Chapter 8

“Even though I am moving, I feel that time is standing still. Tucked away in these rooms with Drake where nothing and no one can touch us, everything else has simply ceased to exist.” ~Bethany


Bethany watched Drake as he made them each a turkey sandwich. Over the past few days of living with him, she’d begun to notice that his movements were always precise and deliberate. He didn’t allow himself to lose control in any capacity, even over the subtlest shift of weight. She wondered if it was because of the way his previous Alpha treated him. Bethany had wanted to ask, but at the same time, she didn’t want to pry into his personal life.
“My personal life is your business.” His voice drifted from the kitchen island to the bar where she sat resting her elbows on the counter. “You have every right to know anything you want to about me.” He turned to face her, a plate in each hand. His eyes were intense and gentle all at the same time.
She watched him as he walked over to her, his steps smooth and confident. He placed one plate down in front of her and the other in front of an empty barstool next to her. Then he grabbed them both a bottled water from the fridge.
“Losing control is a dangerous thing for any male of my species. My previous Alpha is a testament to that,” he began. Drake motioned to her sandwich. Bethany picked it up and took a bite as he continued to talk. “But it’s especially dangerous for an unmated male.”
“Because of the darkness?” she asked in between bites.
Drake took a swig of his water as he nodded. “Sounds cliché doesn’t it?”
She shook her head quickly. “No. No, not at all. Everyone has darkness.” She set the sandwich down and dusted the crumbs from her hands. “I’ve lived with darkness for a very long time, Drake. And in that time I’ve realized that it isn’t only the monsters that have the darkness within them. We all have a touch of darkness in us. How could we not? Without the darkness, we wouldn’t recognize the light.”
A small smile tugged at his lips. “So you think there is light in me as well?”
Bethany nodded. “It’s there, whether you see it or not.” Their eyes met and she felt her heartbeat speed up. It wasn’t the first time that she’d felt herself respond to him on a level that she didn’t understand. For the most part, Drake made her feel every bit his equal. But then there were instances like this one when her heartbeat would pick up, her palms would begin to sweat, and her chest would tighten. It was in those instances that she felt completely out of her league.
As their day continued on, they talked in little spurts about anything and everything. Drake filled her in on current events, as well as important past events that had happened while she’d been imprisoned underground. At one point, he even got out his laptop and started pulling up pictures of the World Trade Center towers and told her all that had happened in New York City the very year she’d been snatched. Bethany had missed so much by being tucked away by the vampires. Who knew how much the world could change in eleven years?
By the time the sunlight was fading, Bethany’s head was hurting and it felt as though it might explode from all the new information she was absorbing, and her stomach was beginning to hurt right along with it. She pressed a hand to her lower abdomen and cringed.
“You okay?” Drake asked as he placed a hand on her leg.
She nodded. “Just have a stomach ache.”
“Perhaps, it’s time we get some rest?” Drake suggested.
Bethany stood up from the couch where they’d been sitting for the past several hours. She put her hands over her head and stretched up onto her toes. Drake watched her in that intense way of his, and she found that she liked it when his eyes followed her movements.
“I’m going to take a bath if that’s all right?” she asked, thinking that a good soak might make her stomach feel better. A knock at the door interrupted Drake’s response. Instinctively, Bethany took a step toward the door. Her hand was reaching for the door handle when a strong arm came around her waist and smoothly moved her behind an equally strong body. Drake’s movements were so quiet that she hadn’t even heard him behind her.
The knock came again and he growled in clear irritation.
“Do not growl at me you mangy, ticking time bomb. Open this door. We’ve got business.” Jen’s voice came through the door practically slapping them both in the face.
Drake glanced over his shoulder at her and Bethany shrugged and then mouthed “open it.”
Drake let out another growl as he snatched the handle and jerked the door open. Jen strode into the room as seamlessly as if she’d been the one to open the door.
“Bethany,” —she nodded to her— “good to see he hasn’t eaten you.” Jen looked over at Drake. “Your Alpha wants to see you in his office.”
