Chapter 31: Still, I love

Amina’s POV

I hung up the phone exhausted from everything. My body was in such shock that I could barely make it up the stairs. I entered the guest room and the only thing my tired eyes noticed was the plush looking bed. I crawled under the covers with an empty mind as all of my thoughts, questions and doubts faded away into one blissful blur.

*“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there!”

A tattooed stranger knocked my drink on me.

“I’m Micheal Bailey.”

He smiled. He was tall. He had dark hair and a pale skin.

“I’m having the best time.”

He beamed. He leaned over. He kissed me.

“I love you.”

He winked. He hugged me. He swept me off my feet.

“Now, you’ll always be a part of me.”

He showed me the red flower. He made me believe.

“Now, I’ll always be a part of you.”

He spat out. He laughed. He hurt me.

“No one’s ever going to love you except me.”

He hit me. He lied. He pretended.

“You’re weak and pathetic. You’d never make a good mom.”

He forced me. He gagged me. He took away my will to live*.

I jumped out of sleep, forcefully woken up by the old nightmare. I was barely getting my mind back when another wave of terror swashed over me. Through the darkness in the room, I could see a shadow gliding on the floor and through the silence, I could hear its breaths mixing in with mine. He was here, standing in my room. He had come to get me and fulfill his promise to end me. The shadow slowly slithered towards me and its shallow breaths crawled all over my body unsettlingly. I could feel its hands wrap around my throat and tighten its grip, crushing my wind pipe. It was enjoying killing me. It was enjoying it.

I didn’t realize that I had been screaming at the top of my lungs until I felt Benjamin’s hands on me. He was shaking me trying to get me back to reality. I kept warning Benjamin over and over that he had to be careful. I screamed that he was in the room with us but Benjamin couldn’t see him like I did.

Benjamin let go of my body and ran towards the light switch. When he lit up the room, I could see no more shadow and I could feel no more presence. I turned my eyes towards him and I noticed how distraught he looked.

“Goddess! Are you okay, Mina? What happened?”

He sat back on the bed and softly rubbed my cheek with his hand. His touch, even as light as it had been, felt like a large cozy blanket wrapping itself around me to warm my soul. I leaned my face into his hand, craving more of his heat and safety.

“You’re freezing.”

He was right. I was completely drenched in sweat, cold and shivering. Benjamin removed my blankets, picked me up and brought me to his bathroom. He took off my clothes and wrapped me in his heavy bathrobe. There were no traces of desire or lust in his eyes as he undressed me. Instead, they showed me only care and worry. He took off the robe of me and helped me into the bathtub that he had filled with hot water. He sat next to me and gently poured water on me, keeping me warm form head to toe.

After a while, I stopped trembling. My body had relaxed. I felt calmer. Benjamin got up and opened the bathrobe. I stood up and he placed it back on my body. He handed me a towel to wrap my hair in then led us back in his room and under his covers. He held me tightly in his strong arms, bringing my face to his chest. I gladly let his forest scent take over my nose and claim my entire being. My heart was pounding in my chest for the umpteenth time tonight but this time, it was a feeling of sheer well-being that was the cause.

Benjamin’s POV

We had been sitting in front of each other for a while now in complete silence. She looked better than last night though she didn’t seem to have much appetite. I watched her pick at her breakfast, lost in her thoughts, as usual. She had slept peacefully in my arms but I still remembered the fear in her eyes. There was someone out there who terrified my mate beyond any word could describe and I had no idea who it was. This must’ve been the same person my sister had to protect her from. But Mina still wouldn’t talk to me, not even after last night and it baffled me. ‘*When will she trust me enough to talk to me?’* I kept wondering.

“You probably have a lot of questions about last night.” Mina spoke up but her face remained buried in her breakfast.

“Yes, I do. But if you don’t want to talk about it, I’ll understand.”

She looked up at me, eyes as big as her face.

“Really?”

“I won’t like it, but I’ll understand.” I said, nodding my head yes.

She smiled and mumbled her thanks.

