The Broken Wolf
Chapter 15

“Well. He certainly seems attentive.” my mom says, tossing Seth’s jacket down on the foot of my bed.

“Mom!” I exclaim, not knowing exactly what she heard, but I’m embarrassed to think she heard any of what we said. And she knows he was in the shower with me. I’m becoming completely mortified.

“Molly, I’d be worried if he wasn’t here. He’s your mate.” She says and gently guides me to sit at the vanity, picking up my comb. “You guys seem to be doing better than you were this morning. Did you work things out?” She asks me and she begins brushing through it.

“I think so. We talked a bit while dealing with my finger. I think we’re OK.” I tell her.

“Good. He made some poor choices, but he seems like a good man.”

“I think so, too. He could feel it when I got hurt and he was really worried. I think we’re OK though. I’m not happy about what he did, but we talked and I think I understand some. We’ll be OK.” I say with a small shrug.

“What are we doing with this mess?” She asks about my hair.

“Can you help me dry it? I’ll just leave it curly and save everyone the headache.” I say to her. And she smiles.

“That sounds great. Where’s the hair dryer?” she asks, and I grab it and the diffuser out of the drawer and hand it to her. She plugs it in and starts to dry my hair. My hair isn’t super curly, but it’s got some wave to it, for sure. I usually do something about it, but I’m just too tired to care about it today, especially since I can’t do it myself.

After a few minutes, my hair is dry and my mom puts the dryer back. “Ok kiddo, time for bed. Seth said to nap and I don’t think I want that man mad at me.” and I giggle a little. “He reminds me of your dad, a big scary Alpha with the pack but the kindest man to me.” she says with a smile and I know she’s right. My dad is terrifying. He’s an alpha. I know he’s killed other wolves to protect the pack, but he’s also the giant man who would put on a hat and have tea parties with me when I was small.

My mom helps me over to the bed and before I have a chance to move she grabs Seth’s jacket and wraps it around me. “I always sleep in your dad’s dirty shirts while he’s away. It helps to calm the bond some.” she explains to me and that makes a lot of sense. I can smell Seth and while I know he’s not there, I do feel more calm. Mom pulls back the blankets and helps guide me while I climb in and she tucks me in, just like she did when I was little. She walks out and comes back with my favorite bottle filled with water and places it on my side table. “Try to rest, it’ll help you feel better.” She says and walks out, leaving me alone.

Mom’s right, Seth does seem a lot like my dad. Many Alphas are so aggressive and possessive that there’s little respect for their Luna. Some of them have their Lunas just as a breeding machine to continue to produce heirs and strengthen their packs. Pregnancies with the offspring of Alphas can be rough. That’s why my parents only had Robert. I mean, they have me too, but mom didn’t have to give birth. Seth is an only child, so I think it’s a safe assumption that royal pregnancies aren’t any easier.

I wonder how many kids Seth would like. Would he insist on having more until he has a boy? And would he be happy if we had a girl? He’s been so attentive and gentle with me since I got hurt earlier. Surely he’d be the same with a daughter.

Knowing that Seth was ignoring the King earlier while taking care of me honestly made me feel pretty special. I can sense how much he seems to care, even if he’s made some mistakes and avoided me previously. It hurt so badly hearing him say that he’d hoped to replace me, but I know in my heart that he never treated anyone the way he’s treated me today.

After a while, I finally give up and drift off to sleep, wrapped in the scent of my mate and, for the first time in a few attempts to sleep, I’m actually able to drift off into a deep sleep. I awake feeling rested, still wrapped in his scent when I realize there’s something on me. I crack open my eyes to realize that it’s Seth’s arm across me and I’m wrapped in his scent because he’s behind me, holding me as I sleep.

I wiggle and he lifts his arm enough for me to roll towards him. “Hi” I tell him with a shy smile. “Hi” he tells me back and k****s me on the forehead. “Did you sleep well?” he asks me and I nod.

“My mom was right about the jacket. Thank you”, I tell him gratefully.

“Of course. Are you hungry? I had dinner sent down here so we could eat alone.” he tells me and pauses for just a moment, seemingly unsure. “I hope that’s OK” he says, and it’s more of a question than a statement.

“Yes! Thank you!” I tell him enthusiastically. “I’m so tired and staying here sounds amazing.” and he smiles at me as he releases me and climbs off the bed, walking around and offering his hand to help me up as well. He leads me into the kitchen where there are two plates sitting on the bar and he helps me onto a stool in front of one. “Your dad contacted your friend about what you’d need. He said you wouldn’t be thrilled with the salad, but it’s what you need,” he says sheepishly.

