Chapter 8

Cole

Ipeek into the bedroom, my wolf happy seeing Mora curled up in our blanket, sound asleep still. I didn’t believe Sammy when he said she was still asleep when I stopped in this morning, but now, it’s clear my little mate did in fact need the extra rest.

I was up by seven, pacing the floors trying to give her time, but I finally had enough around nine-thirty. I needed to see her and found Sammy barring my way instead. It was only his exhaustion that had me leaving earlier—well, that and the things he’d told me that I should have realized sooner.

If Thomas was prepared to reject his true mate simply for not being a full blood, it’s not any stretch to believe that he didn’t want humans in his packhouse. I didn’t even need Barry’s confirmation that there were no human mates amongst the alpha ranks except for Mora’s mother to believe Sammy’s words. Barry’s confirmation that only a few of the pack’s omegas had human mates and that they lived in a separate building away from the packhouse, or smaller houses simply made me angry that I didn’t think of it earlier. That I wasn’t prepared for when I brought my mate home. What to expect, do, to make her feel safer.

I’ve spent the morning rectifying that and now am back to wait for my mate to wake. Seeing her sleeping so peacefully, curled up beneath my blanket calms my urgent need to speak with her. There’s a little smile on her lips and that is enough for me for this moment, no matter how much my wolf wants to sink his teeth into her soft neck and mark her as ours.

“Rest sweetheart,” I drop a kiss to her forehead, brushing her hair from beneath her shoulder, then head back to the living room letting her continue to sleep with my blanket.

My pack members made it for me, not knowing that thanks to my father’s bearen blood that the cold doesn’t bother me in the least. I couldn’t begin to refuse it and have slept atop it every night since. It’s flooded with my scent, which I’m sure Sammy was able to tell, but he still covered my mate with it telling me that he’s coming around to the fact that Mora is mine.

“She’s still asleep,” I tell him as he comes out of the kitchen with his plate of lunch I had brought up and I grab one of my own. “I didn’t have the heart to wake her.”

“She’s finally sleeping and not just napping so that’s good,” he says, his gaze holding mine and I don’t bother hiding my smile. “Look, just because subconsciously she’s comforted by your scent doesn’t mean she’s going to let it sway her to you any time soon. She’s got a deep mistrust when it comes to shifters for a good reason and your first introduction to her didn’t score you any bonus points. You’re going to have to give her time unless you want to drive her away.”

“So you’re say not to tell her the blanket is mine and that’s why it’s made her rest so much easier?” I state pulling a nod from the kid. “But you know she’s mine, my mate.”

“Yes, but until she knows it and accepts it, you’re going to have to deal with your frustrations out of his sight. You push her too much and she’s just going to run the other way,” Sammy warns and while I hate the words, I’m thankful that he’s telling me and not hiding it, not trying to keep us apart.

By two, I’m growing restless. Not because I need to be out doing something or need a run, but because I need to see Mora’s eyes, hear her voice again. My wolf starts to flip around inside my chest when we finally hear sounds of life coming from Mora’s room, and I have to smile when she walks into the living room, her eyes still heavy from her sleep. She’s dressed in a pair of thick leggings with a sweater on top and I want to pull her into my arms and hold on tight. To warm her further and also to simply feel her little body against mine again.

“Afternoon sleepyhead,” Sammy says, giving her a hug that makes my jaw tense. I should be the one that can freely touch her, not her brother. She’s my mate and should want me to hold her most out of anyone in the world, but one look her way and I know she doesn’t want me near her, let alone touching her still.

“How are you feeling, Mora?” I ask, staying where I am as she comes further into the room.

“Fine, what are you doing here?” she returns.

“Waiting for you to wake so I can show you around,” I begin but she cuts me off.

“You want me to take five flights of stairs with broken ribs still?”

“No, of course not. I can carry you until you’re recovered,” I offer, pulling a massive shake of the head from her. “Mora, you can’t stay in these rooms forever.”

