Chapter 16

Lelandi was the target of Darien’s enraged glances as he scowled at her. She couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer and closed them. Her skin and they both burned, and the fever caused a deafening pounding in her brain similar to the time she attended a human rock concert, which was too loud for a lupus garou’s delicate hearing.

She woke up an hour later to rustling. Darien was rummaging around in her bag. Lipstick, comb, wallet stuffed full of cash, no credit cards, no license, no name. She had the option to tell him that.

He drew her attention, threw her purse on the table, and scowled but didn’t ask her any questions. True to his word. A strong quality for a pack leader.

His quiet voice roused her as he spoke to the deputy in the hallway, so she must have dozed off once again. As she caught a whiff of strong coffee, everything vanished.

Before something fell to the floor, there were several curse words, and someone shouted.

Lelandi opened her eyes. Holy sh*t! Lelandi laid on her side in her wolf form while shape-shifting in her delirious state, the IV pulled out and dangling over the floor, and the dreaded medical gown wedged between her front legs. If not, people would be perplexed as to why a patient would lose red fur, thus she prayed that whoever washed the linens was a lupus garous.

Rushing in, Darien and Trevor first noticed the mess Ritka had created on the floor before turning to look at Lelandi, the extraordinary sleepy red wolf.

Darien muttered under his breath, “Odin’s wounds, she’s a royal.”

“Hell, Darien, she’ll have a whole bunch of suitors if the word gets out. She ought to be at the veterinarian, though, if she’s going to shape-shift without warning, Trevor said.

Silva entered the room.

Darien commanded, “In and close the door.”

She quickly inside, shut the door, and grinned at Lelandi. “My, my. She’s a princess. That dye job was quickly removed. I warned you, boss.

Lelandi was told by Darien to shapeshift back.

Right. As soon as she had the strength, of course. She yawned, flexed her legs, shut her eyes, and dozed off once more.

When she was able to open her eyes once again, she was in her human form with an IV in her arm and wearing the disgusting hospital gown. Darien was seated in the chair, staring at her intently as if he were watching for the morning to break or perhaps to make sure she hadn’t changed shape again.

She questioned why he hadn’t discovered the letter yet and knew he would question her again about it. Unless she was crazy. She felt a gnawing despair creep through her.

She went to sleep with the sight of Darien blocked out, but when Nurse Grey entered the room to check her vital signs, the squeaking of the door roused her. Darien was sitting upright on the chair, seemingly dead to the outside world, while the woman pointed at him while grinning. Lelandi observed the gray as the nurse abandoned her once more. His austere visage was almost saintly, proud, and furious. She was eager to find out what it would be like to be his mate, to experience his passionate kiss against her mouth once more, and so much more. When she realized how silly that idea was, her heart sunk.

The woman of Darien’s dreams was standing naked in a birch grove and staring at him while he slept. Her green eyes reflected melancholy, and her hair, which was being agitated by the fall breeze, dangled past her smooth hips.

His redheaded goddess Lelandi.

She looked at him with passion as he stalked toward her. She teased him further by twirling a crimson curl around her finger, but even without her encouragement, he was eager to have his fill of her.

He wanted to yell out, “Lelandi!” But, he had no control over the dream’s speaking portion. He was unable to hear the birds chirping in the trees or the wind rustling the leaves. Although the spruce and pine needles could be smelled, he couldn’t tell if they needed a shower or not.

They will soon receive a burst of rain, according to the thunderous clouds that were growing in the night sky. He was only able to gaze in awe at the spectacle before him and reach out to touch her, feel her skin on his like silk, the sheen of her hair, and the beat of her pulse. Nevertheless, he was unable to hear it, as if more than half of his wolf senses had become deaf to reality.

She melted in his arms, leaning her head on his chest and holding on to him with all of her might. He could tell she craved more as well, as though their tenuous bond—the dream—was the only thing holding them together. When she had left the actual world, how was it possible for him to still find her in this one? Gone for good. He kissed her head and stroked her hair, wishing he could smell her lovely scent and sense how excited she was. Her kissable, taut, rose-colored nubs pushed against his chest.

He mouthed to her cheek, Lelandi. She raised her sight and fixed it on him. Her eyes had gotten so wide and were a deeper shade of green than Lelandi’s? Her hair shimmered in the moonlight as he ran his fingers through it. Redder than Lelandi’s, maybe?

She was Lelandi, so no… The name got her attention. He had mated with her, and he adored her. Even if she was just his imaginary sweetheart, he would demonstrate it to her once more. At first, he gently kissed her mouth as he knelt down, but it wasn’t enough. It was never sufficient to touch her in this way. He desired to be completely enmeshed within her, to lay claim to her, and to remain a permanent part of her.

She spread her lips and let him in after he ran his tongue along them. He capitalized and increased the

Kissed her, pressing his mouth firmly against her plush, velvety lips while twirling his tongue around hers. As he felt her slipping away because she was so engrossed in the kiss, his hands grasped her shoulders. He was enjoying how she melted under his simple kisses as his mouth grinned against hers. Fingers massaging her shoulders, he relaxed, allowing every molecule in his body to take in the sensation of her, the fire that coursed through his veins, and the alluring sweetness of her softness.

Lelandi. But how could she still exist and be absent from his life?

Her body slid down to the delightful bed of grass beneath their feet as she groaned, urging him. Her mouth and eyes encouraged him to continue as he assumed control. She was so gorgeous, my Goodness.

He swiftly pressed her legs apart and penetrated her before his ideal love could disappear. He felt pressured to go further as her fingertips ran across his behind. Once more, his tongue pressed against hers as he weighed her breasts and caressed her nipples. He cherished how quickly she responded to his touch.

He pressed his lips to hers and mumbled, “How could I have lost you… When all I ever wanted was to protect you.

He was there, for real. Lelandi cherished how he made her feel—cherished, unique, and his. He speared her with his erection while she attempted to speak, but when she was unable to, he tongued her mouth once more. She wanted to reach the moon and return, so she arched her pelvis.

Why was it that she couldn’t make out his face? It appeared as though the moon’s shadow covered it in darkness. He knew her name so well, why couldn’t she hear it? Like he

Ruled the dream; he was the dominant male. When the night ended and the day began again, why couldn’t she have him in the real world?

He filled her with his seed, and she wanted it to be genuine, so she moaned, her body trembling in pleasure. Not just for brief times in her dream world, she wanted to locate him and be with him always.

She attempted to ignore the terrible pain when it suddenly shot through her chest by focusing on her lover’s lips, which were the only feature of his face she could see. They were split apart, grimacing as though he understood how hurt she was.

Lelandi mouthed something.

Her skull was about to blow out as she tried to close her eyes and pretend the pain wasn’t screeching over every nerve ending.

He repeated the name Lelandi with increased vehemence, and then his sturdy body started to disappear.

She was unable to lose him. Not right now, when she most needed his soothing touch. Nonetheless, he was losing strength.

She shouted out, “No!