Page 110 of Haze

Our eyes meet. Hers are held open by a thread, yet she scolds, “I absolutely hate being carried.”

Kissing her nose, I run my hand back through her hair and tug, pulling her head back and exposing her neck to me. “And yet, you’ll learn to deal with it.”

I bend forward and kiss down the pulse points.

When I kiss her mating mark, Lena whispers, “I haven’t said yes yet.”

“I know.” Slowly, I release her hair. “But when you’re ready to accept, you’ll learn.”

“You’re so sure I’ll say yes.” My defiant little mate shuffles, trying to get under the covers.

I shrug, helping her snuggle in. “You haven’t said no yet.”

I walk around the bed and climb in on the other side.

The moment I lie down, Lena rolls over to throw her arm across me and lays her head on my chest. With my arm pinned between us, I can’t wrap it around her.

Instead, I bend my head to nuzzle against hers. “Good night, faolan.”

“When we’re done being mates, I’ll miss you calling me little wolf the most.” Lena sighs.

Her sleepy state is telling of her true feelings.

Not even five minutes later, she’s making adorable little sleep sounds.

We’ll find a way to make her believe us. My wolf repeats the sentiment I’m feeling. There’s got to be some way to make her accept the bond.

So far, I can easily count the number of times she’s shared something soft and intimate. Many of the times she did, I don’t think it was intentional, but that doesn’t make her admissions from the heart less real.

Tonight, I learned more about Lena than I anticipated. The fear I felt in our bond didn’t match her physical response at all. She stood so tall next to Thalia. There was no scent of fear, no cowering. But inside, Lena was all but breaking down.

It was almost like she couldn’t feel any of the calm I was trying to send back to her.

Our mate’s wolf, my wolf observes. Our mate is at odds and now going feral.

Her wolf feels everything that Lena doesn’t let herself feel. The realization hits hard. That’s heart-wrenching. Why does she do this to herself? How long has this been going on? How do I convince her to let Revecca fix it?

I struggle with these thoughts until, eventually, I drift to sleep.

* * *

Lena’s still sleeping when I wake. During the night, she’d moved back to pushing her luscious ass against me, and I woke up hard from having her so close. Fucking Lena isn’t healthy for either of us until I know more.

Revecca isn’t lying. It’s possible for Lena to stop her wolf from going feral, but only a few individuals have been successful. I’d rather Revecca fix it for her. It’s safer and easier, and supporting Lena has now become my only priority.

As smoothly as I can, I sneak out of bed and grab my bag of toiletries. I slip out the door of her suite, and with a little help from a woman who introduces herself as Lauren, I find myself in a suite with its own bathroom.

Twenty minutes later, I descend the stairs to find Deacon lying on the living room floor, holding a book over his head. Cade’s standing at the breakfast bar with a pen in his hand, and Thalia rests her head on the counter, holding a pen with a large cup of coffee next to her.

“Morning,” I greet them.

Thalia growls, Cade waves his pen at me, and Deacon doesn’t address me. I suppose I should expect as much, given the fact that I stepped into his job last night when I stood next to Cade to address the paparazzi.

“Is it okay if I make breakfast?” I ask, trying to smooth over our relationship.

Cade answers, “Sure. You’ve every right to be here. There’s no need to tread lightly.”

“Oh shit. He’s real.” Deacon rolls his head toward me. He puts his book on his stomach and waves. “Oh, it’s Finn. Good morning.”

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