“There’s something I want in return. If you won’t tell me what’s wrong, it’s fine. But you’re going to have to sleep in my bed, with me, from now on. I don’t want you to go through something like last night ever again.” I simply stated.

She hesitated for a while but finally nodded her head in approval.

“I do seem to sleep better in your arms.” She observed, smiling.

“I agree. And for what it’s worth, I sleep better when you’re in my arms, too.”

I felt her blush as she smiled and quickly looked away. I loved knowing that I could make her feel like that. My heart fluttered at the idea that I had such a power over her, as she, herself, owned already way too much over me. She had my heart in her hands and I prayed to the Moon Goddess that she'd keep it forever.

“I have to go meet with my men and River Creek this morning.” I sighed getting up from my chair. “I put away your all of your clothes in the closet before you woke up. Call me if you leave the house, okay?”

“Wait, you put my stuff in your room? What if I had said no?” She asked surprised at my forwardness.

I settled behind her and wrapped my arms around her.

“I’m Alpha Benjamin, did you forget?” I whispered in one of her ears before kissing and nibbling the lobe of the other. “And I get what I want, don’t I?”

I noticed the sweet scent of her arousal rising in the air as she moaned yes and my wolf growled in response. Her phone rang just as I had turned her lips to me and it took everything I had to pry myself away from her.

The following week, I spent every morning in countless meetings, some were pack related and others were for work. All of my evenings, I shared with my family and my mate. She had no more nightmares since that night but there were still so many unanswered questions. She kept a lot of things hidden from me, but what little I could find out about her made me fall in love even more.

We had gone out on multiple dates, each surpassing the other, but on Sunday night, she wanted to spend time at home, just the two of us. Mina was talking to me while preparing dinner when I received a mind-link from Ryan.

***Dude, he still hasn’t made contact with them!*** Ryan growled in my head.

***Don’t worry about it, Ryan. I’ll deal with him tomorrow.*** I promised him, ending the link as quickly as it had started.

“Who was it?” Mina asked me with her back turned to me.

“How’d you know?” I asked confused as she had not seen my eyes.

“There’s so many people talking to you all the time, Benji. It’s made me an expert on knowing when you space out.” She answered me. “And now, I can tell that you’re thinking about sex. Stop that!”

I laughed as I made my way to her, facing her towards me.

“If this isn’t mate bond magic, I don’t know what is.”

“Is it?” She smiled back at me as I pulled her face closer with my hand and kissed her softly.

“So who was it?” She asked into my lips.

I leaned away from her a little irritated that I had to think about anything other than her soft mouth.

“It was Ryan. The werewolves mixed in with the rogue Alpha are under Travis Reese’s command. We’ve been asking him for days to pass a message but he says that he can’t reach them.”

“Is that normal?”

“I don’t know.” I replied swiping a finger in the sauce that was simmering. “I’m sure he’s just playing us. He’s a pompous ass and I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole of River Creek were messing with us. Baby, this sauce is really good.” I ended up saying.

“Thanks, Benji. But what if he’s not playing with you. What if the rogue found out that the River Creek wolves were undercover?”

“How could he?” I asked her wrinkling my eyebrows.

Her lips parted as if to say something but quickly closed. Her dark eyes, though, remained fixed on mine, almost begging me to decipher the truth behind them.

“I don’t know.” She finally said returning her attention to the pan.

I gently pushed her to the side and turned off the the stove. She asked me what I was doing as I placed my arms behind her back to undo her apron. She asked me one more time while I took my time unbuttoning her pink shirt.

“You’re still hiding things from me. I’m not gonna’ pretend I know why. But I know that I love you, Mina. I’m never gonna’ give up on you and it's time you realized it.”

I placed my hand on her face, pulled her into me and pressed my lips on hers. Without hesitating, she leaned into my kiss, locking her fingers behind neck. I removed her shirt and slid a hand down her back to her ass, gripping at her. She let out a soft approving gasp and it was all that I needed. I picked her up and walked us to my room. I could see my wolf happily and lustfully growling in my head, knowing what was about to come.**