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“Calm down; she’s right here.” I release a breath I didn’t know I was holding and walk silently, but quickly to my mate.
She’s curled up on the bottom of the deep soaking tub, lying awkwardly against the cold cast iron so that her neck is at a weird angle. That’s got to fucking hurt. She could’ve at least grabbed a towel for a makeshift pillow. That now familiar pain creeps up in my chest. She’d rather stay hidden and cold than to attempt any kind of comfort. Shit, we left her alone in the bedroom; she could’ve slept there. I breathe in deep, letting the disappointment and guilt run through my body. She doesn’t trust us.
I lean down to sit on the edge of the tub and brush her soft blond hair away from her face. Her cheeks are tearstained and black mascara is smeared under her eyes, but she’s still impossibly stunning. Her petite frame only takes up about half of the tub, making her look even more fragile. Her deep, even breathing confirms that she’s out cold. She’s still in her skimpy dress; I can’t help it as my eyes linger on her upper half that’s very much in danger of being exposed. The bottom of her dress doesn’t even come close to covering her ass. I tilt my head and I can see a bit of a cream-colored lace thong. I close my eyes and bite back a groan. She’s fucking gorgeous. I sure as hell don’t deserve her.
I consider undressing her and putting her in something more comfortable but nix that idea as soon as it pops into my fucked-up brain. She doesn’t even want me to hold her hand. There’s no way she’ll be all right if I undress her.
Caleb picks up her heels on the other side of the tub and looks them over. “It’s a wonder she hasn’t broken her damn neck wearing these things.” I snort. Her toenails are painted hot pink and match her dress perfectly.
“You think pink’s her favorite color?” I don’t know why I ask. The thought slips out.
“Judging by all the pink shit we just brought here, yeah.” I nod my head, idly wondering what else she likes. I want to know everything about her. My eyes drift down her luscious curves.
“I grabbed this to cover her up,” Caleb says. I turn around to face Caleb although I have to look up at him since I’m still seated on the edge of the tub. He’s holding the comforter from the bed she could’ve easily slept in. I nod and exhale deeply while I stand. I didn’t even realize he’d left the room.
“All right, let’s wrap her in it so we can get her to her room.” I move out of his way. “You think Alpha’s going to have Grace sleep with him tonight?” I’m still debating on sleeping next to Lizzie. I’ll wake up before her, so I can slip out before she has a chance to freak out. He huffs, giving me a look like I should know better.
“I think he’d like to, but he’s not going to have much of a choice.” I tilt my head and give him a side-eye. He just shakes his head and reaches down to collect our mate. “You really think Grace is going to want to sleep with him tonight?” I frown and shrug. I don’t understand why our mates are so difficult.
Caleb stands in the tub, draping the comforter over her body. I bend down with him to help gather the blanket around her tiny body. As I tuck the blanket under her arm, her blue eyes spring open and stare straight into mine, scaring the shit out of me. I stumble back a bit, caught off guard. My action halts Caleb and he follows my gaze to our mate’s eyes. I hear her heartbeat pick up, instantly racing, but outwardly she shows no signs that she’s coherent. Her body is frozen in place and her face is devoid of emotion. She reminds me of an animal playing dead, hoping a predator will go away and leave her alone.
I raise my hands to show her that I don’t mean her any harm. “You all right, little one?” I keep my voice as reassuring as I can, trying to calm her. She doesn’t answer. Her eyes dart to my hands then back to my face. The sound of her heart beating chaotically fills the small room it’s so damn loud, but she remains rigid and tense. Something about her expression has changed, though. She’s no longer a wounded animal; the hint of silver in her eyes sparks in a way that makes me aware she’s waiting to strike. She wants to fight me. As much as that thought makes my dick hard, this isn’t her challenging my worthiness as a mate. I wish that were the case. I’d pin her ass down so fast and fuck her ruthlessly till she had no doubt who she belonged to. But that’s not what this is. The smell of fear, not arousal, permeating the air is so strong it’s practically suffocating.
