Page 53 of Love Bites

CHAPTER13

The warm body pressed to his shifted slightly, and Gideon held back a groan. It was too early to be awake, but he hadn’t slept well. In fact, he hadn’t slept well in weeks. Not since Leo revealed himself then seemingly vanished off the face of the earth. No matter the hunters he had on the situation and the technology at his fingertips, Gideon could not find his uncle.

Not only did that enrage his wolf, it made him feel fucking helpless as well.

Brie shifted again, this time her bottom pressing against his already rigid cock. He sucked in a breath, forcing his hips to stay put and not rock against her softness. She needed her sleep, not his grabby hands.

He held his breath, but she didn’t move again. When he let it out, he forced himself to relax. Things were rocky as fuck when it came to his mate, but at least she still let him hold her. He tried not to think too hard about the fact that it could only be her wolf wanting the closeness, but he also knew she’d been practically touch-starved before their mating. She’d not only been a virgin, but she’d also held herself back from others just enough that her wolf had leapt into their mating, no holds barred. He knew she’d done that because she hadn’t been able to stomach the touch of others once she’d caught the glimpse of him, and it killed him.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

His mating wasn’t supposed to be a point of tension within his Pack and within his heart.

No, that wasn’t quite right. She wasn’t a tension in his heart, as much as she was an unknown. He hadn’t allowed himself to think of her beyond the need for her to be part of his Pack. He’d forced himself not to know the true Brie, the one who smiled at him, made cookies, and soothed his wolf. He hadn’t wanted to get too close, only to lose her because he wasn’t strong enough to protect her.

He sure hadn’t been strong enough to keep her from being hurt by Gwen.

He let out a soft growl then froze. Brie merely pressed closer to him, as if she needed to calm his wolf even in sleep. Immediately, his wolf brushed against his skin, knowing their mate would be there.

Gwen had been part of his father’s group and had followed the old man’s views on submissives, humans, and those weaker than them. Only Gideon hadn’t known the full extent of her feelings until he saw her with Brie. He kept her as the leader of the maternals because he hadn’t wanted to strip the Pack of every leader in one fell swoop. Gwen had proven herself to him in her caring of the young, and he’d let her stay.

That had been the wrong decision, and now Gideon was left wondering what else he’d fucked up.

Taking over a Pack wasn’t supposed to be a clean move. However, he knew it shouldn’t have gone for him the way it did. The Redwood Alpha became the leader when Edward was killed, yet the transition, though heartbreaking, had been smooth. Kade’s Pack trusted him and had grieved with him.

Gideon’s Pack had formed two camps—those who praised him and those who wanted him beheaded for his actions. After thirty years, those two groups had blended somewhat, but clearly not enough.

Now Brie was facing the consequences of his actions.

She also wasn’t truly speaking to him.

Oh sure, she would answer his questions politely, but a light had gone out of her eyes. She snuggled with him in bed, but he didn’t touch her intimately as he had all the other nights before. He’d broken her trust when he came into the maternal ward and took over. He couldn’t help it. His mate had been in pain, and he needed to fix it. Because of that, Brie had pulled away ever so slightly.

If only he’d stepped back for a moment and let her finish taking care of Gwen, Brie wouldn’t have looked at him the way she did. He didn’t think he’d taken away everything she’d gained with the maternals with her show of force, but he’d made it harder.

Stepping back and allowing her to do things on her own wasn’t easy.

The fact that he’d even thought the word “allow” in the first place told him how far he needed to go when it came to not acting like an alpha asshole.

Today she would be going back to the maternals and working with Olivia. The other woman was kind and treated Brie with respect. It would be hard as hell to stand back and not do anything if she was hurt, but Brie could handle more than he’d given her credit for. He needed to remember that.

If anything happened to her…

No, he refused to think about that. He might not be able to keep her from every dirty look or judgment, but as she’d told him, the fact that she was out in the den and proving herself would eventually ease that distrust. It wasn’t that she was a former Redwood that was the issue—no, his wolves valued that—it was that they were afraid she wouldn’t be strong enough to protect them.

She’d prove them wrong.

She’d provehimwrong.

“You’re thinking too hard,” she whispered in his arms, her voice thick with sleep, and he let out a breath.

He’d known she was awake of course. His wolf had heard the change in her breathing, but he hoped she’d go back to sleep.

“Sorry for waking you,” he grumbled then kissed her temple. It wasn’t lost on him that she’d actually spoken to him. He just hoped she’d continue once she was fully awake.

She rolled over, her breasts pressing against his arm. It didn’t matter that she wore a tank top and small shorts and he wore his boxer briefs—he just wanted her touch.

Her eyes glowed gold for a moment, and she smiled softly. “I see where your mind went.”

---