23 REBECCA Punctual as a Swiss watch , Reiner showed up the next morning at my door : we had decided to leave early , at 5:30 a.m. , to avoid traffic and get to the cabin while it was still morning , to enjoy as much of the weekend as we could . Like the night before , he greeted me with a hug and a kiss on the cheek : they lasted barely less than last night , but I didnt dare complain about it not when his every touch sent sparks racing across my skin and just smelling his scent made me feel alive , reborn . A beggar could hardly be a chooser or expect much of anything. Hey , I greeted him . Hi Becks he yawned : hed never been a particularly early riser . The pups ? Still asleep . We should be able to put them in the car without waking them … thankfully , theyre heavy sleepers , I said . Reiner nodded . Ill go bring their backpacks down , then , he said , taking the two backpacks Id abandoned the night before by the door , which contained changes of clothes for the kids , their bathroom essentials , and their favorite plushies . In the ten minutes I had , I checked again that all the lights were off and that I had turned off the gas , faucets , and non essential appliances : then , I devoted myself to give Moses some cuddles , for which he was very grateful . When Reiner came back up , we took the kids and closed the door : less than half an hour later , we were already on the highway . Slow down , Reiner grumbled , devouring his croissant . We had stopped to get something for breakfast a few minutes ago: he had taken his usual extra black , little to no sugar coffee with a chocolate croissant , while I had taken tea and a salmon and avocado bagel . I am going slow I sighed , not holding back a half smile . Since my parents had died when I was little and I had no living relatives , Id grown up in the pack house : the orphans ( there were other two besides me ) were taken care of by Reiners aunt Frances , his fathers sister, who had no children of her own . Reiner was three years older than I was , so when my sixteenth birthday had begun to approach , he had offered to teach me how to drive : needless to say , he was a safety fanatic even at nineteen only I didnt know who 1/5 +8 Point 23 he was more afraid for , whether for the two of us or for his car . This isnt going slow , he commented . My car , my rules , I huffed . And anyway this is going slow , youre just anxious . And if I , the queen of anxiety , say so … Okay , okay Reiner relented with a chuckle , raising his hands in defeat . I declare defeat . Only , if we crash … Reiner , were not going to crash . Im even going slower than usual because I know youd freak out otherwise and anyway , theres no one we could collide with . Reiner chuckled . Im already freaking out . The only reason youre not seeing me koala hugging the seat is just because I have a vague semblance of self control . I swallowed that choice of words … had not been accidental . Vague semblance of self control : those were the same words he had used during our last date before our official mating ceremony , a date in which things between us had … heated up a bit too much . Easy , baby , I could almost hear him chuckling in my ear again as he left a trail of open mouthed kisses down my collarbone after I reminded him that we couldnt go any further . If Im not ripping your clothes off , its just because I have a vague semblance of self control . We might not have made it to the final act , that night , but … we had taken our pleasure in other ways . He knew it . There was no doubt in my mind Reiner was not one to use random words . If he had chosen to use that specific phrase , it was for a good reason and that reason was to let me know that he knew full well that , when he had held me close to him the previous evening , I had grown aroused , I swallowed , managing , miraculously , to maintain a relaxed and cheerful expression . Oh sure , its certainly of your proverbial self control certainly not your fear of looking like a frightened weasel , I teased him . This time it was his turn to be stunned and he wasnt as good as I was at concealing it , for he stared at me with his jaw on the ground for a good five seconds : whether because of my response or my apparent lack of reaction to his attempted provocation , or both , I didnt know . 2/5 23 +8 Point Please please , I want a truce , Reiner sighed , ill concealing a smirk . Mmmh , I feel generous enough to grant it to you , I chuckled . Ill make sure to thank the Goddess for your magnanimity . Once that little banter was put to rest , the conversation shifted to lighter topics until it waned and finally , even Reiner was able to relax despite my non grandmotherly driving style . He relaxed so much that he fell asleep and it took all my self control not to burst out laughing : he and Violet had , at that moment , the exact same expression of blissful tranquility , with their mouths half open . Neither of them was a particularly early riser on the other hand , however , they loved to stay up late . Immersed in the cars white noise and the streets peace , I couldnt stop my mind from starting to wonder . Why on earth had Reiner brought up that phrase ? Indeed , there was also the question of why , on the last two occasions we had seen each other , he had been more physical than usual . I had simply told myself that there was nothing unusual about it that it was still an absolutely chaste , friendly hug and kiss that meant nothing … but now , with that phrase buzzing around in my head , I couldnt really believe it . A bad feeling began to grow in my stomach . Maybe he wants to sleep with me . After all , the mating bond between us was there and it was known what that bond drove people to do . If I wasnt insensitive to his presence ( well , insensitive was a bit of an understatement : ever since he came back , Id had to resort to the nightstand drawer where I kept a couple of s * x toys more than once ) it was logical to think that he wasnt insensitive to mine either : besides , he was an Alpha so inevitably , his already strong traits of protection , dominance and even libido were accentuated by the bond . It was natural that he wanted certain things , and perhaps was taking action to … get them . But he did not want me not in the way , at least , that he wanted me four years ago . I was sure of this : he did not want to make love to me , but simply to f ** k . Because any love he had once held for me , Sheila had taken good care to crush and destroy . I think his exact words were I dont want to see that cheating slut ever again . 3/5 +3 Point 23 Sheilas words echoed in my mind . Id been hearing that a lot , ever since Reiner had returned and my feelings , which I had tried to keep at bay , had started to come back up . For Reiner , loyalty , whether it was to the pack , to family , or to ones mate , had always been the most sacred thing there could be I had felt his ire that day , and seen the disappointment and bitterness on his face both when he had told me about what his family had done to him and when he had found out about Violet . In his view of things , I had betrayed him and then kept his babies from him: perhaps his opinion of me had improved a bit recently , and he certainly always was kind, friendly , and helpful to me , but I knew , deep inside , that he still saw me as the one who had betrayed him in our marriage bed , in the pack house we led . A w *** e . He didnt love me surely , not the way I loved him , with every fiber of my heart : maybe he cared about me because I was the mother of his children , but that was the end of it . If he wanted to approach me for certain purposes , it was obvious that it was not to make love . The problem ? Although part of me wanted nothing more than to get under the covers with him … I knew I could never bear a basic mating no feelings involved . Reiner was my mate . He was the love of my life . Id never have been able to tolerate something as intimate as that , which had always been full of feelings and love for us , being reduced to a mere … outburst of impulses . Id never be able to be with him knowing that he saw me as a slut and I knew that if I gave myself to him , that belief of his would inevitably be reinforced . It was already hard enough to know that he already saw me that way … but if he was definitely convinced of that , I would die of it . Id give you all of me , my love , but I must keep what little of my heart I have left . North Wave Hi everyone ! I hope you liked the chapter ???? In "A Relationship Kept in The Dark" by CrushReel, the storyline unfolds as renowned photographer Jane finds herself drawn to the charismatic rookie model, Hector. Little does she know that Hector harbors a secret—he is actually the heir to a powerful business empire. As their romance blossoms, Hector grapples with concealing his true identity to capture Jane's heart. However, their love story takes a tumultuous turn when jealousy rears its ugly head, threatening to unravel the delicate balance they've built. 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