Who's ready for a Romitri date :D

Breathing through my nose and slowly out my mouth, I worked through the exercises Dimitri showed me. My body was covered in sweat, showing through on the grey long-sleeved shirt I was wearing. Maybe I should have let Lissa buy me some athletic clothes today so I had something better to work out in than this. I had to wear an undershirt because of the holes.

I didn't want to wear the new clothes Dimitri got me last week for exercising, so I had to just make do. Though, a new sports bra was definitely a need.

"Don't think you are pushing yourself too much?" Lissa asked from her spot on the floor, leaning against the wall next to Christian. I don't know why they were sitting here, Lissa had been for over an hour now.

I just rolled my eyes at her, looking back at the small mirror on the wall to make sure my form was right. After my conversation with Eddie, my mood had soured and all I wanted to do was work it off. Sure, I may be doing more than Dimitri had instructed me to start with but I needed to push myself so I can get stronger.

Something told me Jesse wasn't going to be leaving me alone anytime soon so I had to be ready.

"It's been almost three hours. Maybe you should take a break? Or eat something?" Lissa tried again, "You barely ate anything for lunch."

I ignored her, glancing over at Christian, "What do you think Tasha would want to talk to me about?"

When we got back from shopping, I was happy to find Tasha wasn't here, remembering her promise of wanting to talk to me. My mind kept pointing out that if she wasn't here, then she must be with Dimitri. I pushed those thoughts down. He said there was nothing between them and I wanted to believe him.

Christian dropped his phone, tilting his head to the side. "I don't know. I haven't been too involved lately, but I think she's looking for omegas that are willing to go before the Royal Council at an open meeting and talk about how they are treated, especially by the academies."

I grimaced. As much as I hated my experience, I didn't know if I had it in me to go up against the Council and reveal everything that happened to me in front of everyone. But the thought of another going through what I did also lit a rage in me that made me want to scream and cry at the same time.

Gritting my teeth, I focused back on lifting weights.


My legs felt like jelly and my arms couldn't lift above my waist, but I felt good, like I had actually achieved something. I was tidying up the small workout room when Dimitri appeared at the door, a warm smile on his face when he saw me.

"Hi," He greeted, crossing the room in three long strides, "Have you been in here long?"

"Not long," I lied, silencing Lissa with a look when she opened her mouth to contradict me. "Are you finished for the day?"

"Yes, and I was hoping you would like to join me. I have a surprise." There was an excited glint in his eyes that made my heart beat faster in anticipation. He held a hand out to me, which I shyly took, shooting a pointed look at Lissa as we passed her.

I had to force my legs to move to keep up with Dimitri's pace as we climbed the stairs, starting to regret all of the leg exercises I did. When we reached his room—our room—he gave me an uncertain look before pushing open the door to reveal a large collection of bags at the foot of the bed.

My jaw dropped in surprise, stepping closer to peek inside one. Now I was confused.

Inside were some of the shirts I had tried on today. Looking in a few others I discovered more of the clothes that I had tried on. I spun on my heel to face Dimitri. "I don't understand."

"I may have asked Lissa and my sister to take you shopping and then set aside which ones you liked so I could get them for you," He explained, leaning against the door frame.

I wasn't sure how to respond, I hated that I hadn't done anything to deserve this and definitely couldn't pay him back, but the fact he had thought of me like that made my heart skip a beat. I chewed on my lip, "This is so much. It's too much to spend on me."

Dimitri was across the room, hands resting on my shoulders, "No, it isn't. You deserve this, Rose, and I want you to be happy."

"But…" I glanced down at the clothes. It was a lot but it was all stuff I needed, even spying a shoebox among them. "I want to pay you back somehow. I don't have money right now, but if I get a job I can."

"You don't have to pay me back. This is a gift, I'm not expecting anything in return."

I shook my head, "Please, I have to do something. What if I helped out at City Hall?" I had been thinking of asking to be shown more around there, and if I worked there I would be able to see Dimitri more often during the day.

His eyes lit up at my suggestion, "If that's what you want to do."

"Yes," I quickly agreed, playing with the hem of my shirt, "Besides, I should probably be there more often so I can learn about the pack and such if I was… I mean, if I become–"

His hands dropped to cover mine so I wasn't pulling at the stretched material. "There's no rush. When you are ready we can discuss more about you being Luna, so don't worry about it right now." His voice was soothing, as his words took away the anxiety that was building in me.

I released a slow breath, "Okay."

"Good." A smile grew on his face, "Get dressed in something warm, I want to show you something."

I tilted my head, "Another surprise?"

"Yes, Roza." Dimitri leant forward, gently pressing his lips against my forehead, the action was so tender. When he pulled away, his eyes were warm and captivating, "I'll see you downstairs."

