Changed [Watty Awards 2013]

5. Acceptance

5. Acceptance

DELILAH

I sat on the chair in the corner of the room by myself, no doubt looking like I just saw Casper the friendly ghost. Except, Master wasn’t a friendly ghost; he was nightmare. He haunted my dreams and invaded my future. Everything about him screamed danger, but I was too naive to figure it out sooner.

Everything moved in slow motion. I couldn’t move, and I definitely could not think any coherent thoughts. All I knew was that he came to the Pack. And he saw me alive. The plan to keep my fake death rolling came to a close in the matter of hours.

“How far away was he?” Eric asked urgently, stuffing his muscular arms into his shirt and pulled the clothing over his head.

“His scent was still very strong, so I would say about two miles west of us.” Nick called from his bedroom.

When the Pack heard about Nick catching the scent, everything turned from flying high on thrill, to being in a huge disarray. People were scattering and chatting about, trying to figure out how to get prepared so fast.

Nick emerged from his bedroom and saw all the scrambling. He stuck his thumb and forefinger in his mouth and let out an ear piercing whistle. The werewolves all came to a halt and looked over at their Alpha.

“Everyone gather in the living room. Now.” The last word left on a growl, his eyes narrowing.

Everyone except Eric went into the living room with their heads bowed. Eric strolled in with no urgency. I just sat on the chair with my knees pulled up to chest, resting my chin on them.

“Now,” he started. “I know we’re not prepared for this. Hell, I don’t even know if we ever would’ve been. I don’t know what we’re getting ourselves into, but it’s mandatory. I’ve assigned Eric, Caelon and Jared. You guys are out on patrol. See if you can find him or anyone affiliated, and if you do, bring them back here.”

The three men stood up and left the house, out the back door. I wasn’t sure if I liked Caelon going or not. I wasn’t sure if I wanted any of them to go. I did not want anyone risking their lives just to say me. I was one person, they were three. Why risk three lives for one?

With those three gone—without any goodbyes—I was left with Nick, Kyle and Emily. I still sat in the corner staring at nothing, lost in my thoughts. I was so lost in them, I didn’t hear Emily come to perch on the arm of the chair.

“How are you dealing with it, hon?” Her hand came up to smooth my hair down. I sighed and leaned my head into her shoulder. “I know it’s hard, sweetheart, but please have faith in Nick. His need to protect you is stronger than ever now that he knows his mate is in danger.”

“I’m not—”

“Yes you are, Delilah. You need to stop denying it.  I know you don’t think about this the way wolves do, but he’s yours and you’re his, too.” She paused. “You need to stop pushing him away. It hurts him more than you think it does. He hates himself for not finding you sooner.”

I glanced at her and saw pure love and affection in her eyes. For me. This is coming from the woman who just met me. She already accepted me as her “daughter in-law” or however the werewolf way works.

I squeezed my eyes shut. “I’m just new at this.” Emily opened her mouth but I interrupted her. “I’ve never been with anyone before.” I laughed bitterly. “I’m twenty-one years old and I’ve never even been with anyone before.”

It seemed like experience didn’t matter, age didn’t matter. In this world, you didn’t question destiny. You were suckered in to believe that you were meant to be with one person, regardless of age or experience.

Was I finally accepting Nick as my mate? 

Emily stood up from her position on the chair arm and pulled me up. My legs were stiff from the long period of sitting in a ball. She pulled me up the stairs towards Nick’s room. We stood at the door.

“Tell him how you feel.” She whispered softly. “He’ll listen to you, Delilah. I know my son and he’ll listen to every word you say. I know now doesn’t seem like the best timing to tell someone how you feel considering the circumstances, but you have to relieve him of something.” She smiled. “I don’t want my youngest dying early because of stress.” She squeezed my hand and walked down the spiral staircase toward the kitchen.

I stared at the door for a long time, not knowing what to do. I didn’t know if I should’ve walked in or knocked. I decided on knocking—I didn’t want Nick to get annoyed. Or would he get annoyed because I knocked?

Before I could decide, the door swung open and revealed a tired looking Nick. He blinked down at me. I put my hands on his broad chest and pushed him lightly back into his room.

“Nick, I—”

“Look, I know you don’t feel for me what I feel for you. So, I’m backing off. I’m going to wait until I’m certain that you know what you feel for me.”

“Nick, I—”

“I don’t want to push you and—”

He was cut off by my lips on his. His reaction was instant. As he put his hands on my hips, I wound my arms around Nick’s neck, threading my fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck.

He pulled away and studied my expression. When he saw what he wanted, he crushed his lips on mine. He pressed me closer into his body and I wrapped my legs around his waist, deepening the kiss.

This is what he was waiting for. He wanted me to want him and he was going to patiently wait for me to finally accept it. Now that he knew I was certain, he held nothing back. He threw so much passion into that kiss, I was surprised he held back for so long.

I pulled away to breathe. I released my legs from his waist and dropped onto the floor. Nick looked at me and I licked my suddenly dry lips. His eyes followed.

“You decided?” He sounded almost hopeful.

I smiled. “Yes, I did.”

“And?” He grinned.

“And I accept you as my mate, Nicholas Webber.”

A/N: Awwww a little bit of fluff for you guys! I honestly enjoyed this chapter, and I was getting kind of fed up on how stubborn Delilah was being. She will get even more stubborn further into the story.

The character in the multimedia is Jared. The actor is Theo James. 

Next chapter will be about Master and updates on the situation. Also, if you want to know what Master looks like, look up Daren Kagasoff on google. 

Please fan me and/or comment so I know how you guys are enjoying this story so far!