Page 7 of Saving Nevin
Another soft whimper, closer now. I rolled onto my side so that I was facing the wolf. He stared up at me, droopy ears and all. Resting his chin on my mattress, he whined and the sound nearly broke my heart. He sounded so sad…
I swallowed and fondled his ear. “It’s okay. No one’s gonna hurt you,” I told him in a hushed voice. “You’re safe here. I won’t let anyone else touch you, I promise.” But the wolf continued to whine. I frowned. Maybe he was afraid of the dark? Or maybe he wasn’t used to sleeping alone?
That gave me an idea.
“One sec,” I said, kicking the covers off. Scooting to the middle of the bed, I closed my eyes and called upon my own inner-wolf, who’d been restless all day. He wanted to be close to his mate. As fur prickled up through my skin, I could feel his joy. The shift washed over me, fast and fierce.
My tail wagging, I jumped off the bed to join him on the floor. The Omega’s eyes flashed wide in the darkness before another strangled whimper escaped him. He sunk to his belly on the carpet and pinched his eyes shut. Tucking his tail, he rolled stiffly onto his side to expose his throat. My heart sank.
God, what had this poor boy been through?
I dropped down to his level and belly-crawled closer. I couldn’t help myself; I buried my nose in his white fur and inhaled his wintry scent. He smelled like frosted pine and wild berries.Mine,insisted my wolf.Mate.
I wagged my tail and nudged his cheek, then licked a stripe up his muzzle. My heart beat loud and fast, dancing through my chest like a wild thing as I snuggled up beside the loner. Being so near my mate made me feel almost giddy. His flagged ears slowly perked up when he realized that I wasn’t going to hurt him.
His tail thumped in an uncertain wag and my chest squeezed.Yes. You’re mine,I wanted to tell him.No one’ll ever touch you again.
I stood and nudged his rump, woofed softly, then retreated to the nest of bedding on the floor. I laid down and watched him, waiting for him to join me. He glanced from side to side, then slowly crept over. He settled in beside me, but his muscles were tight and tense. Nervous. He smelled nervous.
I licked his cheek, hoping to offer some sort of comfort to the frightened Omega. Hoping that he would realize that not all wolves were dangerous, that I would keep him safe.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, the wolf relaxed against me and tucked his face into my shoulder. He heaved a heavy sigh, like this exchange had utterly exhausted him. It probably had. He still had a long way to go before he was fully healed. I wrapped my large body around him and draped my neck gently over his.
For tonight, the hard floor would have to do. Tomorrow, though…
Tomorrow we would sleep in my bed.
7
NEVIN
The first coupleof days blurred together in a mixture of pain medication and exhaustion, but I could feel my body healing, little by little. Somehow, by way of a miracle, I’d escaped death’s icy grasp. I’d survived the attack that was meant to end my life, and now I was here.
With Kace.
We spent the first night curled up on the floor together, but the following evening, Kace gently picked me up in his arms and laid me down on his bed.
“Comfy?” he’d asked, raising a brow before winking at me, but that wink was paired with reddening cheeks and a nervous laugh. He’d joined me in wolf form, and from there, we continued to spend every night together in his bed.
With each day that passed, the pain lessened and I was able to get around a little easier. I no longer needed help taking a piss, thank god. Talk about mortifying.
It hurt, though. Kace was exactly the kind of Alpha I could see myself mated to, in another life. The man was sweet and understanding, and he did his best to take care of me. He doted on me and cooked me meals. He was an amazing cook.
But I knew better than to get attached.
Even though Kace had assured me, many times, that I was welcome in his pack? The harsh truth was, I wasn’t mate material. I couldn’t reproduce. I couldn’t give him a child, which made me useless to the eldest son of the Alpha. He’d want heirs. He’d want to continue his bloodline. I couldn’t be that Omega, no matter how much I wished it.
Kace saved my life. I got lucky. I’d been mere minutes away from death, and if Kace hadn’t found me? My broken corpse would be rotting in those woods as we speak. The thought chilled me to the bone. I owed Kace my life. I would stand by the Alpha’s side, loyal to the end. Someone he could call a friend, at the very least. That’s all we could ever be.
Even if my heart ached for more.
Someday, Kace would make someone the happiest Omega in the world, but that Omega wouldn’t be me.
I shook my head quickly to rid myself of those thoughts. No. I needed to be thankful for the second chance, not bitter. No regrets. Even if I wasn’t worthy of a mate, Kace had assured me that I had a pack now, and that they would keep me safe. That alone was worth more than all the sorrow in the world.
“Ready to go out?” After dinner, Kace nodded towards the door that led out into the backyard. He bounced a shoulder, then swung it open wide. I ambled to my feet and hurried after him best I could, dragging this bulky cast around. It thumped over the hard-packed earth with each step.
To my surprise, Kace shifted as well. My fickle heart skipped at the sight of the handsome Alpha, in all of his rugged glory. He was tall and stocky and built like a tank, with a long muzzle and large pointed ears that seemed to swivel around like little radars.
