The Hunted Wolf – Chapter 55

ADIRA Mark’s face twisted at my words, and I could see his fury. “I’m going to kill him for doing that. He has no right to make such decisions.”

I quickly grabbed Mark’s arm, trying to calm him down. “I completely understand. I never want to see Cain again after everything he has done, but we still have the Council of Magic to worry about. He might have vital information for us for that.”

Mark took a deep breath, but I could still feel his anger coursing through him. He turned to Zayla after a moment. “Is there any danger of marking each other again?”

“Let me see the spot where your marks were,” she said.

Mark pulled his shirt down, exposing his skin. Zayla touched the nook of his neck where my mark used to be. I hated seeing that spot empty again. It reminded me that the connection Mark and I used to have was gone, and I missed it. I missed being able to just link him whenever I wanted.

“This is so interesting. It looks like there was never a mark there in the first place,” Zayla said.

“I know Cain’s magic mostly revolves around time manipulation,” I said. “It’s possible he simply reversed time on that spot, but I don’t know enough about magic to know if that’s what he did.”

Zayla nodded as she listened. “If that’s the case, then I don’t see any harm in doing it. It might even help Adira recover. If you feel physically up for it, then I will leave it up to you.”

I looked at Mark and smiled. I was ready to return to our bedroom and mark each other again right now, but I had a feeling Mark would be hesitant. He was worried about me and the baby, and even though Zayla gave me the clear, I had a feeling he would want to be cautious.

“Thank you for everything, Zayla,” I said. “Please let me know if there are any changes with Reyland or Jori. I would like to visit them later.”

“I will,” Zayla said.

“We should get going. I want to make sure Adira gets proper rest.” Mark picked me up in his arms and started carrying me out of the room. I wrapped my arms around his neck and rested my head against him. I still felt exhausted from everything, so I was grateful for Mark’s assistance.

We made it back to the room, and Mark set me on the bed. “Do you need to clean up at all? Did Cain let you shower?” Mark looked down at the ground, and his hands were shaking. He was struggling with all of this still.

“He kept me in a room that had a bathroom. He gave me food as well. I’m okay. I promise. But a shower would feel nice. I want to wash the past few days off me.” I interlaced my fingers with Mark’s and pulled him close. It was awful for me to be away from Mark, but he also had the added layer of not knowing if I was alive or not. I could only imagine how difficult this all had been for him.

Mark stroked the back of my head. “I’ll start the bath for you. It’ll be more relaxing.” He started to walk away, but I held him back. Even though I knew he was just going to the bathroom to run the water for me, I couldn’t stand the thought of being away from him for a second. I had missed him way too much, and I hadn’t had enough time with him to counteract that feeling of emptiness.

Mark looked at me a little confused.

“Don’t leave me,” I said, looking down.

Mark grabbed my chin and made me look at him. He kissed my lips while stroking my cheek with his thumb. “I’m not going anywhere again. Don’t worry.” He wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me up. He brought me to the bathroom with him and set me on the toilet.

He then started running the water, testing the temperature with his hand. When it was at the level he wanted, he turned to me and grabbed the hem of my shirt, pulling it above my head. He tossed it to the side and then helped me remove my bottoms. He turned the water off and then undressed himself. He grabbed me and then sat in the bathtub, placing me in front of him.

He poured some soap on a luffa and then started washing my back with it. I let my hang forward as he continued washing my back. The soft scratches the luffa made on my back and the little touches from Mark’s hands were absolutely amazing. My body relaxed more and more. Once he was done with my back, Mark pulled me against his chest and started washing my front.

Mark’s lips brushed against my ear as he whispered, “I missed you so much while you were gone.” He nipped at my earlobe, making a tingle run down my body.

I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. “I missed you too.”

Mark pressed his lips against my neck and gently started sucking on it. His hands moved down on my chest and started massaging my breasts. He swirled his fingers around my n*****s, making them go erect. Small m***s poured out of my mouth, and I could feel Mark harden behind me.

“Mark,” I m****d, wanting even more.

Mark g*****d in response. He grabbed my chin with one hand and made me look at him. He looked at me with his bright blue eyes with an intensity and love I hadn’t seen before. “I missed your noises.” He kissed my lips softly, moving his other hand down my stomach. “I miss the feel of your skin against mine.” He kissed me again. “I missed holding you in my arms, knowing you are all mine.”

His fingers slipped between my legs and began moving up and down slowly. I gasped at his touch, and he caught my mouth with his lips to muffle the sound. As he continued moving, I grew breathless from his touch. It didn’t take much for the heat to start building in my core.

“Mark,” I whimpered, needy and desperate for more.

“Don’t worry, baby. I’ll take care of you.” Mark slipped his fingers inside and started pumping. His lips started peppering my neck and his free hand traced my collarbones. He moved faster and faster until I couldn’t take it anymore. My body seized up from the sudden pressure until it suddenly exploded, filling my body with a feeling of euphoria.

When it stopped, I slumped against Mark, feeling drained and ready to sleep again.