“Liz, you fell asleep in the tub, baby; we were just going to move you so you would be more comfortable.” Caleb slowly steps out of the tub as he talks to her, but Liz’s eyes don’t leave mine. She shows no sign that she’s heard him. I part my lips to say something, but I don’t know what the hell to say. She’s obviously scared out of her mind. She’s looking at me like I’m her worst enemy. What the hell did I do to put her on edge?
“Lizzie, you okay?” Still no response. If I could just touch her, then I could calm her down. I know I could. I could make her feel this connection, this electric pull between us. My thoughts give me the push I need to move toward her. Swallowing thickly, I slowly reach down with the intention of stroking her arm, but she silently rears back and scrambles to get away from me. I pull back and put my hands up again, showing her that I won’t reach out to her. The comforter restricts her movement as she struggles to get up. Her feet slip, caught up in the blanket and I’m too damn slow to stop her from bashing the back of her head against the spout.
She winces as both of her hands shoot up to cradle the wound on her head. The distinct smell of blood reaches me instantly. I reach down for her again, wanting to help her, needing to help her. I know that had to hurt. But as my large hand palms her chin she screams, kicking furiously against the comforter as her nails dig into my forearm and her teeth sink into the flesh of my hand.
“Fuck!” I pull back before her teeth release me, spilling more blood than necessary. Blood seeps from the two large scratches she left on my arm. I stare at them in surprise before turning my eyes back to her. My blood glistens on her lips and her sharp blue eyes stare back at me full of hate. My gut drops and I swallow the lump forming in my throat, which feels too tight to breathe. I can only hope that the look on my face conveys how torn up I am.
“Hey now, baby girl, you’re all right.” Caleb moves in front of me to catch Lizzie’s eye. She ignores him, continuing to stare at me with utter hatred. “Dom’s just trying to help you, baby.” He kneels on the tub without reaching for her. “It’s okay. I promise we aren’t going to hurt you.”
Her small voice hisses her words dripping with venom. “Don’t let him touch me.”
At her statement, I feel my soul shatter into jagged pieces as my wolf howls in agony. And then I hear something I shouldn’t. It takes me a moment in my despair to realize that it came from my mate. Caleb looks at me with disbelief, giving me confirmation that he heard it as well. I stare into those icy blue eyes and will her to speak again. She doesn’t, though. Her wolf is silent. But I know I heard her whine in pain.
Our mate’s a werewolf.
I scent the air, but I can’t smell her wolf at all. If Caleb hadn’t heard her also, I would be doubting my sanity.
I push Caleb to the side to stand in front of our mate. He doesn’t resist at all. He’s looking at her with a look of pure confusion. “Where’d your wolf go?”
A look of dread crosses her face. I see her swallow as she pushes her body as far away from us as the tub will allow. All traces of anger have dispersed, leaving only fear.
Staggered breaths leave her parted lips, and tears well in her eyes.
“Why are you so scared, little one?” I hold up my arm for her to see. “It’s okay. I’m not mad.” Her shoulders start rising and falling as her breathing becomes erratic.
“It’s okay,” Caleb finally speaks up. “What happened to your wolf?” She shakes her head violently. Why is she so terrified of us? More importantly, how the hell is she hiding her wolf like that?
“I’m not a werewolf.” The rushed words barely have any sound as they leave her lips.
My eyes narrow at her. “Don’t lie to me, little one.” I try to keep the threat out of my voice, but it’s still there. The moment I hear the admonishment, I regret it. She’s fucking terrified. I shouldn’t be giving her more reasons to fear me.
“She left me,” our scared little mate whimpers. “I’m not latent anymore, she won’t come back.” She gasps for breath as her body shakes. “Please, she won’t come back.” I feel my heart hollow as my wolf whines in distress.
“Please what, little one?”
