52Rosie

Three months had passed in a blur since Jude’s rut ended, and I’d woken up in the hospital bed after being fucked to exhaustion.

Those three months had been absolutely hectic in ways I couldn’t have imagined, with finals hitting me unexpectedly. I’d spent countless late nights hunched over my laptop with textbooks scattered around me and coffee cups stacking up on my desk while trying to cover the semester syllabus before the exam.

But I hadn’t been alone through any of it because Jude—my man—had been there the entire time, taking time out of his impossibly busy schedule as a hockey player, student, and young alpha to tutor me and help me study.

He would sit with me for hours, explaining concepts I didn’t understand, quizzing me on material until I had it memorized, and bringing me food when I forgot to eat because I was so focused on my work.

I was finally done with all my papers now, and I had Jude to thank for that because, honestly, I didn’t think I would have made it through without him by my side.

All that remained now was defending my thesis, and I was so incredibly grateful to the pack for letting me use the pack school children as the quasi-experimental group for my research project.

I’d been dropping by the pack school regularly over the past few months, teaching lessons and helping out, and the children had taken to me immediately, which warmed my heart more than I could express. Children were adorable, but not all.

But the past three months hadn’t just been stress and responsibility because living with Jude in my—our cottage had brought me more happiness and peace. We’d fallen into this comfortable rhythm where he’d cook breakfast while I got ready in the morning, and we’d have dinner together every night, talking about our days.

My body buzzed with happiness now as Jude’s hand clasped mine tightly while we walked through the forest path toward wherever he was taking me for our date. This was our real proper date after becoming mates.

The afternoon sun filtered through the trees, casting shadows across the path as Jude led me deeper into the woods, and I couldn’t stop the smile that kept latched on my face. We’d ridden here on baby his beloved motorcycle and the ride had been exhilarating with the wind whipping through my hair and my arms wrapped tightly around his waist.

I loved riding with him, loved the feeling and the way I could press myself against his back or run my hands through his ripped chest.

Finally we emerged from the trees into a small clearing, and I gasped at what I saw spread out before me.

Jude had set up a picnic with a large blanket laid out on the soft grass; there was a basket with food in the center. Wildflowers were scattered beautifully across the blanket, and the whole scene overlooked a pristine lake that reflected the clear blue sky.

“Jude,” I breathed out, feeling my chest tighten with emotion. “This is beautiful. When did you even have time to set all the stuff up?”

He grinned, looking pleased with himself, but his ears reddened, just a little bit shy, which was adorable on him. “I came earlier while you were getting ready.”

I turned to him and threw my arms around his neck, pulling him down into a kiss because I couldn’t help myself, and he laughed against my lips before kissing me back. When we finally pulled apart, we settled down on the blanket, and Jude started pulling out containers of food from the basket. There was pasta, some kind of chicken dish that smelled absolutely amazing, fruit, and even chocolate-covered strawberries for dessert.

“You prepared all of this?” I asked, already reaching for a plate, because the smell alone was making my stomach growl.

“Of course I did,” he said, raising his head high like he was proud of himself, and I giggled.

I loaded up my plate with portions of everything because it all looked too good to resist, took my first bite of the pasta, and immediately moaned because it was absolutely delicious.

“This is so good,” I said around another mouthful, already reaching for more. “Seriously, Jude, you are good.” I munched, giving him a thumbs up.

I couldn’t stop eating because everything tasted incredible, and I found myself going back for seconds. The chicken was perfectly seasoned, the fruit was sweet and refreshing, and I felt like I could eat everything he’d brought as if my appetite was bottomless today.

Well, delicious food always has a way to make one overfeed.

When I looked up from my plate, I caught Jude staring at me; his eyes were softened and hooded... If possible, his amber eyes twinkled, and he looked like he was in a daze. He was completely mesmerized as he stared at him and I felt my cheeks heat up under his gaze.

“What?” I asked suddenly, self-conscious.

“Nothing,” he responded softly, his throat bobbed, his amber eyes warm and full of affection that made my heart skip. “I just love watching you eat. You look so happy, content, and beautiful that I can’t stop looking at you.”