“Feel better?” Mark asked, whispering in my ear. I hummed and nodded, too tired to speak. “Good,” he said.

He finished helping me wash up, taking his time to wash my hair. When he was done, we rinsed off, and he wrapped me in a towel and carried me to the bed. He set me down and found a pair of pajamas and started dressing me.

I lifted my hand and stopped him. “What about you?” I asked.

“What do you mean?” he asked, holding my shirt in front of him.

My cheeks flushed a little. “Well, you made me finish. What about you?”

Mark smiled softly and kissed the top of my head. “There will be time for that later when you are more rested. I’m perfectly content knowing you are safe and taken care of.”

I pouted, wanting more of a connection with Mark. He was probably right, though. I was pretty exhausted, and I wasn’t sure if I could handle any more activity. I nodded and let Mark continue helping me get dressed. He pulled on a pair of boxers and then crawled into the bed behind me, pulling me close to him.

I turned so I could look at him. “I was hoping we could mark each other again,” I admitted. “I hate not bearing your mark, and I hate not being able to link you anymore.”

Mark grabbed my hand and kissed it. “I know. I hate that too, but you’ve been through a lot, and so has the baby. I don’t want to put too much stress on your body. Tomorrow we’ll do it as long as you’re feeling better.”

“Okay,” I agreed reluctantly.

“I love you,” Mark said, staring at me with wide eyes. It was as if he was afraid to blink.

“I love you, too.” I kissed his lips softly. It felt good to be safe in his arms again. I stroked his cheek. “I can’t wait for things to go back to normal.”

Mark’s face fell. “I’m not sure if there will be a normal for a while, still. With Jori being in a coma, I have to figure out what to do about that. Hopefully Reyland wakes up soon, too, because I don’t think I can handle three werewolf packs. Then there’s the Council of Magic. We still don’t know if they are after you, and I will not let anyone else take you. And then there’s the baby. I need to make sure you two are safe and find a way to make a good home for you both.”

Mark’s body was tense as he spoke. All of his concerns flowed out of his mouth as soon as he started speaking, and I hated seeing him like that. Not only was he worried about me and now our baby, but he had our pack to consider and Jori’s. His alpha responsibilities were weighing heavily on him.

“Don’t forget you have plenty of people to support you. Scythe and Rie will help you out with our pack. I’m sure Daniel and Percy can help with Pack Sallow. Mason will surely help with Pack Lyna, and Reyland should wake up soon. And I’m here. I can help take care of this pack.” I pressed my hand over Mark’s heart. “You’re not alone, and you will never be.”

Mark grabbed my hand and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. “I’m lucky to have found you.”

I smiled at him. “I’m the lucky one.”

–

MARK After sleeping for several hours, I woke up with a voice in my head.

Alpha, I have an update for you, Scythe linked. Do you have a moment?

I looked over at Adira with groggy eyes. She was sleeping peacefully, and I didn’t want to disturb her, but I knew I couldn’t neglect my alpha duties forever.

What’s going on? I linked back.

Can you meet me in the conference room? He asked.

I watched Adira’s chest rise and fall slowly. She was finally calm and relaxed, but I didn’t want to leave her. After everything she had been through, I didn’t want to risk her waking up by herself. I was also being selfish, and I didn’t want to leave her side. Even before Adira had been kidnapped, we hadn’t spent much time together, so now I didn’t want to spend a moment away from my mate.

Can you meet me in my room? I linked him back.

I’ll be there in a moment.

I crawled out of bed, careful not to wake Adira up. She shifted when I pulled away, so I paused for a moment, waiting for her to relax again. When she fell into a deeper sleep, I kissed her head and made my way out of bed. I grabbed a robe and pulled it around my body. I went to the door and cracked it open, waiting for Scythe to arrive.

It wasn’t long before he and Percy were at my door. I opened the door a little more, but I kept it cracked. I wanted Adira to see where I was in case she woke up. “What’s going on?” I asked in a whisper.

Scythe glanced into the room. “Are you sure you want to discuss this here? I don’t want to disturb Adira.”

I nodded. “I can’t leave her side.”

Scythe didn’t push it anymore and started talking. “Cain is in custody, but he is demanding to speak to Adira. The psychopath still thinks he was in the right, and he feels entitled to talk to Adira, since he saved her life.”

“That’s not happening,” I said quickly. I never wanted Cain to lay his eyes on Adira again.

Scythe nodded. “Percy also has an update on Pack Sallow.”

Percy stepped up. “I did what I could there, but they need an alpha. Right now, they don’t have an alpha and a beta, so there was only so much I could do. They need guidance. Until we figure out what’s going on with Jori, I was thinking you could take over as alpha.”

I frowned. “I can help out, but I don’t think I should be the one to take over the pack. That could just cause problems with Jori when he wakes up.”

“If he wakes up,” Scythe said. “If he is still the same person. If Adira is right about what happened to him, we have no way of knowing if he is still the same person.”

Percy looked me directly in the eyes. “I know there is a complicated history with you and the pack, but they need you. They need an alpha, and you are the only one suited for the job.”