Drake looked from Jen to Bethany and back again. Bethany could tell that he didn’t want to leave her alone, but she could also tell that Jen wasn’t feeling gracious and her patience was about gone. She walked over to Drake and placed a hand on his chest, just over his heart. Then she used the bond that she was still getting used to. “I’ll be fine. You go do what you need to, and I’ll be here when you return.”
Drake stared down at her for several seconds before finally wrapping his large hand around the back of her neck and pulling her to him. He pressed his lips to her forehead and then she felt his breath blow out over her. She shivered under the sensation.
“I’ll be back soon,” Drake murmured and then turned on his heel, exiting the room and closing the door sharply behind him.
Bethany looked at Jen and she opened her mouth to ask a question but Jen held up a finger to stop her. Bethany snapped her mouth shut and waited. After a few minutes, the Alpha female let out a sigh and sank down onto the couch. “Good grief, I didn’t think he’d ever get out of earshot.” Jen rubbed her hands together and looked up at Bethany. “Now, tell me how things are going. Do you have any questions? You’re looking a little tired. Is he letting you rest? I’ll skin him alive if he’s not giving you time to rest.” Jen’s words poured out of her faster than Bethany could answer so she waited until she was sure nothing more was going to be said before she finally spoke.
“I’m fine,” the young girl responded. “Tired, but not because Drake isn’t letting me sleep. Still trying to get my days and nights worked out, or at least that’s what Drake says must be happening. Since I was underground for so long, my body had lost all sense of…circadian rhythm, I think that’s what Drake called it.”
Jen’s mouth opened in an ‘O’ movement, but she didn’t say anything.
“As for questions, well, Drake’s been answering anything I ask.”
“What about girl questions?” Jen interjected.
Bethany’s head tilted. “Girl questions?”
“Yep,” Jen said, making the ‘p’ pop. “You know, questions that you might not feel comfortable asking Drake.”
“I haven’t,” Bethany started to answer but then paused. There had been some things that she didn’t understand but hadn’t known how to bring them up to Drake. Her stomach cramped again, reminding her of the bath she had been wanting to take. So instead of diving into those concerns, she said, “My stomach is hurting and I was just about to take a bath before you got here. Do you mind giving me a few minutes?”
Jen shook her head. “Chick, it’s your place. Do your thing. Do what you need. I’m not saying I won’t talk to you through the door, but by all means, soak that tummy ache away.”
Bethany grinned. She liked Jen, even if she was a little bit much to take in. “Oh, and by the way,” Bethany said as she walked into the bedroom and pulled out one of the drawers of the dresser. “Thank you for sending me clothes.” She grabbed a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, bra, and panties and then headed for the bathroom. As soon as she shut the door, she heard Jen’s voice on the other side.
“So, have you and grumpy-butt kissed yet?”



Drake’s hand was about to knock on the door to his Alpha’s office when he heard her voice in his mind.
“I’m going to take that bath I mentioned earlier so don’t worry when I, uh…”
He smiled. “Don’t freak out when you close the bond?” he offered.
“Yes, exactly. Don’t freak out.”
“How is your stomach?” Drake asked quickly before she could shut him out.
“Still hurting, but I’ll live.”
He felt her slip away from him, but not completely. She was still there, within his reach, and it brought him a level of comfort that he never thought he’d have. Drake focused back on the door in front of him and gave it two hard knocks and then waited.
The door opened and Decebel stood on the other side looking back at him.
“Drake.” Decebel’s deep voice vibrated as he stepped to the side to let him in.
“Alpha,” Drake said and bared his neck briefly.
They both stood staring at one another as if waiting for the other to act.
“Did you need something?” Decebel finally asked after several minutes of silence.
“Your mate told me that you wanted to see me,” Drake answered as an uneasy feeling began to grow in his stomach.
“Did she now?” Decebel asked, a sly smile forming on his lips.
“You didn’t ask to see me, did you?”
His Alpha chuckled. “I believe the conversation went something like this. ‘Dec, I’m going to go check on Bethany and make sure Drake hasn’t scared her half to death. Don’t you think you should check on Drake?’ I answered with, ‘Drake will come find me when he’s ready. Why don’t we leave them be for now.’ And then she countered with, ‘Okay, I’m going to go check on Bethany now and you are going to talk to Drake.’ ”
“Do all your conversations end with your mate doing whatever she wants?” Drake grumbled.
