Triantatria [ 33 ]

"Kara, stop moving," Tristan grumbled as his firm hold kept me in place against him.

"Tristan, we have to meet Brielle and Christian remember?" I tried to coax his arm away from my waist but he was adamant and strong.

He exhaled through his nose and opened his steely eyes to stare at me. His hair was mussed and the ever-so-rebellious strands that fell against his forehead seemed even darker against the brightness of his eyes. "I know where we have to be, αγάπη μου. But, I'm the alpha. I can be a bit late if I want to hold you for a little bit longer."

A slow smirk climbed onto my face. "Are you using your title to your advantage?"

He returned the smirk and lowered his head to my neck. "I'm using it for your benefit too." He pulled me flush against him again and tangled his legs with mine. "Unless you don't want me to hold you?"

I wrapped an arm around his shoulder to keep him in place. "I didn't say that." I breathed softly against his ear and relished his embrace. He kissed my skin gently and I could feel his steady heartbeat against mine. "Can I ask you a question?"

He hummed into my neck and I took it as a cue to continue.

"What do you always call me? Ag-aga—"

Tristan pulled back and rested his head on the pillow, settling his gaze on mine with a soft smile. "Αγάπη μου?" his smile widened and his other hand stroked my cheek. "It means my love—because that's what you are to me."

My heartbeat went through the roof and hammered against my chest. "You've called me that from the start...have you—"

"Loved you from the beginning?" he finished, briefly pressing his lips to my forehead delicately. "I've loved you since the moment I first held your hand. I maybe just didn't realise until recently, but I know I've felt like this for a very long time." His eyes were full of emotion and I was pretty sure mine was too. "I've only called one other person αγάπη μου, and she was my mother. She was all I had, but now I have you, and Kara, you complete me. My heart is yours."

The thick emotion was trapped in my throat and my eyes watered as I inhaled shakily. Snaking my arms around his firm body, I dug my face into his chest and hugged him tightly. "I love you, Tristan."

He curved his hand around my head and held me to him for many minutes. It was silent between us for a very long time until he slowly pulled away when I began to lose feeling in my arm. "Maybe we should start getting ready now." He began to roll over when I stopped him desperately.

"I don't want to leave just yet." I stared up at him with pleading eyes, and before he had the chance to make the first move, I pressed my lips to his. "I want to hold you too."

I held his gaze as I pulled him back to me and dug my fingers into his soft hair. I laid delicate kisses on every part of his face, lingering on his lips for a gentle kiss. He kept his eyes closed until I hoisted myself onto him and hovered over him. Reaching for his hands, I lightly kissed his knuckles and curved his hands around my face. He smiled and his gaze was loving when I pressed my lips to his palms as well.

My hands reached for his shirt and I tugged it off him before kissing every inch of his skin. He shivered underneath me and sat up. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and held him to my chest. His arms wound around my waist and I nuzzled my nose into his hair.

"Tell me why, Kara." He murmured softly. "Tell me why you love me."

I sighed softly. "How can I not love you?" my heart thumped strongly in my chest and I threaded my fingers through his silky hair. "Before I met you, I had this image of you in my mind that was completely different to who you actually are. When I first saw you, you took my breath away and I had to try so hard to look away. I couldn't deny my physical attraction to you, and it wasn't long until I could no longer ignore my feelings for you."

His arms tightened around my waist and warmth bloomed in his chest.

I pulled back to meet his eyes and he looked back at me with unbridled love. "Your heart isn't cold and you aren't cruel. You're misunderstood, and I love you because I understand you. You know pain like no one I have ever known and your heart is still full of love for those around you. You deserve to be loved, Tristan. You deserve to be put first no matter what."

He didn't say anything and delivered a hard, long kiss to my mouth. As his lips moved against mine, I slipped into his mind and listened in to what he was thinking.

I gasped when I saw a young Tristan alone in a dark room. It must have been before the war began and the cruel alpha had control of his pack. He mainly thought of the hopelessness he felt for all those years and how he never expected to have a mate or feel loved by them either.

"I'm nothing without you, Kara." He whispered against my lips, squeezing my hips. "Don't ever leave me."

I cupped his face and kissed him deeply. "I'm not going anywhere." I pulled back to look at him. I saw the pure vulnerability in his eyes, like the day he cried in my arms, and my heart shook. "I promise."

