Sapphire Moon

Safe

Oliver and Shawn headed over to the southwest border to meet Devin and this mystery woman. As they approached, Shawn let out a fierce growl causing the pack warriors to let go of her. She stood there in tattered clothes, her eyes locked with his. He took off his shirt and slid it over her small frame, which fell to her mid thigh, then wrapped his arms around her and inhaled her scent.

Oliver cleared his throat to get their attention. Shawn pulled back and turned toward his alpha. He gave him a pleading look. "Please don't hurt her. She's not a threat to us, or to anyone. Remember, she's my mate. If you're going to question her, please let me go with you." Shawn requested via mind-link.

Oliver nodded in response. He approached slowly and introduced himself. "Hello there," Oliver said softly, "I'm Alpha Oliver. I see you've already met my Gamma, Shawn. Please, follow Shawn. He will show you to your room so you can get freshened up. A fresh pair of clothes will be brought to your room. We will talk after, in my office."

Anna was taken aback by Oliver's kind demeanor toward her.

"Thank you, Alpha Oliver." She shyly replied. At that, Shawn took Anna by the hand and started toward the pack house. He could feel the sweet sensation of tingles with their hands intertwined. Shawn looked at Anna and noticed her wincing with each step and was trying not to limp. He stopped and picked her up bridal style, then continued to the pack house. As soon as they entered, Anna noticed a lot of stares at her and Shawn. She turned herself so she was sinking into Shawn's chest, essentially hiding herself. They reached the room in no time, and Shawn placed her on the bed carefully.

"The bathroom is through there" he pointed to a door to the right of the door they came through. "If you want some privacy, I'll go to my room. It's right next door, you can holler and I'll be here in a heartbeat." Shawn said. "Your clothes will arrive shortly."

"I appreciate it. I think I'd feel a bit more at ease if you stayed here while I'm showering. If you don't mind, that is." Anna muttered.

Shawn sat down on the bed next to her, held her hand and said, "Anything for you, my love." Anna smiled and stood up to shower. Shawn walked her to the bathroom, and she kissed his cheek then shut the door.

About 20 minutes later, a knock sounded at the door. Shawn opened it to find a bag of clothes. He took the bag and walked toward the bathroom, just as the shower turned off. Knocking lightly on door, he asked "The clothes are here, would you like me to leave so you can change?"

"No, can you hand them to me?" Anna replied as she opened the door a bit. Shawn handed her the bag and grinned.

"Do you need any help? I mean, you were limping earlier and I'd hate for you to fall trying to dress yourself." He proposed as he winked at her.

"Mate or not, I'm not ready for that yet. We've only known each other for a few months, and you weren't yourself. You were pretending to be someone you're not. The only thing I know about you is your name, pack, rank, and that you're my mate. Before today, I only knew your name and that we were soulmates." She retorted, with a hurt look in her eyes as she shut the door.

A few minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom in a pair of bootcut jeans and a royal blue v-neck shirt on. Her hair was braided off to the side and she looked nervous. "Do I look ok?"

"You look stunning. Besides, you could wear a baggy pair of sweatpants and still look good." Shawn replied. He couldn't help but smile at her. "Ready to go speak with Alpha Oliver?" Anna nodded and they walked out toward Oliver's office.