Decebel laughed. “You just wait, my brother. Your female will have you wrapped around her little finger and before you know it you will be building doghouses for dogs you don’t even own.”
Drake chuckled. “Not every female is as high maintenance as yours, Dec, no offense.”
“True, but I don’t think there is anything such as a low maintenance female she-wolf.” Decebel walked over to a cabinet and pulled out two glasses and a bottle of amber liquid. “Since you’re here and my female has managed to manipulate us both, why not have a drink and fill me in on how things are going?”
Drake wanted to get back to Bethany, but then again she was taking a bath and it wasn’t like she was going to let him assist with that. Maybe one day. He quickly shook his head. He couldn’t think like that. He was already incredibly attracted to her simply because she was his mate, not to mention that she was beautiful and kind.
“You have that look,” Decebel said as he held out a half-filled glass to Drake.
“What look?”
“The look that a wolf gets when he’s found his mate.” Decebel met his eyes. Drake knew his Alpha understood what he was going through.
“How do you keep from claiming what’s yours?” Drake finally asked. And that was when the dam broke. “I’ve waited for her for so long and now there she is and yet I can’t touch her. She’s a grown woman but damn, Alpha, she’s a child in many ways too. And then my wolf is going crazy over the fact that she’s been in danger all these years, being treated like a damn juice box! She’s my mate. No one should have ever touched her in any way.” Drake’s voice broke. He slammed the glass down on the end table by the couch and began to pace. His fingers ran restlessly through his hair and his chest felt as though a ton of bricks had descended upon it. “On the outside I’m calm. But inside I’m going crazy.” He rubbed his hands down his face and his pacing increased. “I want to give her space and yet at the same time, I want to hold her and never let her go. Being near her is torture, but so is being away from her. I’m so scared I’m going to frighten her by being too forward. I feel like I’m going to screw things up before they even have a chance.” By the time all of the words had poured out of him, Drake was leaning on his hands against the wall, his head bent and his shoulders heaving.
“It nearly drove me crazy when I met Jennifer.” His Alpha’s voice broke through the sharp silence. “I knew she was my mate, and yet there were no mating signs. My wolf was snarling inside of me to take her, to claim her, to mark her, but I couldn’t. She drove me crazy. I was terrified of what having her meant and yet terrified of losing her as well.”
“Does it ever get easier?” Drake asked.
Decebel laughed. “If it does I’ll let you know, but so far, no, it definitely hasn’t gotten easier.”
Drake was lost in his own thoughts when the scream came. His head snapped up and on the second scream, he was on his feet running without a second thought.
“Jen is with her, Drake. She isn’t alone.” Drake heard Decebel’s voice somewhere behind him along with the Alpha’s footsteps. He knew that Bethany wasn’t alone, but that didn’t stop his driving need to get to her and make sure that she was alright. Her scream and the fear he felt through their bond was like the crack of a whip against his flesh that only pushed him harder. Drake could feel her heartbeat racing, or maybe it was his? He wasn’t sure. Their emotions were so intermingled that he couldn’t tell where hers started and his ended. The only difference was the amount of fear rolling off of her. Even when he’d been crouched over her as a snarling wolf, the fear coming from Bethany hadn’t been this potent. Whatever it was, it wasn’t just scaring her; it was terrifying.



Jen glanced at the closed door and then resumed her pacing. Bethany had been in there for about twenty minutes and, though she’d been pelleting the young girl with questions, Bethany just wouldn’t crack. Jen knew she had to be dying to ask questions about Drake and the whole mated to a werewolf thing, but no matter how many openings she gave the new she-wolf to speak up, Bethany didn’t take the bait. “Time to get serious,” Jen muttered. “So, Bethany,” she called through the door.
“Hmm?” came the reply.
“Do you like Drake? I mean not just like as in hey how’s it hanging, caught any good fish lately kind of like. I mean does he make your kitten purr?” Jen paused as she thought about how that sounded and then grinned to herself. Jacque and Sally would have totally appreciated that one. “I mean, do you—” Jen’s words were cut off by a toe-curling scream. Okay, so either Bethany really doesn’t like Drake or something was terribly wrong.
