I afraid of?” he repeats dryly. “How about everything.”

My frown deepens, but Hagen continues before I have to ask. “I’ve tried so many things already, more than you can probably ever count, and it always ends the same. I like something, and I’m pretty okay at it, but I don’t love it. I never… love it.

“It’s never enough for me to do every day. So what’s to say it won’t end the same way, just this time, with even more things crossed off the list?”

The way my heart collapses within my chest is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. It’s an awful, rotting pain that threatens to bleed me dry as Neo howls for our mate.

The pain in Hagen’s voice was scarring, and it spoke of how deeply rooted his suffering was, and that killed me. I wanted to take it away, to fix it so he could be happy, be him— beautifully bright and carefree.

“Besides, it’s a bit late for me to go soul-searching,” he says, trying again for a smile that fails to make his cheeks bunch up the way his real ones did. “There’s nothing worse than being that one person alone in a room full of couples and friends. It sucks ass, trust me.”

I wanted to disagree since I very much enjoyed doing things on my own, but Hagen wasn’t that type of person. He liked company; it made him feel safe.

“I’ll do it with you,” I offer, and Hagen’s attention immediately snaps my way.

“What?”

“I will do it with you, the ones which I can,” I reply while quickly navigating the possibilities in my mind. “For those I really can not bear, I will watch from the sidelines and support you, but I can be there with you, so you won’t be alone.”

Wide brown eyes stare up at me with almost innocent surprise, and what I hope is longing, all the while, my heart gallops optimistically within my chest.

I clear my throat, “And as for things ending the same way this time, they won’t.”

“How do you know?” Hagen asks slowly, that hope flaring in his eyes.

“I just do,” I reply simply, knowing it to be true. “It will be different.”

I knew Hagen, better than anyone, better than I knew myself, and I knew exactly what would light his world up every day as he wished, but I wouldn’t tell him outright. I’d help him set upon the right path so that he could find it himself.

“So, how does that sound?” I ask after several beats of silence.

Hagen shifts in his stool, his gaze flicking around as if he were searching for any lifeline other than the one I was holding out for him.

“I don’t know,” he breathes shakily. “Who even knows if my university would let me just take a break with the record I have, and I don’t want to drag you into my shit. It’s already a mess, no need for your life to get fucked up too. Besides—”

“Hagen,” I say, cutting in sharply. “Stop thinking of the negatives.”

“But—”

“If you were to put aside all the reasons why you shouldn’t give this a try, how does it sound?”

Hagen blinks at me, almost pleading, but I don’t give him an out.

“Good,” he forces out as he pushes his hair from his face. “It sounds really good, but—”

“Then I’ll handle any bumps along the way,” I reply, marking an end to the matter. “For now, we can start by making an application for your leave and then a list of goals you want to achieve this year.”

“Goals? What goals?” Hagen sputters. “And before that, maybe I should think about this first. I mean, we just talked about it. I got to tell my parents, and I don’t know– research?!”

“That’s fine,” I found researching subjects appealing. “We can start with the goals for today.”

Hagen huffs a breath, his gaze locked on me as if I were insane.

“You can say no, if you wish,” I state so he knows it’s an option. “You can tell me that I’m overstepping and I won’t broach the matter again. But I can tell that this matter stresses you and makes you unhappy, and as your mate, I want to help.”

Colour splotches Hagen’s cheeks once more at my words, and his gaze quickly falls from mine. I fist my fingers tightly, caging them so I don’t touch him, but it’s hard. A bashful Hagen was steadily proving to be my undoing.

I swallow, “If you don’t want my help, just tell me, Hagen.”

Contemplating it, Hagen swerves continuously on his stool, his eyes darting to and from mine, while his hands never quite find a place to settle. It seemed to be a big decision for him— whether or not to accept my help, and maybe it was, but I already knew what his answer would be.

I could see it in his eyes. That small flicker of hope was growing like a flame every time he looked at me.

“No?” I prompt when I catch his gaze next. “You only have to say the word.”

He doesn’t. He just looks at me, silently accepting.

Pleasure blooms inside of me so quickly that it takes freeing my ancestral magic to keep myself perfectly still. Soon– I’d have him soon.

“If you get your laptop, we can start researching,” I say, and Hagen nods a little before he slips off his stool.

He stands there for a moment, awkwardly, and for a moment, I think he’s going to change his mind, but then he turns towards me.

“Thank you,” he mumbles, but his voice breaks a little, turning into a high squeak that makes me snort. Hagen hastily clears his throat and tries again, “I just wanted to say thank you, okay.”

“Okay,” I reply, my grin wide in that way it only knew how to be around Hagen.

Hagen glares at me, practically throwing daggers with his eyes, but it only makes my lust churn for him. I didn’t like my mate angry, especially not at me, but there was something to be said about being the subject of Hagen Calderon’s glares.

“I’m glad I could help.”

Hagen stares at me, his eyes darting between mine as his heart races, pumping harder the longer our gaze stays unbroken. I hear each fastened beat and see it too, the pulse at his neck nearly hypnotising. Under my watch, Hagen shifts— squirms, his throat bobs as he swallows, his bright eyes glow, and my fingers itch to settle over his waist and pull him in close.

“Good,” Hagen says suddenly, breaking the trance as he looks away. “I mean, it’s good that we can help each other out, ya know, as mates. It’s good, real good, right?”

I nod while I lick my suddenly dry lips, “It is good. ‘Real good’. ”

Narrowing his eyes, Hagen spots my teasing and his earlier glare returns, “You are—”

“Aren’t you supposed to be getting your laptop?” I ask, and his eyes flash with their unique gold hue before he smiles wickedly.

“Yeah, I am,” he states, backing away. “And while I’m there, I might just unmake your side of the bed.”

My smile drops, “That’s not funny, Hagen.”

“No?” he questions, head tilting as he takes another step back.

“Hagen,” I warn, standing slowly. “I’m serious.”

Eyes flaring with mischief, Hagen sticks his tongue out before he turns on his heels and runs for the bathroom. Cursing, I scramble after him, but despite my words, laughter breaks free from my chest, much like the giggles escaping Hagen ahead.

I was chasing my mate because he was going to do the one thing that could send me to an early grave, and yet, I couldn’t remember ever being happier.

———————–

So??!??!?!?!??

Thoughts????????????

Do we like this better than the original?!? Yay or nay??!?!

What did you guys think about the added scene of Nik leaving the bed?!?!? Or his magic slipping from him for a second there hehehe

Personally, while I do still love the original and the adorable aspect of it, I much prefer this one because it fits better with the overall story — in my opinion. If you some of you guys still like the original more, that’s fine, it’ll remain up there for your enjoyment.

But anyway, Chapter 18 is already written and will be up sometime next week, probably towards the end since I need to pay attention Patreon for a bit and also my uni work UGH

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and are still looking forward to the coming chapters!

Until next time,
Byeeeeeeeee Humanssssssss