Loving The Beast Within (Sequel to Shifting Love)

Chapter 23: Loving The Beast

Darkness was all I felt from him. When he took me into the cave he asked me to shift. He fell asleep in my arms while I stroked his fur. Sleep was the furthest thing from my thoughts. Instead I watched after him while nightmares plagued him.

I could feel the guilt and rage wash over him. I knew he was thinking about the events of the last few days. I brushed my hand over his injured shoulder to make sure it healed properly. We hadn’t been able to be this close to each other since before I was kidnapped.

His wolf whimpered and I had a hard time holding back my own. It pained me to know that he was in so much pain and there was nothing I could do to take it away. Flashes of his nightmare flickered in my mind through the mating bond.

Hunters running around like wild men by the barn. Blood splattering on the trees and ground as his paws and teeth cut into their flesh. Their screams echoed deep into the forest. There was no slowing down.

I bit my lip back in fear while the images played like a movie only I wasn’t able to stop watching. There was no closing my eyes to block them. The mating bond made sure I saw and felt every moment of his pain.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as the last couple of days weighed down on me. Shane had tried to destroy the sacred bond that tied Dante and I together. But in the end he gave me the power I needed to destroy him.

I had killed a man. It was something I was going to have to come to terms with eventually. But the only thing that mattered now was being there for my mate while he went through this emotional time. Far too many times we had been apart and not there for each other. I was determined to see him through this.

His black fur felt like silk beneath my fingers. His chest slowly rumbled when he growled at another nightmare. I quickly inhaled his scent to calm myself. I knew that if I stayed calm then it was possible to calm him down through the bond.

I gently rested my head on his torso. His rhythmic heartbeats were in sync with mine. Every rise and fall of his chest was a comfort. We were alive and we had each other. I was thankful for every moment in the cave and couldn’t be happier.

“We made it, baby,” I whispered into his ear, “We won’t ever have to be without each other again.”

As I spoke the words I could feel his wolf finally calming down. I loved that I had that effect on him. I didn’t think I would ever get used to that feeling. Even now with his wolf far from sanity, I could feel the bond slowly mending as he slept.

My eyelids began to slowly droop. Even though we were far from home in a cave with no protection from hunters, I felt safe. My mate would protect me and I would protect him. A yawn escaped my lips and I finally felt like I could fall asleep.

Before passing off into a dream world, my eyelids fluttered open the moment his breathing changed. I looked over at his head and his black eyes were staring back at me. I could tell he wanted to shift but his wolf wasn’t letting him.

I stared deep into his eyes, searching for the man behind them. Dante was trying to push out and I just needed to give him the drive. I didn’t dare try to enter his mind through the link. I knew that would only anger his wolf.

I stood up and with one look at my mate behind me I walked out of the cave. I didn’t have to look again to know if he was following me. I could feel his presence.

I slowly, but carefully led him down a hill to a lake I passed when I was tracking him earlier. The moon beautifully shone off the lake water and a sense of calm passed through me. It was like I knew finally everything was going to be alright.

When we reached the lake, I stood still just looking out onto the water. It brought back memories of the night we were bonded together forever as Alpha mates. The night we promised to love and protect each other and the Shadowlands.