“Then maybe you should have thought about that before you forced me to come here with you and put us in this tower. I don’t want to be here. Don’t want anything to do with you or the rest of your pack,” she snips, and it takes everything within me to not simply grab and kiss her, show her that she’s mine.

The only thing that keeps me in place is the warning look in Sammy’s eyes, telling me if I do anything stupid right now, he’ll step in between us. I already know if something happens to the kid, if I injure him, Mora will blame me and never accept that she’s my mate. “Alright, if you’re not up to seeing around the place yet, I won’t push, but I do think some fresh air would be good. So perhaps we can sit out on the balcony for a bit while you have something to eat?”

“Whatever,” she sighs, a frown on her face I hate.

“I’ll warm up your lunch. It’s good so no arguing with me, Sis,” Sammy says moving into the kitchen and it gives me a chance to grab the bag so Mora can hopefully feel a bit more comfortable about one thing here.

“This is for you,” I tell her, holding her gaze until she takes the bag and opens it. Her brow furls in question and I smile when she looks back to me. “That is every key to the suite that anyone else had and,” I pause, taking out my keys from my pocket, and slide mine off it as well, “this was mine. Now, you have all of them and if you’d like to come down the hall with me, I can show you what else I had installed this morning.”

Mora glances towards the kitchen, then back to me before setting the bag on the coffee table and following me to the door. I don’t force her to go out it ahead of me or try to crowd her. I push ahead then stop at the door to the stairs, giving her a gentle smile as I wait for her to reach me.

“I had them install locks on here as well. Sammy’s print is already programmed in and if you want to put yours in, it’ll only take a minute. The doors and frames are all steel reinforced so no one can easily break through them, and the only one beyond you and Sammy that will have access to this door until the rest of your family arrives, will be myself, Edgar—my mated cousin and head of security here in the pack, and Danielle. She’s the head of the cleaning crew and will be assigned to help you and your mother with whatever she needs in the suite. She doesn’t have a key to the suite, so you’ll be able to schedule when she comes and goes, alright?” I state, hoping this will let her relax a bit more, prove that her safety is my priority.

“Fine,” she says, letting me program in her prints before we move back to the suite. I can tell by the way she’s moving that she truly is still in pain, and I hate every moment of it.

“Will you please allow me to bring Teresa up to check over you?” I ask when we’re settled in at the balcony’s table. The door inside is still open but Sammy thankfully gave us some room again. He’s on his phone on the couch and I shoot a message to Edar to have a TV brought up. It may take her parents days or weeks to get here, and I don’t want her stuck inside with nothing until they have the remainder of her things here. “Between the attack and the trip here, I need to know you’re not hurting more. Teresa is a skilled healer. I promise she will take good care of you.”

“I’m fine, just stiff from sleeping. It’ll pass,” she argues and for now, I let it go, not wanting to get into a full argument with her right now.

“If it doesn’t, I want your agreement to see Teresa. Mora…”

“Fine, I’ll see her if it gets worse,” she says, rolling her eyes at me and stars above, I never imagined that my mate would be so difficult. Especially when all I want to do is ensure she’s healthy, pain free.

“Good, and while you’re annoyed with me already, also know that for now, I will allow you to rest in here, but once you are better, you will not have an excuse to avoid seeing and meeting the rest of the pack. And if you think you can simply trade on your injuries for an indefinite period of time, know that I will have elevators installed solely to allow you to move amongst the place while avoiding the stairs if necessary.”

“Whatever,” she mutters again, but I let it go as she starts to eat, finishing three-fourths her plate which is more food than she’s consumed the entire trip here, and I don’t argue when she says she’s full. Her plate wasn’t even half that of mine or Sammy’s, but she doesn’t have a wolf to feed and it’s not shocking that her tiny size doesn’t require nearly as much.

The first shiver that slips through her, has me urging her back inside, and I see she’s settled on the couch, introducing her to Edgar as he installs the TV. The lift of his brow and hint of smile on his face when Mora practically ignores me has me walking him to the door while Sammy grabs her a drink.

