~ Chapter Twelve ~

Dimitri's bedroom consisted of a large dark bed, walk-in closet, ottoman, couch, and a large window sill that was big enough for me to fit on to stare out at the long driveway leading back through the woods. This was what I had been doing for a little while, ever since Jess had left me alone in here. I'd showered and changed into the same clothes I'd stuffed into the backpack, but other than that, I hadn't moved a muscle.

My hair lay damp down my back, pressed between me and the wall. The pack were busy outside as if it wasn't still quite early in the morning. I grew tired just watching them dart back and forth between buildings, carrying out tasks I couldn't even imagine being so important. I thought I saw someone carrying a bunch of clothes but I wasn't so sure about that.

When I grew so tired that I could barely keep my eyes open - I'd been slightly unable to sleep during the night - I walked to Dimitri's bed and collapsed onto it. It felt warm, soft, and honestly quite like a cloud. It was a relief from the ground I'd laid on last night. I cuddled the pillow my head lay on as I rested on my front, one leg bent to the side, my head facing the wall closest with the window. I could see that it was only just becoming a reasonable hour to be awake, but I couldn't care less.

I started to drift for a short while in and out of sleep, never truly awake or asleep. Noises around me were barely even in the back of my mind, lost to my exhausted state. But I found I should have been paying attention when the bed dipped.

Reluctantly, I turned my head to see Dimitri stretched on his back next to me, his hair damp, smelling like a wet dog - but in a surprisingly good way. His deep eyes stared at the wall at the foot of the bed as he rested his one arm behind his head. He looked comfortable... in both ways. I wanted to roll across the large bed to curl up to him, but I kept to my side and just turned to him instead. Noticing my movement, he copied me.

This was the first time we'd had the chance to get any closer than that hug the night before. Everything about our situation was drawing us together; his smell; my relief that I'd escaped my old pack; the bed we lay on. We were inadvertantly playing a dangerous game, but did that really matter? We were mates, we'd reach this point anyway. I didn't see why we couldn't advance on all of that...

"I tried to save the people I thought are important to you."

I blinked for a second, surprised by his voice.

"That warrior and the cook... the cook definitely didn't die. We let her hide in her room, and we never touched any of the children or their mothers. They're all safe - alive."

I released a breath I didn't know I was holding. "Thank you."

"Well, we would never have killed the families anyway," he muttered, "but for the cook, you're welcome." He reached out to brush his fingers over my bicep. "Was there anything you wanted to bring with you?"

"No," I admitted.

"Nothing at all?"

"Nothing."

"I guess that's good, then." Dima swept his fingers down to my hand, which he used to pull me toward him. "I'm sorry you didn't get to say goodbye before you left."

"It would have been stupid to go back in there after I was kicked out. They'd all be able to tell, they might even have attacked me thinking I was one of you... It's better that I just left when I did. Thank you for getting me out safely."

Dima raised my hand to his mouth. "I couldn't have let that asshole try to kill you. You're my mate."

I moved closer. "He was going to kill you while I slept, you know."

"I know," Dima sighed.

"That... it would have killed me. Not knowing it was happening. I practically had a nightmare about it last night." I shivered as I sought for his warmth. He pulled me into him, reminding me that he was here, that his pack's raid had been successful and we'd both escaped with our lives. I didn't think any of his warriors were even injured. All felt good.

"Xanthe is getting you some clothes to wear from now on. You can go shopping when I'm ready to let you leave the pack grounds." I looked up at Dima's face. "Right now, I can't bear to let you out of my sight."

"You know I won't... let you act like you're my alpha, right? I've had enough of that for one lifetime and I don't need you thinking you can dictate everything in my life. I'll-"

Dima cut me off with a simple kiss to my head, which cut off every thought I had. "I'll do my best. I've never had to change myself for anyone before."

I frowned. "I'm not asking you to change yourself."

"I'm an alpha at heart. I order people around without even realising it, I'm rude and straight to the point, and I'm a pain in the ass... at least, that's what Jess tells me." He wrapped his arms around me and breathed in. I did the same, giving my wolf a dose of his scent. "I don't want to be like that around you," he explained, "so I'll have to change."

"I'd say I don't expect that but I kinda do, so..." I trailed off, running my fingertips down his strong bicep to his forearm. When I couldn't reach his arm anymore, I started again at his jaw and down. His skin was much rougher than mine, reflective of the mountians he lived in, but he still felt quite soft in certain areas, like the inside of his arms and just beneath his jawline. I liked being able to slightly stroke the softer areas, which he didn't argue with.

As I was swiping my fingers toward his chin, he titled his head down to look at me, capturing my gaze in those big brown puppy eyes of his. We were much closer than I'd realised, close enough that I would only have to shuffle up a bit to close the gap between us. It was something I wanted to do, something I would have killed to do in the basement back at my pack house. But something I didn't get a chance to do.

The door opened haphazardly, causing both of us to break apart as if we were doing something we shouldn't. He rolled onto his back, replacing his hand behind his head, while I sat up with warm cheeks. The woman who'd glared at Dimitri hovered in the doorway, glancing in between us for a moment. "Sorry, I've just brought the luna some clothes." She placed the stack she held in her arms on the ottoman at the foot of the bed. "I'm great at guessing sizes so I'm pretty sure they'll all fit. If they don't, let me know."

I smiled at her shyly. "Thank you. I think I should introduce myself properly; I'm Erica Keller."

"Xanthe Kegg."

We shook hands.

"Leave us now, Xanthe," Dima ordered as he sat upright. "And knock next time."

She gave him a look. "Yes, *Alpha*." Her eyes found mine as she added, "You can talk to me if you need anything else, too."

When the door shut behind her, Dima relaxed again, but didn't stay on his back. He moved to his side, like he expected me to return to how we'd been before. I didn't really want to cuddle with an alpha, so I chose to move off of the bed instead. I walked to the window and peered out at all the people, who'd now gathered in a crowd before Jess on the driveway.

I could imagine myself as a part of that group, stood there waiting for instructions. Although it didn't quite feel real that I would be, I could imagine it and smile at the idea.

"Why did you speak like that to Xanthe?" I found myself asking without turning around.

"I'm an alpha, like I said. I want to be left alone with you so I had to tell her to leave."

"You could have said it more politely." I looked at Dimitri over my shoulder.

"That's not me." He was looking at me so seriously that I believed him in an instant. I supposed an alpha was always going to have an ego and even if it wasn't nearly as bad as Roger's, it would be damaging to their personality. This wasn't the man I'd known in the basement of the pack house, which I should have expected when he asked me to come with him. Why would an imprisoned man act so entitled like this? Of course he would seem sweeter and quieter when he was literally chained up to a wall.

By no means did I think life was going to be awful under Dimitri Stone, but suddenly, I wasn't so keen on finding out what my new life would entail. To be honest, I hated that I couldn't choose it for myself.

Well... maybe I could...

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