“Bethany!” Jen banged on the door. “Are you okay?” She hated to ask such a dumbass question. The girl had just screamed as though she’d been thrown out of a window thirty stories high. Of course, she wasn’t okay. “Bethany unlock this door, now!” Jen tried the door handle but it was still stubbornly locked. The scream had subsided and now Jen heard only sobs and unintelligible words, but the younger girl still sounded quite hysterical.
“Please let me in. Beth, let me help,” Jen pleaded with her. “What’s wrong?” Still no answer, just more tears and strained breathing. “You do realize that at any moment that mate of yours is going to break down this door right? Are you dressed? Bethany, please answer me!” Jen put some power behind her words.
“Drake,” Bethany finally said something that Jen could understand. “Where’s Drake?”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come in first?” Jen asked, thinking that perhaps the girl was in shock, not realizing what she was saying.
Before Jen could hear the answer, the door to the suite flew open and slammed into the wall. A frantic looking Drake came barreling in with an equally upset looking Decebel right behind him.
“Where is she?” Drake practically snarled. Jen knew he was just responding to the emotions he could no doubt feel coming from his mate and so she excused his tone. Instead, she pointed to the door.
“She went in there to take a bath. As far as I know, everything was fine.”
“Her stomach was hurting before I left,” Drake said as he stepped up to the closed door and knocked in a surprisingly gentle way. “Bethany, love, are you okay?”
Jen turned to Decebel and met his eyes. “We might need Rachel. Can you get her?”
Decebel nodded. “I’m on it.”
Jen turned back to Drake as he banged on the closed door. After a few moments, he paused and there was silence. Then they both heard Bethany whimper, “There’s so much blood.”
Drake felt the wind being sucked from his lungs as her words penetrated his mind. Blood. She’d said there was so much blood. “Bethany, what blood? Why is there blood, baby?”
He could feel her confusion and he wanted to reassure her, but he didn’t know what was wrong; he didn’t know if everything would be alright. What he needed to know was where the hell the blood was coming from.
“Bethany, please unlock the door so I don’t have to break it down,” he said to her through the bond, hoping it would jar her into action. She seemed to be frozen.
“I don’t want to get blood on you,” she responded and her voice sounded far away as though she were in a trance.
“Did you cut yourself shaving? Is that why there is blood?” he asked. There was no response. After several seconds Drake lost the little patience he was clinging to. “Jen I’ll replace the door.”
He grabbed the door handle and started to twist it but stopped when Jen’s hand landed on top of his.
“What are you going to do once you get in there?” she asked him quietly. “She’s probably naked as the day she was born and not in her right mind. Are you just going to barge in there and see her in all her glory?”
“I don’t give a damn if she’s naked or dressed in a potato sack. I want to know that she’s okay,” Drake bit out.
“Let her keep some of her dignity. Don’t let the first time you see her be like this.”
“Do you honestly think I really give a damn about how she looks?” Drake knew he needed to bring his temper down, but it angered him that Jen could imply that he would take advantage of the situation. “All I want to know is why there is blood, how much blood, and how to stop it. I want to keep her safe!”
“Good,” said a new female voice. “Then let’s figure out what’s going on so that we can accomplish that.” Rachel, the Romania wolves’ gypsy healer, was calm and collected not only in her words but also in her appearance.
“Perfect,” Jen said in a completely different tone than she’d been using with the angry wolf.
He frowned at her. “You were stalling me.”
His Alpha female nodded. “Yes, yes I was. If you want to break in now, by all means,” she said, motioning toward the door. “Go ahead.”
“Maybe let me or Jen enter first, okay?” Rachel suggested.
That was fine with Drake; he just wanted the door removed from in between him and his mate. He twisted the handle of the door until he heard an audible snap and then slowly pushed the door open, not wanting to startle her.
“Jen, myself, and Rachel, she’s one of the gypsy healers, are coming into the room,” he told her, hoping that explaining what was happening would keep Bethany from being startled. Regardless of how badly he wanted to see her, Drake didn’t want to frighten her more than she already was, so he pushed the door open slowly. Rachel started to step around him but was stopped by the projectile body flying at him. Drake immediately opened his arms and found them quickly filled with his towel-clad, crying mate.
