Chapter 25: Chapter 25

Allie

As I lay back in the heavenly warm water, my body was still tingling all over. Lana was purring, super happy that our bond was now sealed. Now she could communicate with Maddox, Reece’s wolf. I rested my head back on the edge of the tub, feeling nothing but happiness and a vibrant energy coursing through me. Reece was right about being more powerful together. I actively felt the strength and power in me, it was almost tangible.

Maybe it was? Hmm, that was something to think about. I would have to ask Melissa about it tomorrow. But for now, I closed my eyes and replayed the last glorious hour in my head. Reece had taken care of me, chasing away any fear and had somehow replaced it with confidence I didn’t know I had.

Our union tonight had sealed our fate and I knew now that it was my destiny. When my instinct was to mark him, it felt so natural and right. I understood now why the Moon Goddess had paired us together, everything made sense now.

I let the warm water soothe my muscles. Reece was right, I ached all over. I had aches in places I never thought possible. When the water started to get cold, I drained it and wrapped a towel around myself. I towel dried my hair a little and ran a comb through it and left it hanging loose. I looked at myself in the mirror. I was shocked by what I saw, I looked so different. My skin was radiant, like I’d been on a two-week cruise in the Caribbean. And my eyes were the most delicate shade of purple, like lavender on a spring day. I liked it. Reece was right, it did suit me. More than anything else though, I looked confident and mature.

I left the bathroom to find a night shirt. Reece had tidied up the room, neatly folding my clothes on a chair, and had put on his boxers. He was laying stretched out on the bed scrolling through his phone.

“Hey,” I said, softly.

“How was your bath, sweetie?” he asked.

“Heavenly,” I answered. He smiled as I walked into the closet and grabbed some shorts, panties and a nightshirt and put them on. I threw the towel in the washing hamper and left the closet. I walked over to the bed, and just as I got to the edge, Reece jumped up and playfully grabbed me, pulling me down onto the bed. He caged me on the mattress using his body to trap me and I started giggling. “Hey, no fair,” I cried, “I was ambushed!”

He laughed and lowered his lips to mine tenderly.

“Sorry, my love,” he said, in between kisses. He suddenly stopped kissing me and looked down at me. “Are you going to stay in this room?” he asked, looking worried.

“Actually,” I said, “I was thinking about moving into your room. If that’s ok?”

He smiled but said nothing, climbed off the bed and scooped me up into his arms and carried me straight through the connecting door to his room, our room. I snuggled my face into his neck, breathing in his scent. The room was huge, with a gigantic four poster bed with pale grey sheets flanking the back wall. Matching pale grey drapes hung at a bay window. The colours were calming, and the lines were sleek. He deposited me on the bed and caged me again.

“Now, where were we?” he said, resuming his attentions on my lips, and then my neck and then my collarbone. He nudged inside my legs, and they instinctively wrapped around his waist. I could feel he was ready to go again, and by the moisture pooling between my legs, so was I….

Reece.

Bright sunlight streamed through the window, making me squint my eyes shut. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I looked down to find Allie still sleeping next to me with her arm across my chest. I smiled. I was just about the luckiest wolf on this planet. I silently thanked the Moon Goddess for blessing me with such an incredible mate. The night was a blur of lovemaking, and it seemed like she couldn’t get enough, growing in confidence. She was softly snoring and looked at peace. I think I could stare at her forever.

“Reece,” Brad mind linked me, “Are you awake? I got a problem.”

“Yeah, I’m awake. What’s up, man?” I asked.

“It’s Penny,” he said, “I brought her to the pack house last night and she’s locked herself in the guest room and won’t let me in.”

“Is she ok?” I asked.

“I don’t know. She won’t talk to me,” he said, sounding distraught, “What should I do?”

“Allie was talking to her yesterday, and they seemed to get on well. But she’s still asleep. Give me 30 minutes and I’ll meet you at the guest room with Allie. She might be able to talk to her,” I suggested.

“Ok,” he said, “Thanks, man.” He ended the mind link. He sounded rattled, which was unusual for him. He was a laid-back guy and nearly always knew what to do in a crisis. His cool head is what makes him a great Beta. But he had anything but a cool head at the moment.

“Allie, honey. Wake up,” I gently shook her shoulder to rouse her, and she stirred, moving her hand lower on my chest.

“Sweetie, we have to get up now,” I said. Her hand moved lower still, and I felt her hand glide under the waistband of my boxers. Oh, this she-wolf was going to be the death of me! I inhaled sharply as she playfully massaged my balls. This was seriously bad timing!

“Baby, stop,” I begged, weakly. Of course I didn’t want her to stop, but Brad needed help. “We have to get showered and dressed. Brad needs us.”

“What could he possibly need help with that’s more important than this?” she replied huskily, as she ran her fingers down my length.

“He’s having a problem with Penny,” I managed to say, “She’s locked herself in the guest room.”

Her hand stopped moving. “Oh,” she said, paying more attention now.

“I have an idea, though,” I said and threw back the sheets, picking Allie up from the tangle and striding towards he bathroom. She wrapped her arms around my neck and started to nibble it, giggling. Pushing the bathroom door open with my leg, I carried my little mate into the shower, switching on the water. I repositioned her and she wrapped her legs around me as I held her up against the shower wall in all her naked glory. No time for foreplay as I sunk into her and relished her tight warmth, her inner muscles clenching around me. As I thrust us both to a climax, neither of us was quite ready to get out and our ‘quickie’ turned into two.

