Page 69 of The Hidden Falling
“Hey, little man,” I say, lifting him up to my face so I can nuzzle him, his little tongue covering me in saliva. More yips and the other three get bundled in my arms as I lay on my back, getting attacked by the little fur balls.
I move my eyes to the large tree, seeing their mama sat there, her head tilted as she watches her pups play with me. She’s always with them, but she keeps her distance, trusting me not to hurt them. Her mate, however, can be a bit trickier in assuring his pups are fine.
The two older wolves I was playing with come back to me, licking and nuzzling us before we continue to play on the forest floor, chasing each other and hiding from the pups as they hunt us down. I grab one of the pups, tickling its back as it spins and yips, its front paws to the floor, bum in the air as he gets ready to come for me. Leif darts between my legs and tackles his brother, the other pups joining in their wrestling match. I bend down and bat at their paws, tickling their noises. I bring my hand back before they can nip me and run away as they chase me.
I eventually collapse when the moon is high, panting on the floor with the dirt and twigs making a home on my body. One wolf curls up next to me as the other trots off to its mama, who watches her pups lay on my chest, their little eyes closing after their long playtime.
“It’s okay, mama,” I tell her, and she tilts her head as I bring a hand up and stroke the nearest fluff ball on my chest. “A couple more minutes, and I’ll bring them to you. They aren’t the only ones who need sleep.”
She makes a huffing sound before nudging her head against the other wolf next to her. Then she stills, her lips peeling back and hackles on end as she stands and growls in the direction across from me. I move in an instant, rolling over and bracing my forearms over the pups that fell off my body and are now beneath me, hovering over them protectively. Mama and the two younger wolves move to my side instantly as I look through the trees as a figure appears.
“I didn’t know you’d find wild wolves a good talking companion,” a deep voice murmurs, and I blow out a breath. I get to my feet, making sure I don’t stand on one of the pups, and face Darius as he emerges from the trees and into the moonlight. He looks toward the wolves, holding eye contact with mama for a beat as she growls, before he nods his head. “You know I won’t harm them,” he says to her, and my brows raise to my hairline.
Mama’s growls become quieter, and I watch her out of the corner of my eye until she eventually relaxes. She doesn’t take her eyes off Darius though. A yip has my head turning to the ground and Leif, ever the curious pup, gets on his little feet and runs toward Darius at full pelt. I take a step forward, wanting to… what? Protect him? But mama doesn’t make a move to, and it’s not my pup. So, I stay back and hold my damn breath.
I don’t know what I thought would happen, but it wasn’t Darius smiling wide and picking the pup up gently in his large hands, bringing Leif to his face and rubbing his nose against him. That was the last thing I expected.
I watch on, stunned with how careful he is and my chest swirls uncomfortably, so uncomfortably that I bring my hand up and rub the spot as I watch Leif try and nip his nose.
And then…
Then Darius releases a sound I haven’t heard from him before, and I swear the earth beneath me shifts and breaks before aligning into something new. The sound is deep and hearty, and I can’t take my eyes off the grin on his face as he laughs at the pup. His eyes light up even more as he puts him down and picks up a stick, waving it in front of him until Leif latches on to it with the most adorable, tiny growl. My heart just melted.
Darius sits down and does a small, gentle growl back, as if not to scare him. He grips the stick and moves it back and forth, Leif’s little front paws coming off the ground as he tries to hold on and take it from him. His brothers and sister get brave and run toward them, their own little growls coming from them as they jump on Leif and try and get the stick for themselves. Darius laughs again, picking up another stick to share while I stand there stunned.
Wordless.
And utterly captivated at the sight of Darius, Alpha of the Elites, playing with wild wolf pups andenjoyingit. He has the same look on his face as he did in the forest with the wisps, and once again, that heat hits my chest.
I let out a breathless chuckle and plonk down on my ass, crossing my legs as I sit and watch them. Mama comes next to me, bumping my cheek, and I reach a hand up to scratch behind her ear. She makes a small sound, and the pups stop attacking the stick and look up at mama before trotting over to her, their tails high. Mama bends her head and nudges them toward the hollowed tree, and I keep my eyes on a reluctant Leif who stays with Darius.
