☽ Chapter 30: Hot Spring Catch - Up ☾

?Chapter 30 – Hot Spring Catch-Up?

The sensation of fingers drawing soft circles on my skin wakes me from my deep sleep. My naked body is pressed against another, their scent wrapping around me, making me feel safe and secure. I sigh happily, snuggling closer to Ariven as he chuckles, placing a soft kiss on my forehead. “Good morning, darling.” He whispers, his hand moving from drawing circles on my skin to running through my hair. “Good morning, handsome.” I reply with a yawn, opening my eyes to find my mate staring back at me. The early morning breeze brings the scent of wildflowers to me, reminding me that we spent the last week hidden away from my wolves and Hidden Claws, lost in the pleasure the heat brought. My body is sore, my neck slightly throbbing from being teased and bitten where my mark is, as Ariven and I claimed each other day after day. The hunger the heat brought felt stronger than ones experienced in the past, and the only theory I have is because my mate is beside me this time, able to help quench the fire running through my veins. “How are you feeling today?” I yawn again as Ariven asks his question, seeing his easy-going smile as his fingers trail to his mark on my neck, making me shiver slightly. “Sore and tired. I’m not sure I can walk to the guest house.” I answer, turning onto my back and stretching to see which spots on my body were the worst. “I saw a hot spring nearby that we can soak in if you’d like.” I smile at the idea, agreeing instantly to this idea and asking Ariven to carry me there. I have a feeling that if I try to stand my knees will buckle and I will fall to the ground like a newborn deer trying to walk for the first time. As I’m happily snuggled in his arms, Ariven informs me that during the last seven days when I was in my heat-filled haze he would hold me while I slept and link with Lace, Mika, Maddie, and Matt. The twins supervised training making sure everyone abided by the rules, and Lace’s team managed to increase their strength and stamina the fastest, but Mika and his team also were able to run the ten miles without passing out now. Pride swells inside me at the leadership the siblings have been able to prove, knowing that Lace is prioritizing her team’s time with training and working on their weak spots while Mika focuses on his team’s stamina and endurance. I can see these two returning Hidden Claws to its former glory in no time. “Alex also linked me last night. His and Missy’s pup was born, and Amberle came to visit them to see how they were doing handling the pack with a newborn.” I smile, thinking of the new member of my family and deciding to stop on our return trip to buy a few things for the pup and Missy, knowing the she-wolf will need her coffee addiction fed and some feminine products to help get her through a few weeks. I can’t wait to go home and see my brother being so haggard with sleepless nights caused by a newborn and running a pack at the same time. “Your dad asked to see you before he left. Maddie told him about your heat, and instead he linked me. I told him we were a little busy finishing the mate bond. I have a feeling I have an ass whooping coming my way when we go to visit him.” Ariven informs me as we cuddle in the hot spring. I chuckle, knowing that my mate is correct in my father giving his new son-in-law a good ass beating when the chance arrives, and I will be front row and centre, recording it all to share with the pack and to embarrass my mate for many years to come. “Were there any Soulless attacks on Hidden Claws while we were unreachable?” I ask, the heat from the water easing my sore muscles and making me drowsy. “Yes, two small attacks, but they did not last long. As Lace put it, it was as if they were looking for something or someone.” I frown, thinking about what the Soulless would look for, but then I freeze, jolting away from Ariven and staring at him as panic rises inside me. “Me." I state, running a hand through my wet hair. It all makes sense why his Soulless pack would perform small attacks on Hidden Claws. “What do you mean, you, Gem?” Ariven pulls me back to his lap, holding me tightly while I take deep breaths of his scent, his lips placing gentle kisses on my mark that help to calm me down. “Their leader sent them to find me.”