Chapter 16: Chapter 16

As she closed her eyes and succumbed to sleep, I sat in the chair beside the bed and watched her breathing become deep and even. Satisfied she was asleep, I relaxed back into the chair and sighed.

I was trying to do what Mom had suggested and give her time. She still seemed quite jumpy whenever I mentioned anything about our relationship. She didn’t want to move into the pack house with me, and she didn’t want me to mark her. Things seemed to be going backwards. It was bullshit. What was I doing wrong? Maddox was raging and wanted to mark her now, and I had to seriously hold him back. Only, I don’t know how long I can keep doing that. We’ve waited too long for her. I’m trying to give her time, but there was a genuine reason we needed to cement our bond. Everything I told her was true. We would be stronger together and we needed every bit of help possible in light of the threat that Lucien posed to us all. If Lucien, or the rogues, attacked again looking for Allie, she might be vulnerable. Although she took care of the rogues the first time by conjuring her force field, she had no real control or knowledge of her powers yet. And it was worrying me that she didn’t seem concerned about the danger she was in right now. Or the danger the pack might be in.

Hopefully, after I taught her some self-defence tomorrow, she could work on controlling her active powers. I made a mental note to ask Melissa to help her. After a few minutes I quietly left her room. I didn’t want to, but there were things I had to take care of. I walked down the hall to Ben’s room and knocked on the door. I stretched my head round the door to check he was still awake. He was.

“Hey, man,” he said, smiling. I pushed the door open and walked in. “Hey, buddy,” I said, “How are you doing?” He looked much better, but he still hadn’t fully recovered from the effects of the silver. The poison was still in his system slowing his ability to heal and leaving his wolf weak. It would be some time yet before Ben would be well enough to leave the hospital.

“Still sore, but feeling better,” he said, “You just missed Stella.” Stella was Ben’s mate. They found each other a few months ago.

“Oh, how is she? How’s things going with you two?” I asked.

“She’s a little worried, but ok,” he said, slowly breaking out into a sly smile, “Actually, we just found out she’s expecting our first pup!”

“Oh wow,” I said, “Congratulations, man!” I fist pumped him in delight.

“Thanks. It’s still pretty early, but we are both really excited,” he said, beaming, “Cole told me you found your mate, too?”

“I sure did,” I said.

“How is she now?” he asked. I looked at him, confused, before he said, “Cole filled me in.” I nodded.

“She is doing ok. Hopefully she will be out of here tomorrow. And you better hurry up and get out of here too! We need you back,” I teased.

“Working on it, buddy!” he said laughing lightly. I wished him a good night and left. Next stop was a quick check in with Brad and my dad. I walked through the winding corridor that connected the hospital wing to the main pack house. They were both in the main meeting room. I spent an hour or so catching up on pack business and getting up to speed with the rogues. I might have just found my mate, but I still had responsibilities and a duty to serve the pack.

It was close to midnight by the time I was done. I looked up the staircase and contemplated going to my room. I couldn’t bring myself to climb the stairs and, as if on autopilot, I turned back in the direction of the hospital wing and stalked down the corridor. I needed to be close to her and, at the very least, check she was safe. I reached her room quickly and turned the handle slowly to avoid waking her. I walked in silently and closed the door with a soft click. She looked adorable tucked up in the foetal position, snuggling into her pillow.

At first, I sat in the chair and watched her sleep. I studied her face, every freckle that dusted her cheek, every eyelash, every strand of her hair, committing it to memory. She was perfect. The longer I sat there, the more I knew I could never leave her and go back to my room in the pack house. Looking over at the spare bed in the corner, I decided to sleep here tonight. I took off my shoes and clothes, leaving just my boxers on, and climbed into the bed. I got comfortable and stared at the ceiling, hoping and praying to the Moon Goddess that I could turn it around with Allie tomorrow. We should be marked and mated by now. I sure didn’t see this coming. I let out a sigh and closed my eyes and fell asleep smelling sunshine and coconuts.

I was woken by the sound of Allie tossing and turning in her bed violently. She was moaning in her sleep, having a nightmare. I quickly threw back the sheets and leapt out of bed, at her side in seconds. She was thrashing so hard in the bed that her arms were hitting the metal bars, making a loud thudding noise. A fine coat of sweat covered her face and she was repeating “No” softly over and over. I gently held her arms down to stop her hurting herself. I wasn’t sure if I should wake her up, I didn’t want to frighten her if she woke up disorientated. I released one arm and reached up and touched her face, gently stroking her cheek with my thumb. I hoped it would rouse her slowly and not startle her. To my surprise, as soon as I touched her, she stopped thrashing and lay still. Her breathing was still uneven and heavy but as I kept stroking her face, that calmed down too, and she started to relax.

Now what do I do? I couldn’t stand stroking her face all night. I had a healthy amount of stamina, but that was ridiculous! My muscles were still screaming from sleeping in the chair last night. And sleeping with her in the bed would be utter torture. Maddox wanted to mate her now and it would be a constant battle for control with him. I didn’t dare break the contact though. It must be the mate bond that is calming her, even in her sleep. I tried thinking of another solution and came up empty.

“OK Maddox. Here’s the deal,” I told him, “We are going to sleep next to her to stop her nightmare. Just sleep, nothing else. You got that?”

“What?! No way!” he objected.

“ARGHHH Maddox!” I pleaded, “Come on, man. She needs us right now.”

“Fine,” he finally said, “But we should have already mated with her. This is bullshit.”

“I know,” I said, “It’ll happen. Cool it.”