A soft smile pulled at his lips and I laughed when he slid his hands up around my waist and abruptly tugged me closer against him. His smile widened as he laid a kiss on my jaw. "I don't want to leave this bed. I don't want to have to keep my hands off you."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and stared down at him. "As much as I would like that, we are the Alpha and Luna. Our pack kinda has to see us."

He grinned and seemed entranced by me. I tilted my head.

"What?"

"You said our pack," he leaned forward and kissed my chin. "I love the sound of that."

My smile mirrored his and I laughed nervously. "I never would have expected for any other place than London to feel like home but this...here feels like home now. It has for a long time."

His thumbs gently caressed the curve of my waist on both sides and he leaned in for a soft kiss. I felt the relief bloom in his chest and I knew he had wanted to hear the sentiment for a while. "I would have scoured the earth a million times for you if it didn't. I appreciate the sacrifice you had to make for us to be together."

I caged his face with my hands and kissed him again. He had such a way with words. "You talk like this and make it so hard for me to want to leave this room."

He chuckled against my lips and squeezed my waist. "Should I stop?"

I groaned in protest as I climbed off him. "Yes and keep your hands to yourself from now on."

He followed me off the bed and smiled slowly. "I can keep my mouth shut for sure but the second one? You know me better than that, αγάπη."

—————

I soon realised exactly what he meant by that.

We were seated in the corner of the cafe in a booth, Brielle and Christian were sat in front of us.

"What can I get you, Alpha?" the waiter held his notepad and pen, bowing his head slightly to the pair of us.

Tristan's warm hand settled on my thigh and he smiled up at the waiter. "I'll get the shrimp scramble, Alek." His hand tightened around my leg as he turned to smile at me. "What do you want, αγάπη?"

I gripped his hand tightly and spoke in his mind. 'For you to stop whatever you're thinking of doing.' I took a glance at the menu. "I'll get the same as you."

When all the orders were taken, Brielle smiled at me. "How do you like Greenland?"

Tristan thankfully didn't move his hand any further up my thigh and instead turned his attention elsewhere. He began to play with the ends of my curls. I kept my gaze on Brielle and returned her kind smile. "I think it's beautiful. Much colder than I'm used to, but at least the weather is more consistent than London."

"You have a strong accent." Christian piped up with a small smile, linking his fingers with Brielle's.

"So do you three," I spoke as I glanced at Tristan. He gave me a charming smile and slid his hand across my shoulders to pull me even closer to him. He pressed his back against the booth and adjusted me so I leaned into him. "Tristan's accent is a little harder to pinpoint."

He lowered his head and kissed my cheek and then my shoulder. Brielle smiled wider and I felt my face warm up. Tristan was being very affectionate and I imagined the sight was a far cry from what they saw the first time I sat in on Tristan and Christian's meeting.

I knew he wasn't even focusing on the conversation we were having. I slid my hand across his thigh and felt the muscles tense under my palm.

His gaze sharpened and I could hear his heart rate increase. "It's because I speak many languages." He leaned closer towards me but I turned my head back to look at Christian and Brielle.

"How did you two meet?"

Christian glanced at Brielle with a loving smile. He had exactly the same look in his eyes as Tristan did whenever he looked at me. He was deeply in love with his mate. "Alpha had sent me to Canada for pack business and she was at the airport."

Brielle cracked a smile as Tristan tightened his hold around my shoulder. "My father is the beta of the pack and he was initially meant to go but I just had this feeling that I had to be there. His schedule was pretty busy for the day so he let me go instead." She stared into his eyes and I knew that she wasn't focusing on our conversation any more.

Tristan took that opportunity to grip my hand and whispered in my ear. "Kara, move your hand."

I turned my head to look up at him. "You started it."

His blue eyes didn't waver from mine. "I'm only teasing." His voice was so quiet that I was sure only I could hear him. "Your effect on me is a lot more obvious, so...don't tempt me."

I grinned at him but took my hand from his thigh.

A few moments passed before he pulled me closer and pressed his lips to my temple. He spoke in my mind seconds later. 'I love you.'

Leaning into him, my smile softened. 'I love you too.'

The arrival of our food refocused all our attention and before long, we were finishing up our meals and leaving the cafe. Christian and Brielle stood in front of us outside, and I pulled Brielle into a warm hug.

She wrapped her arms around me tightly and smiled. "This was fun. I'm happy you're back."