“It’s fine.” I tell him with a small laugh. “I don’t love spinach but I don’t absolutely hate it either. It looks like he cooked the steak well at least.” I tell him with a shrug as he sits down next to me. “He made the same for you?” I ask, seeing we have the same thing and it’s not what had been planned.

“Solidarity.” he tells me, picking up his fork and knife to dig in and takes a bite. “You’re right. The steak is cooked well.” he says, going in for another bite.

“Of course it is. I taught them how to cook.” I tell him with a giggle, going to take a bite of my own, but realizing I’m struggling to cut the steak with my finger bandaged. Seth sees me pause, realizing my dilemma, and he reaches across, taking the plate and utensils from me and cutting it for me. He pushes it back towards me and squeezes my knee, no words needing to be exchanged.

“Thanks”, I tell him quietly and he squeezes my leg again. I try my food and realize that Oliver did really well. “It’s really good, but it would be better with some wine.”

“Absolutely not.” he growls out at me, an incredulous look on his face.

“I was joking.” I tell him with a smile. “No alcohol, only spinach. I know.” and as I look at him he smiles.

“How’s your finger feeling now? Still numb?” Seth asks me. “I can’t feel anything through the bond now,” he adds.

“It’s starting to hurt now. It’s like… half numb? I don’t know how to explain it, it just feels weird, honestly.” I tell him and he nods, furrowing his brow.

“I’m still not sure why I could feel it when you got hurt. That’s not normal, even with Royals and Alphas.”

“Who knows? It’s probably something to do with my broken wolf.” I tell him.

“Different wolf. Not broken” he says, looking at me and the way he’s looking at me tells me he’s not looking to discuss it. I make a mental note to not say broken in front of him again.

I finish what I can of my salad and the entire glass of water Seth had poured for me. I sit waiting for Seth to finish his food but I’m tired and I let out a big yawn. Seth smiles at me and, with the last bite of his food now gone, he stands up and picks me back up. “Back to bed with you,” he says, and turns back towards the bedroom.

“I can walk, you know.” I mildly protest, but he just holds me tighter until we’re at the bed and he places me back down on it, covering me with the blankets and kissing me on the forehead. He walks back to the kitchen and reappears, this time holding the medicine and vitamins. He hands me my water bottle and then the vitamins, but when he goes to hand me the medicine, I stop him. “It always makes me really sick. I’d rather not unless it gets really bad.” I tell him and he looks at me, torn.

“I don’t want you to be in pain,” he says to me, looking from me to the medicine. I take the vitamins willingly so he can see. Maybe he’ll realize I’m being very serious, but he still hasn’t put them down.

“If I take those you’ll be holding my hair back while I puke all night. I’d rather deal with the pain than the sickness unless it gets too bad.” and he looks up to meet my eyes.

“So you want me to stay with you all night?” he asks, his eyes burning into me.

“Umm…” I start, but I feel nervous with the way he’s looking at me and I nod slowly. “Only if you want to.” I manage to whisper.

“Of course I want to. I never want to be away from you again.” he tells me and places the medicine on the bedside table. “Don’t take it unless it gets too bad. But if it does, tell me. We’ll figure something out.” he says and walks out of the room, this time returning with an ice pack and a black suit case. He sits back down beside me again and takes my hand, gently removing the wrapping around it and places it on my lap with the ice pack on top. “Does that feel OK?” he asks.

“Yeah, it’s fine.” I tell him and he stands, taking the suitcase across the room to place it in a chair. He loosens and then unties his tie and slowly unbuttons his shirt, turning to me. “Is there anything else that you need right now?” he asks me and I shake my head no. “I’m going to shower now. Try to drink some more water, ok?” he tells me, taking his shirt off.

“I will.” I tell him, and as he turns to head to the bathroom, I decide to go get the book I’ve been reading from the living room. As I’m getting up he rushes over to me. “What are you doing?” he asks, clearly irritated. “You just said you don’t need anything.”

“I just realized I want my book. I can get it.” I tell him, waving him off.

“Why won’t you just let me take care of you?” he asks, becoming annoyed. “You’re offending my wolf.”

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to. It’s just hard for me.” I apologize. “I’m not sure exactly where it is either. But I think maybe on the coffee table.” I say, trying to cooperate. Seth walks out and comes back with the book in hand.