Her arms had a death grip on his neck and she’d buried her face into his shoulder. Drake rubbed a hand down her back trying to calm her. “Shh,” he soothed. “Calm down, love.”
He didn’t pay attention when Jen and Rachel both walked around them and moved further into the bathroom. He also didn’t pay attention to the silent hand gestures and soundless words coming from Jen. It wasn’t until Rachel tapped him on the shoulder that wasn’t currently occupied by his crying mate that Drake finally gave anyone else a second thought.
He turned his head to look at the healer. “It would probably be best if Jen and I handle this one.”
Drake started to pull away but Bethany just held on tighter. When he looked at Rachel again she nodded her understanding and leaned forward to whisper to the young girl. Drake tried really hard not to listen despite his excellent wolf hearing, but he wasn’t able to tune it all out.
He got bits and pieces, the main one being about the bleeding. He felt her stiffen in his arms as Rachel’s words began to register in her mind. Clearly, the girl was embarrassed. Just as she was about to scramble out of his arms, Drake held her tighter and pulled her back to look down into her aquamarine eyes. “Never be embarrassed with me. You’re safe with me. In all ways, you’re safe.”
She held his stare and finally nodded. “Okay.” Bethany wiped away some stray tears as she continued to look at him. “I think you should probably wait outside.”
Drake’s lips lifted ever so slightly in a small grin. “I’ll be waiting for you when you’re done. Take your time.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead and then set her on her feet and quietly left the bathroom, pulling the door gently closed behind him.
As soon as the latch caught, Drake let out an audible sigh.
“Everything okay?” A deep voice asked. Drake turned to find Decebel and Gavril, Rachel’s mate, standing in the living area.
He nodded. “Getting there.”
“Good, now let’s go for a run while the females deal with female stuff,” Decebel said in a much quieter voice than his usual.
“I can still hear you, you big fur ball.” Jen’s voice came calling out through the closed doors. “And by all means, go! We would hate for some of our icky female stuff to somehow infect you.” She paused, but the she-wolf wasn’t done. “Oh and don’t come back unless you have chocolate— lots of it. Toodles.”
“She could have told you all of that from here.” Drake tapped the side of his head.
Decebel smirked. “She could have, but then she wouldn’t have had the pleasure of baiting me in front of other males.”
Drake gave him a questioning look.
Decebel shrugged. “It’s her idea of foreplay.”
Drake decided not to touch that with a ten-foot pole. Instead, he sent a parting thought to Bethany so that she’d know where he was and then followed the other two males out of the mansion and into the surrounding forest that they called home.



Bethany was pretty sure she was going to be the first person ever to die of embarrassment. If such a thing was possible, it was about to happen. She’d freaked out, plain and simple. She’d seen the blood and all those years—all the horrors she’d endured—came rushing back and she’d simply lost it. If Drake didn’t see her as helpless and delicate before, he probably did now after that little display.
“Hey.”
Snap, snap. Fingers were suddenly thrust in her face and they continued the snapping until she finally met the eyes of their owner.
“You were seven when they took you,” Jen said. “How could you have known?”
She was referring to the aforementioned bleeding. It had been her period. How do you like them apples? she thought to herself. She had freaked out over her period. No, she’d never had one before, but she knew a little bit about them from the snippets she remembered her mom telling her when she was a child. But over the past eleven years, that knowledge had slipped away, locked behind survival instincts and fear.
“Bethany,” Rachel’s gentle voice drew her attention from her thoughts. “I’m not a doctor, but I have spent years studying the body, both human and werewolf. Your body was in survival mode for such a very long time and, it’s my bet that because of that trauma, your menstrual cycle was delayed. Your body is finally returning back to normal after your ordeal.”
“Yeah, now that you’re no longer on the let’s try and stay alive wellness plan,” Jen continued for the healer. “Your body is remembering that it actually serves a purpose more than just taking up oxygen.”
Jen stepped out for a few moments and then returned with an array of products meant to aid during the monthly cycle. She laid them out on the floor before Bethany. The Alpha female was kind enough to explain to her the pros and cons of tampons vs. no tampons. It was all quite informative, but still didn’t take Bethany’s mind away from the fact that she’d have to face Drake again soon, and she was sure her face would end up ten shades of red.