“Doesn’t seem like your mate is too eager to be here, Cousin,” Edgar states eyeing me intently.

“She was injured in May and then again by John when we attacked Thomas’ pack. She’s reluctant when it comes to shifters because of that, and the mate pull isn’t as deep for her while awake. She needs time to heal and come to terms with it, which is what I’m giving her. Even if it’s the last thing I want to do.”

“Ah, and being human, she’s being obstinate,” he suggests, and I nod. “Good luck then Cousin, I think you’ll need it with that one.”

“So do I, but the best things in life aren’t always the easiest ones,” I muse, reminding myself of that fact over and over the next week and a half as I’m forced to deal with pack atop of Mora’s continued dismissal of being my mate.

The only tick in the plus column is that she finally chose to leave the suite. The downside to that is when she did it. Resulting in her finding me with my hand wrapped around the throat of an intruder.

I pushed the man towards Edgar turning to go after Mora telling him, “If his story isn’t true, take care of him.”

My feet take me around the side of the packhouse, following Mora’s delicate scent with ease, and I move in front of her, stopping her from leaving the gazebo erected in the side yard. “Mora, wait, sweetheart.”

“Don’t call me that,” she huffs, her eyes once more back to little glaring orbs as she stares at me.

“What you just saw isn’t what it looked like, Mora.”

“No? So you didn’t have your hands wrapped around that man’s throat? You weren’t about to kill him?” she questions, and I drag in a deep breath, forcing down the irritation and annoyance that I’m being questioned about what happens in my pack. She may be my mate, one of the only ones that truly can challenge me, but I wasn’t expecting it to ever happen.

“Yes, I was prepared to kill him if he didn’t answer my questions,” I admit, reaching out to stop Mora when she turns away from me to head back to the packhouse. “You have to understand why, Mora,” I state, not releasing her when she tugs on her arm. “If you’d taken the time to meet my pack, you’d know that man isn’t part of it. I’ve never seen him before today and it’s my responsibility to ensure the safety of this pack, not to mention your safety, sweetheart. I didn’t know if he was part of Thomas’ pack who’d followed us up here and was looking for a way to retaliate, or someone that was related to one of the cowards that attacked you and was coming to try and get to you. He refused to speak when questioned despite being a stranger on my land, and if the only way to ensure you stay safe is to kill someone that won’t talk, I’ll damn well do it and never regret it.”

“You weren’t thinking about me when you had your hand around his throat. You were enjoying it. You didn’t care why he was here, if he spoke, you just wanted his blood on your hands because you’re nothing but a cold, heartless brute that enjoys killing, but I’ll never let you put your bloody hands on me,” she seethes. If anyone else shot the look she throws me my way, I’d be challenging them in a heartbeat, but this is my mate, and there’s no way I can hurt her.

I swallow down all of my anger, my pride, and take a calming breath. I’ve no idea if she truly believe what she just said to me or if she’s merely pushing my buttons, seeing if I’ll respond in anger. Either way, I won’t risk her running from me. I can’t.

“I know you’ve dealt with the dark side to shifters and little else, sweetheart so I’m giving you a wide berth here, but the things you just said would have any other man challenging you to prove they’re false, especially when said by their mate,” I warn gently, lifting my free hand up to her face, holding her cheek tenderly. Her shaky breath centers me, and I continue on, ignoring the wild urgings from my wolf to take and claim her now. “If you want to know the kind of man I truly am, then you’re free to spend more time with me, but don’t ever think that I kill for no reason. You are one of the few that can get away with challenging me, sweetheart, but I’ll still only allow it so far. When you say things that have no bearing, no validity, I will call you out on them, but even then, I’ll never lay a hand on you in anger. To show you just how much I can make you want me in return, yes, but never in anger. So choose your tests wisely, my mate.”

“Go to hell,” Mora retorts, pulling back from me and I let her head back inside, praying to the stars for the strength to survive until I can claim her.