I didn't move from my spot for a couple of minutes, Dimitri had left, leaving me standing in the middle of the room thinking about how amazing it felt when he kissed me.


My muscles were cramping after how hard I had pushed them today. I didn't say anything to Dimitri, not wanting to ruin the surprise he had. After a quick shower and digging through the bags for a long sleeve and jacket, I was down the stairs and bouncing on my heels as I waited at the front door.

I was dressed up in all the new clothes I had received today, even the new pair of running shoes. They were black and easy to pull off with a casual look, the soles of them felt like walking on clouds after wearing my old, worn pair every day.

I didn't have to wait long for Dimitri to reemerge from the kitchen with a square-shaped bag hanging off his shoulder. I raised my eyebrows, receiving a small smile from him. "Something for when we get there," He explained, opening the front door for me, the jeep already parked in front of the house.

Climbing into the car was a challenge, but I managed, settling into the leather seats with a sigh. I waited until he got in to ask where we were going.

Dimitri chuckled, "If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise."


"Is this where you are going to kill me and cut my body up into little pieces and hide them where no one will find them?"

Dimitri shot me a bewildered look. "What?"

I gestured at the passing scenery. "The dark, creepy, forest trail. I've read enough crime books to know where this is going."

He chuckled, "Crime books?"

"Yeah, there was one teacher at the academy that wasn't like the others the first couple of months I was there. She would let me hang out in her classroom and read. All she owned were crime books."

Silence settled between us as I got lost in my memories, being broken by Dimitri asking, "What happened to her?"

I looked out the window, watching the trees pass us. "I don't know. She was just gone one day."

The day after I got released from the clinic, bandages wrapped around my back and still in tears from the pain, I ran to Miss Heathers' office only to find it empty.

We didn't speak again for a couple of minutes until the car stopped. I looked around through the windows, seeing the forest breaking up ahead, a small path going through the trees. Dimitri unbuckled his seatbelt, "We have to walk from here, but it isn't far."

I did the same as him, climbing out of the jeep. My stomach was in knots again, but I wasn't too sure from what this time. Bringing up memories from the academy made me feel sick, especially from that night.

Putting on a brave face, I followed after Dimitri through the trees, becoming more dubious about where exactly he was taking me. The small consultation of it though, was his hand holding mine, his skin feeling warm and soft despite how worn his hand was. Mine was easily dwarfed against his, these hands that were so powerful, yet so gentle with me.

My eyes were so focused between us that I didn't realise when he had stopped walking, colliding into his back. "What do you think?" Dimitri asked, grinning at me.

Rubbing my nose, I looked around him, eyes becoming wide.

The trail we had followed led to a clearing on the side of the mountain, the view was unobstructed, the sky stretching above us with the stars shining. The mountain valley below us was lit by the full moon that was still low on the horizon. The sight was breathtaking.

As I stood taking in the view, Dimitri pulled out a blanket, laying it down on the ground and placing the bag in the middle. As he unzipped it I joined him.

My eyes kept being drawn back to the moon. Unlike what humans believed, full moons did not affect us other than making it a clear night to run in because of the light. With our enhanced eyesight, I could see fairly well into the distance and in the dark around us. The full moon made it easier to see if there were any wild animals nearby.

Not that being this far in the forest at night was much of a concern for us. There wasn't a whole lot that we couldn't fight once shifted, and with Dimitri, I didn't think there was anything that could stop him.

"This is amazing."

"I found this spot exploring when I was young. I like to come up here and think, being away from everything else to get a new perspective."

I laughed, "It is one hell of a perspective from up here." Dimitri grinned at me, pulling out a canister and filling up two cups with the steaming liquid, handing one to me.

"Hot chocolate. It's nice here, but it also can get really cold."

My hand curled around the cup, greedily taking the warmth it offered. "You grew up in Russia when you were little, right? Isn't that like an arctic wasteland, this mustn't be that cold to you."

"I grew up in Siberia. It's a bit different to what you are thinking."

I shrugged, taking a large drink from my cup, welcoming the warmth as it flowed through my body. I nodded towards the bag, "What else have you got in there?"


After eating the sandwiches and soup Dimitri had brought with us, we laid back on the blanket to look up at the stars. At first, there was space between us but as we talked we shifted closer until our sides were touching. He felt like a long line of heat that I was eager to press against.

Dimitri was pointing out the stars to me, telling me the stories behind them. I had never star-gazed much, not enough to recognise them, so I hung onto his every word. His voice was soothing, deep and full of warmth. If I wasn't enjoying listening to what he was saying, I would easily fall asleep against him, feeling the deep rumbles in his chest with each word.

"Wow, comrade, you sure know a lot of stars," I teased, nudging him with my elbow. He chuckled, moving until his hand was wrapped around mine, squeezing my fingers.

"Your hands are freezing," He commented, pulling my hand up to cover it with both of his. "Did you want to go back?"

