Shelter Me From Darkness

Chapter 6

Dean 

Piper.

The last person I expected to see tonight. The last person I ever expected to see again. And yet she was here. In Stonehill. And I let her walk away from me. Again.

Once had been hard enough. But this second time was a knife to the gut. My wolf surged forward, a dark rage filling me. It was angry at us as it desperately tried to claw my insides apart. The wolf wanted control, and he didn't want to let our mate walk away.

My skin prickled as energy rose, and a metaphysical heat that came with every transformation surged through me. It was a battle of wills between me and the wolf, and for the first time in a long time, the wolf almost won.

I ground my teeth together and clenched my fists tightly. To the outside world, I was perfectly still, but inside my pulse was racing. Blood roared in my ears and a growl rumbled in my chest.

Forcing my heart to slow, I focused on my inner mindscape and reined my wolf back in. Ever since I'd torn the bond apart between Piper and me, I'd left myself an open wound of exposed nerves to fester and rot inside of me. I could only imagine what it had done to Piper.

I breathed; in through the nose and out through the mouth. It took everything I had not to give in and shift and let my wolf loose. It wanted to chase after Piper without a care in the world. I couldn't allow that to happen. I had a responsibility to the Iron Wolves, to my Pack and the town, shying away from that now to chase after Piper wasn't an option.

Not that my wolf understood that.

Fuck, she was still as beautiful as I remembered and just as stubborn. For years, all I'd had was memories to keep me going, to keep me grounded. And now she was here again, within touching distance. I itched to touch her, to take her in my arms and never let her fucking go.

Except I'd lost that fucking right. Mate or no mate, I'd broken us. Torn us apart, and I didn't know how to fix that. I wasn't sure I deserved the chance to after all this time, no matter how much it hurt seeing her again.

"Do you need to follow her?" Perrin asked, giving me a concerned look.

"No."

Perrin didn't question the lie, as I turned back towards the body, forcing my attention back to where it belonged. "The scene is secure for now. I want Simon to stay here and keep watch until we return later. Right now, I need to give the Alpha an update."

Simon's gaze widened, his face paling even more. From the way he was going, he would not last the full year as a Prospect, let alone become a full patched member to the Iron Wolves.

Perrin shot me an amused look, no doubt seeing through my excuse, especially as I could communicate with my Dad through the pack bond.

Not wanting to waste any more time, I checked the area for witnesses before transforming into my wolf form. Both Perrin and Cedric followed suit, and together the three of us crossed the veil and made our way back to the Den.

***

The run back to The Den had given me the chance to clear my head and focus on the problem at hand. Within the safety of the compound walls that separated us from the rest of Stonehill, I shifted back.

I nodded in acknowledgement to the wolves standing guard as I strode the familiar path towards the Clubhouse.

The scents of the Pack filled my nose, wolves I'd grown up with and was one day expected to lead. It hadn't been a responsibility I'd ever wanted. At twenty-three years old, I hadn't understood the weight that had shrouded my brother's shoulders and it had shaken me to my core.