“It’s fine.” I tell him with a small laugh. “I don’t love spinach but I don’t absolutely hate it either. It looks like he cooked the steak well at least.” I tell him with a shrug as he sits down next to me. “He made the same for you?” I ask, seeing we have the same thing and it’s not what had been planned.

“Is this the right one?” He asks and I nod and take it from him.

“Thank you.” I respond and he walks into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. He re-emerges from the bathroom a few minutes later wearing just sweatpants, his hair still quite damp, water dripping from it and down his muscular chest, and I’m reminded yet again that I’ve somehow been given the gift of the most beautiful mate possible. He crosses over and climbs onto the other side of the bed under the covers and sits up next to me while we remain silent for a while.

“I have difficulty accepting help when it’s something that I’m capable of doing myself. There’s so much that I’m NOT able to do, and I don’t want to be an inconvenience any more than I already am.” I say, breaking the silence between us.

“You’re not an inconvenience to me,” he begins, placing his hand on top of my thigh. “I want to take care of you, Altair wants to take care of you. You’re my mate, that’s what I’m supposed to do.”

“I know. I’ll try harder,” I tell him and he gently squeezes my leg.

“Is the ice helping it feel any better?” He asks me and lifts the ice pack to look at my injured finger.

“It’s feeling a little better. Not amazing, but better than it was.” I tell him honestly. “I’m not sure it’s really taking away the pain, just numbing it, really.”

“But you’ll tell me if it’s hurting more, right?”

“Yes. I will.” I tell him and begin to get up.

“Where are you going?” He asks, also getting up now and rushing to my side of the bed.

“I’m just going to change clothes and get ready for bed. I’m OK.” I try to reassure him.

“I’ll gladly help you out of these clothes” he tells me with a smirk as he moves closer and stands between my legs, holding my h**s and leans down to k**s me. This time, he doesn’t stop with just a simple k**s and he’s less gentle than he had been previously. I feel him lick my bottom l*p, asking for entrance, and I part my lips, allowing him access. He’s more aggressive now, but he’s still so gentle and it surprises me coming from this giant man. I feel his hand start to move up my body to my breast as he squeezes, gently, still over my top and I hear him growl as he stops and continues moving his hand up until it rests on the side of my face.

I place my hands on his side to steady myself as he’s leaning down over top of me and the angle is making me a bit dizzy. As soon as my hands meet his skin, I can hear him gently m**n as his k****s become slightly more aggressive and he guides me back onto my back as he lays across the top of me, moving his hand back down from my jaw to my breast. “You’re so beautiful, Mate” he murmurs between k****s and slips his hand inside my bra top so that he’s now in contact with my skin. Everywhere he touches feels like my skin is on fire, but in the best way, as he moves to trail k****s down my neck, and then my chest. He pulls me to sit up and he pulls the top over my head and throws it off the bed, gently laying me back down and taking one of my n*****s into his mouth. “Seth.” I gasp at the new sensation and let out a m**n.

“Is this ok?” he asks, looking up at me. I can’t find the words and just nod, causing him to smirk and go back to what he was doing. It feels so good and I go to grab his hair, but as I do, I realize, too late, that I’d used my injured hand and it hurts incredibly badly to bend it as I just did. Seth notices my pain and immediately stops and stands up in front of me, taking a full assessment of me in confusion. His eyes then make it to my hand and he realizes what happened and he takes my hand gently in his and brings it to his mouth and he k****s it gently.

“Come on, we’ll get you changed and put some ice back on it, OK?” He asks me and I nod at him, attempting to hide my pain as he releases my hand, his hands going to my side. He hooks his fingers into the top of my yoga pants and he begins to tug at them, so I lift my h**s to help him out as he slowly moves them down my body, his fingers trailing down every inch of my h**s and legs as he removes them. Once they’re off, he just stands there staring at me for a moment, completely naked before him, making me feel nervous. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, reopening his eyes that are full of l**t, and asks me “Where are your clothes?”

“They’re in the 2nd drawer, on the left”, I tell him and he walks over to the dresser, opening the correct drawer and shuffling through. He comes back holding a pair of shorts and a thin crop top and moves back to where he was, but this time he kneels between my legs as he reaches and gently caresses the outside of my thighs. “I thought about telling you that you’d just have to sleep next to me naked so I can feel your perfect skin all night, but I’m pretty sure if I did that, I’d end up marking you.” he says and helps me put on my clothes.