Maria was still there, curled beside his bed. Her hand leaned against his back. She hadn’t left his side, afraid that if she did, he may stop breathing.
She slept off while lying there. Trevor stirred a bit. His hand moved and brushed against Maria’s hair, causing her to wake up.
"Trevor," she whispered. "How are you feeling?"
His eyes fluttered open and he looked around the room in a dazed manner at first. "How did I get here?"
Maria smiled. "You collapsed and were unconscious. It’s been almost three hours since we brought you here."
He straightened himself on the bed and mumbled something incomprehensible.
Maria continued. "The nurses said you have a blight, and you need rest, plenty of it."
Trevor inhaled deeply and rubbed his eyes which were still sleepy. The action was also accompanied with a yawn.
"Thank you, Maria," He said, looking at her with a soft gaze.
"I wasn’t going to leave you. You still need rest."
Trevor rubbed his forehead worriedly. "The blight. I thought it had died a long time ago. Why did it come back even after we prayed to the moon goddess?"
"Two people had already caught it." Maria informed him further. "And it was advised that no one should go into the forest."
He let out a sigh. "What about you? We need to go to Veilwood."
"I’d wait." Maria cut him off before he could even complete the last word. She had seen him fall weak and collapse, and didn’t want it to repeat just because he wanted to escort her to Veilwood.
"I’m so sorry mate. If the blight wasn’t there, we’d have gone just like we planned."
"There’s no problem. What matters now is that you and every other rogue is safe."
Trevor studied her face for a moment, he noticed the way her brows knitted and the way her voice softened when she was worried. "You sound like someone who has cared for others your whole life," he said.
She responded with a small smile. "I don’t remember much, but maybe I was."
Trevor leaned back into the pillow, supporting his aching back. "You were brave to stay with a sick person. Most people would have run."
"I couldn’t abandon you, you are my mate."
She saw a smile appear on his face, softening his features. His heart warmed to her referring to him as her mate.
Maria looked at him, feeling a pull in her to lean closer into his arms for a hug, but felt like it would be too abrupt. Something burned in her skin, screaming for him to touch her and caress her.
She had read about mating bonds. She couldn’t possibly be in heat. She blushed from the thought of her being in heat. It made her wonder if she was releasing any pheromones at the moment and if Trevor could pick up traces of it.
He leaned in silence for a while and stared at the ceiling. His expression told her that he was in deep thought, obviously thinking about the blight which affected his land and the way forward from it.
"Maria," he said as he turned towards her. "You know we rogues weren’t born . We’ve all lost something—our family, our true identity, even our freedom."
Maria nodded slowly, her attention never faltering from him. "Who was the visitor?" She asked curiously.
Trevor took a deep breath and straightened himself on the bed again. "My brother." He saw that look of insufficiency on her face. She wanted to know more about his conversation with that man—about the forger, the women, and the deal that both of them made.
"Is he dangerous?" Maria asked.
"He is sly, cunning and knows how to play the good card well." Trevor said with a chuckle. "No one, not even my father, would believe the things he has done. He has managed to paint himself as the good guy. I don’t blame him, he has always acted with his wit, rather than his fists."
He reached out weakly and took her hand. His palm was rough, calloused and warm. "That’s why I need you Maria,"
Maria nodded her head. "I understand."
"I don’t just need you to be my mate. I want you to be my Luna." The most update n0vels are published on N0veI.Fiɾe.net
"You mean I should be like the mate of the alpha of the pack who also leads?"
"Yes. Even if this is not a pack, and I’m not an alpha but a rogue, I still need you to be my Luna. To guide and lead my people now that I’m weak."
Maria blinked. She was sure to herself that she didn’t have anything like leadership skills, not even in her past life. Trevor wanted her to take over everything that was going on.
His voice was lower this time. "The rogues need someone to keep leading them. Would you be my Luna and do it for me?"
She hesitated for a while before responding. "Trevor, I don’t know how to lead anyone. I don’t even know who I really am."
He brushed his fingers against her palm which was still in his hand. "I believe in you, and that’s why I’m asking."
She looked down at their joined hands. "But what if I fail you?"
"Then, I’d know that at least you tried before failing."
Maria’s fingers lingered in his grasp. She didn’t know if she was ready to be anyone’s Luna, but she couldn’t deny how much she wanted to help him, to protect him and his people the same way they protected her.
He reached up, brushing a strand of hair from her temples to behind her ears. "You make me feel like I have a reason to live."
"Please live." She whispered. Something in her told her that Trevor nursed some type of pain that he hasn’t shared with her yet. Could it be just the pain of him getting thrown out of his pack or something else?"
Their faces were in proximity to each other and she could feel his hot steady breath on her face. She didn’t move back, because she felt that pull— the mate bond, tugging at her to caress his face and his beards, and even lean in for a kiss.
She leaned closer to him, her eyes lingered on his lips, and he didn’t move back. Then, her lips met his.