**Viktor**

I sighed as I closed the journal, my heart pounding in my chest. He hadn’t asked for my name but neither had he opted to tell me his. It seemed that drinking blood before meeting him was enough to suppress the connection and he didn't seem to recognize me as his mate when my mother confronted him. The obvious distance he wanted to keep also made it easier to hide who I was, but I couldn’t help the slight pain in my chest as I considered his words.

“He wants to leave…” I muttered out loud, and my wolf stirred in my chest, his anxiety and fear returning as I repeated his intentions.

‘Then we go with him.’

“You know we can’t,” I scoffed, trying to swallow my own disappointment. “I have a responsibility here, I can’t just leave all this behind.”

‘Then he must stay.’

“I don’t need my mate to hate me,” I insisted, leaning back in my chair as I put my feet on my desk. I looked to the purple cover of my journal, tracing the silver lining as my heart ached with indecision. "He didn't even tell me his name. It's going to be an uphill climb."

As soon as Kira had left, I paced around the library, trying to calm my raging emotions. I was careful to never look in his eyes while I sat across from him, and I could only assume he never caught the glances I cast his way. He was so focused as he worked, his eyes constantly glancing between the book and his paper. He even absently pushed his hair from his face when it fell in front of his eyes, and it took all my self control not to reach out to touch him.

I had quickly looked away when I realized he was about to look up and just feeling his eyes on me… my wolf danced inside of me, almost forcing me to look up from the book to meet his eyes. To lock our connection in place and take away his choice and to make his and his wolf mine. I couldn’t even read the words on the page as he handed the paper to me, and even if it had been absolutely illegible, I would have passed his writing. Instead, it was elegantly easy to read, a beautiful mix of cursive and print and the only downside is it made his numbers difficult to tell from his letters.

“He likes to read…” I murmured to myself, remembering how fiercely he had cradled the book when I went to put it away. “I need to find more books he’d like. I need to know what he likes to read.”

As soon as he left the library, I begged the house to create the journals for me, wanting an easy way to communicate with him. I couldn’t risk talking to him, as he would immediately recognize my voice and waiting for a response from a letter would have torn me up inside with anxiety. It had produced the beautiful green and purple journals, matching the color of our eyes as they appeared on the shelf.

I had considered giving him the purple journal, but considering he likely hadn’t been able to see me clearly through the window, it would have been questionable how I knew what color his eyes were. I chose to keep it for myself, leaving the green book as I finished stacking the books my mother wanted him to work on first. The house then provided the stack of empty books, and I carefully moved the pen to the journal, wanting to ensure he would find it when he returned.

I almost ran back to my office as I scrambled to find one of my enchanted pens. It would be the only way to make sure he would see my words in his matching book, and I hesitated as I sat down at my desk, unsure on how I wanted to start our interaction. I decided it was best to mention the window and I sat and stared, my heart pounding as I waited for him to open the book. My words sparkled on the page once he read them, and I sighed as I reopened my journal.

“What’s best for me…” I repeated, frowning as I read over his beautiful handwriting. How was staying here not good for him? What was he so scared of that he felt he had to leave? Was it me? Virgil? The Grave Crests? I hummed thoughtfully as I closed the journal again, feeling anger start to replace my heartache. He had mentioned abuse at the hand of a Matriarch, and my wolf growled with me as I considered how they may have hurt my mate.

I carefully set the journal on the edge of my desk, attempting to calm myself down as I closed my eyes. I would soon lead another hunt for more game in the forest, but every effort to clear my mind led me back to thinking of Kira. What was his favorite food? Did he enjoy the duck I had caught last night? What could I catch for him tonight, to help him feel safe and wanted?

“This is going to end me,” I finally sighed, pushing my hair from my face as I stood. I wanted to take the journal with me, but I knew it would only be a burden in the woods. I would have to be patient, despite how much I wanted this connection, and I had to make him want to stay. I had to destroy whatever was making my mate feel threatened, and I finally felt my mind clear as I balled my hands into fists.

“I’ll protect you,” I swore quietly as my door opened, realizing it was one of the servants as he peeked his head in.

“They are waiting for you, my lord,” I nodded as I waved him off, taking another deep breath as I closed my eyes. Perhaps something simple, like rabbit, would suffice for tonight, and I would give Natalie special instructions to cook it for him. The old woman often switched up the menu to keep things from getting stale for the servants, but I wanted to know what he liked. The only way to find out was to give him everything, and have Natalie report to me his favorites.

I carefully left my office, walking down the halls to the front of the mansion. Some of the other vampires waved to me as I walked by and I nodded politely, not in the mood for conversation tonight. He had taken over all my thoughts, my motivations and I was glad to give them to him. I only drifted before, merely doing my duties because it was expected of me, but now, now I had a goal. A reason for acting, for fulfilling my duties as prince, and creating a welcoming home to all within the walls of the mansion.

I could only hope it would be enough.