Chapter 30
I stumble a little. I don’t know whether it’s from the state I’m in or from having Den gaze at me like
I’m the most important person in his life, but I do, and he catches me. Slowly, he continues to unbutton
the rest of the shirt, but he never once takes his eyes from mine to feast upon my body. Once thest
button is freed, he lifts me bridal-style and sets me down in the bubbling water.
Sighing, I close my eyes and let my achy body rx into the heated water. My wolf might have healed
my wounds, but I will still feel the achiness for at least another day. Soft tunes begin to y, and the
light dims. Opening my eyes, Den is moving around silently, bringing me soaps and towels. He then
leaves but is quick toe back with another one of his shirts, this time a V-neck t-shirt.
“Den…”
“Hm?”
“Please, sit down and talk to me.”
He chuckles, “Sorry, I guess I’m just a little nervous.”
I raise a brow at him, “Alpha Den is nervous? Whatever would you be nervous about?” I grin.
“You.”
The grin drops from my face, “Me? What does that mean?” Is he disgusted by what has happened to
me now and he doesn’t want to be around me but is afraid to tell me?
“I’m nervous, because I’m not sure what I’m allowed to say to you or around you right now. I don’t want
to set anything off that’s going to cause you pain. You know, sort of like PTSD.” He slides his hand over
his face.
The relief I feel is immediate and I smile at him, “Den, there isn’t anything you can say or do that will
cause me pain. Thank you for thinking of me, though. It could have been so much worse for me had
they not worried about *the Goddess Selene off by taking one of her Alpha’s against their will.
Apparently, they didn’t think that kidnapping one was an offense against the Goddess as well…”
Denes close to the edge and points to my back, “May 1?”
I nod.
He’s already in basketball shorts, so he climbs up and sits on the ledge of the tub’s tform right
behind me. His feete into the water on each side of me and I hand him the loofah as I sit up,
bringing my knees up in front of me. A momentter he’s massaging my back pulling little moans from
my lips.
Iy my cheek on top of my knees and wrap my arms around my shins, “What happened after I passed
out? Where is Summer?”
“Well, first off, the Desert Sand pack, along with their rogue pets, were no match for ten other packs,
even without all of our numbers.”
“Ten packs came…for me?”
“Of course! They are allies and you are an Alpha.”
“I only know of five packs that have resigned with us.”
“Well, I’m guessing after this, the other four will resign as well.” He drops the loofah into the water and
starts working the knotted muscles with his hands, “Anyway, without their Alpha or alpha heir, they
turned themselves over to us.”
“So, Jasper is dead too?” I ask, thanking the Goddess.
“I’m not one hundred percent sure, but I think he might have run.” I tense at his words, “Hey, you have
nothing to worry about. Now that we know what he looks like, we will track him down, and he will pay
with his life.”
I try to rx again as I nod my head.
“Summer stayed behind for now, only to help with who needs to be relocated.”
“What do you mean? Both the males and females in that pack are vile creatures!”
“Calm down, Cujo,” he chuckles as he uses the name of the *dog that I had nightmares about for
months after he made me watch the movie, “That is why she stayed behind. Summer will inform my
guys which ones are worth relocating.”
“Where will they go?”
“It will be up to them, but Summer thinks that most will probably want to join whichever pack she goes
to.”
I look back at him, “She’sing to mine, though, isn’t she?”
He grins and nods, “looks like your pack just grew a little bit more.”
It makes me happy that I can offer these people a new home after who knows how long they suffered
at the hands of Luther. How many wolves were abused or taken captive just for Luther’s enjoyment?
How many she-wolves had to suffer a worse fate than myself?
Den and I sit here and just gaze at each other, neither one of us say anything more with our lips, but
so much is being said with our eyes. I was wrong before when I said I would wait for my fated mate. I
would choose Den, I do choose Den, but he can no longer be mine. He belongs to someone else
now, even if there is no intimacy between them.
A knock at the bedroom door draws us out of our trans-like state. Den dries his legs quickly and
goes to see who it is. Just when I close my eyes, Amelia sweeps into the ensuite andes over to
hug me, not caring if she gets wet.
“Oh, my poor girl! I’m so d you are back, baby!” Her hug is warm and inviting, and so I reach up and
hug her back.
“It’s so good to be back, Amelia.”
“I’m going to go see if I can round up some food for you.” Den informs us and no sooner are his
words out, my stomach rumbles.