“So this should stop in seven days or less?” Bethany asked Rachel.
“Yes. It varies from woman to woman but a typical cycle is seven days or less.”
Bethany turned to look at Jen who was already shaking her head. “No,” the blonde said, holding out a finger. “You are not going to hide at my place for the next week. He’s your mate. He’s going to have to deal with this for the rest of his life. You are going to have to get over it. Drake is like a million years old…okay probably not a million, but I assure you he’s older than us. He’s well aware of what’s going on down there, I promise you.”
So, no help there, Bethany thought and looked over to Rachel.
“She’s right. You won’t hear me say that often in Jen’s presence.” Rachel shot Jen a grin. “But in this instance, she is right.”
“Maybe we should start singing some passionate ballad with a catchy chorus and belt it out at the top of our lungs. Then suddenly everything will be golden,” Jen suggests.
Bethany wasn’t sure what to say to such a suggestion.
“What?” Jen shrugged. “It works for all those Disney Princesses. They come upon a dilemma or difficult situation and then start singing, in which case animals almost always join in and then BAM!” She clapped her hands together. “World peace is accomplished and starving children everywhere suddenly have full bellies. I’m just saying we could at least give it a go just to see if the animals do indeed join in.”
“You really have nothing to be embarrassed about,” Rachel said turning back to Bethany. “All you have to deal with is your monthly menstrual cycle. Jen, well, she’s stuck with herself, so she’s dealing with a whole lot more than just a period. So you should be smiling.”
Bethany was smiling, but not because of what Rachel said. She was smiling because Jen was currently singing something about bare necessities and werewolves necessities. It was an interesting mix of lyrics and music. She floated past them, her arms stretched out wide as she sang. On her next pass by, she paused and looked at Bethany. “Okay, I don’t know what it is about this bathroom but it’s got some serious happy vibes. Maybe the air is thinner in here and I’m just experiencing a lack of oxygen to the brain.”
Rachel laughed and stood up, helping Bethany gather the plethora of feminine products she’d been loaded down with, courtesy of the singing Alpha female. Bethany found an empty drawer and stuffed it all inside. Along with the feminine products, Jen had also brought the younger girl a change of clothes. After pulling these on, Bethany was now wearing a skirt with a very high slit up the side and a dark blue shirt.
Just as they were about to exit the bathroom, Jen stopped in front of her. She grabbed the skirt and tugged on it until the slit was on her right side, clearly revealing the markings.
“It looks better with the slit on that side. On the other side, it looks like you have it on backward or something,” Jen explained.
“Okay.” Bethany shrugged. Bethany remembered how Jen had mentioned that males can get jealous when other males see the mating markings, but she figured that there wouldn’t be anyone in their suite so Drake shouldn’t have a problem with them showing. And she was secretly hoping that seeing the markings would distract him from the whole screaming over the period thing.
They stepped out into the quiet suite and Rachel gave Bethany a quick hug. “If you ever need anything and don’t want to deal with Jen, my door is always open.”
“Be glad you aren’t in my pack, female, I would so order you to be my sparring partner. Every. Damn. Day.” Jen bit out at the older woman.
Rachel simply pulled Jen into a hug and then on her way out looked back at her over her shoulder, “Remember that I’m headed back to the Romania pack mansion, so if you need me quickly you’ll have to send the fae to get me. Oh, and I’d wipe the floor with you, Alpha, no disrespect.” Rachel winked at her just before the door closed.
Jen was speechless. Bethany had a feeling that Jen was rarely if ever, rendered speechless.
“Well,” she finally said after several minutes. “That was unexpected.”
Bethany laughed. “She tells you she can kick your butt and all you have is ‘That was unexpected?’ ”
“If a woman has enough backbone to trash talk me, then I will give her the respect she’s due,” Jen said as she headed toward the door. “My duty here is done. Jacque and I will be having hot chocolate and Oreos around midnight in the library if you’d like to join us,” she told her.
Bethany thought about it. It would be nice to get out a bit and stretch her legs. Midnight seemed late, but then again it wasn’t like she had to be up at a certain time the next day. “I might take you up on that.”