We eventually made it out of the shower and dressed in record time to meet Brad almost on time outside his room. The guest room where Penny was hiding was just next door to his room.

“Hey,” I greeted him. He looked worried, nervously pacing up and down the corridor, his face pale. It was weird seeing him like this, he is one of the strongest wolves I know.

“Is she still in there?” I asked. Brad nodded.

“How long has she been in there?” Allie asked him.

“Since last night,” he explained, “I brought her to my room from the dungeons. She seemed ok at first but disappeared while I was taking a shower. I followed her scent to the guest room.”

She nodded slowly and said, “Brad, would you go to the kitchen and bring Penny something for breakfast? Some coffee and a bowl of fresh fruit would be good. She must be hungry if she’s been in there all night.”

“Ok Luna,” he said reluctantly. I knew he didn’t want to leave her.

Allie looked at me, “Will you help him?” she asked, softly, winking at me so Brad wouldn’t see. She knew Penny would never open the door if there was anybody but Allie on the other side, including the future Alpha of this pack.

“Sure,” I said. She mouthed me a ‘thank you’

“Come on, man,” I said to Brad and slapped him on the back. I think a pep talk was in order. He seemed broken. I really hoped Allie could find out what was going on. We walked to the kitchen, leaving my amazing Luna to work her magic.

Allie

“Penny,” I said, knocking gently on the door. I listened for any signs of movement but heard nothing.

“It’s ok. It’s just me. I sent the boys away,” I tried. I heard some rustling around this time, and then the sound of the lock turning. The door opened up just a crack.

“It’s just you?” she whispered, making sure I was alone.

“Yeah, just me. Can I come in?” I asked. The door opened up a little more.

“Ok,” she said nervously, and opened the door only enough for me to squeeze through. Once I was in, she closed the door immediately behind me and locked it again. This wasn’t good. She looked pale and had shadows under her eyes. It looked like she hadn’t slept much, and she was still wearing the sundress I gave her to wear.

“What’s going on?” I asked her, slowly walking towards her. She sat down on the edge of the bed and fidgeted with her hands in her lap.

“I don’t know. I just…. I’m….” she stuttered anxiously.

“Just start from the beginning,” I suggested softly, sitting next to her on the bed and wrapping my arm around her.

“Ok,” she said, taking a deep steadying breath, “Brad came to the dungeons last night and brought me back here. To his room. There’s only one bed in there, and I realised I would have to sleep with him in it. I got scared and I just freaked out.” She hung her head.

“I snuck out while he was taking a shower and have been here ever since.”

“You didn’t tell him, did you?” I asked. She shook her head and covered her face with her hands as tears trickled softly down her cheeks.

“I couldn’t,” she whispered, “He’ll reject me when he finds out. I’m damaged. He’s not going to want me!”

“That’s not true,” I soothed, “He does want you. It’s true I haven’t known him for very long, but Reece has known him his whole life. He told me that Brad has waited a long, long time for you and would never let you go now. He’s a good man. He would never reject you for things that happened to you that you had no control over. You were the victim.”

I gently pulled her into a hug, embracing her lifeless body, and let her cry it out. I had a feeling she had been holding in her pain for some time. When she had calmed down, I released her and said, “You have to trust me, Penny. Please. I’ve only just found Reece and at first, I wasn’t sure if I wanted a mate. Then I gave him a chance. Give Brad a chance. Be honest, be true to yourself and most of all, be brave.”

“Ok,” she said quietly, “I’ll try.”

“Good,” I said, “And whatever happens, you will always be safe here. This is your home now.”

“Thanks,” she said gratefully. I guessed it had been a long time since anyone had been kind to her.

Reece was mind linking me. “Brad is on his way back up, sweetie. I’m going to rustle up some breakfast. Guessing you’re hungry?” he said cheekily.

“A little,” I giggled, “I’ll meet you in the kitchen in a few minutes.”

“Ok, honey,” he said and ended the mind link.

I turned to Penny. “Brad’s on his way back up. He’s made you some breakfast. You hungry?”

“Yeah,” she said smiling. I looked at her clothes and said, “We need to go shopping. You can’t stay in that dress forever. I don’t think any of my other clothes will fit you.”

“Yeah, I suppose,” she said, “I hate shopping,” she groaned.

I laughed. “Me too. But I know the perfect person who can help us.” I’d give Kayla a call later and arrange a shopping trip for her.

“In the meantime, I’ll try and find you a few things. Reece’s mom, Lily, might be more your size.”

She was several inches taller than me (not hard to be!) and she was seriously underweight right now. I’d ask Reece if I could order a few essentials for her until we could go shopping.

We heard a knock at the door. I knew she was scared; I could almost feel it. A tightness in my chest that pulsed down to my stomach. Ever since Reece and I mated, my senses were going haywire.

“Good luck,” I said, squeezing her hand. I unlocked the door and went out into the corridor, closing the door behind me. Before I let Brad go in, I said “Please be patient and be kind.”

“I will, Luna,” he said, sincerely, looking almost as scared as Penny, “Thank you. For everything.”