Luna Lena

Chapter 4 - Hot Chocolate

My screams and sobs must have woke up Elijah immediately because I felt a large hand grab my arm, so I turned around quickly in fright only to find him sitting up next to me, staring at me with large, worried eyes. I tried to steady my breathing. I didn't want my mate to see me like this. Hell, I didn't want anyone to see me like this.

"What happened? What's wrong?" Elijah asked frantically. He tried to pull me into his comforting embrace, but I resisted and pulled away.

"A dream...just a dream," I mumbled to him. It was only a dream, so why couldn't I make myself calm down?

Elijah's wide, golden eyes looked hurt that I rejected his attempt to comfort me, yet he remained calm and understanding.

"What was the dream about?" he asked.

"I...I don't know," I told him honestly.

"There was this man yelling at me and trying to hurt me, but I have no idea who he was or what was going on. It just...it felt so real," I added.

Elijah nodded to me, showing his concern and understanding.

"Do you like hot chocolate?" he asked.

I furrowed my eyebrows together in confusion. "What?"

He smiled and stood from the bed, holding his hand out to me. He wanted me to take it, but wasn't going to force me to. Why was he so nice? I sighed but finally obliged, allowing him to intertwine his fingers in mine once more. He led me down the dark hallway and into the kitchen that I had only briefly seen earlier.

It was a gorgeous kitchen, not that I'd seen many to compare it to. The cabinets were white and the counter tops marble. It was stocked with every appliance you could imagine, all stainless steel. Elijah motioned for me to sit down at a small table in front of the window, so I did. He moved towards the pantry and refrigerator, which I noticed were stuffed full of more food than I knew existed.

"My mother always made homemade hot chocolate for me or my siblings if we had a nightmare," he told me with a smile as he pulled sugar and cocoa powder from the pantry.

"You don't have to go through the trouble Elijah. It's the middle of the night," I said.

"Nonsense. You're my mate, and it's my job to make you feel better. I know you're not comfortable with our conversations or physical contact yet, so this is the only way I know how to comfort you," he said with a shrug and a shy grin.

I watched intently as he placed a pot on the stove and began to mix his ingredients. Only some rogues had actual homes, and I had been inside very few. All of the ingredients and the utensils he used had me intrigued.

Elijah must have noticed my curiosity because my observations were interrupted by him chuckling.

"Have you never had hot cocoa?" he asked as he stirred his ingredients.

I shook my head, feeling a little embarrassed. Simple things that most saw as a normal part of life, I had never seen or experienced. Even when I ran with the rogue packs, resources were scarce.

Before anymore could be said, Elijah poured his mixture into two mugs, threw a few white-puffy things on top, and walked over to me. He sat one mug down in front of me before taking his seat and sipping his own. I picked up my mug and sniffed it. I wasn't picky, I was just curious. It smelled of sweet chocolate. Of course, Elijah had told me it was called 'hot chocolate,' but you can never be too sure. I took a small sip, careful to not burn my tongue, and a smile lit up my face.

"Good?" he asked, smirking at me.

"It is, thank you," I told him. Although, the white puffy things were now melting, and I still wasn't sure what they were.