I blushed. “Stop,” I muttered bashfully while he smiled.

“I can’t because I’m speaking nothing but the truth.” he said again and I was very sure my cheeks were flaming red from being flustered.

I huffed and turned away shyly. So we talked while we ate about everything and nothing, just enjoying our time together, and then he asked me about how my project was going even though he’d been helping me with it.

“It’s almost done actually,” I said, feeling a surge of excitement, “I just need to add final touches, polish it up a bit before sending it to my supervisor, and then I’ll be ready to defend my thesis. I can’t believe it’s almost over after all these months of work.”

“I’m so proud of you,” Jude said, reaching over to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “You’ve worked so hard for this, and you’re going to do amazing at your defense. I know it.”

His words in me made my chest feel tight with emotion, and I set down my plate and turned to face him.

“I’m so happy, Jude,” I said, and my voice came out trembling and soft, “I’m so happy to have you in my life. I never thought I could feel this way, never thought someone would want me the way you do, and I just need you to know how grateful I am. Thank you for loving me even when I couldn’t love myself. Thank you for wanting me when I thought I was unwanted. Thank you for everything.”

Jude’s expression softened, and he reached out to cup my face in both his hands, his thumbs brushing gently across my cheeks.

“Rosie,” he called softly, “I would love you either way for the both of us. Even if you never learned to love yourself, I would love you enough for the two of us. You don’t have to thank me for wanting you because wanting you is the best thing I’ve ever needed.”

Then he leaned down, flickered his finger gently against my nose, making me giggle through the tears that were now sliding down my cheeks as he smiled at me.

The sun had started to set, the sky in shades of orange that reflected off the surface of the lake, creating this absolutely breathtaking view. We moved closer to the water’s edge, still sitting on the blanket, and I leaned my head against Jude’s shoulder while his arm came around my waist, pulling me close against his side.

“This is perfect,” I whispered, watching the sun mirror on the lake, the water. “Everything is perfect.”

“Yes, sweetheart,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

The bond between us hummed softly, a warm comfortable presence that connected us in ways that went beyond words or touch as we sat there in comfortable silence just watching the sunset.

As the last rays of sunlight painted the sky, Jude shifted beside me, and I turned to look at him. His amber eyes had gone dark and intense; he was gazing at me like I was the only thing that existed in the entire world, and my heart skipped multiple times. We started moving toward each other almost in slow motion drawn together by some invisible force and my breath caught in my throat as his face came closer to mine.

But then suddenly Jude frowned, and his whole body went tense beside me, and I knew immediately that someone was mindlinking him. He’d explained to me how it worked, how pack members could communicate mentally with each other, but it didn’t work for me because I was human. I watched as his expression shifted from confused to annoyed, and I felt those emotions echo through our bond.

He stood up abruptly and reached down to help me to my feet as I rose, trying not to feel disappointed that our perfect moment had been interrupted but also concerned because I could feel how upset he was through the bond.

He cupped my face in his hands, staring deep into my eyes with an intensity that made my breath hitch.

“I’m so sorry for cutting the moment short,” he said softly, and the pad of his thumb caressed my cheek gently. “I’ll make it up to you. Later.”

I blinked and darted my tongue out to wet my lower lip without thinking, and Jude’s gaze immediately zeroed in on the movement, and his eyes hardened as he trailed his thumb across my bottom lip, making my breathing stutter.

“What happened?” I managed to ask, though my voice came out breathless.

“An emergency,” he said through clenched teeth.

“What’s it about?”

“I don’t know yet until I meet with Marcus,” he responded, and then before I could ask anything else, he pulled me against him and kissed me deeply and sensually, his lips moving against mine with a hunger that made my knees go weak. I clutched at the front of his shirt with trembling hands, trying to keep myself upright, and when he finally released me, I nearly fell, and my breathing was labored.

He smiled at my dazed expression, looking pleased with himself.

“Let me take you home,” he said with a grin as he grabbed my hand and led me back toward where Baby was parked at the edge of the clearing.

***

They are so cute. My exam is ending next week, in Shaa Allah. Wish me success... I’m also in my final year, doing my final project and using quasi-experimental for my research project.