*Thank you, Den. All they gave me was two slices of bread a day and water.”
Den curses and Amelia clucks her tongue,”No wonder you look thin as a rail! Den, bring her a
feast fit for a queen!”
Iugh. “Please don’t. I won’t be able to eat it all and I don’t want to make myself sick.”
“I know exactly what you need.” He winks and then disappears.
The room goes silent until I ask what I’ve been dreading since I realized where I was, “How is the Luna
taking me being here?”
“You need not worry about her! This is your home, and you are wee to stay as long as you need
to.”
“You have always been so kind to me, Amelia, but we both know that I could never stay here as long as
she carries the heir. I couldn’t do that to your son. She would make his life miserable.”
The former Luna shrugs, “Maybe, maybe not. She tried to stop him from going after you, and now she
sits in the cells until he decides to let her out.”
“What? He has his pregnant Luna in the cells?” I’m blown away that Den would do something like
that. I mean, lock her in her room, but the cells?
“1. for one, think she deserves it and more. As long as the pup is taken care of, then I don’t see what
the problem is, and it’s not like she’s sleeping beside criminals. She has a nicer cell that has four walls,
and they even carried afy bed down there. She’s got a television and aptop, but no wifi. She’s
hardly being neglected.”
“Then why is she even down there? Why not lock her in her room in the Luna suite?”
Amelia sighs, “Den refused to give her the Luna suite, because she’s not his rightful Luna, so she’s
on the second floor with the unmated warriors. Apparently, my son thinks that she would be right at
home with the unmated wolves.”
I bite back the snicker, because I would have to agree with the Alpha on that one. It’s got to be a hard
blow for L though, having the Luna title with barely any of the perks when ites to anything
dealing with this pack. Of course, if it’s something that the Elders would have to be included in, they
would take the Luna’s side no matter what.
“Besides,” Amelia continues, “He already locked her in her room the day you went missing because he
was trying to search for you and she threw her tantrum, so he put her in confinement. A lot of good that
did, she didn’t learn her lesson.” Amalia sighs and smiles warmly at me, “I really wish it could have
been you and my son together. He adores you, Quinn, and you will alwayse first over L. That’s
what upsets her so much. If she would just ept her fate, then we can all live in peace.”
I give Amelia a small smile, but my heart really isn’t in it. Maybe it’s time that we all ept our fate and
move on. Den and I will never be together. Maybe once we move on then Den and L can try
and build a decent family for their pup. As long as I’m in the picture, though, he will always choose me,
and I’m really not sure that I can live with that.
Den is back and carrying a tray with what smells like Amelia’s famous m chowder that I love so
much, and some warm buttermilk biscuits. Amelia says her goodbyes and Denes to help me
from the tub after cing the tray of food by the bed. Holding out therge fluffy towel, he turns his
head while I step out, and I smirk.
Den found a new toothbrush and toothpaste for me, so now I’m feeling clean and fresh for the first
time in over a week. Most of the bite marks on gone, but there are a few that she wasn’t careful with
and tore me, so there is a bit of scarring and of course, the brand, but otherwise, my body looks whole
once again.
I jump up on the bed, all excited to be eating Amelia’s m chowder and Denughs, “I knew you
would be on cloud nine. Mom made
this especially for you after we left toe get you.”
I take the first bite and it’s almost like an instant *. It’s so c*y, with just enough of salt and other spices
that the vor just bursts in my mouth, and I’m left moaning. I don’t know how she does it, but I will
never eat m chowder from anywhere else.
“That good? I’m a little jealous right now.” Den jokes.
From N?velDrama.Org.
He sits with me through the whole meal and then some. Most of it I don’t pay too much attention to
because I’m thinking about what Amelia and I were discussing, and the fact that I need to let go. How
do I let go to someone that hase to mean the world to me; someone who has saved me not once,
but twice now? How do I ever repay him if I can’t do it with my love? Then ites to me, and I know
that what I’m about to do probably goes against everything I have ever valued, but it no longer matters
at this point.
“Will you stay with me tonight, Den?”
He squeezes my thigh, “Of course, I will stay with you,” and then he stands up, “Let me grab the t-shirt I
brought for you, so you don’t have to sleep in the towel.” He chuckles and turns his back on me to
retrieve the shirt from the ensuite bathroom.
“No Den,” I call out to him, and he turns back to me, “I mean, stay with me.” I open the towel and let
it fall to the mattress.