Chapter 4: The Night Out

111K 3.6K 477
                                    

EDITED AND REVISED 11/19/2024

*** I HAVE WRITTEN THE SONG FOR "WILD WOLF" AND WILL POST SOON-IM IN LOVE WITH IT AND HOPE YOU LIKE IT AS WELL*********

Keith refused to let Lena stop home first, insisting she'd try to bail if given the chance. She resigned herself to staying in her uniform as they drove to the pack house where the Alpha and his family resided. The grand building loomed before them as they made their way inside.

"Would you like something to drink?" Keith offered.

"Yeah, grab me a water bottle please."

After retrieving two waters, they headed up to his room. Lena settled at his desk, pulling out her homework while Keith went to change. Staring at her uncomfortable uniform, she made an impromptu decision.

"What are you doing?" Keith's voice made her yelp as he emerged from the bathroom.

"Borrowing some clothes so I can be comfortable," she explained, already grabbing a shirt and sweats. Keith just nodded and flopped onto his bed. It wasn't unusual—they'd grown up together, and she'd borrowed his clothes countless times over the years. When she emerged from the bathroom, Keith burst out laughing at how his clothes engulfed her small frame.

"Ugh, maybe if you'd let me change before coming over, you ass," she grumbled.

"Don't be mad. I think you look cute," he said softly, enjoying the sight of her in his clothes more than he should. She rolled her eyes and grabbed her health homework, settling beside him on the bed.

Miles away, Damian was drowning in memories of Saturday morning, the perfect way Lena had felt in his arms, how her touch had set his body aflame, the bone-deep sense of completion she'd brought him. His wolf had been restless ever since their little mate had run from them, though more outraged at Damian for letting her go than at her for fleeing.

He'd tried to block out his wolf these past days, but he'd be lying if he claimed he didn't share the beast's anguish. A piece of him felt missing now, carved away by her absence. Yet he couldn't have a mate, regardless of how right it had felt. This was about keeping her safe—from him, from the enemies whose numbers seemed to multiply with each passing year.

His wolf snarled at these excuses, knowing they were more than capable of protecting her. Damian was the strongest of their kind; there should be no reason they couldn't keep her safe. But he couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to her because of him.

There was one solution, though it had his wolf howling in protest at the mere thought.

Reject her.

The word tasted like ash in his mouth, but it might be the only way to truly protect her. Even as the thought formed, his wolf thrashed against their mental barriers, refusing to even consider severing their bond with their precious mate.

The rest of the week fell into an easy rhythm as Lena spent her afternoons at Keith's house. To her surprise, she found him less annoying with each passing day. When his Alpha duties called him away to work with his father, she spent time with his little sister Kallie. Having grown up with only her older brother Jay, Lena treasured these moments, it was like having the little sister she'd always wanted. Today, she'd come prepared with her own clothes, having learned her lesson about drowning in Keith's oversized ones.

"What, are my clothes not good enough for you anymore?" Keith teased as she emerged from his bathroom in her own fitted outfit.

"Even though your clothes are ridiculously comfy and warm," Lena said, settling beside him on the bed, "I prefer wearing something that isn't falling off every time I move."

Supernatural Marks Book 1 (Completed/unedited)Where stories live. Discover now