Chapter Thirty - Nine

WOLF

She isn’t up in her room; I’ve checked, fuck. The little meeting outside with Atlas went on longer than I would have liked. She was in her room, and I picked up her scent, so where the hell did she go?

I’ve checked everywhere downstairs, but still nothing; now, panic sets in. I’m heading for the front door of the pack house when I suddenly hear someone call my name. Swinging around, I’m met with Edith popping her head out of the kitchen,

“Wolf, would you mind helping an old lady with something in here?” I’m about to say, ‘No, I’m looking for Sasha.’ But then I decide against it; I don’t want to seem rude, even if I’m really desperate for my mate.

I hurry into the kitchen to find her standing in front of the kitchen island. The smell hits me, and my stomach instantly does a backflip.

“What’s that smell?” It’s so sweet, warm, and unlike anything I’ve ever smelt. The moment my eyes land on what’s on the table, I blink, “Are those...?”

“Cookies, yes, they are. Just baked them right now.” She says with a smile,

“Why?” And my question must throw her off a bit; the confused expression on her face is a testament to that.

“I enjoy it; it relaxes me.”

There go those soft eyes of hers again... what is it about Edith and those soft fucking trusting eyes of hers?

“Come,” She says, beckoning me forward, “Come taste one and let me know what you think.”

“Um, I... are you sure?” Giving me a questioning look, she lets out a soft chuckle,

“Well, yes, you; who else am I talking to? Come, I need to know if this batch is any good.”

Reluctantly stepping forward, I’m suddenly in front of the kitchen island, looking down at the cookies. The smell instantly has my stomach rumbling; ‘traitor.’

“Well, go ahead, try one.” Looking down at them, I’m suddenly hesitant.

“I’ve never had cookies before...” And it’s true, I’ve never tasted a cookie before in my life; ‘what if I hate them? Do I still have to tell her they taste good?’ Edith suddenly picks one up; they’re big. I want to flinch away the moment she pulls my hand towards her, but she holds on to me firmly before gently laying one down in my hand.

“Eat, Wolf. You won’t know if you like it unless you try.” With a nod, I suddenly bring it to my mouth, and the moment I bite into it, the crunchy way the taste hits my pallet instantly has me groaning. Fuck, it’s like it’s exploding with a sweetness I’ve never experienced before in my mouth.

“These are really good...” I mumble in between chewing.

“Do you approve then?” She asks with a broad smile on her face as she takes in my appearance.

“Yes.” I finally answer once I’m done chewing. “What’s inside these?”

“An old family recipe, but basically choc-chips.”

“Choc-chips?” She looks somewhat surprised when she looks up at me again.

“You’ve never had chocolate before?” Shaking my head, I suddenly see the sadness in her eyes; I instantly feel bad for making her feel sad. Why is that?

“How long have you been on your own, Wolf?” Her question kind of throws me, but I shrug it off when I answer her nonchalantly,

“As long as I can remember.” Nodding, her brows suddenly knit together as she thinks it over.

“I’m sorry you had to grow up without a mother; it must have been difficult for you.” Clenching my jaw, I lower my eyes,

“Something only becomes hard when you know what you’ve lost; if you don’t, then I guess it makes it a little easier.” When I look up at her, I see sympathy in her eyes as she stares at me; I quickly look away again. I don’t need anyone’s pity; I’ve done just fine on my own, even without a mother or father there to guide me.

My mind is instantly back on Sasha again; needing to find her and have her close to me is all I need, all I will ever need. Looking back at her, I nod once, “Thank you, Edith, I’m gonna go look for Sasha now.” I’m about to turn around and leave when she holds her hands up to me, waving me over.

“Wait just a second, Wolf.” Picking up two more cookies, she steps towards me and pulls my hand out before placing them inside the palm of my hand. Bringing my other hand over the cookies, she slowly rests her hand over mine as she looks me in the eyes.

“They have been her favorite ever since she was little. She’s out the back towards the tall trees in the corner of the property.”

Nodding once, I give her a small smile before pulling my hands from hers. “Thank you,” I say before turning to leave the kitchen.

I suddenly find myself heading out the back towards the tall trees. Scanning the area near the back corner of the property, I spot her; my brows furrow as I stare at her; she’s just sitting there on a grass patch. My legs automatically begin moving towards her; she’s seated crossed-legged with her back towards me, and the moment I come right up behind her, my vision suddenly shifts from her towards what’s in front of her. Three tombstones are positioned side by side, right in front of her.

Swallowing the sudden heavy lump in my throat, I freeze. My jaw clenches, and I immediately feel a pain stab at my chest when I read the names carved on them.

Donovan James Morrison

Fenris John Morrison

Louisa Sasha Morrison

She still has her back to me, yet I know she’s aware that I’m here. The heavy slump in her body is a clear indication of how heavy the weight must be on her at this moment. Without a second thought, I’m right beside her as I sit down, crossed-legged in the same position as her.

I don’t really know what to do or what to say. I’ve never done this before; looking down at my hands in my lap, I do the only thing that makes sense right now: I hold up one of the chocolate chip cookies to her.

