Chapter 22
Chapter 22
“No matter how bad things are, you can at least be happy you woke up this morning.”
DL Hughley
At some point, the whirring of my mind quietened, and the next thing I knew, I was blinking my eyes open to daylight. The dark curtains had been pulled back, revealing large windows with a view that made my breath catch.
I already knew most, if not all, of Alpha Enzo’s land must’ve been forested, but I hadn’t realized how beautiful it was. From the large glass window, I could see pine trees and mountaintops blanketed by the fog.
It was certainly a far-cry from the half-empty parking lot that I was used to seeing from my own bedroom window. There were no sounds of the city either. No drunk people stumbling home after a long night or the lingering scent of garbage after someone dumped their trash on the street.
“What do you think of the view?” A familiar, husky voice said, only inches from my ear.
I’d been so enraptured by the scenery that I hadn’t realized I wasn’t the only one awake.
I glanced back at him, and for the second time that morning, my breath hitched.
I thought I’d gotten pretty used to looking at his model-like face, but in the morning light, he was more beautiful than ever. Dark, tousled curls, eyes shining in the morning light –
*Nope, no, stop right there.*
*The forest is beautiful, he is not. He's just some above-average looking guy who happened to hit the genetic lottery.*
“The view is…” I caught myself before the word ‘beautiful’ or ‘gorgeous’ slipped out of my mouth. I didn’t need him to know just how impressive I found this place to be, lest it give him more leverage to keep me here. “It’s nice, but I’ve seen better.”
Judging from the way he raised an eyebrow at me, he knew I was lying, but didn’t comment on it.
Instead, he said, “You know, I wasn’t quite sure this day would ever come.”
“What do you mean?”
“Waking up next to my mate,” he replied, and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “I used to wonder what you would look like, what you would smell like…” He leaned in close till his lips hovered just over the junction of my neck. I could feel his breath with every word he spoke. “And what you taste like.”
I swallowed, and some part of me – some instinctual, lizard part of my brain – desperately wanted him to find out what I tasted like.
*No, no, not again. Don’t give in to his hot voice and his full lips, Elsie. You need to get home, remember?*
I cleared my throat. “Uh, you know I’m actually quite hungry. I haven’t eaten since yesterday morning. I don’t suppose you’ve got an actual kitchen in this place, do you?”
*Since I wasn’t able to actually find it last night*, I wanted to add.
He pulled back to look at me. “Of course, sweetheart. There are two separate kitchens actually, but one that I prefer using privately. I’ll go whip us up some breakfast.” As he said it, he rose from the bed and began pulling on a dark gray t-shirt.
Once again, I was graced with the sight of his defined, bare chest, even more visible in the morning light.
It only took him a second to change, but when he turned, I caught sight of something that made my stomach drop.
Scars.
A lot of them.
Thin, silvery, and criss-crossed along the expanse of his back.
I only got a glimpse before he turned completely around, and pulled the shirt over his head. He didn’t seem to realized I’d seen, and I chose not to say anything about it.
It wasn’t my business…although I did wonder if the scar on his face and the ones on his back were connected. Had he been in some sort of battle? Surely, a powerful Alpha didn’t gain all that powerful without earning a few scars.
While I was lost in thought, he reached over my side of the bed to press a lingering kiss to my forehead. “I’ll be back shortly, sweetheart. In the meantime, I’ve mind-linked Dr. Li, and asked her to come examine your arm one more time.”
“Isn’t that a little overkill?” I asked, “She even said it herself. It’s probably just bruised.”
“Nothing is overkill when it comes to you,” he said flatly, “You’re human, and human bodies are fragile.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but realized it was probably pointless. I’d used that same argument when trying to convince him that I wasn’t a worthy mate, it’d be illogical to argue the opposite now.
Instead, I just said, “Do you think it’s possible I could get some more clothes from a female pack member too?”
“I’d rather you just wear my clothes,” he shot back. “It’s the easiest way to keep my scent on you, at least until I mark you, that is.”
*Excuse me…marking?*
*What the hell is marking?*
I started to ask, but he’d already left the room, the bedroom door closing behind him.
I wracked my brain. Marking. That must’ve been mentioned in Ava’s book somewhere, but for the life of me, I couldn’t remember reading about it.
I cursed myself for not paying more attention to the novel. I’d practically skimmed the middle parts of the book, losing interest in Scarlett and Asher as a couple.
*It’s not my fault, okay? Scarlett never grew a backbone in the story, and Asher was a terrible love interest. I could hardly bring myself to read their ‘epic’ love story, especially the R-rated parts. I pretty much skipped over those entirely.*
But it was these things, the little details about werewolves and their mating process, that evaded me.
*Like hell if I’m going to let him ‘mark’ me or whatever he was talking about.*
*I may not know what it is, but it sounds permanent.*
*And permanent makes it harder for me to go home.*