Wounded Kiss (To Be Claimed 1)

“She’s in heat … What the hell was I supposed to do? Let her suffer?”

I wait a moment for him to answer. His silence pisses me off.

“She was barely coherent.” I sneer the words in my head, all the while staying relaxed on the surface for my Grace. Her body molds perfectly to mine. I’ve witnessed the heat before, in my old pack. I’m surprised it took me so long to realize that’s what was going on with her. Especially with that sweet, intoxicating smell filling up the room. My head wasn’t right with her looking at me like I was dangerous. Like I was going to hurt her. She shouldn’t feel like that around me. With my touch though, she reacted like she should have.

Peering down at her small, huddled form, she presses against me with her eyes closed. She’s so beautiful and serene, and now she’s right where she belongs.

“How about you give her some space? The farther away she is from you, the better she’ll be till the full moon.”

The young wolf has a good point. I’ll be able to claim her then. There wasn’t a part of me that thought I’d fuck this up like I just did. “She’ll still be in pain.” The heat’s a bitch. She’ll writhe in agony once it hits her again.

“It won’t be as bad if you stay away from her.”

Grace shifts in my lap, nuzzling into my chest as her breathing evens out and deepens. Just the thought of staying away from her makes the wolf within me whine in pain.

“Easy for you to say. I’ve waited a year to have her. You haven’t even met your mate yet. And the pull will only get stronger as the moon waxes.”

I stroke her back to settle her and it seems to be helping. “I should explain everything to her. Maybe that’ll put an end to whatever’s going on in her pretty little head.”

“How do you think Lizzie will react?”

I stifle a sigh. Lev makes another good point. My little brother has always been more logical than me. More empathetic, perhaps. Caleb and Dom aren’t ready to tell her and Lizzie isn’t in any condition to hear that news. As the Alpha of the pack, their needs come before my own. My heart hurts for my mate, though. She doesn’t trust me or anything that she’s feeling. For fuck’s sake, she thought I drugged her.

“You could let them see each other. Caleb and Dom are going crazy because Lizzie won’t come out of the bathroom and she’s crying again. Something is really wrong with her. That’ll give your mate something to focus on.”

“Did you get their paperwork from Vince yet?” More silence from Lev answers my question. “He isn’t back yet, is he?” I clench my fists and scowl before I can catch myself. Thankfully, Grace has fallen asleep on my chest. The last thing I need to do is to frighten her anymore.

“Not yet.”

“When he gets back, I’m going to kick his ass.” Motherfucker can’t listen to orders for the life of him. I know him being MIA has something to do with finding his mate, but he could’ve waited until things were settled here. “What about Caleb?”

“Haven’t heard from him yet. He’s probably still packing up their stuff.” I nod my head even though he can’t see me. The fresh scent of Grace’s hair wafts toward me and I breathe her in. She smells just like she tastes, like caramel apples on a crisp autumn night. My mouth waters at the memory.

“You want some privacy, alpha?” I can hear Lev’s laugh.

“Fuck off.” Even as I say it, I smile. I’ll get my mate’s worries worked out and then everything will be perfect. It has to be. My fingers twine with her brunette locks and I bend down just enough to kiss her temple.

“Where do you want all of their shit when it gets here?”

“I want it set up exactly as it was in their place. Put it all in the east wing.”

“You don’t think that will freak them out?”

“They need comfort and privacy right now. They want to go home so we’ll give them their home to run to.”

“That’s fucking crazy, Dev.”

A low growl rumbles deep within my chest, causing Grace to whimper. Fuck. I stroke her back until she settles again.

“I’m surprised she’s bothered at all by your growl. I could feel those vibes you threw at her. It knocked Jude on his ass.” I can hear him chuckle.

“Yeah? It didn’t get to you too?” I know it had to because it took everything in me to get her to bow. The moment she did, though, I regretted it. She’s my equal. My temper will be our undoing.

“Course it did. But I stopped doing my laps and bowed like a wolf. Jude fucking dropped like a pussy.” I chuckle and the movement wakes Grace. At first she’s content and almost nuzzles back into me. Then her eyes open wider and she stiffens.