Chapter 96 - Right here, right now

**Hopes pov**

I’m sitting on the couch opposite Mercedes and the beast. He still hasn’t shifted back.
“It’s like he’s stuck..the experiments that would..remove his wolf pushed it away for a while..when Patric felt I was threatened it broke through to the surface..but it’s damaged..it didn’t shift all the way and now it won’t retract again.” Mercedes holds his hand as she explains.
He..not it, he!" I say to her, really annoyed. I look at the man, Patric. He is around 6’5 feet tall. His limbs are long and muscular, his neck so strong that you can hardly see where it goes over to shoulders. His jaw is jutted out, as is his nose. The feet are almost completely shifted but larger than a normal werewolf. His wolf has not only shifted in half, it has transformed into something new.
“Can you speak in this form?” I ask but he shakes his head slightly.
“Ok, but you obviously understand?” A nod.
“Can you contact your wolf?” I think I see him furrow his brows in his furred face, then another shake of his head.
“Would it be ok with you if I try? If Luna tries to contact him?” He looks ashamed..like he doesn’t want to be a bother, like he’s not worthy of her attention and my heart aches for him.
“Hey, it’s ok, she wants to help, we both do.” He looks towards Mercedes who intertwines her fingers in his and gives him a smile.
“Let her try, I’m with you no matter what..” He turns back to me and nods gently.
I leave my couch and instead sit on the table in front of him. “*Luna, we need to see if we can help him, try to find his wolf.*” I feel how she becomes focused, I didn’t doubt it for a second, of course she wants to help if a wolf is suffering. I take his big hands in mine and we both close our eyes. Through the mental link Luna shares with her children, she taps into Patric’s subconscious.
It takes almost half an hour and when I finally open my eyes my heart feels heavier. Patric’s fur weathers away and his body slowly returns to his human form. Mercedes quickly finds a blanket which she puts over him as I respectfully stand up and walk over to one of the windows. It’s a sunny, beautiful day. Training is in full swing out there, Greta has set the tables for lunch in the garden. Platter of fruit, potato salad, grilled chicken, bread, cheese and lemonade..life is slowly returning to normal I guess..but there is so much that is not as it should be.
“Luna?” Patric calls my attention and I turn back. He is still a big man but not at all like his wolf self. His hair is dark and so is his skin. His eyes have a light golden brown color that makes them pop in contrast. High cheekbones and full lips. Patric is a very attractive man, but his expression is sad. He could see exactly what Luna found. His wolf is very damaged, both physically and mentally. All the drugs and elixir injections have resulted in that he will never be able to shift completely again, he will also have difficulty controlling his shifts. His mental health may be improving, it is a result of his own mate doing this to him..it was Mercedes who treated him and even though the bond is there, his wolf feels betrayed and hurt. I can only imagine the pain.
“Thank you Luna..thank you for managing to reach him, I can feel him again.”
“Don’t thank me, just promise to keep working on getting better, you both need to work hard and be honest with eachother..If you’re willing to stay here, we’d love to keep helping you” I can see the guilt in Mercedes’ face, she knows how guilty she is. I can’t bring myself to feel for her in this state, after seeing Patric’s injured wolf huddled in his subconscious..the matted fur full of bald patches, the amputated tail, the bleeding gums. The sound of grief and pain as it whimpered, the cries as Luna curled around him to comfort him. Mercedes is very much to blame for this.
“We would love to stay!” she said, looking back and forth between me and Patric. He nodded in agreement.
“Good, that’s good..I will have someone bring you clothes and then you can enjoy the lunch in the garden” I give them a smile and leave the room and rushes up the stairs.
I lean against the closed door in our room and concentrate on breathing, the scent of Callum is in the room and has a certain calming effect but my heart still races. The dreams that have made me relive my time in custody, Zandra’s condition, Zara’s confession and the sight of Patric’s wolf have really thrown me off balance. I feel someone try to open the door behind me and take a step from it, the next second I’m in Callum’s arms. My breathing quickens until my breaths are short and rapid, my body shakes violently, and I feel the room rock beneath me.
“Easy..I got you..sch sch.” Callum strokes my hair and back as he talks soothingly, I feel Beacon reach out to Luna to calm her as well.
He carries me to the couch and pulls a blanket over us both.
“You need to slow down Hope..everything you’ve been through, you can’t just throw yourself into new problems ,you need to recover..let me take care of you please.” I nod against his chest and close my eyes, focusing on his heartbeats.
“We are not leaving this room today, we are staying right here, just us.”
“But Callum, Zandra..“
“If anything changes we’ll know and we’re only ten seconds away, please Hope..just do as I say, just this one time?” He kiss my head and again I nod. After a while, my heart beats at the same rate as Callum’s, my breathing is calm and the room is still.
When I wake up, I’m curled up in bed. Callum tiptoes around to be as quiet as possible, as not to wake me. I glance at the window to try to get an idea of how long I slept, it looks like it’s getting dark. Callum accidentally kicks a chair and I hear him whisper a whole string of profanities before he looks over to see if I’m awake. When our eyes meet, time stands still for a moment. He comes over to the bed and gives me a kiss. It is light and gentle but feels so nice and right. I put my arms around his neck and pull him closer, deepening the kiss. His hands grip my hair and when I part my lips and feel his tongue, an intense shiver runs through my body.
“I’ve missed you so much Hope” , he talks into my mouth at the same time as he kisses and nibbles on my lips. I grab his t-shirt and pull it over his head, desperate to feel his skin. His kisses continue down the length of my neck, he gives his mark a little extra attention and as his teeth scrape gently a loud moan leaves my lips. My tank top is torn in two and after a bit of fiddling, my bra is thrown away in frustration.
“I’ve missed you so fucking much” he half talks, half growls as he continues down, sucking my breast into his mouth before letting it out and teasing my nipple with his tongue. His hands get rid of my shorts and panties and when I feel his fingers between my folds I’m on the verge of breaking. He rubs my nob slow at first but as I start moving my hips against him he increases the speed. In one swift movement he dives down between my legs, placing them on his shoulders to hold me in place while his mouth closes over my clit. He sucks and licks and inserts two fingers without warning and I come immediately. He continues caressing my insides as my muscles contract, prolonging my orgasm.
“Callum..your clothes, take them off!” I moaned. He gave me a few more sucking kisses before leaving the bed. The feeling that he is to far away comes over me and I sit up on the bed and reach for him, impatient, I want him now! I unbutton his jeans and pull them and his boxers down at the same time. He is rock hard and I lick my lips before I pull him towards me. I kiss the smooth head before I take him in my mouth and enjoy his roaring consent. Relaxing my jaws and my throat I take him deeper as he starts to thrust against me. He grabs my hair and his thrusts quicken before I hear him scream my name and feel him pulsing in my mouth as he comes. I continue to suck him softly until I have swallowed the last drop. He stands panting for a while, his hands continue to stroke my hair and massage my shoulders before he pushes me down on the bed and hooks my legs with his arms. The second I feel him inside me, I also feel all our worries disappear and the world around us fade away. There is only the two of us, right here, right now.