Chapter 945 Chapter 945
Webb grasped Rhogue’s hand and quickly stepped out of the office. His bear was so close that his muscles felt stiff. “Are you okay?” He looked at her.
“I never realized—” She wiped her face. “I've been so lucky even when I felt like I wasn’t.”
He looked at the door that led outside and kept moving toward it. “I know. It’s hard to believe one person would do that to another just because they’re different.” His voice didn’t sound like his own.
He shoved the door open and went outside. Releasing her hand, he stood there with his face tipped toward the sky, inhaling deep breaths. His whole body had pains shooting through it. His animal was determined.
He spun back to Rhogue, grabbed her by the waist, and hugged her to his body. Picking her up off the ground, he locked his arms around her waist. He buried his nose in her hair and took her scent into his body so his animal would understand that she was right here and fine.
Rhogue wrapped her arms around his neck and stroked her hand over his hair. “It's okay. Is he all right?”
Webb closed his eyes and stood like that, just breathing in air. He felt his animal settling. “It’s just hard to contain when emotions are intense, like seeing what we just saw.” He opened his eyes, but didn’t release her. “It’s hard when you’re near, or he senses what you’re feeling too.”
“I didn’t know I was crying until things were blurry. Is it my fault he’s misbehaving?”
He grinned. Misbehaving wasn’t the word he was thinking. “He’s just unsettled lately.”
“Because of me?” She tipped her head back and looked at him.
“It's not anything you’re doing, he just knows we’re mates, and I guess he’s paranoid because you’re not marked.
She searched his face. “They do that?”
“Apparently.” He'd heard tales of things happening with mates, but he always thought they were exaggerating.
She placed her hands on his cheeks. “Is he okay now?”
Webb nodded as much as he could with her holding his face. “He's better when you’re close.”
“Good. Can I be close with my feet on the ground?”
He hadn’t even realized he’d picked her up. Carefully, he lowered her until she was standing in front of him. “Sorry.”
“No. It's okay. I’m just not used to being picked up.” She flipped her hair back from her face. “I’m not exactly petite, so being picked up is new and odd to me.”
Webb grinned. “You’re the perfect size.”
She gave him a blank look.
He shrugged. “Well, you are.” He looked around and then took her hand. “Come on. We can go sit by the loading dock and talk.”
“You don’t need to go for a run? Wouldn’t that help him feel better?” She walked beside him.
“No. I'm not going for a run when he made me look like an idiot in front of the prince.” He rubbed his hand over his face. “He was so close to the surface that Blaise could smell him, and I could barely walk out of there.” He paused and looked at her. “I haven’t had problems with that since I first started shifting.” He continued walking until they were at the side where the loading ramps were.
Going over, he sat on the edge and pulled her along with him.
She sat beside him, facing him. “Are you okay now?”
Webb stared at her chocolate eyes and then perfectly shaped mouth. He sighed. “I’m okay. It was just too many things in a short time.” The image of biting her appeared in his mind. “I’ve heard all my life that unmarked mates near each other can be difficult, but I didn’t understand what that meant until lately.”
“It's difficult?”
He nodded. “I don’t know what its like for a woman—” he smirked, “obviously, but all my animal does is want to be near you, needs me to go find you—” he wasn’t sure if he should say it after what she’s been through, but he did anyway. “He constantly makes me see images of biting and marking you.”
Her eyes rounded. “He can do that?”
“Yes.”
She looked t him for a moment. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking. “I’m sorry I’m making it difficult for you.” The sad note in her voice made his chest hurt. “I can go back to the house…”
“No.” He barked the word and then cringed. “No. That's not going to make it easier. He almost lost it in the cafeteria when you said you wanted to go out and help find other clanless groups.”
“I do want to do that.”
“I know, and that’s awesome that you do, it’s just–not being near you…”
“Oh. So, I can’t do that?”
He wasn’t doing this very well at all. “Yes, you can do that.”
“But you just said…”
He took her hand in his. “It just means I’m going to have to find someone to do what I’ve been doing here and come with you.”
“Really?” Her eyes lit with excitement. “Yes.” She smiled. “Come with me. I don’t know how to drive, and you do, so that’s one problem solved. It’s perfect.”
He smiled back at her. “I can teach you how to drive. I taught all of my sisters.”
He got up and then hugged him. “Now I can’t wait to go do this. I wasn’t sure who I would be with, and that was a bit nerve-racking, but if it’s you, this is so much better.”
Webb held her and breathed in her scent. His bear was calm. He knew he was still going to annoy him about biting her, but maybe now that he knew she wasn’t leaving without him, he’d stop acting like a teen who was having dramatic temper tantrums, because he wasn’t getting his way.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. He didn’t want to let go of her, so he kept one hand on her hip and dug it out of his pocket.