Shiro: I can't leave my territory right now. But I can talk over the phone.

Jett: Not good enough, Prince. This has to be in person.

Shiro: Where do you want to meet?

Jett: How about that shed of yours right by my territory lines? Is that safe enough?

He impatiently waited for a reply. Dr. Bailey had told him to get some sleep to get his wounds to heal faster, but he just couldn't. He was restless as his soul threatened to pull him all the way to that man. He needed some answers. But, more importantly, he needed to see him. Because the last time he saw him was when he had those cold eyes. The ones that he had when he was looking at him as if he was an enemy, rather than a mate. That wasn't the real Shiro. And Jett needed to finally see him with that mask of his off.

Shiro: That's safe. No one typically goes near that one unless it's for purposes such as when we went to your territory to help with the hunters. I have some chores to do, but I'll meet you there.

Jett: Chores? After what just happened, you have enough energy for chores?

Shiro: They aren't that bad. And they shouldn't take long, either. I promise.

Jett: Alright. I'll see you soon.

He didn't know why Shiro always typed like he was writing a damn essay for school, but it made him type the same way when replying to him. He had been aggravated all day at that point, getting grumpy about little things. Most of the people that tried to talk to him were told to give him space. He didn't want to lash out at anyone at the moment.

Instead, he grabbed a pair of shorts and headed out of the house. He made sure to tell Alex that he was heading outside of the territory. He was the only one he could think of that would be up that late at night. Knowing him, he was probably trying to sext Geo or something. Everyone else had gone to bed hours ago. They all had children to take care of, or Manny's bar to maintain. If Bree woke up to him being gone, she was going to throw a fit, but he would deal with that when it came.

He transformed into his wolf, allowing the comforting smells of home to take over his senses. His arm still hurt from earlier that day, but the rest of his wounds were just about gone. He grabbed his shorts with his mouth and started running. Even in his wolf form, he felt restless. He pushed forward with the promise of seeing the man of mystery that he had been trying to figure out for almost a month now. The more he got to know him, the more mysterious he became.

And why is he doing chores right now?! First of all, it was night, and late at that. Second of all, if he was as strong as Jett was then he should be trying to take it easy to recover from that fight earlier that day. He was probably pushing himself too far. Just the thought of that made a rumble come out of his chest. The more he thought about Shiro, the more protective he became of him. And the more frustrated he became that the man wouldn't let him help at all.

He got to the shed and quickly transformed. It was a nice little room. There were even a couple small beds, and a bath in it. He always wondered what the Reverence Pack's sheds looked like. Each pack had a different design to their sheds, with different things that they deemed necessary. While Jett's had showers and clothes, it seemed like this pack went all out. It looked like a small cottage with how quaint it was.

He didn't want to wear one of the robes that were there. So, he just threw on his shorts and stepped out. Knowing Shiro, he'd want to change before talking. Jett doubted the man would travel there in his human form. It was way too far.

It had been a while since he had seen that wolf. But he recognized it easily. The small brown wolf quietly made itself known, its dark eyes looking into his with interest. All the anger and frustration he had just a moment before seemed to melt away as he saw those warm eyes. He smiled and let him pass into the hut. It only took a second for him to come out in his human form.

He wondered why he rarely kept his hair down in his human form. He looked magnificent with those onyx strands covering his neck and the sides of his face. Especially when it contrasted against the white robes that he had on.

Then he realized that there was probably nothing underneath that robe. Flames washed over him for a split second at the thought.

"You're bruised," were the first words that came out of his mouth. He came up to him slowly. His calculated demeanor that Jett had always seen melted as he looked at his arm. For once, he saw the eighteen-year-old man that was kept hidden behind the princely mask. It was so soft, he loved it.

"It'll heal," he assured him. It was nice being able to finally be alone with him. Shiro didn't hide his scent from him either that night. It helped calm him. "You look a bit beat yourself."

