Sinclair
I smell Roger the moment I walk through the door. My wolf is immediately alert, and I approach the first guard I see. “Was my brother here?”
“Yes Alpha.” The man replies. “He requested a meeting with Ella, and she granted it.”
I do not like the sounds of that. “How long was he here? Is she alright?”
“They spoke for close to an hour.” The guard replies. “She didn’t seem upset afterwards, but she went to bed early and without supper.”
Worry simmers in my belly. If Roger was here it was undoubtedly to make trouble, and while Ella might have simply been exhausted, I don’t believe these events are unrelated. I haven’t eaten either, but I head straight upstairs to check on the mother of my pup. However when I reach my rooms, Ella isn’t there.
Instead I make my way downstairs to her suite, concern tying my insides into knots. I push open the bedroom door, following the luscious aroma that is Ella, and stalk silently inside. She’s curled up beneath the covers, sleeping as sweetly as can be. I’m smiling despite my inner turmoil, moving to sit by her side as she doses.
Ella is lying on her stomach, her arms folded up beneath her pillow, her rose gold hair spilling over her bare shoulders in a silky cascade. I brush a few locks away from her face, content to simply watch her sleep. She looks so angelic like this, and I feel a fresh wave of worry for what Roger might have said to her. Did she go to bed in her own rooms because I wasn’t home, or because Roger upset her?
I’ll kill him if he’s said or done anything to harm her. The thought circles ominously around me for a long moment, and I’m a bit taken about by the force of my conviction. I feel so protective of this little human – is it really only because she’s carrying my baby?
After a minute Ella’s brow furrows and she whimpers in her sleep. I worry she might be having another nightmare, which brings on yet another flood of possessive energy. What happened in her life that haunted her dreams this way? Was she reliving past horrors, or simply imagining terrors which haven’t actually come to pass? Something about the way she refused to talk about the last one makes me suspect the former.
I push the covers down only far enough to expose the curve of her spine, needing to feel her shape beneath my fingers. When I stroke one large hand down the graceful column she stirs and stretches, turning towards me and unconsciously cuddling closer.
She blinks her brilliant eyes open a moment later, offering me a bleary eyed yawn. “You’re back.”
“I am.” I agree, “And you’re in the wrong bed.” I tease, petting her slender waist and marveling at how small she is compared to me. The breadth of my hand easily circles her ribs, and I wonder if my fingers would actually touch if I tried to wrap my other hand around her middle.
“Mmm,” She moans, the sound like a sultry torment to my oversensitized ears. “You weren’t here.”
“As if that’s any excuse.” I mockingly scold.
“Are you going to make me move?” She murmurs, though her eyes have already closed again and she sighs contentedly as I continue to caress her.
“I should.” I muse, “I should make you get up and have the dinner you skipped.”
Ella peeks one eye open then, pouting in a way that does nothing to garner my sympathy and everything to make me contemplate claiming her plump, pink lips. “Your servants are tattle tales.”
“Uh-huh.” I chuckle, trying to keep my tone light as I continue, “they also told me about your visit with Roger.”
Ella hums with indignation, but doesn’t say more.
“Would you like to tell me what he wanted?” I ask after a moment.
“He was warning me.” She yawns.
“What about?” I rumble, fearing I already know the answer.
“Nothing I didn’t already know.” Ella shrugs sleepily. “That your mate will come along one day and you’ll no longer need me to be Luna.”
Only the sight of Ella contentedly stretching into my touch like a sleepy kitten keeps me from jumping to my feet and growling.
“He has no business saying such things to you.”
“Why not?” She purrs, “It’s true.”
I don’t know why it bothers me so much to hear her speak that way – but it does. “You know that and I know that – but he things you’re my second chance mate like everyone else. He thinks you’re a she-wolf and he has no right to interfere.” The truth is that he completely crossed a line. Ella isn’t familiar enough with our ways to understand how egregious his behavior truly was. If she was truly my mate and another man came along and told her I didn’t actually care for her, I would be well within my rights to challenge him.
Still, Ella isn’t my mate, and though I genuinely hate hearing her talk about a future where we aren’t together, I know she’s being pragmatic. That’s the arrangement we agreed upon. She would be equally justified to dissolve our agreement if she met a man.
Before I’ve even finished the thought, my wolf is roaring in my head, driven over the edge by the idea of Ella being with anyone else. It takes all my willpower to keep him reined in, and I’m glad Ella is only half awake. I’m sure it’s just the pup growing in her belly – I wouldn’t care otherwise, but as long as she’s carrying my child, the idea of another man – even a human – coming near her makes me absolutely furious. I breathe in a deep sigh, trying to get my wolf back under control. Of course this only amplifies her delicious scent, and my wolf becomes distracted once more.
“You washed off my scent again.” I observe, thankful that my voice sounds much calmer than I feel.
Ella flushes despite her foggy state. “I had to – I was covered in chocolate and whipped cream and who knows what else.”
Oh how quickly things can change, I think sadly. This afternoon I wanted nothing more than to lick every inch of her body clean, and now I’m glad the temptation is gone. If I’d gone down that road there would have been no turning back, and this afternoon was a cautionary tale I won’t soon forget. Ella and I have to find a way to move forward in our agreement without all the pent up sexual tension – maybe she realized the same thing after Roger’s visit. Maybe that’s the real reason she chose to sleep in her own bed.
I see the logic of it, and yet I can’t seem to stop myself from flirting. “Hmm, and who’s fault was that?”
“Yours.” Ella replies easily, still not opening her eyes.
“Oh really? I seem to remember you throwing the first handful.” I remind her amusedly.
Again that sumptuous pout, more tempting than she could possibly realize. “You provoked me.”
“Such a temper.” I tease, running my fingers through her long hair. “if I didn’t know any better I’d think you were a wolf.”
“I think I’d like to be one.” She confesses wistfully, “Just to shift and experience what it would be like to be that free.”
I can hear the emotion in her voice clear as day, even though she’s not truly awake. Her words make me wonder what Ella would be like as a wolf, and I have to admit I find the idea more plausible than I would for most humans. She’s so strong of will and spirit, clever, intuitive, both deeply independent and pack oriented – she’s even skittish like she’s wrangling a wild inner animal.
Suddenly I find myself wishing that she was a wolf too, so we could be together without all these complications. “What am I going to do with you, Ella?”
I can’t afford these distractions, and I need to be caring for my family and the pack, not rutting Ella senseless. I’m not even sure if she could withstand the affections of a wolf. She’s so small, so delicate. I can’t risk her or the pup. I have to simply be grateful she’s safe, and give up hoping for more – for both our sakes.
She rolls onto her back, looking up at me curiously. “Earlier you said ‘we’ll finish this later.’” She reminds me. “What did you mean?”
Damn. I’d meant I was going to kiss her until she forgot her own name and take her to bed, but I’ve seen the error of my ways only too well today. “I meant we’d finish talking about security and setting boundaries.” I lie instead. “But we can talk about that tomorrow.”
