The Forsaken Luna

CHAPTER NINE

Elliot

My body shudders under the covers. I feel all of my muscles tense up and my chest tightens to the point it's hard to breathe. My eyes snap open, my body's reaction waking me up from a deep sleep. I blink a few times to clear my vision, wondering why my wolf woke me up.

But when I notice Mackenzie's figure sitting on the edge of her own bed, her fingers raking through her hair, I'm completely awake.

After we got Natalie home safely and we got back to the pack house, we had to talk to Knox about the attack. Needless to say he was fuming and cursing the Midnight pack. We went to the house after Knox told us to sleep this off and we'll talk more in the morning. Mackenzie was so shaken up that I decided to stay with her for tonight, even though I don't trust my wolf around her.

But right now I'm thankful my wolf woke me up.

"Hey." My voice is soft as I prop myself up on my arm. My mate tenses up when she hears my voice, her head turning to me. I can see tears in her eyes and her scent is cloaked with anxiety. It makes the hairs on my arms stand and I quickly sit up at the sight of her tears.

"Hey, Kenzie. What's wrong?" I move so I swing my legs over the edge of the bed and sit down beside her. I notice how she averts her look from me and tries to hide the tears that are brimming at the edges of her eyes. My chest tightens even more at the sight and fear settles itself in me. Why is she crying? Is it because of me? Because of the attack tonight? Is she scared for Natalie or for her pack?

"It's... nothing." Her voice shakes when she speaks and I feel my skin prickle at the sound. No, it's not nothing. I can feel it in the pit of my stomach that this is not nothing.

I reach forward and move her hair away from her face, carefully tugging it behind her pierced ear. My fingers brush against her silver earrings. I can feel how she tenses at my touch, but she doesn't swat my hand away. I drop my hand back on the mattress and watch her side profile. She blinks a couple of times to get rid of the tears that are threatening to fall down her cheeks.

"It's not nothing. Please, talk to me." I plead, turning my body more to her. I see how she lifts her head up, looking up to the ceiling. Her hair falls back and pools down her back and my stomach squeezes at the sight. Even in the middle of the night, when her being is enveloped with sadness and anxiety, she looks so beautiful.

Kenzie turns her head to the side to look at me, her mesmerizing ice blue eyes shining in the dark room. I notice the sadness that lines her expression and it makes me want to hug her tightly. If she'd let me, that is.

"I've..." She halts and I notice the conflict on her face. She's deciding if she's going to tell me what's bothering her or not. I press my lips in a thin line and wait patiently. I know I'm just going to make things worse if I prod at her. "I've been having nightmares. And they keep me up at night." She tells me. My wolf growls quietly in my head and I frown at the sound. How long has she been having them? Why wasn't I by her side? Damn it, I should've been by her side!

"You want to talk about it?" I carefully ask. I feel like I'm dancing on the edge of a blade. One wrong move and I tumble over. One wrong word and she will close up on me and then she will never open up about this subject ever again.

Mackenzie nods a little, which makes relief settle itself in my bones. I reach my arm out for her and she lets me pull her closer to me. My mate leans into my side, her head coming to rest against my shoulder. Her cold body presses into my warm one and it makes a shiver run up my spine.

"I've been... dreaming about my first shift." She whispers. I rest my head on top of hers, my chin resting on top of her hair. I can smell myself on her and my wolf purrs in delight. I scented her, she's mine. And now other werewolves will know she's mine, because they will smell me on her.