I get to my feet and walk over to them, not raising my eyes to his curious stare and still ignoring the heat within my chest. Bending down to stroke Leif’s head, I give him a good scratch on the back of the neck. “Come on fluff ball,” I whisper as I place my hand under his belly and lift him up. “Time to go.” A dark shadow comes out of the trees, and I turn, meeting the gaze of a larger wolf. He stops short at the sight of me with his pup until his gaze turns to Darius. “Daddy’s home,” I mumble.
They stare at each other, and I don’t move, too nervous as I don’t know how this will go. I usually leave when he turns up. He’s not much of a fan of mine, but with Darius here, I’m not sure what will happen. I tense up, waiting for the male wolf to snarl and lunge. Only he doesn’t. He cocks his head to the side before he walks over to me, his paws silent on the ground. He stills when he’s in front of me, looking from me to his pup, and I have no idea whether I should hold on to Leif or put him on the floor.
“Give the pup to him, Rhea,” Darius says, his breath at my ear as his arms come around. I didn’t even hear him, in fact, I didn’t hear him coming here in the first place. He followed me didn’t he? Did he hear what Josie, Anna and I were talking about?
I swallow. If he knows she’s been slowing his Elites healing, everything could fall apart.
His large hands engulf mine, and my head turns towards him. My mouth touches his jaw, and he releases a little sound that has my insides fluttering. Squeezing my hands gently, he guides them out, making sure we both have a firm hold on the wiggling pup as we bring our hands down toward Leif’s dad. I watch as the wolf opens his mouth, and my fingers dig into Leif’s fur, not wanting to let him go. Darius’ nose nudges behind my ear, not taunting, but more letting me know it’s okay. I release a small breath.
Darius moves our hands to just inside the wolf’s mouth, then his own fingers slip between mine as we slowly let go. Leif wriggles, but his dad gently presses down onto Leif, his hold secure, but not hurting him as he turns to where mama waits for them. Mama licks her mate’s face as he passes with their pup, and she wastes no time heading into the den herself with the others, disappearing out of sight.
I breathe a sigh of relief, thankful daddy wolf didn’t attack Darius, then I jolt at the squeeze of a hand against mine. I look down at our threaded fingers. His are much larger than mine, and I can’t help but think how good we fit despite the size difference. I have never just held someone’s hand, not like this, and I’ve never felt the need to keep it there. His chin lands on my head as we stay silent, listening to the odd sound of critters nearby, not wanting to disturb the bubble of peace that has descended between us. I relax back into him, wanting his warmth to seep into me as he brings his arm around me, pulling me closer.
I don’t feel threatened in his arms. I don’t feel scared or like my lungs will give out from not getting enough air at being held against him. I never have felt truly threatened by his touch. Some part of me instinctively knowing he won’t hurt me in that way. Not physically.
I just feel peaceful, and that isn’t something I should feel. Especially with him. My enemy.
“Let’s go, little wolf. It’s late.” I nod my head beneath his chin, and he releases his arm around me before turning me with my hand still in one of his. He pulls me along as we walk in the direction of Eridian, the moon our only witness as he keeps hold of my hand and doesn’t let go. It feels like a secret, something only known between us and the night.
I don’t try to release my hand from his, wanting to keep the connection thrumming between us at the small contact, our wolves pressing up against each other. After making the vow in the cave, we have a truce, no matter how tentative it may be. I just hope when the time comes and I am brought to the Highers, I can eventually return home to my safe haven and go back to some sort of normalcy.
But as we walk back while holding hands, silently taking in the night air, it feels like something has changed. Something that neither one of us is willing to admit. We can’t stay away from each other. I feel his eyes on me all the time, watching, protecting, and I always search for that feel of him watching me. Deep down, I don’t want that to go away, it’s become so familiar to me since he came here. It feels like something that is just… mine.
He suddenly stops, bringing me to a halt and tips my chin up with a hand. We hold ourselves captive to the pull, our eyes bouncing between each other. Darius blinks, a small hum coming from him before placing a surprised, gentle kiss to my lips. I give in to the feeling that courses through me at his touch. I open my mouth and let him taste me as I taste him, breathing in each other’s scent. He growls low in the back of his throat at my submission when I let him take control, his tongue tangling with mine as he brings a hand up to the back of my head and threads it through my hair, bringing me as close to him as he can. All the while still holding my hand.
There, under the moonlight, I feel like it’s possible to have the impossible for just a moment. I’m not the Alpha of Eridian, and he isn’t the Alpha of the Elites. We are not enemies, just a man and a woman with no responsibilities until the sun rises and the day begins anew.