“Good, I’d hate to drag you from your room by your hair” —she opened the door and stepped out— “but I will,” she added just before pulling the door closed behind her.
Bethany walked over to the couch and sunk down into it with a sigh. What an evening. She turned onto her side and shifted down lower until she was laying with her head resting on the end pillow. Her eyes began to drift closed and the events of the past hours slipped away.
Drake took in the sleeping form of his mate as he stood, freshly showered, at the doorway to the bedroom. The run had been much needed and he felt relaxed, or at least he had been. But as he stared at the exposed thigh bearing his marks, that relaxation was quickly turning into something else entirely.
She was lovely regardless, but she was especially lovely laying there peacefully asleep with her legs stretched out and the slit of her skirt falling open to reveal the creamy flesh. Drake felt like a creeper and yet he couldn’t look away. The markings called to him. They cried out to his wolf to come and lay claim to what was his. His feet were moving before he even realized it. He’d crossed the room in less than four strides and was kneeling next to his sleeping female.
Drake’s hand inched out, longing to trace the skin bearing his marks, but not wanting to cross a line she wouldn’t be comfortable with.
“You can touch me,” a breathy, sleepy voice caused his head to jerk up.
“What?” he asked, his voice barely recognizable as his wolf pushed to get out.
Bethany’s eyes met his. “I said, you can touch me.”
That was what he’d been afraid she’d said. She was giving him permission, but it still felt wrong. She couldn’t possibly understand what a simple touch could lead to, what he wanted it to lead to. And that made him sick.
He felt her small hand on his pulling it from his lap and lifting it until she could place it on the thigh that taunted him. Her flesh seared him and his fingers flexed against her. She felt like silk, warm silk. Drake knew he was playing with fire and oddly enough he wasn’t scared of being burned. Rather, he was scared of frightening his young mate.
“Bethany,” he practically groaned as he pulled his hand away. He felt as though there should have been some sort of applause or fanfare of music cheering on the amount of self-control it had taken in order to stop touching what his wolf believed to be rightfully theirs.
“Am I repulsive to you?” she asked. Though her words were calm and seemingly asked without emotion, he felt her turmoil through the bond. “We are supposedly true mates, destined to spend our lives together. And I assume we are supposed to get married or whatever Canis lupus do and eventually have babies. But how can any of that happen if you won’t touch me?”
He didn’t know how to explain it to her without insulting her, but Drake could tell she wasn’t going to let it go. “You’re mistaking my reluctance with a lack of desire, Beth, and I assure you that I don’t hesitate because of lack of desire. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. I want you. By all that is pure and good, I want you like I’ve wanted nothing before but I don’t think you’re really ready for that.”
“How can we know that unless we try?” she pleaded.
“Try what?” Drake demanded. His words were harsher than he intended but he needed to make her understand. “Do you even know the things that happen between mates? Aside from kissing, Bethany, do you have any idea of the things they do together in physical intimacy to show that love to each other? Can you name one damn thing and if you can, can you say it without giggling or blushing or acting like a child?” Drake had stood up at some point during his rant and was standing over her. His need to dominate her, to make her submit to him, was riding him hard and it was only verification that he still wasn’t in control of himself. He took a step back from her and glared down at her prostrate form. “Do you have even the tiniest clue of how I want to touch you? I don’t just want to hold your hand, Beth. Mates do more than kiss and hold hands and usually it involves clothes coming off. Are you ready to take your clothes off in front of me? Are you ready to be touched somewhere other than your shoulder or back?” When all she did was stare up at him, mouth hanging open, it only made him angrier. “ARE YOU?” he bellowed.
Suddenly she was on her feet, all five foot nothing of her, and she was shooting him her own death glare. “Did the first man and woman created know what the hell they were doing? Did Adam have any clue how to touch Eve or show her how he felt about her and did Eve know how to reciprocate? Probably not! But they freaking figured it out because, oh wow, look around the entire world and see all of the people walking around. They all had to come from somewhere and, guess what, apparently they figured it out too. Do you think I am incapable of learning? Do I need to be talking to someone else about this? You are supposed to be my mate. Do you want some other male to teach me?”
