I felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I felt as light as a feather. I felt... weightless.

"I had my suspicions."

And then my blissful weightlessness was smacked and ran over by a semi. He... knew? It should surprise me he might have known this whole time and hid that fact from me just to keep me here. I knew he was never being honest.

No, of course he didn't know. I assured myself I had been think irrational, I was being naive. There's no way he already knew.

Seeing my face contorting as I tried to make sense of his words Osiris's eyes widened in concern. He waved his hands in front of himself as he frantically apologized.

"Oh, god no! I didn't know I until a couple seconds ago." He rubbed the back of his head as he stepped closer to me to relieve my doubts. "Fuck," He groaned. "I keep saying the wrong thing."

"Really? I couldn't tell." Desmond snapped with sarcasm.

"Desmond, now not the time." Osiris reminded him looking over his shoulder at him. "Don't you have something better to do anyways?"

"Of course, but this is like dinner and a show." He tucked his hand in the front pocket of his sweatshirt. A few moments later there was a crinkle of plastic as Desmond revealed a pack of sour patch kids. "I even have a snack. Act like I'm not even here, I'm just trying to enjoy this moment."

He tossed a piece of candy in his mouth as he waved us on to continue.

"Desmond, get out." He growled.

His brother couldn't be bothered as he faked sniffled. "But this is such a heart warming moment. I don't wanna miss it. There so much emotion." Desmond pretended to shed a tear and wipe it away. "Ow, fuck! I got some of that sour shit in my eye."

I have to stifle a laugh as he aggressive rubbed at his eye. He was quick to his feet still rubbing his watery red eye as he made his way to the exit.

As he opened the door to leave he stopped for a split second. "Can you wait for me to come back I don't wanna miss any-"

Osiris didn't let him finish as he shut the door on his face locking it.

"Rude!"

My mate dropped his head to the door with a thud. He looked defeated and for some reason it made my fingers ache with a need to comfort him.

It was our bond that craved connection but I ignored the urge concentrating my attention solely on the topic. The topic wasn't much better to focus upon, it still revolves around being mates.

My heart was speeding up with ever anxious thought. I didn't know if Osiris could hear my accelerating heart rate but he faced me with dishearten look. The man I was so used to seeing strut around with confidence and unwavering power looked meek and insecure.

Where was the big bad alpha now? And why did I find this side of him that much more alluring?

We stared at each other speechless. Neither one of us knew what to say or how to say it.

"So you found a way to shift?"

I nodded my.

He rubbed the back of his neck before he spoke. "What do you need me to do?"

He wasn't going to use this against me? He wanted to help?

I knitted my brows together looking him up and down. Did my eyes deceive me? Had I made it up again?

"How much do you know already?"

"Not much, but I have my own assumptions." He crossed his arms, a poor attempt at concealing his hesitancy.

Silence enveloped the room. The awkwardness was enough to suffocate us both. With a swift pick of my lip I nodded my head toward the desk and chairs. "We should probably sit down... I imagine we both have a lot to talk about."

"Uh- y-yea." Osiris stood unmoved, his feet were practically glued to the floor. Cocking an eyebrow he nodded his head toward the desk. "After you."

I moved immediately to the chair shear to get his alluring shadowy eyes off of me. I sat like a statue. My back was stiff and straight. My hands were clasped tightly on my lap. My legs were crossed at my ankles as I tucked them under the chair.

Osiris sat in his leather swivel chair rolling in toward his desk until he was seated properly. He rested his elbows on the desk revealing the thick muscles of his arms. His long sleeve shirt was rolled slightly up his arms just stopping shy of his elbows.

The dazzling curves of his veins made his arms look like a piece of artwork. Each vein was like a perfectly placed brush stroke; not a single one was out of place.

Osiris cleared his throat capturing the attention of my wander eyes back to his. "Who wants to go first?"

"I'll go first."

I wanted to get it out of the way. I wanted to say what I had to say and get out of the office as soon as I could. I feared if I lingered to long around him I'd say something stupid and more than I truly wanted to admit.

With a shaky breath I started to explain everything. Everything that Jensen's mentioned to me and what he and I have discussed down to the finest of details. Nothing was left out, what was the point in hiding anything anyways, it wasn't like Osiris couldn't demand Jensen to spill everything anyways.

"So, let me get this straight," Osiris leaned back into his chair. "-Jensen has narrowed down the reason you have to wolf down to the possibility that someone cursed you?"

I nodded.

"How does this come back to me then? I didn't curse you if that's what you think." I hesitated to answer him, an internal battle ensued inside my mind, which only seemed to provoke him. "Is that what Jensen told you?" His eyes shined a low honey-green.

