Having her mate next to her will help calm her down.
Trust me.
Milo and I are most content when we have physical contact.
Even if it’s just holding hands.”
A few things to know about me, I’m twenty-four years old.
I run the largest werewolf pack in all of North America.
In the olden days, I would’ve been considered the king of the northwestern United States and southern Canadian regions.
Nowadays, I’m called an ‘Alpha Regent’, which means I’m responsible for all the smaller packs in my region.
We haven’t been in a monarchy for centuries.
Each pack has an Alpha and Luna who enforce the laws for their pack.
If there’s a problem, I get involved.
If it’s a big problem, we have a Council of Elders who get involved in the situation.
I’ve fought in two werewolf wars.
I declined to take the title of General and fought in the ranks with the rest of the militia.
Yes, my wolf Saint and I have killed werewolves.
We’ve also killed vampires, witches, and even a werebear.
I’m not proud of it but death is inevitable in war.
Maybe it’s my military background, but I’m strictly business when I’m in public.
It’s earned me a reputation of being…
well…
I guess you could say ‘not so nice.’ I do have to admit, I can be a bit of a hothead.
It’s not as bad as it used to be though.
When I’m with my family or my ranked members, I’ve learned to relax a bit.
With all that being said, I haven’t had time to hold a girl’s hand other than a handshake since I was sixteen years old, let alone lay next to a girl.
My palms feel a little sweaty at the thought of laying next to Kas.
She is the most beautiful wolf I have ever laid eyes on.
I’m also a little worried that Saint won’t control himself.
“Don’t put this on me, buddy. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited to meet her wolf, but I’m not gonna jump an unconscious girl, for Goddess sake!” He chimes in.
“Come on, Bronx. You had no problem holding her in the car ride here.” Lenora justifies when she sees me looking uncomfortable.
“Well, I mean, that was different, ya know. She was wrapped up in a giant quilt, not in my bed wearing my favorite t-shirt but, uh, okay. Yeah, uh, I’ll give it a try after you leave.” I try playing it cool, but fail miserably.
Lenora rolls her eyes at me and heads out the door.
“Good luck, Casanova!” She calls as the door closes behind her.
I stand awkwardly next to the bed and clear my throat as I rock back and forth on my heels.
I’m not sure how to go about this.
“Dude. Start by sitting down. You’re making me nervous.” Saint scolds.
“Sit. Yeah, good idea. Uh, okay…” I look around as I wipe my sweaty hands on my pants and grab a chair from the kitchen table.
I move it to the bedside and slowly reach out for Kas’s hand.
“It’s not a live grenade, it’s just our mate’s hand. Stop being a weenie.” Saint teases.
I have always been taught that you need to ask a woman’s permission to touch her, unless she is trying to kill you, then all bets are off.
Right now seems like an ask permission situation, but there is no one to ask.
My mate seems to be in an endless sleep.
“Kas,” I whisper softly, “um, Lenora thinks it would be a good idea if I laid down with you, but I don’t want to do that. I mean, I do but I want to be sure that’s what you want first. So, um, if it’s alright, I’m just going to hold your hand for a while. Hopefully it will help you somehow? I don’t know. Just please understand, I’m doing my best to control myself here. I want to do what’s best for you. It would be a lot easier to do that if you woke up and told me exactly what that is.”
Just as she has for the last three days, she lays deathly still.
I take a deep breath.
Here goes nothing:
Little zaps of electricity hit me as our fingertips touch.
She sighs deeply with a slight whine and turns her head toward me.
I almost pull my fingers back, but I see her face look more relaxed than it has in the week that I’ve known her.
Very slowly, I slide my hand into hers, letting the sparks flow between us.
Her hand in mine feels like the most natural thing in the world.
I pull our joined hands to my lips and place a small kiss on her hand.
Her scent of fresh rain and lilacs overwhelms my senses and makes me relaxed too.
I lay my head against the mattress and just watch her sleep.
“I’m sorry I scared you earlier, but I’m here now, Kas, and wild werebears couldn’t drag me away from you,” I whisper.
I pull her hand toward me and press it to my cheek.
I haven’t slept more than an hour at a time in almost a week but I can’t bring myself to look away from her.
I sit there and watch her sleep, with her soft hand against my cheek.
I don’t know how much time passes before my eyes feel heavier and heavier until sleep takes me away.