Chapter 13

Alexa's POV

After explaining things to Nate, I felt drained. How bizarre; he had to walk in at the exact moment when I’d said ‘Love you’ to Jonah. That boy always brought me drama, even being miles away. I walked over to the table and saw four meals of Chinese takeout that Nate had brought for us, and rolled my eyes. What had he been thinking?! I couldn’t eat all this even with Lia's help. I grabbed the sesame chicken dinner, shaking my head, and poured myself a glass of water. Then I sat down and tried to process what just happened. I am falling for you, Alexa! That was what he’d said. Those were his exact words. They replayed in my head over and over again, driving me crazy.

He was falling for me… and what about me? Did I have feelings for him, too? Yes, he made me feel things that I never thought I would fall for anyone. He made me laugh, smile, cry...my heart skipped a beat whenever I saw him. I missed him when he was gone, missed his strong masculine scent that enveloped me with security and promise. Were these things an indication that I was in love with him? I didn’t know. I sighed, rubbing my hands over my face. What to do? Did he want me to say it back? So many unanswered questions were running through my mind.

I looked around, willing to distract myself, and felt satisfied. Everything was ready—I’d packed all our stuff, and now we just had to move in with Nate. And in less the forty eight hours, Dahlia and I were going to be a part of the Crescent Falls Pack. Frankly, the thought alone was sending my stomach into jitters. I was about to head for the showers, when I heard the loudest piercing scream echo. It was like someone had sucked all the air out of me. I stumbled over, grabbing hold of the walls. What the hell was that? 'It's Dahlia, she's in trouble,' my wolf didn't need to finish the thought, because I was out the door by then. In a matter of seconds, I was on all fours. I ran as fast as I could. I didn't know how far she was. I only knew that she’d said she was going for a walk, but why the hell did she have to go into the woods?

The screaming was getting closer. I stopped when I found Dahlia hunched forward on her hands and knees. I came close to her, nudging her with my nose. She was shifting into her wolf. I tried to mind link her since her wolf was close.

'Dahlia, baby, can you hear me?' I waited. I knew how the first shift felt—I was almost torn, because I could do nothing to help my sister.

'Ahh, Lex, it hurts. It hurts so badly. Make it stop, please, make it stop,' she whimpered. I nuzzled close to her. She needed Mason, but I had no way of contacting him. My phone was back at the house. Maybe I could get her to call out to him.

"Ahhhh! Fuckin’ bitch, this hurts like hell!" she hissed through gritted teeth.

'Lia, I know it hurts, love, but I need you to try to call out to Mason. He'll know how to find you. You need your mate.'

Hearing a twig snap, I quickly got into protective mode. I looked around, but only saw a deer. I growled to scare it away. Before I could finish, I felt large canines clamp down around my neck, and then I was being thrown across the trees. I whimpered; it hurt like hell. I got up as quickly as I could, and stumbled towards my attacker. I found him hovering over Lia and howling lowly. This must be Mason in wolf form, a large auburn brown wolf. That little bastard just bit me. I stepped closer, and he growled. I stood a couple feet away even though I wasn't a threat to her. As her mate, he didn't care; he wanted no one near her, but I couldn’t find it in me to leave my sister.

Feeling a little woozy, I stood tall in front of Mason, bowing my head to show I was not a threat, but I wasn't leaving.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw a massive dark brown wolf appear. He stood rooted in place, looking at me intently. He slowly made his way towards me. When his scent hit me, I looked directly at him. He nodded to show that he was no harm. I knew it was Nate. I looked back at Mason, who was ready to attack us both. He was in protective mode-- he didn't care who anyone was.

Nate nuzzled my neck. I shut my eyes, feeling his warmth, which was making me feel even dizzier. I whimpered when he licked my neck. I had forgotten I was hurt. Feeling a sudden fatigue wash over me, I looked at Nate once more before everything went black.

Nathaniel's POV

Walking closer to Alexa, I bowed my head to show her that I was not going to hurt her. She seemed to relax-- she must have caught my scent. Nudging the side of her neck, I noticed that she was hurt. I licked to see if the wound was still bleeding. She whimpered, and it sent a panic through me. What if she was badly hurt? She wasn't going to leave her sister’s side, and I needed to get her to the pack doctor. She suddenly closed her eyes, and then stumbled a little. Then she collapsed to the floor.

In a second, I was growling with anger. I could hear my pack behind me. 'Get the pack doctor to my house, now!' I yelled out to anyone who would hear. I shifted back into my human form, and crouched down beside her wolf, picking her up. The closest place was the motel. I made my way to her door, which was open. I didn't care who saw me—her safety was far more important. I gently laid her down on her bed. I quickly spotted my clothes, folded nicely and kept next to the side I’d slept in the other night. I threw my clothes on and tried to get her to shift back. No such luck. I carried her to my truck. Luckily, no one was around to see me carrying a large she wolf.

'Mason?' I growled involuntarily.

