Vision (Original)

Chapter 24

I could feel the cool breeze around me, ruffling my skirts as I walked. But I wasn't cold, I was never cold. 

I knew it was cheating, that I shouldn't be allowing myself to do  this.

But I couldn't help myself. 

My dress was dragging over the forest floor, across the sharp rocks and mud, but it stayed perfectly in tact. Not even a spec of dirt on the pure white. 

Closing my eyes to concentrate, I continued to walk forward - I trusted my feet to take me to where I should be. 

Somewhere in the distance I could hear the footsteps, coming towards me head on. 

I kept my eyes closed.

The footsteps came to a stop at the exact same time that mine did.

Flickering my eyes open, I stared at the man before me. 

Liam stood in front of me, his eyes wide yet oddly not surprised. 

I breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of him, I didn't have to look him over to know that he wasn't physically hurt. 

Simultaneously we both took a couple of steps forward, until we were only an inch apart.

It was wrong of me to bring him to me like this, to take away his free will, if only for a moment.

I had used my goddess to call out to his wolf and bring him to me. 

Even so, he wasn't under that influence right now. And he was still here. He hadn't left.

"Charlotte." He whispered, slowly reaching up a hand to the side of my face, where he cupped my jawline. 

I let out the breath I had been holding, closing my eyes as his thumb gently stroked my cheek. 

Gently, I leaned my head down to rest it on his shoulder. 

I felt his fingers threading lightly through my hair, before tucking a strand of it behind my ear.

Raising my head, I reached my arms up and draped them over his shoulders, staring up into his eyes.

Sometimes, we have to allow ourselves to be happy. Liam was my happiness. Yes, that made him my weakness.

Something within me told me this was going to be the last time.

The last time we would be together, like this.

Slowly I felt a small teardrop collect in the corner of my eye, but it did not fall. It seems that in my new body, I am incapable of tears. 

I felt the muscles in my stomach clench, looking at Liam. The last time.

I knew to trust my instincts.

With my arms on his shoulders, I wrapped them around his neck and pulled his head down to mine. 

When our lips connected, there was a new urgency. It was like the both of us knew that somehow this was the end. 

I could feel my lips pressed hard against his, and I only broke it off when I could tell that he needed to breathe. 

His lips were swollen and red, but without even having to check I knew that mine weren't.

Maybe that was why it was the end.

Because I knew that somehow we weren't compatible anymore, suddenly I was so much more durable than he was, he didn't have the same effect on me anymore. 

Liam was out of breath, and I was perfectly fine. It was something I could do for hours.

We just weren't running at the same speed anymore.