Mercy of the Mate

{9} Safe Haven

The sounds of waves crashing across the shore relaxed me as I laid out, sipping at the beer that took way too long to get. I had been constantly checking my phone for some kind of message from somebody. But nothing. I was beginning to think that Dimitri had abandoned me, and that Lilly was never coming back. I was alone all of a sudden, and I can't begin to think how to cope. Alcohol was a start, I suppose. The world was fairly still, aside from a faint breeze that brushed my hair across my shoulders, and I couldn't even begin to think of what to do. I guess being exposed to a more interesting, and more dangerous, world is enough to make somebody pessimistic to their own mundane lives. After downing probably my fifth glass of whatever I managed to get my hands on, I stood and trekked towards my car. The bitter sensation of the cheap alcohol stung my tongue, and my feet were barely lifting high enough to consider myself walking. More like dragging myself to my destination. Scouring for my keys, I focused my attention to my car only to find the man that's been haunting my sleepless nights. Practically jumping out of my skin, I let the bottle crash to the ground. The shattering echoed through the rather quiet night, and he only stood there.

"Dimitri," I breathed, looking at the drunken mess I made before back at him.

"Don't tell me you were planning on driving, Lucy."

"What's it care to ya?" I mumbled, leaning down to start picking up the pieces. Was that even a coherent sentence? Who cares. I'll blame it on the alcohol.

Dimitri's clean and shiny shoes came into my viewpoint, and as my eyes traced his body, up to his face, I noticed he was semi-formally dressed.

"I didn't think wolves had to be dressed so nicely for an evening stroll."

As I looked back down at all the glass, I felt one of his hands gently wrap around my arm and lifted me up. "And I didn't think pretty lady's had to go out and get drunk on the beach alone."

Scoffing, I decided to leave this statement unanswered. I crossed my arms after he took the few pieces of glass I had in my hand and threw it in the trash. He led me to the car and told me to sit in there while he cleaned the rest of it up. As I ran my otherwise numb fingertips along the smooth leather padding of my door, I watched Dimitri clean up the glass. There was some pathetic feeling that etched deep into me, seeing him clean up after my drunkard mess. God, maybe I was the mess. Slumping into the seat further, I covered my face with my hands and huffed dramatically. Why couldn't he have been a disappointment like the other dates I'd been on.

The driver's side opened after a few moments of my silent sulking, and then we just sat there.

"Why are you all dressed up?" I broke the silence. He was too good at it.

"I was going to try and convince you to go to dinner with me, but I saw you like that and

decided to just make sure you weren't driving."

I opened my mouth to respond, but only a sound came out. Instead of trying to spit out words that probably wouldn't make sense, I decided to turn my face away and shut my mouth.

"I'll drive you home, Skye."

It felt foreign to hear him call me Skye. It may have been the fact that I knew how much the name Lucy meant to him, but still, it did feel slightly unnatural to hear him call me by my nickname.

"You were going to take me on a date?" I asked after a long while of driving. He was taking the back way.

"Yes. Things were calming down, I figured it could have been a good time."

"So it was convenient?"

"I mean, yes. But I've been wanting to for a while now."

"Yeah, well, I guess that comes with not talking to me for nearly a month."

"Hey, you were the one that ended our text stream."

"Then you send another text!" I snapped. God, was it that hard to understand?

He didn't respond, he just let out a prolonged sigh and pulled the car over. Although we were parked, he kept his hands on the steering wheel, as if it was the one thing keeping himself composed.

"I'd never figure my mate would be so mundane. And naive."

I could hardly mutter a, "What?" Sure, I had spent the entirety of his arrival bickering with him, but he's always kind of taken it without much of a protest. Now that he was speaking back, his words felt like daggers.

"You heard me, Lucy."

With fumes practically coming out of my ears, I fiddled with the car door, trying to get it open. He had put the child lock on or something, it wouldn't budge. It fed my frustration more. "You know what, Dimitri? I'm not going to apologize for being a brat right now. I'm not even drunk enough to use it as an excuse. You took my entire life, flipped it upside down all while saying it'd be alright, and then vanished for over a month while I didn't know who was in danger and who wasn't. So, I may be mundane. I may be annoying. But I will not be insulted by you. Just let me out of my damned car."

He turned to look at me, the furrow in his brow relaxing. "Lucy, I'm not letting you out of the car."

"Then just take me home! I'm going to go insane with you belittling me."

"Stop whining!" he snapped yet again. "Do you really think you're the only one with problems right now? I've got a girl who's barely just healed after being clawed in half, practically a rogue Beta, and now a mate who I can't even see because I'm afraid she'll get hurt again. I'm sorry, alright? I didn't know what else to do. I didn't know how else to keep you safe."

Pursing my lips, I blinked away a tear and turned towards him. He had his stare on his hands, which were still gripping the wheel harshly. Suddenly he let out a scream of frustration and smacked the wheel. Jumping, I reached out and placed a gentle hand on his arm.

"Dimitri, please stop." I whispered shakily. I've never seen him so torn over something, never have I seen him so angry.

He looked towards me, his eyes flashing with something inhumane. Possibly his werewolf instincts taking over in his moment of anger, but as his eyes met mine, it vanished. Carefully, he placed a gentle hand on my cheek and closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Lucy. I thought keeping you alone would keep you safe, but it just made you worry. Made you feel alone. That's not what I want you to feel."

"Dimitri..." I whispered, leaning into his caressing hand gently. "My safe haven is with you, with the pack. I don't know much about this wolf thing, nor do I even have a clue on where to get started with being a mate, but I do know that despite everything that's going on, I only feel safe when I with you."

Opening his eyes once again, he just looked at me before leaning towards me quickly. This time, there was no hesitation, nor was their an interruption. His lips touched mine with such intention, and my eyes closed at our first touch. Nobody could have warned me how amazing it would be, to kiss somebody that became the only thought that ran through your mind. He had become an obsession, one I couldn't break. And, at long last, he had showed this same feeling with his actions. His hands moved along my body like he were mapping a unfound territory. My own gripped at his hair as we hungrily kissed, and for the first time in over a month, I felt alright. I felt like somebody was there, and that was a wonderful, wonderful thing.