He really did. Jett immediately felt guilty as he saw the bruises from the places that he had grabbed him earlier that day. He wanted to apologize, and try to kiss the pain away. It took everything in him to refrain himself from trying to hold the man right then.

"It wasn't your fault," Shiro shook his head. His eyes looked guilty and pained. He gently held his arm to inspect the bruise that was still there. Every touch left a tingling sensation. "I'm sorry. My father. He..." he trailed off. Those dark brown eyes wandered off into the distance. Jett wished he could read them better. An Alpha could always read people better than others, but Shiro always had to be a difficult one. He held back so much of himself.

"What's the matter with your father?" He asked. Just the mention of him made his blood broil. His initial mild annoyance for the man was quickly turning into a hatred. "Why is he so harsh on you?"

"I'd rather not talk about that," Shiro quickly said. He could see those walls of his going back up. He didn't want that. He needed to unravel the mystery that was his mate.

"Then what do you want to talk about?" he asked. He didn't exactly want to talk about Sakdah anymore either. And, since this was the first time that they were truly alone, he wanted to enjoy it as much as he could.

"Us," he answered. He threw him off with that. Jett wasn't expecting him to be so blunt about it. But, when he looked at him, those eyes had met his again, showing him something that he hadn't seen before.

"What about us?" he smiled.

There was a pause; a moment of silence where they simply enjoyed each other's company. It was nice simply being around him at the moment. But he could see those dark eyes wanting something more.

He didn't know just what it was they wanted until the man caught him by surprise. He kissed him with a passion he hadn't seen since he first realized that they were mates. It was strong and wanting as those lips claimed his. It was absolutely addicting.

His arms went around him to deepen the kiss. He couldn't hold back his own passion towards his mate. All he had ever wanted was to have him in his arms. The longer he held onto him, the less he felt like he was able to let him go. At that moment he truly knew that there was no one he would ever love more than the man he was holding right there and then.

"Shiro," he broke the kiss to catch his breath. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Forgive me?" his voice faltered as he said that. And those eyes had never looked so sad. It was enough to break his heart. "For all of the trouble I've put you through."

"On one condition," he started trailing kisses down his neck. He loved just how willingly Shiro leaned into him. If this was his true self, then he never wanted him to leave.

"What is it?" Shiro tensed at his reply. He probably thought that Jett was going to bring up marking him again or something. As much as he desperately wanted to, he could wait just a little bit longer for that.

"I want to see the real Shiro," he stopped kissing him to look into his eyes. His hands held that lovely face, willing him to bring those lips closer. "I want to see this part of you more often. No more acts or trying to treat everyone with respect. I want to see the you that I saw at the carnival and when you were worried about Ava. I want to see the you that just kissed me right now. Because that Shiro is my mate."

That smile reached his eyes as he nodded. His eyes were a little glossy as he listened to him. It made them sparkle under the moonlight.

"I'll try," he told him. "I've been hiding myself so much that it's hard to find the real me sometimes."

"Then I'm going to find him," Jett smiled. "Can you get tomorrow off from whatever your father wants you to do?"

"Hiroko had already planned on making sure I rest tomorrow," Shiro told him. "She will be taking over my responsibilities until she leaves on another trip in a couple of days."

"Good," he smiled again. "Then the first thing we're doing is spending the night here."

"Spending the night?" he asked. He seemed a little more than shocked at hearing him say that.

"I'm not going to be able to sleep without you tonight," Jett pulled him closer. "I'm not going to do anything or force anything. I just need to have you close."

"You mean sleep in the same bed?"

"Yes," he said. Shiro seemed a little awkward when he heard his answer. But he brushed it off and picked him up. The action seemed to surprise him, but he didn't try to fight against his hold at all. "Is that going to be a problem, Prince?"

"No, I just..." his face was buried into his neck at the moment. It felt so good to have him this close. But he was noticing a little more heat coming off from that face that was making him curious.