Osiris looked like he was trying to physically restrain himself. His fingers had turned white from gripping the edge of desk with such aggression.

Quick to simmer down his elevating temper I cleared the air coming clean with my own assumptions. "No, god no."

"Then-"

"I'm this one that thinks your the answer to my problem. I think being around you is causing my wolf to show up more."

He furrowed his brows as he studied me with calculated eyes. "Like?"

Looking down at my hands, I swallowed with apprehension. "I can hear things further away and more clearly. I'm not that bothered by the cold anymore and it's the dead of winter not to mention the fact that I have a voice inside my head that keeps nagging me about you and your smell which I guess is your scent bothers the hell out of me." I had rumbled on longer and further than I intended and by the time I had finished Osiris was staring at me with a wide smirk.

"What?" I posed suddenly finding myself defensive.

He thought this was amusing? Of course he did. He was probably wallowing in my confession, the fact that I needed him was with out a doubt making his day. The word need felt bitter in nature as I openly admitted it to myself.

I felt like my pride was being shattered into a million pieces.

"Nothing." He shrugged. "Just think its funny how things come full circle."

I blinked unable to form a sentence.

Osiris sighed. "My turn,"

My stomach dropped. I was readying myself for the worse. He was going to kill this for all it's worth. Osiris without a doubt is going to take advantage of this predicament and I'm going to find myself stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"Let's not be greedy here Osiris." I warned. His eyes darkened a shade.

"When have I ever?"

Silence.

"Anyways, if what you're saying is true than we are both getting something we want. You want your wolf and I want a chance to prove to you I care about you."

"Absolutely, not." I didn't know why I was objecting it wasn't like I had anything else to offer up. One thing I knew was I would delay the inevitable if I could and I was.

"Why not?"

"Because you have ample amount of times to make amends and fix what you screwed up." I crossed my arms as I watched him study me with a cold stare.

"Give me a chance Phina."

"For what? For you to drag me along some more? No, I'm good."

He scoffed, annoyance littered his features as his mind worked to shuffle through an endless filling cabinet of previously thought out plans stored away in his head. He hid them away just for opportunities like these.

"I'd be losing out on this more than you." Osiris leaned onto his desk his arms crossed as they laid against the desk top. "In fact, I'm the only person that can lose out on this scenario."

"How?" I didn't believe him. He was a liar.

"Allow me to prove to you that I'm not a total asshole. Just give me until the time you're able to shift."

I rolled my eyes, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "That could be months."

"And it could be tomorrow." He shoot back.

I pursed my lips. It was true. Neither one of us knew if I'd be able to fix myself in a few months or few hours. The possibilities were endless.

"We don't even know exactly what it is that has to be done to reverse this... curse."

Osiris suddenly stood up and moved around the desk until he was beside me. He crotched down resting his arms on the top of his thighs. I knew he was staring at me with inquisitive eyes, but I didn't dare look for myself. "You said that you keep hearing a nagging voice inside your head, right?"

I kept my attention straight ahead as I watched him move closer out the corner of my eye. His massive hand gently curled around my own. It was the only thing that tore my vision away from the blank wall.

His thumb rubbed soothing tingling circles on the back of my hand. I couldn't deny that it his touch felt warm and calming against my skin.

With a hard swallow I gazed at him. "Yes, I keep hearing a voice in my head, but I don't see how it's going to help me in any way. It doesn't say much it just repeats the same damn thing over and over again."

Osiris chuckled as he wrapped one of my golden curls around his finger. "I suggest you start there if you want to discover your wolf. The voice isn't just a voice, it's your wolf."

My lip curled up slightly. So my wolf was feening for him. It was practically drooling over his ever detail and I tried tirelessly to hid the urges away but no matter what it found its way out from time to time.

Osiris sighed letting go of my hand and hair. He towered over me as he stood up to his full height. His arms were crossed against his chest as he leaned against his desk to face me.

"So, do we have a deal?"

What did I have to lose at this point? Osiris wasn't taking anything away from me just a few hours a day to help me shift. He wasn't holding anything against me or taking anything away. He had played his cards right making it seem as though he had nothing to gain from helping me but he and I both know that he doesn't do anything just because.

He was alpha, there was always something to gain. Alpha's didn't just do things out the goodness of their heart. They might do something to protect their pack but to sacrifice their ego to help a single person, even their mate, was just not tangible.

It felt surreal, but I had to try. I had to at least try and fix myself. I too couldn't allow my ego to get the best of me.

"You have yourself a deal."