I shook my head, shifting that little bit closer, "No. I like it here." I turned my head to look at Dimitri, discovering him already facing me. "I can understand why you come here. It's nice being away from everything else."

His fingers moved down my hand, massaging as he rubbed warmth into it. When he brushed against the scar on my wrist I tensed, his eyes catching it. I didn't pull away, letting him explore the raised skin, seeing the question on his face but hesitant to voice it.

"Silver chains." The two words slipped from my mouth, my voice dropping low in tone as I tried to detach myself from it. "It was one of my punishments. I was locked up in the cells, which is just as it sounds, bars and all," I explained, moving my head to be gazing up at the stars again. "I was in there for a week while having the silver wrapped around my wrist. If you leave it on long enough the skin won't heal properly."

I felt him caress my wrist before gripping my hand, "That's barbaric, that's not punishment… That's torture." Though he spoke softly, I could hear the anger in his tone. "Why were they punishing you?"

"The first couple of months I was there, I would sneak out at night to shift and run through the forest. Omegas were discouraged from shifting but it was the only thing I had to keep myself from falling apart. Then a girl I thought was my friend told the Headmistress. So I was punished for it." I tried to shrug like it meant nothing as bile rose in my throat. If I closed my eyes, I swear I would still feel the silver wrapped around my skin. Feel it burn.

I surged forward, crawling to the edge of the blanket to throw up. What little food I had eaten left me as I heaved.

"Roza," Dimitri whispered, gathering my hair for me, rubbing my back in slow circles. "I'm sorry, Roza. I didn't mean to –"

"It's okay." I spat on the ground, shifting away from the acidic smell, taking the napkin offered to me. "My stomach has been a little upset for a while now, that just pushed me over the edge."

His eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Maybe it's the withdrawals."

"That, or it's because I pushed myself too hard working out today," I told him with a wince. Dimitri shifted behind me until his legs were on either side of me and my back was against his chest. I leant back, inhaling his scent as it surrounded me.

"How long?"

"A couple of hours."

Dimitri sighed, "That's not taking it easy."

I hummed in agreement, turning my head to be closer to his neck, the smell of pine stronger. It calmed my stomach.

"I think it's time to go back. You need to rest."

I reluctantly agreed, standing with his help. After he gathered the blanket and bag, Dimitri led the way back to the car, arm wrapped around my shoulders. As we drove back, his hand was clasped around mine. I fell asleep to the feeling of his thumb rubbing back and forth.


I cracked my eyes open, feeling disorientated that I was now lying down, slowly taking in my surroundings to realise I was in my bed. A hand wrapped around the back of my ankle, carefully removing my shoe. I sat up enough to see Dimitri at the foot of the bed. My jacket was gone as well, I must have been really tired if I didn't wake up as he carried me to my room.

"Dimitri?"

He paused mid-step, glancing over at me, whispering, "I didn't mean to wake you."

"Where are you going?"

"Downstairs to sleep."

I shook my head, moving over on the mattress, "Stay with me?" There was only a moment of hesitation before Dimitri removed his jacket and shoes and climbed into the space beside me.

I rolled over and laid my head on his chest, snuggling up close. "Thank you, comrade… for the surprises," I mumbled, feeling myself drifting off again.

Just as I felt everything fade away, I heard a soft whisper.

"I love you, Roza."


The streams of sunlight were hitting my face, making me scrunch up my nose. I tried to shift back only to hit a solid form. My body froze and my breath caught.

There was someone behind me.

Panic rose in me, fear gripping at my heart as it hammered in my chest. My mind wasn't able to focus as a haze took over me with only one thought screaming at me—I have to get away.

I rolled away, struggling against the sheets that were wrapping around my legs, fumbling to get out of the bed, only to tumble to the ground. My limbs were sore and refusing to move like I wanted them to.

The sound of me impacting the wooden floor alerted the person in the bed, rising quickly and leaning towards me. I flinched back at first but then my eyes found theirs.

Dimitri.

He was staring at me with wide eyes, hand hovering between us, wanting to reach for me but also unsure to do so. "Roza, it's okay. You're safe."

The fear that was pushing me to escape dissipated at his words. My breathing started to slow until I wasn't so close to hyperventilating anymore. I pushed myself up to my knees and then on the edge of the bed feeling embarrassed for reacting in such a way. I couldn't bring myself to face Dimitri.

"Rose," He started, feeling him shift on the bed until he was beside me, yet still leaving a distance between us, "I'm sor –"

"No, it's not your fault. It's me," I replied, bringing my hands up to cover my face. Why did I have to be so messed up? I couldn't even enjoy waking up next to Dimitri because of my mind freaking out and thinking it was someone else.