His wolf surged forward and his hand phased into a paw with long, sharp claws and fur. He snatched up the nearest thing—a lamp—before he’d even realized it and hurled it across the room. The lamp shattered into a thousand little shards as it crashed to the wall and fell to the floor. “Never speak of being with another male in front of me. I would kill a man for even thinking of touching you. That is something you need to understand. You are mine and I will not share you, no matter how pissed off at me you get.”
“You may think that I am this poor, naive little girl, but I’m a grown woman. Maybe I’m ignorant in some ways, but I’m grown nonetheless and you will respect that and acknowledge it or I will walk away. I was a prisoner for eleven years and I’ll be damned if I’m going to be one again. Not in any way.”
Drake didn’t understand where this was coming from or why it was so important to her. They’d only known each other a week and he figured she’d want to get to know one another better before they even started kissing, but she just kept pushing. “Why?” He was attempting to focus on that question so that he could distract his wolf from the fact that their mate had just threatened to leave them. If he allowed himself to dwell on that he was pretty sure that he’d destroy a hell of a lot more than a lamp. Maybe anger management classes were something he should look into.
“What?” she snapped, caught off guard by the question.
“Why?” he repeated. “Why do you want this so badly? Why do you want something you don’t know anything about?”
Bethany threw her hands up in the air and began pacing back and forth in front of the couch with quick little steps. She felt as though standing still had suddenly become beyond her ability. “Why? Are you freaking kidding me? You feed me this bull about your kind, your species,” she spit the word at him. “Needing touch, needing closeness, because it’s so important and necessary and yet you hardly ever touch me. You feed me all this crap and then question why I want to be touched. For eleven years, the only time I was touched was when they fed on me. The only touch I’ve known was violent and vile. My skin crawls every time I think of it and every time I shower I scrub myself raw hoping that I can get the feel of their cold flesh from my own. Why? Why?” Bethany laughed a humorless, empty laugh. “Can you imagine living for eleven years without a hug, without a pat on the shoulder, without a squeeze, a nudge, even a handshake? Why does anyone need touch, Drake? Canis lupus aren’t the only ones who need to feel wanted, needed, loved, desired. Those are human needs too.” She glanced over at the clock on the wall and when she looked back at him her face was devoid of the emotions that only moments ago were written all over her.
Dread filled Drake’s stomach as Bethany took a backward step toward the door. “You know what? Just forget it. I don’t want your hands on me. In fact, you aren’t allowed to touch me.”
“Bethany, don’t,” he warned.
“You forfeited that right when you decided I was too stupid to understand my own feelings and wants and needs. Do not attempt to touch me, Drake.”
“Don’t say that,” Drake said his anger turning to desperation. “You don’t understand how our magic works. You have to be careful with your words. Take it back.”
“No.”
“Bethany, take it back. Now.”
She crossed her arms in front of her chest and stared back at him defiantly. “No. It’s my body and I decide who touches it. I don’t have to endure unwanted hands on me anymore. And your hands are most definitely unwanted. Now,” —she glanced at the clock again— “I have somewhere to be.” She turned on her heel and marched toward the door. Her back was ramrod straight and her shoulders pulled back proudly.
“What do you mean you have somewhere to be? Where are you going?” Drake hurried after her.
“Out and none of your business.”
“It is my business. You are my mate. I have every right—”
“NO,” she growled, turning swiftly as she opened the door. “You gave up your rights to me when you decided I was incapable of knowing what I wanted or needed because I was too young-minded. I’d rather be without you than to be made to feel like a naughty child for expressing my desires. I would rather be alone and believe me, Drake, that is something my simple, young mind can comprehend. I’ve got alone down to an art form.”
The door slammed behind her and he was left staring at the spot where she’d been. What had just happened? How had things gone from him touching the marks on her leg to her forbidding his touch and then leaving? And where the hell was she going and with whom?
It took a strength he didn’t know he possessed to open the door and walk out calmly. He followed her trail until it ended at the library and there he stood, careful to stay out of the way of any vents that might carry his scent inside.
She was angry with him, fine. But she wasn’t leaving him. Not when she hadn’t even given them a real chance. If he had to follow her around like a miserable puppy, then that’s what he’d do.