I stepped back and Tristan pulled me back to him with an arm around my waist. "I'm happy too."

They both bowed their heads in parting and Tristan gripped onto my hand as we walked back to his house. It wasn't a long walk, especially because Tristan's legs were so damn long and he always strode with a purpose. I had slowly learnt how to keep up with him and when we passed the gates, he hoisted me up into his arms.

His mouth sought mine and I wrapped my legs around his waist as I dug my fingers into his hair. We had only been kissing for ten seconds when I heard the clear of a throat. Glancing over his shoulder, I was surprised to my mother and Matthijs coming around the corner.

"We can come back another time. I'm sorry, Alpha." Matthijs bowed his head in respect as I slid down and planted my feet firmly in the snow.

Tristan turned around and glanced at me briefly before shaking his head. "What do you need, Matthijs?"

A warm smile made its way onto his face and his gaze was focused on my mother for a few moments before it turned to me. "I was hoping to go on a walk and talk to Luna."

Tristan nodded and turned to me. I agreed and before I could say anything else, my mother spoke up.

"And I was hoping to speak to you...Alpha." She wore a weary expression and I couldn't deny that I was surprised. Tristan didn't react but I felt the slight shock that coursed through him.

He nodded again and I curved an arm around his waist, stepping onto my tiptoes. He met me halfway and pressed a tame kiss to my lips. I didn't know whether I could trust my mother alone with him but I guessed that they needed to have a private conversation sooner or later.

I hoped he was still in a good mood after.

Placing a comforting, departing kiss on his lips, I squeezed his hand before turning back to Matthijs. My mother patted me on my shoulder as she passed me and I couldn't help but glance back at her and Tristan as they walked towards the front door of the house.

"It'll be okay, Luna." Matthijs captured my attention as we headed out of the gates. "I spoke to her about her Alpha and she knows he deserves an apology."

Glancing at him, I couldn't hold back my sigh of relief. "At least one of us could get through to her." I mustered up a smile. "And you can call me Kara. I don't think we need titles."

I let him lead the way as he smiled softly, pulling on the hem of his cotton hat. His grey eyes seemed lighter today and I could already see the effect meeting my mother had on him. Mates truly did make things better.

"Okay...Kara." His smile widened a fraction. "I wanted to talk to you because your mother and I are trying to move as quickly as possible. We have so much lost time to make up for and I have so much to learn about her. It goes without saying that I want to learn about you too."

I looked up at him and grinned. I didn't know what I was expecting but it wasn't for Matthijs to treat me with anything but the respect my title warranted. Nevertheless, it was a very pleasant surprise.

"I want to thank you too. If you didn't meet Alpha Tristan, your mother wouldn't be here and I don't think I could've handled any more time without a mate." He dug his hands into his jacket pockets. "I'm in my forties and I've spent a long time alone. Truth be told, I thought she was dead or would've moved on by now. I know in some ways, she has since I'm not her first love but it's okay because I know I'll be her first real love."

I believed that too. Before meeting Tristan, I thought if I didn't meet my mate at all, I would still be able to experience love. But nothing could compare to the love between mates. It was soul-deep and as sappy as it sounded, life-changing.

"I can't fault your mother for falling in love or having you. While I wish that it wasn't with Samuel Carew, what happened happened and I'm at least grateful that she was able to have a child." His gentle metal-like eyes met mine and he stopped to take my hands in his. "I think of you as a blessing in disguise, Luna."

I returned the smile but gave him a pointed look at the sound of my title.

He laughed deeply. "Kara. I think of you as a blessing in disguise. I can't have children because I'm sterile but, I'm happy that your mother had you because you were always meant to be Alpha Tristan's mate. You're even my Luna so fate has dealt us favourable cards albeit in a less favourable way." He took a deep breath and exhaled. "You can tell me if this is too quick but I want to be a part of your life and if you'll have me, eventually I'd like to be your father."

A sudden wave of emotion caught me off guard and overwhelmed me. Staring up at Matthijs, I wondered how a man could have such a good heart and react to a situation like the one he had found himself in. But, more than anything I was grateful that he was destined to love my mother. She deserved the best, I knew that, especially since her relationship with my biological father must not have been all that it seemed.

He was perfect for her like Tristan was for me.

Wrapping my arms around his body, I pulled him into a warm hug. "Matthijs, I would love that."