SWNOVELS Chapter Chapter Sixteen
Amethyst’s Pov:
I tried not to be embarrassed as I stood there. This was not how I imagined Timothy would see my body. While I was fine with him seeing it, I rather it was because we were in the throes of passion. Not because I shifted and didn’t have any clothes.
“Thyst,” he called softly, his hand brushing gently across my cheek, tempting me to open my eyes. “There is nothing to be ashamed of. It is only natural. It’s not like either of us expected you to shift, let alone shift, in my bed,” he pointed out.
Nervously, I nodded. Although he was right, it didn’t make me feel any better. Besides, it’s not like I never seen him shift. I still have vivid memories of the last battle of the Amazons. None of the wolves cared as they shifted between man and their beasts.
“An Omega is bringing you something to wear. Also, I would like you to spend the night here. I want to ensure you are ok. Your body has gone through more than it should have ever needed to endure,” Timothy explained.
“What do you remember from earlier?” he asked. For a moment, he studied me. “What I remember about shifting? Or about Gretchen almost killing everyone?” I replied sarcastically. “You should have listened to me,” I yelled.
Suddenly, I hated the closeness between us. I punched him in the shoulder to get him to loosen his grip on me. I clutched the fur tightly, not wanting to expose myself again. Hurt crossed his face, causing my breath to hitch. An awkward silence fell between us as he let me go.
Lost in his thoughts, Timothy plopped on his bed, running his hands through his hair. “For what it is worth, Amethyst, I am sorry. You are right, I should have listened to you. But when Gretchen brought up how I needed to support her as my Beta, I assumed I was doing the right thing. Even though I knew you were right. And the worst part is I put you in danger. You almost died. Your body took a toll and now your hair is as white as freshly fallen snow. As for your eyes, they are now a bluish silver. I failed you,” he sighed. He cast his eyes down to the floor.
My heart skipped a beat thanks to his words. I walked over to Timothy and as I reached him; he glanced up at me. Remorse etched itself deep into his features. I cupped his face in my hand. My eyes searched his to find out if the love I thought I heard in his words was the love which I craved so badly from him. Especially since the pain he tried to hide from me caused my heart to swell. A small smile crossed his face as he seemed to search for something within me.
Before I could stop myself, my lips claimed his. Much to my pleasure, Timothy’s hand snaked around my waist, pulling me to him. The sensation of his lips against mine caused my heart to beat hard against my chest. I struggled to keep a hold of the fur which was keeping me clothed. His free hand found its way to the back of my neck before he grabbed hold of my hair. Surprised by his boldness, I gasped in ecstasy.
Much to my delight, he used the moment to plunge his tongue into my mouth. We fought for dominance as he pulled me even closer to him. A sudden knock at the door startled us, ruining our moment.
Obviously, this was the Omega with the clothes that Timothy asked for. I tried to hide my disappointment as he let my body go to answer the door. Frustrated, I sat down on his bed while I impatiently waited for the Omega to leave.
“Here, put these on,” Timothy ordered. His words were oddly cold. He turned away in order for me to get dressed. “Thyst,” he started. “What just happened can’t ever happen again.” Timothy scolded. His words shattered my heart.
“What do you mean, this can’t happen again? It seemed like you wanted this as much as I did,” I protested, fighting the tears which threatened to fall. “Thyst, it’s wrong,” he stated bluntly.
“How can you say this is wrong?” I yelled. Angry at his sudden change. “I am not your mate. I am your Alpha, and you are my Beta,” he explained. Only now his voice was softer and gentle. “My... mate?” I gasped.
“Yes Thyst, you are 18. You know about the mate bond, don’t you?” he asked. While I did, I never stopped to consider my mate. Although I understood what the mate bond was, I also knew not everyone was lucky enough to find their mate.
“Stop treating me like a child. I can still be your chosen, even though you are not my destined,” I hissed back. “You are young. Witches live a longer life than most. You have plenty of time to find your mate,” he snapped.
“Did you ever consider I don’t want my mate? And you are the one I want to spend my life with?” I retorted. Thanks to my words, Timothy’s eyes burned into me. I couldn’t help but to shift under his gaze. “Did you ever consider that maybe I don’t want you as my mate?” he growled.
Tim’s Pov:
I regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth. Amethyst’s eyes grew wide with a mixture of emotions before they flooded with tears. She took a deep breath and adjusted herself in order to hold her head high. She tore her eyes from mine as she walked away from me.
“Amethyst, we are not done,” I commanded. “Oh, but we are. You’ve made your feelings perfectly clear. Thank you very much,” she spat, reaching my door.
Suddenly, she stopped with the handle gripped firmly in her hand as she turned to face me. Before she could change her mind, I ceased the moment and pulled her away from the door. “Didn’t I tell you I want you to stay here to make sure that you are OK? Or did you forget your body went through a lot of strain today?” I snapped.
Her body stiffened at my harsh words. A spell of fresh tears brimmed in her eyes as she glared at me. The emotions she reflected made my heart pound even harder. Goddesses, only this woman could make me feel these things.
“I am not staying with someone that doesn’t want me. As you can see, I am perfectly fine,” she seethed. “Dammit, Amethyst, I don’t want you as my mate because I don’t want to watch you die. I’ve lived longer than you could ever imagine. And I watched my destined mate and all of our children grow old and die. And I will live for several more millennia. There is no way I will do that again,” I confessed.
“I realized this when I saw you were going to sacrifice yourself to save everyone. It was then I realized I love you more than I loved my mate,” I sighed, sitting back on my bed, extending my hand to her. “Please, stay here. I want to make sure you are truly ok,” I pleaded. A wave of emotions crossed her face before the flood of tears she was fighting to keep away finally let go. “Come here, please Amethyst,” I whispered. She nodded and slowly made her way back to my bed.
“But I won’t die for a long time. I am a witch; I could live for several hundred years,” she insisted as she sat next to me. “You are only half witch, Amethyst; your life, unfortunately, is much shorter,” I whispered. Her eyes searched mine, lost in her pain, looking for something which would change my mind.
I brushed my thumb softly against her cheek, sweeping the remaining tears away from her. “It took me thousands of years to come to terms with the loss of my mate. And it will take me millenniums to get over you,” I tried to explain, But I was coming up short.
“When I do finally leave this life, I cannot spend eternity with you. Because I will always be able to enter this realm. And it hurts to know my mate will spend eternity with only a spectral of me. She will never know the man I have become. Only the man I was. I do not want to condemn you to that fate, Thyst.” I laid it out for her. Finally, when I finished, she cast her eyes down. Her expression showed she was lost in her thoughts.
Suddenly, her eyes darted to mine, still showing a small amount of hurt. “I wish I could see my life’s potential outcomes. Although I can witness so much, that is one thing I can’t, what could be...” she choked.
“Welcome to what the rest of us have to deal with,” I laughed, earning a glare from her. “I understand what you are saying, Timothy. I don’t like it, but I guess I understand,” she breathed as she fell into my arms. Needing to hold her close at least once, I kissed her on the top of her head. “It’s nearly the twilight of dawn. Come, rest for the rest of the night in my arms,” I whispered.
I moved over to allow Amethyst to lie next to me. I watched her to make sure she was comfortable before I laid down next to her, wrapping my arm around her waist. She let out a small moan. In this moment, I felt guilty about my choices in life. If only...