[Stephanie]
"Hmm..." Arthur rubbed the stubble on his chin, and he never seemed to worry about the issues I was talking about.
"Considering our average lifespan and my physical condition, I don't think I'll die soon after giving a certain amount of my lifetime. But, if these ifs you say come true, then I'll take it as my fate," said Arthur, looking up at me.
"Steph, remember what I told you? Don't struggle about what has happened in the past. It's the future that matters."
"A part of my life has been taken away. My friend has succeeded in bringing you back to life. I met you, my mate. You are talking to me in good spirits. That was a bargain for me."
"Okay, now I understand why your friend called you 'stupid wolf.' You could have done a lot of meaningful things with your lost years of life, but you chose to use them to save a girl you didn't know." I said.
I sounded like I was quarreling with him. Maybe I was worried about Arthur's future. Or maybe I was anxious because I couldn't repay him for what he had done for me.
Whatever it was, I hoped I could get an answer I could live with that would make me feel better.
"You're an idiot, Steph," Arthur said in a dead voice.
"Excuse me? At least I'm not going to be so selfless as to sacrifice my own life to save a stranger, even if I'm told that person is my future mate. Mate doesn't mean that much to me." I raised my eyebrows.
"That's why I said you were an idiot. Those are your thoughts. You haven't experienced what I've gone through. You don't know how surprised I was after learning of your existence."
"I had been waiting for you more than 30 years. I once tried to fall in love with a woman who wasn't my mate. I also dated other women. But after having flings with them, I still felt lonely. They didn't make me feel happy at heart." He said.
His eyes were as deep as the sea, as if they were about to raise waves and winds in the next blink. They were desperate to tell me something.
"Are you sure that being with me makes you truly happy? We've only seen each other for one day." I glanced at my phone to confirm the time, "less than 24 hours. Don't you think you're going too fast?"
The storm in his eyes disappeared as Arthur's lips curved upward after
He raised his hand and ran his fingers through my long hair. It was like a faint current ran from the roots of my hair to my whole body.
He grabbed my hand and put it on his chest. His strong heart crashed against my fingertips. His lips touched mine, soothing my anxious heart.
Unfortunately, it was a very quick kiss.
I wanted this kiss to be longer. No, I wanted more.
Arthur didn't move far away from me. He softly put his forehead against mine. His breath was fragrant with the scent of fir after the snow.
"Just so you know, I wanna kiss you even if you stand here and do nothing. So, for me, it didn't take long to fall for you. Steph, I was already sure of that when I entered your room and saw you for the first time. At that time, there was no mate pull, and even no mate bond established between us."
"So, you like me with a bandage on my head, and my hair all messed up like a bird's nest?" I asked him jokingly. After hearing him say that, I felt like I was in a goofy smile now.
"I think it's very special. I like it." His arm wrapped around my waist. His hands rubbed my back. He leaned over and whispered in my ear.
"Arthur, I think I fancy you more now. " I said, bringing my red cheek up against his heart.
"Steph, you don't need to feel guilty or pressured by what I have given you. You know, instead of leaving me alone for the next few hundred years, I'd rather trade those empty hours for the chance to be with you." He said.
His gentle breath sprayed on my earlobe, tickling it and my heart.
I hugged his back and asked him in a whisper.
"Arthur, can I trust you?"
"I can't give an answer for your heart. If you still doubt me, I'll wait for you to believe me." Arthur said.
"You stupid wolf," I muttered.
"You silly girl," he whispered.
Although there were still many things I wanted to find out, like how did he know he was my second chance in a previous life?
I didn't ask him any more questions because I was afraid the rest of my questions would ruin the peace now.
We hugged for a long time until dark clouds covered the sun and the thunderstorm came in a run.
***
I reopened the mind link as we rushed to the hospital before getting drenched by the rain.
"Rose, did you hear all of my conversation with Arthur?" I asked Rose on the way to Patrick's hospital room.
"Heard everything," Rose said. Her mood seemed to have settled down.
"He said the meatballs were delicious! You two had a great lunch. You ended up wasting a meatball." Rose said.
I sensed envy and loss in her voice. I forgot that my wolf was a foodie who was still thinking about food even before she died.
"I mean, he sacrificed his life to let his weird friend save us with the Phoenix Blood," I stressed.
"You're being silly, Steph. Who is he? He's the Alpha King. He'll live longer than average wolves. It's a great deal to trade 100 years of life for the two of us to come back to life, right? Can't you just feel comfortable and happy to accept it?" Rose said.
"No! Rose, we can't take his contribution for granted. I've always had a bad feeling about this. We should find a way to repay him or help make up for the life he lost." I said.
"Well! I don't know how to make up for the paid life. If you want to repay him, you might consider doing what he wants to do most now." Rose said.
"Like what?"
"Copulate with him. Mark each other. Be his Luna," Rose said. If I could see the look on her face, she would be wearing a bad smile right now.
"What?" I exclaimed out loud.
"Steph, what's going on?" My father turned to me and asked.
Lily, Doctor Dave, and Arthur all shifted their eyes to me at the same time.
Arthur had sensed that I was talking to Rose, and his eyes were telling me he was curious about what I was talking to Rose about.
"Uh, nothing. I-I just remembered that I left my room's window open." I came up with a random excuse.
"Don't worry, Miss, omega Daisy already closed all the windows in the room before I came to deliver lunch," Lily said.
Arthur beamed at me. My cheeks began to burn, wishing his wolf couldn't hear my conversation with Rose.
"Your mate is pretty well built. Why don't you give it a try? I'm sure he's a lot better than that five-minute guy. Oh, btw, when you're done, let Paul and I have some fun too! " Rose said, her voice already tightening up.
"I can't wait to get my mate's hard...."
I immediately closed the mind link after noticing my body starting to heat up.
If I let Rose continue, I might just push over Arthur in front of my father, my beta, and Doctor Dave.
"Miss, are you okay? Your face looks so red." Lily asked me, worried about me.
"I'm fine. I just feel stuffy. It must be the rain."
My moon god, I looked at her innocent and naive expression, and the shame after lying became even worse.
Beep, beep, beep.
Someone's phone saved me from my guilt.
"Excuse me. It's my phone." Arthur picked up his backpack from the ground and pulled out the mobile connecting to his portable charger.
"Steph, go back with Lily! Doctor Dave and I will stay here," my father offered.
"Dad, I'm good, I...." I trailed off.
"5 seconds, no more than 5 words, tell me where the fuck you're going to die!"
Even 5 feet away from Arthur, I could still hear what the man on the other end of the line was growling.