Our Hearts Collided (MxM)

Chapter 23

A/N: hope you enjoy <3

Simon's POV

A breath I hadn't known I was holding escaped my parted lips. It wasn't that seeing Vince didn't take my breath away; it was the fact that he willingly let his wolf out that did. He had been so adamant about waiting and feeling terrified at the idea that even now, I wondered what his thought process was behind his decision.

I knew Vince wouldn't have willingly agreed to do this if he still had reservations about his wolf around me, which meant that he trusted his wolf to a great extent. Maybe not a hundred percent, but with enough confidence than he ever did before.

That thought alone was breathtaking.

But not nearly as much as feeling his wolf's presence in front of me. His wolf exuded confidence and stood even a little straighter in Vince's body, with his eyes intent on mine. Years ago, I would have found them too intense, intimidating even, but they were neither of those things. The golden hue in his eyes glowed even though the sun hadn't set yet. They were still Vince's eyes and his face, but just from watching how his wolf moved in his skin, it was clear that his wolf was in complete control.

He was still standing where Vince had within arm's reach. On the one hand, I didn't know what to expect from him, whether his wolf would react on impulse to get closer to me or would be as hesitant as Vince was, but judging from his body language, his wolf was erring on the side of caution.

Slowly, his wolf raised his hand palm up, looking down at them. He clenched and unclenched them as if adjusting to the human form before looking back at me with more relaxed features.

"Hey," I said above a whisper, raising my hand to meet his. He looked down at it before meeting my gaze, then tilted his head slightly. He didn't move his hand back to his chest, so I reached forward until our fingertips were just an inch apart. "It's nice to meet you finally. Like this, anyway."

His eyes blinked a few times before a slight smile appeared on his face. Tentatively, his hands lowered into my outstretched ones. I interlaced our hands together and took a small step towards him.

"M-mate," he voiced, almost surprised he managed to speak. Vince's wolf had a deeper voice than his. My wolf hummed contently at the sound and his proximity. If given a chance, my wolf would've gladly taken over just to be in Vince's wolf's presence. But I had sorted it out with him that we needed to be cautious for both of their sakes. While still a bit brooding, he knew that taking it slowly like this would be better for us in the long run.

He squeezed my hand back, mimicking the way Vince did, before closing the gap between us.

"Yes," I said, the bond between us thrumming. "Mates."

Vince's wolf was completely gentle with everything he did, from how he held my hand to how he traced the veins on my arm. He was in a trance, taking in every part of me slowly and deliberately as if memorizing every millimeter.

The last time his wolf had been in front of me had been in a precarious situation, where the suppressants and uncontrollable instincts had dominated his wolf's behavior. On top of that, it didn't help that I hadn't been in a mentally safe place then, which only made the situation more dangerous.

But this—this was Vince's wolf in his most authentic form, no longer clouded by suppressants or unbalanced instincts.

As I relaxed into his touch, his hands traced up my arms, occasionally looking into my eyes. He'd wait for me to nod or guide his hands further, always asking me if things were alright without a word.

Vince had told me that his wolf wasn't that talkative to anyone besides him, but he didn't need words to show how much he cared. His hands would stop when they reached the underside of my forearm, resting along one of the many scars that hadn't entirely faded from my youth. Only then would his jaw clench and his lips purse. He'd move onto the next one, then to another, before settling on the one he had inflicted when he appeared in this very room when Chase had walked in on us. It could barely be called a scar anymore, just two fine lines that remained from that incident.