Page 49 of Alpha Reid

“I thought bad girls didn’t get fucked?” I tease, my breathing still a bit ragged.

Reid chuckles lowly, sliding an arm underneath me and pulling me in close. “Careful with that mouth of yours. I could go again.”

I rest my cheek against his pec, tracing the muscles of his abs with my fingertips and smiling to myself. “Me too.”

A growl vibrates in his chest. “Damnit, woman. You’re gonna be the death of me, you know that?” he murmurs against my wet hair.

A lump forms in my throat.Fuck, what if that’s true?I can’t bear the thought of anything happening to Reid. I arrived here wanting to keep my distance, but now I’m in too deep. I care about him. I care about the girls. I even care about his friends. The list of people I need to try to save just keeps growing.

“Fuck it,” he sighs, wrapping his arms around me tight and pressing a kiss to my temple. “Guess I’ll die happy.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

Reid

The sound of screams wakes me from a dead sleep. I should be used to it by now- it’s a nightly occurrence with Serena sleeping in the room next door. I’m not, though, and each night of sitting by and doing nothing to intervene or comfort her is worse than the last. My wolf whines and paces, desperate to get to our mate and console her. If only I could fight her demons for her, find some way to rid her of the nightmares for good.

Laying here and doing nothing while she suffers is excruciating, even moreso tonight than usual. Maybe it’s because we just fucked. Probably not the smartest move, given the state of everything, but it’s not like I set out after her with the intention to strip her naked on the lawn and give her the business. I can’t say I have any regrets, though, because that sex was fucking next level. I don’t know if it’s her or the bond or the chemistry between us that was always bound to combust, but just thinking about it has me craving more.

Right now, though, all I can focus on is the sound of her screams through the wall. Like every time before, my wolf is rattling my cage, pushing me to get off my ass and do something to calm our mate’s distress. He’s driven me to try a few times in the past, but her bedroom door is always locked.

What’s it they say- that the definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over and expecting a different result? Call me insane, because I’m climbing out of bed and heading next door to torture myself some more, knowing I’ll hit the roadblock of a locked door.

Only this time, when I test the knob, it opens.

“No!” Serena cries out through the darkness, her limbs thrashing.

I’m at her side in two seconds flat, reaching down for her shoulder to try to jostle her awake.

“No, no, no…” she whines, her arms flailing out to fight against me in her dream state. A thin sheen of sweat clings to her body, her chest heaving as she struggles for air.

“Serena…” I say gently, shaking her a little harder. “You’ve gotta wake up, it’s just a…”

Her eyes fly open on a scream, colliding with mine through the dark. She jerks away from me, sitting up as tears immediately spring to her eyes and flow down her cheeks. Something inside of me breaks upon seeing her this way, and without thinking, I’m sliding onto the bed beside her, wrapping my arms around her body and pulling her onto my lap.

She tucks her knees in tight and curls into me, her body trembling as she continues to sob. I feel her warm, wet tears trickle against my skin as she buries her face in my bare chest and I press a kiss to the top of her head.

“It was just a dream, little wolf,” I murmur, stroking her back soothingly. It feels good to be close to her right now; to be her wolf in shining armor. She may not want to be saved but damnit, I’m still gonna try. It’s just who I am.

“It felt so real,” she whispers, her lips brushing against my skin. “The dreams always do.”

I stroke my fingers through Serena’s silky hair, trailing them down the curve of her spine. “As long as you’re here with me, you’re safe.”

She sucks in a breath, blowing it out slowly. The next words she utters are so quiet that I almost don’t hear them. “For now,” she whispers under her breath.

“Hey,” I sigh, sliding a finger under Serena’s chin and tipping her face up to look at me. Those gorgeous ice-blue eyes meet my own, still shiny from her tears, and my heart beats faster. “You’ll always be safe with me.”

Serena reaches up to cup my jaw, her gaze locked on mine with burning intensity. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

I heave another sigh, closing my eyes and pressing my forehead to hers. I wish she’d just let go and trust me. I wish I could trust her. Those words could mean so many different things, coming from her lips- I’ve yet to piece together the puzzle that is Serena Harper. Will we ever be able to trust one another?

She lets me just hold her for a while, and even though my head’s a goddamn mess of questions and worst-case scenarios, it feels good to hold her. A little too good. I could get used to this.

Her body relaxes and her tears dry, and when she finally moves to climb off of my lap, I reluctantly loosen my grip around her body. She slips under the covers beside me, which I take as my cue to leave, but she speaks up before I do.

“Hey Reid?” Serena asks drowsily, making herself comfortable under the blankets.

“Yeah?” I rasp, my own voice gravelly from lack of sleep.

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