Omega and the beast

Chapter 18

I walked through the forest; the frost bit the dry leaves on the ground and the bark of the trees had almost a coating of frost on them too. But I didn't freeze. I was at peace. No sounds except those of my footsteps and my light breathing. Or was it more noise? I stopped and raised my nose slightly, taking a whiff.

There, further ahead. I smiled, my heart jumping of joy. Further away in the forest he was, my love... my mate. I rushed towards him. Happily calling his name. Although I didn't see him, he was there, calling for me to come to him. And I would go to him, like I always would.

I opened my eyes. The moonlight from outside made it almost sparkle in the golden threads in my canopy and I smiled, rubbing my tired eyes. I slowly sat up and glanced at my phone. Only 5am in the morning.

Why did I wake up this early? It was still dark outside and looked almost chilly. But in my suite it was warm. I had lit a fire the night before which got rid of the damp cold and even though it had burned out the heat never left the room.

I threw my legs over the edge of the bed and stood up, stepping into my bunny slippers before reaching for my bathrobe with a yawn. I had a tingling sensation in my body, my skin itching and almost yearning for something. Touch?

I staggered into the bathroom to relieve myself, rubbing my arms meanwhile. I glanced at myself in the mirror. It had been an okay week except from that with Dough and today in the late afternoon we were going home to my parents to celebrate my birthday. I was now twenty-four years old, a number my grandma always called magical.

"Happy birthday, Ryan," I said with another yawn. "One step closer to twenty-five, the year you thought you'd have your whole life put together." I huffed at that and left the bathroom, considering going to bed again since it was too fucking early to even considering to be alive.

But I still had that restless feeling in my body, and my skin itched in that disturbing way. The tingling was like a... not anxious feeling, but as if I was missing something. A fucking need? Was this what drug addicts felt when they had abstinence? I yearned for something, but I don't know what.

Instead of going to bed again I chose to put on my soft pants and Reed's hoodie I still had in my possession. I loved it and it loved me! It's mine from now on and that's a fact!

Using my phone's flashlight to guide my way thru the dark corridors I left my suite to sneak down to the kitchen. But at the height of Reed's room, I stopped and found myself staring at his door. My pulse skyrocketed and the tingling sensation in my body, and the itching, increased. I felt like opening his door just to get a glimpse of him. Go to him... Go to him... You want it... You need it...

I hurried away towards the stairs, cringing at how I stepped on the creaking plank close to Reed's room from the direction of the stairs. I aimed for the kitchen to make Reed's beloved coffee and maybe prepare breakfast, when I was met by a wonderful smell, and it wasn't Reed's. It came from the kitchen and smelled like freshly baked bread.

"Reed?"

When I entered the kitchen the lights were on and on the kitchen counter was a tray of freshly baked shortbread. It smelled absolutely wonderful, and I smiled with affection.

Did Reed get up early to bake bread?! Was that why there was always homemade bread? Was he such a night owl that he didn't work during the days in his study like I thought, but took several naps?

I chose to go up to the coffee maker to prepare his coffee. It was the least I could do for him when he was baking bread for me. I knew he used to have breakfast around six, maybe seven, before I moved in. If I prepared breakfast and texted him there was a good chance he was awake and hadn't gone back to sleep.