After dressing in winter clothes again, Astri calls him inside. She knows that if Dieg will be spending nights with her it's because Wayde accepted him as her mate too.
However, she doesn't know if she should accept him now. Even more so with her delicate situation of where she came from and her beast form.
"Can I ask you something?" She asks sitting down on the bed.
"Of course."
"Would you still want me if I told you that someday I might need to travel somewhere far?"
"Yes, of course. But why would you need that? Are you running away from someone?"
"I'm not. But you're the future leader, if you leave who will take care of them?"
"I'm not the only one fit for leadership. It's just a matter of being the oldest, but I have brothers and cousins that can also be leaders. If you don't want to stay, we can leave."
"It's not that I don't want to stay. I'm just saying that as a possibility." She softly says.
"I know you're more special than you look like. You need protection and I'm aware of that since I noticed the things you like to do. You have knowledge no one here has. I also noticed that Wayde hides things about you, things I still don't know, but I feel you're hiding." He says. She smiles sadly.
"I'm sorry. It's not that I don't trust you, I just fear putting you into something you don't want to be part of."
He moves closer to her and holds her hands.
"I want to be part of it. I know it might be something beyond my strength, but I'll get stronger to protect you. I'm planning to talk to Wayde when he's back about how we can build a place where no one will invade it easily. With his help, we can make the tribe stronger and if we get the partnership we want with the Red Eagle Tribe we will get stronger too. I'll do anything to keep you protected." He says.
He's normally very playful and not serious when talking, so his serious face impressed Astri and she felt she could trust him too. Her heart warmed again and she was shocked to know she might be falling for him too.
She stands up and closes the windows and the door.
"Wh-what are you..?" Dieg asks, getting excited.
"If you really want to stay with me, I have to tell you something."
She tells him what she told Wayde when they met, but hides everything about Claud, and about being from another world. Dieg now understands why she never shifted and why she never told him about her beast form. She doesn't know.
"I feel that my beast form was actually kept a secret even from me all these years. So, I need to try to discover who I am hidden from people. Maybe if it was kept a secret it's because it needs to be kept this way." She tells him.
"It's true. You don't owe anyone an explanation of why you don't shift. We can try to discover a way for you to shift together and away from people. I can bring you far away and I can teach you what my father taught me when I first shifted." He says.
She smiles, then brings his hand to her face, which is holding hers all the time.
"I like that you see things in a simple way." His heart was already pounding fast.
"Astri.." He comes closer and kisses her lips, and her sweet lips give him goosebumps.
Her heart was torn between the fear of cheating Wayde and that this was actually a normal thing. Dieg has a more demanding kiss like he is trying to have all of her through that kiss.
"Dieg.." She says between their kisses. He stops and tries to slow down his breath and calm down. He looks into her eyes. "I'm still sore from yesterday…" She says awkwardly. He smiles softly.
"That's all right. Your kiss was enough for today." He speaks, holding her face and touching his forehead. "That means you accepted me?" She nods, and a bright smile appears on his face. "Thank you! I'll do anything you want to make you happy." He's so happy that it made her giggle.
"I want us to be happy. We don't need to hurry, we should just enjoy the time. And you and Wayde need to work together without fighting too much."
"Urgh.. I'll try. But I need him to keep you safe. I will always be weaker than him." Dieg says bitterly.
"He respects you. And he trusts you. You should do the same."
"And who said I don't? Any male in my place would feel the same. It's hard knowing we are weaker but we respect each other." Dieg affirms.
"I hope so."
Even if they didn't mate, Dieg is overjoyed that Astri accepted him and plans to mate with him. He's happy to be capable of holding her while she sleeps. And he's happy that she trusts him.