I climbed in the bed with her before he changed his mind. Luckily, he turned away from me to sulk so this might work. I wrapped my arms around her, and she made a little sighing noise. I realised in that moment that it wasn’t Maddox I needed to worry about. It was me. This was a bad idea, a really bad fucking idea. I wanted her so badly, the mate bond creating fireworks at the slightest touch of her, even through her gown. But I didn’t want to scare her away, especially when she made it clear she doesn’t even want a mate. I just had to suck it up, however hard that might be. And believe me, it was HARD! I took a deep breath. Come on Reece, you can do this! I slid under the sheets with her, and she rolled towards me a little until she was wedged comfortably in the crook of my body, like her tiny body was made to fit together with mine. Her head was resting on my chest leaving me feeling warm. I snuggled into her and tried to get some sleep, but I had a feeling that it was going to be one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done.

Allie

I woke up the next morning feeling glorious, like I had just had the best sleep of my life. I lay there, my eyes still closed, listening to the sounds outside my room, metal trays clanging, trollies being rolled up and down the corridors, a telephone ringing. It took me a few minutes to realise that I wasn’t alone. The sweet smell of lemons surrounding me like a warm hug. I was getting used to Reece’s scent around me now, it made me feel safe and happy. But this time it was different, it was incredibly strong. I was feeling warm and cosy and hadn’t realised that I was snuggled up to Reece in the hospital bed. I felt his rock-hard chest against my cheek and heard his heart beating rhythmically. He had his arm draped around me. I opened my eyes slowly as a fleeting moment of panic rose in my chest. Briefly looking down, I was relieved to find that I still had my gown on, but Reece was just in a pair of boxers.

Oh goddess! He was virtually naked. Feeling awkward, I gently moved my body away from him ever so slightly. He was still asleep, and even then he was beautiful, breathing softly, his tanned chest moving up and down. I didn’t want to wake him, but I knew I would never get out of the bed without disturbing him. All I could do was lay there until he woke up. I stared up at his face and had the craziest urge to touch it.

Having him this close to me, his scent so overpowering, it was messing with my head. I couldn’t think straight. I could feel the mate bond getting stronger. Soon I wouldn’t be able to reject him, the bond would be so strong it would be impossible to break. I was getting so confused now, I didn’t know what I wanted. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to find some clarity. Half an hour later I was still rambling through a minefield of if’s and but’s in my head. Lana had given up reasoning with me and had retreated to the back of my mind. I let out an agonising sigh. Being an adult was freaking hard!

I looked at Reece’s face and my hand automatically reached up and stroked his cheek gently, the lightest of touches. It was enough to send sparks shooting through the palm of my hand. I knew I should stop but touching him was addictive. I shifted closer to him, back to my original position and snaked my arms around his torso and snuggled into him. What was I doing? His skin felt so amazing, I just couldn’t stop. My hand trailed down his cheek, feeling the raspy stubble along his chiselled jawline and lightly down his neck. This was the closest I had ever been to a man in this way before, and new sensations were flooding my body. The outside world drifted away and all I could see was him. My heart was beating faster like it was trying to thump its way out of my chest, and moisture pooled between my legs. He stirred slightly and I froze, his arm unconsciously pulling me in closer so that now, my face was buried in his neck. He smelled unbelievably good making me feel dizzy, and Lana was purring mercilessly in my head.

“Mark him!” she urged.

“No!” I said.

“What are you waiting for? Do it already!”

“No, it’s too soon!” I whined.

“Too soon for what? He will keep us safe, Allie,” she said.

“Stop it, Lana” I demanded, “Stop pressuring me!”

“Come on, Allie. You’ll have to do it soon. Just kiss him then?” she suggested. She’s such a hussy!

“I am not having this conversation with you right now, Lana” I said.

“Fine,” she said sulkily.

I bent my head back slightly so that I could look at him properly. I was so close to his face I could feel his breath on my skin. His lips were perfect. Perfectly in proportion, perfectly full and perfectly kissable. I found myself wondering what else he could do with them. Oh my days, what is wrong with me? I felt bewitched, like I was under a spell.

I cursed Lana silently. All it took was for her to suggest kissing him, and I’m fantasising about his lips. But it was impossible to think of anything else now. I licked my lips. I felt like I was on fire, heat rushing through my veins. I stretched my head up to meet his and closed the small gap separating us, touching his lips with mine lightly. They were unimaginably soft. I closed my eyes. I’d never kissed anyone like this before, and I wasn’t sure what to do now. I pulled away slightly, my breathing becoming erratic. A fizzing feeling was erupting in my lower belly. My lips met his again, longer this time. I felt his lips twitch under mine, and then felt him increase the pressure of our lips together.

His hand moved slowly up my back, caressing my skin through my gown, but still leaving a trail of sparks in its wake. He stroked up the back of my neck and into my hair. My braid must have come loose in the night, and as he ran his hands through it, he gently pulled me closer to him. He took over the kiss and I found myself melting into him. His tongue brushed softly over my bottom lip, politely asking for entry. I parted my lips slightly in response and his tongue gently slid in to meet mine. I somehow let out a small moan. Where had that come from? I really wasn’t myself! His tongue explored my mouth slowly, and I followed his lead. He broke the kiss first and bestowed soft pillowy kisses on my cheeks, my jawline, making a path down my neck. I felt him untie the gown at the back and his hand slipped underneath it. The skin-on-skin contact was almost too much to bear. Instant heat flared under his touch. He planted kisses down my neck and across my collarbone.

His breathing was ragged as he pushed the gown aside clumsily to expose my chest. His kisses continued hungrily down to the tops of my breasts making me shiver. He took one nipple into his mouth, and I almost died. It was electric and made me squirm to be closer to him, leaving me breathless. I needed more contact now.