"Not knowing who you were was only part of the reason why I did not and haven’t marked you yet," Roman said quietly, breaking the silence that had settled between them like a heavy blanket.
His voice was steady, but beneath that calm exterior was a tension Tessy imdiately picked up on. He was holding back sothing. Sothing heavier than the words he had just spoken. Sothing that had been buried deep in his chest for far too long.
Tessy tilted her head slightly, curiosity already tugging at her, knitting a small line between her brows. She could sense there was more. She waited.
Roman looked at her face carefully, his eyes studying every inch of her expression before he continued. "There is another reason."
He paused after that, and the stillness that followed made the air seem thicker. He did not look away. He was gauging her reaction, searching for sothing in her eyes, perhaps a readiness or a signal that she could handle the rest of what he had to say.
Tessy’s patience ran thin in seconds.
"Which is?" she asked, her voice edged with impatience and an urgent need for answers.
Roman’s jaw tensed slightly. Then he finally spoke.
"The first day we t... it was not your fault that you had sex with . It was mine," he confessed, and the mont the words left his mouth, Tessy’s face shifted in confusion. Her brows furrowed deeper, lips pressing into a frown. "I told my wolf, Lazer, to invade your mind and twist your thoughts," Roman said, the weight of his guilt finally pushing its way out. "That was the only way I knew I could get you to my side in that mont. It was not right. It was not fair to you, and I know that. But I was desperate."
Tessy stared at him, her expression unreadable.
Roman pressed on, not letting the silence stop him this ti. "But that action... it ca with a consequence. Invading your mind without first marking you ant that Lazer would beco extrely weakened. His strength was tied to the purity of that bond. The only way to strengthen him again is to mark you."
He paused and looked into her eyes again, watching them widen slightly as he spoke.
"But the downside," he added quietly, "is that I cannot mark you until the day of the red moon. If I do it any sooner... you would die."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Tessy did not move. She did not say anything. Her lips were parted, but her voice refused to co. Her green eyes remained locked on his, but they held sothing deeper now. Thought. Reflection. She seed to be replaying everything in her head. Every mont. Every confusing decision. Every emotion she had once questioned.
Roman watched her closely. The longer the silence stretched, the more restless he beca. His fingers fidgeted on his lap, and his shoulders grew tighter as seconds passed without a word from her.
Finally, he broke the quiet again.
"What?" he asked gently. "Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you mad at ?"
His voice cracked just slightly at the end, a raw vulnerability slipping through.
And then Tessy spoke.
"I knew I wasn’t crazy," she said suddenly, her voice filled with a strange sort of relief that made Roman blink in surprise.
"What?" he asked again, uncertain.
"I knew it," she repeated with more certainty now, "I knew it was you who made do it. I just knew it."
Roman’s eyes widened, confused.
"Freya thought I was crazy," Tessy continued, now lifting herself slightly up on the bed, pushing her weight into her elbows until she could sit upright. "I was also beginning to think so too. But deep down I knew sothing was off that day. I knew I would never do that to a patient no matter how drunk I was... or how good looking he is."
Roman’s lips twitched as a playful light flashed in his eyes.
"So are you admitting that I am good looking?" he asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively and giving her the smallest teasing grin.
Tessy rolled her eyes, though the smile tugging at her lips betrayed her amusent. "That is not the point," she said, swatting the air in his direction.
"Right," Roman replied with mock seriousness, though the grin still ghosted on his face.
Then his expression softened.
"I am sorry I had to go that way," he said truthfully, the humor fading from his features. "It was the only solution I had at that point. I had just found you, and I did not want to risk losing you again. I could not afford to wait, not with what was at stake. And besides... you made harder than a rock by just touching ."
Tessy’s eyes narrowed in pretend annoyance at his bluntness, but she said nothing. Roman waited.
When she did not speak for a mont, he added quickly, "Don’t be mad at , okay?"
He leaned in slightly, his eyes softening even more, expression shifting into one of sincere apology.
Tessy’s face relaxed, her gaze no longer distant but filled with reflection.
"I’m not mad," she said after a short pause. "I’m just... reliving the experience in my head and realizing how frustrating it was at the ti. But now... now I’m actually glad you did what you did."
Roman blinked, slightly stunned.
"Really?" he asked, tilting his head to the side, clearly not expecting that response.
"Yeah," Tessy nodded. "Because if you didn’t, I probably would have left the country before you would ever get the chance to find . I had already made up my mind to leave everything behind and start all over sowhere else. I was ready to disappear."
A small, wistful smile curled at the corner of her lips, the weight of those old plans no longer present in her eyes.
Roman exhaled slowly, a deep, steady breath that seed to leave his entire body. Hearing that from her—knowing she had been one step away from vanishing completely—made him feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the reckless decision he had once made.
Just like Tessy, he felt as though a great burden had been lifted from his chest. The guilt he had carried for so long, the sha of what he had done to her mind, all of it seed to ease under the warmth of her understanding.
"Then I am proud of myself," Roman said, smiling now, "and of my decision. And of Lazer."
Tessy laughed softly, shaking her head, but the smile on her face was real. It was wide. It was filled with peace.
Then it slowly faded.
Her brows furrowed again as sothing else entered her thoughts.
"When is the red moon coming?" she asked, her voice serious now.
She rembered what he had said about Lazer being in a weakened state. That was dangerous for any shifter. And Roman was no ordinary shifter. He was a Lycan. His bond with Lazer was stronger than most, and any weakness in his wolf could be catastrophic.
"In about a month," Roman replied.
Tessy nodded in acknowledgnt.
"Okay," she said, her voice calm but eager. "I can’t wait to bear your mark."
Her fingers gently reached for his hand again, squeezing it.
Then her eyes softened further.
"I also can’t wait to find my mother... if she’s still alive," she added, her tone lowering with emotion.
Roman nodded with assurance. "I’ve put Liam on it. He will find the coven and every bit of information about them. He’ll let us know if she’s still alive or not."
Tessy’s lips parted, and the gratitude that poured from her expression was unmistakable. She shifted closer to him, leaned in slowly, and pressed a lingering kiss on his lips. Her eyes closed for a second longer than necessary, savoring the mont, tasting the comfort he always seed to bring.
When she pulled back, she flashed him a heart-lting smile that sent a quiet fire through his veins.
Roman didn’t say anything imdiately. He simply held her gaze, morizing the mont, committing the look in her eyes to mory.
After a while, in the kind of silence that felt warm and comfortable, he asked gently, "While you were asleep... did you recall anything about your past life?"
Tessie exhaled.
"Yes," she said softly. "I was from Bolarish Pack. An Oga. A cleaner."
She paused.
"I was mated to Alpha Jorell," she continued with a hint of bitterness. "But he rejected . I died."
Her eyes softened as she looked at Roman.
"And now I’m with you."
Roman let out a breath, his eyes scanning her face, his hands sliding to her waist.
"That is one hell of a summary, baby," he said, lips curving in a crooked grin. "I want details."
He shifted slightly and gently pulled her to sit on his thighs, guiding her effortlessly into a straddling position across his lap.
"Tell everything you rember," he murmured, wrapping his arms around her waist securely. "Do not rush it. I have ti."
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