"You just what?" he closed the door to the shed behind him. The lighting for it was done with candles. They were in a casing that kept it from starting fires, and it was easy to light, even when he was holding the lean man that was his mate. But he didn't light any at the moment. He used the little bit of light from the windows to guide him through the room.

"I've never shared a bed with anyone," Shiro admitted. He seemed so bashful when he said it. It made him smile just hearing him.

"Good," a small growl came from his chest. "Because I'd hate it if you did."

The small bed was comfortable, even if it wasn't his own. He quickly wrapped them up in the blanket. He wanted the sounds of the forest to lull them to sleep, but his body was buzzing at the feeling of his mate being this close to him finally. Shiro didn't seem like he could exactly sleep either. Instead, his hands roamed over his torso curiously. Every caress he gave felt like poking a fire with a stick. His touch was so addicting, he was slowly losing himself to it. It was easy to see that he would do absolutely anything for this prince.

He combed his hands through that long hair. It was so soft, and it shimmered in the little bit of moonlight. Shiro moved his hands over to his arms in the meantime. As soon as he saw that bruise on his arm again, he gave it the lightest of kisses.

"I really am sorry about this," he mumbled. Jett just chuckled and pulled him up towards him. As soon as he was close enough, he kissed those lips again. He swore he could kiss him all night. But, instead, he used it as a distraction so that he could turn them around on the bed. Now he was on top of Shiro.

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Jett told him. "But, since you kissed mine, now I have to do the same for all of yours."

"Wait," he tried to argue with him, but he was already on a mission. He gently pulled his robe off from his shoulders, starting there. There weren't many bruises there, but he didn't fail in covering them with as much love as he could give.

"Do you really want me to stop?" he smiled against that pale skin. It was so easy to bruise.

"N-no," Shiro answered truthfully. One of those hands had weaved into Jett's hair. He absolutely loved when he did that.

"Good," he hummed as he gently moved his nose across his neck. He loved the scent that was coming off him. "Now turn around so I can look at your back."

Shiro seemed nervous, but he complied. He knew that had to be the worst of the wounds that he had gotten. Jett gently moved that robe down just to where his lower back was. If he saw anymore, he wasn't sure just what he'd do. That skin was already addicting to kiss. He could only imagine if he went lower.

Shit. His back really was the worst. Jett immediately felt guilty for taking it as far as he did. The bruise looked like it was healing, but it spanned his entire back. With how fair his skin was, it was common to bruise easily. The muscles underneath it showed themselves as they moved in time with his breathing. It made him wish he could see it without the blemish on it.

"I'm so sorry, Shiro," he softly hugged him.

"It'll heal," he repeated his own words to him. "It's not as bad as it looks."

Jett didn't quite believe that. But he wouldn't argue with him. Instead, he kissed every inch of that back. His hands gently rubbed at his sides the whole time. He didn't stop until the man was relaxed underneath him. Then he gently turned him around to see his face. His torso didn't show much of a wound on it. It glistened wonderfully in the moonlight. He couldn't help put slide his hand on it. He was so perfect it was as if he was sculpted.

"You look absolutely stunning like this," he leaned in closer to his face. "You know that, right?"

"Thank you," he said, trying to look anywhere but him at the moment. Jett grabbed his face gently and lifted him to meet his gaze. He was blushing. He always wanted a mate that blushed. It was adorable. And, seeing Shiro blush made him smile even more than he already had.

"Come on, Prince," he wrapped his arms carefully around him and turned them on the bed again. "We should get some sleep."

Shiro just nodded, his arms reaching for his shoulders. He quickly buried his face into his chest and relaxed on top of him. All Jett could do was kiss the top of his Prince's head and sigh in content. For six long years he had waited for a moment like this. A moment where he would have his mate in his arms and they would feel safe and happy there. Six long years of dreaming about the day where he would find the one that would make him happier than he had ever been. Six long years of waiting for the one that would make him feel whole.

And, after six long years, he wasn't disappointed.

Not one bit.