His fingertips brushed against my shoulder, when I didn't pull away he moved closer, being deliberately slow. "It's not your fault," He breathed out. When his scent became stronger, I turned into him, taking comfort in it. His arms encircled me though his grip was loose so I could pull away if needed.

I relaxed against him, the lingering anxiety fading as my senses became overwhelmed by Dimitri.

Mate.

"I'm sorry," I apologised.

"Don't be," He replied firmly, "Everything that has happened to you, none of it is your fault, and neither is the way you process it."

I attempted a laugh to try to ease the sombre mood between us. "How very zen of you."

His hand trailed down my arm until his fingers caressed my scar through my sleeve, "I'm sorry you had to go through so much. I don't want you to feel ashamed by it, not with me."

"My scars are ugly." All of them, the ones that were visible and the ones that weren't.

"No, Roza. Every part of you is beautiful, and these," His thumb pushed down my sleeve to expose the scar, "are a part of you."

My heart skipped a beat, moisture gathered in my eyes but I tried to blink it away. When he lifted my hand to his mouth and kissed my knuckles I thought I was going to forget how to breathe. It was always small gestures and yet it would make my body tingle as warmth washed over me. It was a little startling how much I wanted to kiss him.

The last time was the fleeting kiss during the pack run, almost a full week ago. My eyes dropped to his lips, my tongue darted out to lick mine in anticipation.

Dimitri didn't move as I inched closer. My eyes flicked to his, they were watching me, a look of caution and hope in them. I haven't chosen to kiss anyone like this in years, the thought filling me with apprehension and excitement.

The moment our lips touched I felt a spark travel through me, my toes curling. My hands found purchase on his shirt, fisting the material as I pressed closer. I felt Dimitri kiss me back, though it was gentle, letting me set the pace.

Feeling more confident, I tilted my head, angling my lips as they moved against his. His lips were soft and full, moving against mine slowly as if taking the time to memorise the feeling.

When we pulled back I wanted to lean back in for more straight away. My eyes had closed during the kiss, feeling light-headed from how amazing it had felt.

His hands cupped my face, "You're amazing, Roza." His voice was deep and raspy, filled with awe.

I forced my eyes open to look at him, my cheeks starting to heat from his intense gaze. "Was that okay?" I asked timidly.

His responding smile was blinding, "It was perfect."

I released a shaky breath, not realising I had been holding it. "That's good… I could do that again."

Dimitri chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to my forehead. "So could I, but I'm also very hungry."

At that moment, my stomach chose to growl loudly, apparently agreeing with him. I blushed, "Yeah, I guess I could eat as well."


Ivan kept giving Dimitri looks across the table, a knowing smirk on his face, winking at me when he would catch my eyes. He put down his cup and leant forward, "So, Dimitri –"

"Leave them alone," Olena scolded him, slapping the back of his head. Her eyes moved to mine, "You look lovely today, Roza."

I was wearing some of the new clothes I had, even having to take my time to choose which I wanted to wear for once. I hadn't had so many options for what to wear in so long. Because the shirt I was wearing had a high neck, I felt comfortable enough to wear my hair up today

When I had first pulled it back, Dimitri's eyes were locked on the bite mark. It had healed now, no longer red, but fading to more of a pinkish scar at the base of my neck. I had once heard that when your mate touches the bite, it can feel amazing if the connection is strong between you. I wondered what it would be like if Dimitri touched it.

He said he was okay with me still hiding the fact we were mated from the pack for now, which I was grateful for. Maybe I'll be ready to do so next week after being around pack members more.

I wasn't feeling as nervous around the ones that would eat their meals at the pack house. Viktoria had explained that most of them were guards coming here between shifts guarding the borders of the pack lands, the house being closer than the town. Others were just wolves that lived alone and wanted company or were just wanting some of Olena's cooking.

Dimitri's hand brushed against mine. "Tasha wants to know if you can meet with her? She says it's important."

I frowned at the mention of Christian's aunt. I knew that I should just get it over and done with but I was worried about what exactly she would have to say. "Okay, I'll talk to her."

"I'll go get her."

I reached under the table to place my hand on his thigh. "Will you stay with me when I talk to her?" If Tasha was going to be asking about what happened at the academy, I was going to need Dimitri there to keep me calm.

He squeezed my fingers. "Of course, Roza."

I could see in his eyes he wanted to kiss me again, holding himself back because we were with others. Instead, he gave me a fond look, lips quirked one side in the half-smile I loved seeing.

As he walked away I remembered what I heard him whisper last night as I fell asleep.

Dimitri loves me.

They are just so cute

Also, I have looked at the votes. The three febuwhump one-shots that I will be expanding on are - No Anesthesia, Kidnapped and Forced to Watch.
Probably won't be posting any of them until after April. I'm considering taking a small break from writing and posting, most likely all of April. Breaks can be nice, rest and refresh :D