Page 187 of The Delta's Rogue
The sounds are different from home but comforting nonetheless. Combined with the constellations above us, the breeze teasing the ends of our hair, and the innate familiarity I feel with Haven, a peace settles over me that I was unable to find while with Sebastian.
We stand together in comfortable silence, both of us relaxing under the sliver of moonlight and the innumerable stars, both of us wearing shirts that belong to our mates—the Stone males. Sebastian’s shirt hangs to my knees. My petite frame swims in it. And Haven’s body would drown in Wesley’s shirt too were it not for her pregnant belly stretching it out.
The breeze picks up in strength and speed, blowing my hair across my face, and I tuck it behind my ears. Haven’s nostrils flare. Her jaw ticks, and she flicks her eyes towards the trees, scanning the borders of Peter’s property.
“Why are you out here?” I ask.
She tears her attention away from the forest, where it lingered on the line of trees. “I couldn’t sleep.”
“Because you’re worried about the attack tomorrow?”
She gives me a soft chuckle and glances down at her stomach, her hands framing the large bump. “That, and this future alpha is making it very difficult to get any good sleep lately.” Her gaze shifts back towards the sky, like when I first exited the house. “So, Icame out here and…”
I follow her gaze and wait for her to continue, but she’s silent. “I couldn’t sleep either,” I say.
She nods her response, but her eyes stay locked on the sky.
“Where’s Wesley?” I ask.
“He’s asleep.”
“And Nolan?”
“I didn’t want to bother him and Cassandra.”
“He’s your gamma,” I remind her. “You wouldn’t be bothering them. He’s supposed to protect you.”
“He works too hard and takes his job too seriously sometimes.”
“He cares about you.”
“I know. He’ll be pissed when he finds out I came out here by myself, but Nolan deserves a break. I’m not going to interrupt his night with his mate because I can’t sleep. He needs to connect with his mate pre-battle just as much as the rest of us do.”
A teasing smile graces her elegant features and lights up her sapphire-blue eyes as they flick towards my neck. The smile turns into a bigger, knowing grin when I instinctively reach for my mark at her words and what they imply.
“I can’t say I’m surprised Sebastian marked you,” she says, still smiling. “Those Stone men are quite possessive.”
I smile with her as I trace over my marking spot and remember the heated, romantic moment Sebastian and I shared together. I remember the passion, the intensity, the explosive connection. The way he took charge, took command of my body and my pleasure, and yet was gentle with me. I remember the words he said to me, how he told me and showed me in equal measure how much he loves me.
The entire experience was better than any fantasy I concocted in my mind over the years of what it would be like when we finally marked each other.
“I marked him too,” I tell her.
“So your lycan is back?” Haven’s aura brightens, and her eyes widen in excitement.
I sigh and cross my arms on the railing. “She was. For a moment. When Sebastian marked me, I felt her waking up, so I took all of her energy, pushed her to the front of my mind, and marked him back. As soon as I did, she was gone again.” I shake my head. “I should have saved that energy, so I’d have her with me for the fight, instead of wasting it on marking him.”
“It wasn’t a waste.”
“It was selfish. I was thinking only of myself and our bond, and not of everyone counting on us to be in top form tomorrow.”
“I don’t think it was selfish either,” she says. “He’s your mate. It’s…instinctive to want to mark and claim your mate. I’d mark Wesley in a heartbeat if I could.”
She takes a deep breath and stares back out at the forest and the night sky. The hand on her stomach strokes it absentmindedly, and she shifts her weight between her feet as she counts the stars.
“I…I have an idea,” she says between the deep breaths she takes. “I’ve had this idea for a while, actually. With how volatile my aura’s been, Wesley—and the others—feel it’s too risky for me to try while pregnant, but…”
“What’s the idea?”
