AllFreeNovel
Share Us
***
“Mate”, the word kept floating through his mind as he watched her sleep. Already she seemed different, stronger, and more full of life. Ryan knew the mating had given her the new strength he could sense. Being a mate meant you shared your soul with your other half and being bonded mates only made that connection more solid.
It had taken every ounce of willpower he had not to bite her while they made love, but she had asked him not to and he would respect her wishes even if it killed him. The lack of blood bonding made his wolf restless. He’d gotten a tiny peek into her inner thoughts when he’d nipped her during their first kiss but it obviously hadn’t been enough to initiate a true bonding between them.
It gave him the ability to sense things from her more easily though, and although it made him feel like a bit of a voyeur, he was happy for the glimpse into her thoughts when her guard was down. It was easier when she slept.
The snippets he was able to catch of her dream made his heart heavy with regret, as he realized she’d known they were mates the first time she went into heat. She’d known and had been excited by the idea and he’d crushed her when he’d pushed her away.
“I didn’t know baby. I swear, I didn’t know.” He whispered the words to her sleeping form, but guilt ate at him because on some level he had to have known. It was just so strange that there was such a gap in their ages and it had made him uncomfortable. He didn’t care now though. The eight years separating their ages didn’t mean a damn thing to him anymore. They shouldn’t have mattered then, but he’d been young and impulsive. He knew better now and he wasn’t about to let her get away from him.
ALREADY, KELLY COULD feel the strength of the alpha mending what had previously been broken inside of her.Not the alpha, your mate. She ignored the annoying voice in her head and gathering her resolve she slowly climbed out of the bed.
As soon as her feet hit the floor he grumbled.
“You’d better be on your way to the bathroom and not thinking about sneaking out of my bed.” They’d slept for a bit and her bladder was full. The need to go to the bathroom was suddenly urgent. Her stomach let out an embarrassing rumble and the need for food was now also pressing.
“Go. I’ll find us something to eat.” He said, getting out of bed, seemingly unconcerned by his nakedness while Kelly sat on the edge of the bed staring at his ass as he left the room.
“Arrogant man,” she muttered under her breath, not caring that he would hear her. It was in the forefront of her mind to slip out while he was in the other room but she knew he’d just come to find her if she did.
So instead she used the bathroom, washed her hands, and then went searching for him. He was in the kitchen making them food. It was a sight she could get used to. He’d slipped into boxers while she’d been in the bathroom but his chest was still bare, and the muscles of his back had her itching to run her hands over them.
She stopped herself before she moved forward and did exactly what her body was screaming she should do. He wasn’t really her mate and the less she touched him the better. She’d done what she needed to do to get strong but she didn’t need the warm and gooey feelings that were trying to take hold inside of her. He hadn’t wanted her and was only pitying her now.
“Are you feeling stronger?”
His question was like a knife through her heart confirming his motives for mating her. She bit down on her lip until the tang of blood coated her mouth.
His head whipped around from the stove his nostrils flaring with the scent of her blood. She ignored the flare of heat that sparked in his gaze and licked her blood from the wound. He tracked the movement of her tongue before turning back to the food.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” she snapped at him angrily, for what she perceived as his phony concern. Her stomach grumbled again as he slid a plate of steak in front of her.
“Do you want some wine? I can open a bottle.”
She grunted, too busy salivating over the steak to answer him. She didn’t care for the wine and barely noticed the baked potato and vegetables sharing the plate with the lovely piece of meat begging to be eaten.
Kelly hadn’t had much of an appetite recently, but now it seemed that was changing and she knew that was also a result of his power. The idea that he’d had such a profound effect on her so quickly scared the shit out of her, but she ignored the fear and sliced into the meat.
She closed her eyes, groaning in ecstasy as the steak she’d slid into her mouth melted like butter. When she opened her eyes again to take a second bite he was staring at her.
“What?” she asked, breaking the tension in the room.
“One day I hope I put that look on your face.”
She knew he was flirting but the stupid butterflies in her stomach didn’t care instead they fluttered away without a care in the world violently flapping their wings while she tried to ignore them.
“Jonas is coming by after we eat. He called while you were in the washroom. He has a theory about why you’ve been ill.”
Her cheeks heated with embarrassment as she realized that he may have spilled her secrets to Ryan regardless of her wishes. Suddenly the food that only moments before had been delicious was now like sawdust in her mouth.
She tried not to pace as they waited for Jonas to arrive, but she felt like a caged animal, her heart trying to burst through the wall of her chest as her anxiety climbed higher. Her mind was spinning with all the things Jonas could have told Ryan and she jumped out of her skin when the doorbell rang. Kelly knew both men could smell her fear the air was so thick with it they had to be practically choking on it.
“Kelly, it’s good to see you. You look much better than when I saw you last.” Jonas said while coming in and making himself comfortable. Kelly wondered at his home life. As the pack doctor, he didn’t get a lot of time to himself and though Jace had medical training, he rarely used that training unless in an emergency.
“You don’t sound surprised to see that I’m doing better,” she said, taking a seat across from him. Kelly was amazed at how quickly she was becoming comfortable with Ryan’s home. She could almost imagine the place as it would appear when they celebrated Yule. They’d curl up together in front of the fire and watch the snowfall. Maybe in a couple of years if they were lucky there’d be a toddler playing at their feet or one on the way.
