Only Her- ON HOLD

Chapter 38.

Noah's POV

I woke up wrapped in the covers around Dani, my arms and legs entangled with hers and her body pulled in tight against mine. Where one of us ended, the other began.

I felt her breathing slowly, still deep in sleep as I watched her chest rise and fall. I felt her contentment and peace as she slept. Her mind was still, completely at ease in a dreamless sleep. I shifted slightly and her hand tightened on my arm, hugging it in closer to her chest in reflex. I leaned forward to place a soft kiss on her smooth shoulder.

The edges of her lips briefly turned up at the edges and I couldn't help but smile. At her unconscious response. Finally, she stirred, feeling my movement and I heard her hum in sleepy contentment as she tried to pull herself awake.

"What time is it?" She asked huskily, her voice thick with sleep as her mismatched eyes blinked slowly open.

"Still early. Why don't you go back to sleep?" I said softly, placing a kiss on her lips before shifting back to pull myself out of our bed.

She groaned in protest and reached for me. "Where are you going?"

I pulled my pants on and then sat down beside her, brushing a wild hair from her face as she rolled onto her back to look up at me grumpily. "I'm set to go train with your father this morning, and he wants me to work with some of the enforcers again. He thinks it's good for them to interact with me and learn how I fight and command those around me."

"Hmm." She said and yawned, stretching her body long as she arched her back.

I smirked down at her and couldn't help but watch her as the morning sun glowed around her. "You're stunning in the morning baby." I said, now wishing more than anything I could stay in bed with her longer. I leaned down and kissed her deeply, my hand running down her side before breaking the kiss and letting my gaze drop to her still flat stomach. I placed a quick kiss on her lower belly and whispered, "Good morning little one."

Her hand brushed through my hair and she sighed peacefully. "I can meet you there in a bit." Her eyes were already slowly closing as her fingers absently twirled through my hair.

I laughed and kissed the inside of her palm before pulling myself from the bed. By the time I'd put my shirt on, she was already breathing deeply and falling asleep once more. I quietly slipped out of our room to get ready before making my way down to the training area behind the pack house.

The morning sun was already rising in the sky and the dew on the grass seemed as if it was glistening. I decided to take a quick shortcut down through the woods instead of going through the house. As I came to the opening of the training field, I froze. My nose picked up a very faint scent lingering in the air nearby. It was barely there, obviously old, but still traceable. And something about it smelled familiar.

I saw the group of enforcers and Eli talking on the field a few yards away and ran over, nodding to the others as Eli turned to face me.

"Alpha, I need to show you something. I caught a scent in the woods behind the house on my way over, and I don't think it's ours." I said.

Eli's jaw clenched and he nodded once in understanding, his eyes cutting to Zachary to come with us. "Show me." He said shortly.

The three of us ran over to the tree line, my nose hunting the place I'd found the scent the first time. Finally, my nose hit on it again and I stopped. "Here." I said.