Her eyes slowly glance down at the cookie in my hand; stretching her hand towards it, she takes it from me before passing it to her other hand. My hand is still there when she suddenly places her hand in mine; lacing our fingers, I give her hand a slight little squeeze. An instant sigh of relief washes over me as I take a bite of the cookie in my other hand. She does the same, and we’re now just sitting in silence as we aimlessly stare at the tombstones in front of us.

The moment we’re done eating, another ten minutes of silence stretch out between us, an idea suddenly pops into my head, a way to distract her from all this for a bit. Turning to face her, she suddenly looks up at me as well; her face is puffy, her eyes red from all the crying. Fuck, I hate seeing her in pain.

“Come take a ride with me.” Her eyes suddenly simmer, her wolf excitedly pushing to the surface. Being back here is taking its toll on her; it’s not doing much for me, either. I’m not a pack kind of guy, and having Atlas constantly watch our every move isn’t helping; we both need to get away.

Giving me a small smile, she nods, “Okay.” Her voice is small, the smile not reaching her eyes. Then again, I’m not expecting it to, not with everything she’s dealing with right now.

She slid her helmet over her head as I helped her fasten it; we went down into the underground garage to pick one that was just right for her. Mine is black, so she decided to go with the same as mine. The moment she swings her one leg over the bike, she instantly folds her arms around my waist, her sweet scent engulfing me as she slides her body flush against my back.

“Where to?” She asks curiously.

“You’ll see,” I reply before starting the bike. It roars to life as the engine purrs, and I instantly feel the excitement being on the back of a motorcycle does to her. A satisfied grin creeps up at the corners of my mouth before pulling off and out the main gates of Erebus.

~

Pulling up to the diner in Sitka, I park the bike and watch as Sasha gets off and removes her helmet; there’s a surprised grin on her face when she swings around to face me,

“Here?” She asks, curiosity stretching out across her features. Shrugging, I give her a little sheepish lob-sided grin,

“Couldn’t think of a better place than the same place we met.”

Her smile becomes a little bit bigger and more genuine, and I feel like I’ve hit the lottery just with that smile alone. Taking her hand in mine, I slowly led her into the diner; the last time I walked in here, I looked more like some savage mountain man. And now, maybe a little less so.

Making my way to where we sat the last time, I led her over to the exact booth and seat she sat in, and just like the previous time, the same oldish waitress suddenly appeared beside us to take our order.

The moment she sees Sasha, her face lights up,

“Hey honey, how are you? I haven’t seen you in here for a while.” Nodding, Sasha smiles, “I know, just been busy, I guess.” Nodding sympathetically, she suddenly turns to look at me, and the instant shock and surprise on her face has me wanting to smirk and roll my eyes at her, but I don’t.

A smile creeps up at the corners of her mouth as her eyes suddenly drink me in, “Well, look at you, you clean up real nice once you all cleaned up. I hope you’re not the reason our Sam hasn’t been coming in to have lunch in our diner.” Smirking, I grin as I shake my head,

“No, mam.” Nodding, she again smiles before looking back at Sasha,

“That’s good, so what will you two be having to eat today?”

Looking over at Sasha, our eyes connect; she slowly bites down against her lower lip, and I swear my dick instantly strains in my pants. She’s doing it on purpose.

“I think the same as last time, don’t you think, Wolf?” Cocking a mischievous brow, she waits for me to respond, and I know immediately what she’s doing; it’s a test to see if I remember what we had the last time we were here. Unfortunately for her, I have a memory like an elephant when it comes to her, especially. Looking up at the waitress, I smile,

“A seared steak with fries, a large chocolate milkshake, and a salad on the side. Oh, and we’ll have two of those; thank you, Kathy.”

Her eyes suddenly widen, almost bugging out the moment I say her name like she can’t believe I remembered it. She’s not wearing a name tag, so I guess I won this round as my eyes landed back on Sasha. The moment our eyes lock, the awe in hers suddenly has her wolf shimmering in her irises, her gaze transfixed on me. Kathy nods and then quickly moves away from our table, and the whole while, Sasha’s eyes stay on mine.

“You remembered what we ate the last time we were here; how?”

Slowly taking her hand in mine, the tingly sensation of that one touch has my stomach in knots,

“There’s nothing about you I would ever forget, your smell, the way you smile,” I gently run my fingertips across the back of her hand. My wolf presents himself in my eyes as I look at her, “The way you bite your lower lip.” At that moment, she does just that; “Or fidget with your fingers when you’re nervous. The way you pout your lips and look at me like I’m the only man you’ve ever loved...” Her lips suddenly part as her chest rises and falls heavily to my words. Her eyes shimmered with specs of gold, red and blue. A mixture of her wolf’s excitement and her magical side.

“You are,” She says softly, and my brows suddenly knit together at her reply.

“I am what?” I ask curiously. Licking her lips, I can suddenly smell her arousal.

“You are the only man I’ve ever loved and the only man I will ever love.”

I swear my heart stops beating as I stare at her, the beauty of this woman, this goddess of wonder right before me; how did I ever get this lucky...? My entire life was spent alone, with nothing, no one. And then she comes along and changes all of it in one moment, no longer needing the air to breathe or food to nourish me... It’s her, only her.

A few minutes later, our food arrives, and we’re still sitting staring each other in the eyes like we’re too scared to look away, afraid this moment might disappear if we do. But I refuse to believe that it will; I will fight to keep her with me; nothing will ever take her away from me.

Nothing.