'Yeah Nate, I’m sorry, bro. I didn't know it was her. I don't know what came over me. Man, if she's not okay, Dahlia would never forgive me,' he sounded devastated.

'How's Dahlia?' I questioned, feeling concerned for her as well as my brother. This was a mess.

'She's fine now, but in pain. Her first shift is over. I’m taking her home to rest-- she's asleep in my arms. I’m with Marcus; he's dropping us off at the house. Do you need me to help with Alexa?'

'No, I’ll take care of her. I'll see you at the house.' I spared the details about Alexa, because I didn't have an answer to that. A finally, I pulled up to my house. I looked behind at the backseat, and saw that Alexa had shifted into her human form. I got out, grabbing one of my T-shirts, and pulled it over her. I carried her up to my bedroom, and then I heard footsteps behind me.

"Oh my god, Lex!" Dahlia sobbed, sitting beside her on the bed. Mason was not too far behind. My wolf was on edge with him already.

"What happened!? Who did this to her?” she demanded. I looked at my brother who paled, while keeping his gaze on me, looking for a helping hand.

"Beta Nathaniel, you called?" the pack nurse appeared, while looking towards Alexa. "Come on, Dahlia; let’s give the doctor space to check Alexa. How about we take a walk?" Mason asked. "No, I’m not leaving my sister. I want to be here when she gets up." Mason stood with her sobbing in his arms. I turned to Mary, the pack doctor.

"Thank you Mary, for coming like this. Can you please check if she's okay?" I asked desperately. She nodded, and went to work on Alexa. "It seems she was attacked from behind. Most of the bit has healed. She's just suffering from the aftershock of whatever happened," she said.

I let out a breath, forcing myself to calm down. She was alright. It was just an aftershock; she was almost healed relief washed over me. "Will she be okay? Why hasn't she woken up yet?"

"It seems she's been overly stressed and exhausted. Her body went into shock. When she's ready, she'll wake, which should be in a couple of hours. I want you to give her this-- she will have a sore throat for a while. That should help." She handed me some liquid medicine.

"Thank you again, Mary. I greatly appreciate it." She nodded, greeted us all, and walked out the door.

"Nate, please tell me what happened. Last I remember, she was with me during my shift. The next I see you bringing her in like a rag doll with blood on her," Dahlia whispered. She was upset, she suddenly tensed, as if she’d realized something, and covered her mouth with shaky hands. Mason looked at her frantically. "Oh no… Did I—did I do this…" she was cut off by Mason, who pulled her towards him to look at him.

"No! Dahlia, it was me, damn it! It was me," he whispered the last part. She froze, tons of emotions crossing her face.

"What did you say?" she asked him in disbelief. Mason straightened himself, looking at her with pleading eyes.

"I attacked your sister because when I found you, she was in wolf form, growling. Everything went black from that point on, and my wolf took over. You have to believe that I would never hurt her intentionally, baby. I’m sorry." Guilt washed over him. He stepped close to her. She stepped back. "Get out!" She hissed.

"Baby, you don't mean that. Let's talk, please!"

"GET OUT!!!" She screamed. I winced, while Mason stumbled back. It was my time to step in.

"Mason, give her time. Now is not good, especially with Alexa lying here." Dahlia walked into my bathroom and slammed the door shut.

"What am I going to do, Nate? She hates me now, she'll never get over this," he said, pacing back and forth, his hands in his hair.

"What you’re going to do is give her space. Right now, she's upset that you almost killed her sister, and to be quite honest, I’m a little pissed too but I understand it was your protective instinct. How about you head back to their motel, get their stuff, and bring everything here? It should be packed up. Hopefully when you get back, she’d be calm." He nodded. I squeezed his shoulder for support, walking him to the door. Before he walked off, he looked towards the bathroom door and sighed. Then he turned and walked away.

I exhaled. When did my life get so crazy? I looked at Alexa, sleeping peacefully. My heart clenched when I looked at her. Only hours earlier, I’d seen her smiling face, kissed her full lips, and told her that I was falling for her. Now she couldn’t even see me, couldn’t even realize how much it was killing me to see her unconscious. Dahlia came out of the bathroom at that moment with a bowl and a rag, making me break from my thoughts. I sat beside Alexa, running my fingers along her arm while holding her hand. Thank god she was going to be okay. Dahlia started cleaning the dried blood that was on her neck. With shaky hands, she started to sob, whispering apologies to her sister.

"Dahlia, you know he didn't mean to do this. He was just trying to protect you. That's what having a mate is about; they'd do anything to ensure your safety," I said kindly, she sniffled.

"He could have killed her. She's all that I have. She was trying to help me, not hurt me," she said in a shaking voice. "I don't know if I can forgive him for this. As much as I want to hate him, I miss him every minute that passes. I love him, Nate! I love someone that almost killed my sister," she sobbed, curling up to her sister. "Can I have some time alone with her, please?" I nodded, squeezing her shoulder in a gesture of comfort, and slipped out of the room.

