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"Don't hurt me."
"Never." Kissing the vulnerability of my pulse, Dale opened his mouth. A snapping and cracking sound that sounded like his jaw filled my ears. For a moment, I panicked and started to push away. Dale's scent grew stronger, enfolded me in his will, and kept my body docile in his hold.
My eyes startled wide when thick canines bit into my shoulder, right where it joined my neck. There was a sensation of startling pain, but something more powerful washed it away. Closing my eyes, images of Dale and I together played like a trailer for a romance film. Kissing and laughing in his kitchen as I cooked us breakfast, swimming in the pool, in his bed. The image of me heavy with child, Dale's arms holding me as he kissed my belly, morphed into me holding our child in my arms.
"A baby," I whispered with a smile. Opening my eyes, Dale was looking down at me with awe in his eyes. "You're going to give me a child." Closing my eyes again, the visions of our future together stole me into a peaceful sleep.
Waking with a sense of happiness, I blinked a little to see me staring up at the bedroom ceiling. My smile vanished as I cleared my head of the dream and looked around confused. Sitting up in bed, my side pulled a little, but it didn't hurt. It was dark, so I turned on the light. An origami wolf head sat on my bedside table. Frowning, I picked it up and, noticing words written on the paper, I unraveled it.
Vera,
I needed to go. Rest tomorrow to let that rib heal better. Have dinner with me tomorrow night?
Dale.
Sighing,I took the note with me to the kitchen. I was making myself hot milk when I saw movement behind me reflected in the window. Jumping, I dropped the milk and turned around to see Jeremy standing there. My heart was hammering in my throat as I tried to steady my breathing enough to tell him off.
"You need to be more aware of your surroundings. Though, I'm glad to see you're not in pain anymore."
Nodding, I still wasn't able to talk.
"Dale asked me to stay and make sure you were okay after you woke."
"Am I safe to be around now?"
"More than you were before; still not beyond a weaker man's interest." Jeremy looked at the floor. "Can I help you clean that up?"
Glancing down at the milk carton spilling on the floor, I blinked at it a few times. Squatting, I picked it up to stop the entire thing emptying. Jeremy was beside me with paper towel wiping it up. "My heads still a little fuzzy."
"I remember how high you were on the handkerchief; the real thing would be longer-lasting." Sighing as if something had been bothering him, Jeremy paused to watch me. "Don't feel guilty for what happened with your pack. That was never your fault."
I kept my eyes downcast.
Standing up, Jeremy disposed of the milk drenched toweling. "Starting Saturday, I'm going to begin training you in self-defense. Four days a week, I work with Dale in the city, so I can only train you on the weekend and Wednesday's. You'll need to practice what I teach you with Bob on the other days."
Unsure about training with Bob now, I stood up and turned my back.
"He's a delta, Vera. They are third in line and strong enough to be beta if they focus themselves. Bob will be strong enough to resist you. Just don't go tempting him to annoy Dale anymore, okay?"
Taking the milk carton out of my hand, Jeremy took over making my hot milk for me. Not arguing, I curled up on the lounge and watched outside.
"Here." Jeremy handed me the milk and sat down. "Do you feel his absence?" Thinking about it and shook my head. "What do you feel?"
"Woozy, and like I'm hollowed out." Placing my hand over my stomach, I checked to make sure my insides were solid. "Scooped empty to my core."
Jeremy exhaled in relief. "Do yourself a favor. For the next week, write down the times that feeling comes and goes, or any other feeling you have."
"Are you worried?"
"More running an experiment to see if anything changes for you now." Picking up the television remote, Jeremy started flicking through channels. "You should keep a diary, compare how you used to react to things, to how you do now."
Wondering why, I blinked a few times but decided he might have a good point. "Okay, I'll give it a go."
"Do you own a diary?"
"With the potential of Malcolm finding it? Hell, no!"
Leaning over the arm of the lounge, Jeremy retrieved a shopping bag. "I thought that would be the case." Pulling out a small container, he placed it on the coffee table. "Birch leaf, in case you need it again." Then he handed me a beautiful journal with an expensive-looking pen. "I was in the city when Dale told me you agreed. I thought this would come in handy for you."