I walked over to my study, feeling emotionally drained, and physically exhausted. I sank down in my chair, leaning back and closing my eyes. A knock at my door brought me out of my slumber.

"Come in," I said, and turned to see Marcus and Adam.

"What brings you two here?" I asked, unsure of their visit.

"Well, Nate, since Alexa is going to be a part of the pack, and will be presented this Saturday, we thought if she was up to it, tomorrow we could have dinner here together. Just so that she’d get to know some of us, and wouldn’t feel overwhelmed. We'll bring our mates, too." They both looked at each other, then at me. I smiled.

"That's a great idea. I think she would like having some friends for support," I said.

"Yeah, we thought so, too," Marcus said, smiling.

"So, who's cooking?" I questioned.

"Well, the girls said they would come over and handle everything, and since there's a fight on tonight, we guys can chill together while the girls do whatever they want to do," Marcus said with a smirk.

"I would have to make sure that Alexa is comfortable with this. I don't want to stress her. I will get back to you tonight," I said as they got up. I walked with them to the front door, saying my goodbyes. Before I’d shut the door, I saw Mason pulling up. He got out, looking like hell. He looked up at me. "How is she?" I assumed that he was talking about his mate, and I ushered him in. "She’s hurt, Mason. You fucked up. I don't even know how to help you,” I told him honestly. He nodded and started unloading things from the trunk.

I followed him upstairs with the boxes. At the top of the stairs, he looked over his shoulder at me.

"What?" I questioned him.

"Where am I taking Dahlia's things?" I could see the sadness in his eyes. “Just put them in the guest room across from you. If she's ready, she'll move her things to your room," I said reassuringly.

When I walked into my room, I noticed that the bed was empty. For a moment, I got freaked out, until Dahlia walked out the bathroom with Alexa right behind her. She was fresh from the shower, her hair damp and in waves, her beautiful body dressed up in a pair of my boxer briefs and one of my t-shirts. I locked eyes with her, and she managed a weak but pleased smile. Somehow, it felt really good to see her being pleased to see me. I set the boxes down and walked towards her. Dahlia cleared her throat. "I'll leave you two alone. I have some unpacking to do, and Lex, you need some rest." She gave me a meaningful look, which again made me feel a little embarrassed, and gave her sister a hug before walking off. She turned to me before going, and said, "Thank you for saving her, Nate."

I blinked, a little overcome by the emotion I saw in her eyes. I nodded at her, and then she left. Once the door closed behind her, I went to Alexa and gathered her into my arms, damp hair and all. She sighed, laying her head on my chest, wrapping her delicate arms around my waist.

"You scared me back there," I said honestly, breathing her in. “God, Alexa, you almost killed me back there.”

"I know. I scared myself, too," she whispered painfully.

"Don't speak. I’ve got some medicine the doctor left for your throat."

"I’m okay, Nate. It's a little painful, but I can tolerate it." She looked up at me, her eyes leveled on my lips, and I let myself relax for the first time after I’d seen her unconscious.

“Humor me, Alexa,” I said, and released her to get her medicine. She watched me as I poured it out for her, and then put it to her lips. She swallowed the dark liquid, her eyes never leaving mine, and something intimate sparked between us. I couldn’t help but wonder if she’d thought about everything I’d told her earlier today, in the afternoon. I couldn’t help but wonder if she felt anything for me. I couldn't help but feel the lust radiating between us. She leaned in and kissed me. I didn't hesitate, and responded to her deep, hungry kiss. I picked her up bridal style, and walked over to my bed. I align myself with her, my forearms supporting my weight over her, while she locked her legs around my waist.

My lips moved with hers in sync. She tasted of fresh mint and something sweet, something uniquely her. I groaned, biting lightly at her lower lip, and she whimpered. “You’ve just recovered from a shock,” I mumbled. “I should let you rest.”

I moved my lips to her jaw, and continued down her neck. “I’ve had all the rest I needed,” she whispered back. “Right now, I can’t think of anything but you, Nate.”

My hands made their way under her t-shirt, squeezing the curve of her waist, marveling at her silky smooth skin. I sucked on the side of her neck, where I would love to mark her as mine. She moaned, grinding her hips against my hardening shaft, sending thrills of pleasure through my body, making me groan. It was getting harder to stop myself from completely devouring her, then and there. I kissed down her t-shirt, and her nipples perked up against the thin fabric. I teased her, kissing along the waistband of the boxers. Her moans were driving me over the edge.

"Oh, Nate, I need you," she moaned, her fingers tugging at my hair. I looked up at her flushed face, her half-lidded gaze. Her breath came out in pants; her hair sprawled out on the pillow like silk. She was beautiful.

"Are you sure this is what you want, Alexa?" I asked her intensely. I was more than ready, but I needed to be sure that she was, too. In that moment, our eyes met, and I knew what her answer was.