Crimson Mist ✔️

54: Rose bushes.

My eyes flutter open in the harsh sunlight coming from the window, and I groan. I feel a lot more rested now, but I really want to sleep for just a few more minutes.

"Good morning, little mate," Jeremy's voice says, and suddenly, the urge to sleep is no longer there.

I loop up towards him, and smile, when I see him looking at me. I'm laying on his chest, with his left arm around me, careful not to be anywhere near any place that might hurt on his right side. I bite my lip as I look at the bandage that keeps pressuring onto him, before looking at him again.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

"A lot better. Petra was just in here, and it's healing nicely. I can get out of bed today, but she wanted me to stay a few more nights in this house," he explains, and I feel kind of stupid for not even hearing her tend to him.

"Why?" I question, wondering why we can't go into town and get a bed for our house today.

"Because Tristan will kill me if we do any nightly activities in this house, and she said I'm not up for that yet," he tells me, before kissing the top of my head, "but as soon as I am, we won't leave the house for a week."

I burst out laughing, and sit up next to him, before furrowing my brows at him.

"What?!"

"What do you expect?" he asks. "You can't just accept me as your mate, after six months, might I add, and not expect me to want to fuck your brains out. I've been waiting for way too long."

I roll my eyes at him, and bite my lip. Yet another reason why I didn't want to tell him I love him yet, just in case he wanted to do this. I'm not going to lie, and say I don't want it, but it feels like a huge deal. In the past I've enjoyed it, and gone with it to have a warm night's sleep, but with him, it will matter.

"Dani, I'm joking," he says, and pulls me closer to him by my waist. "Of course I'll wait longer, if you want me to."

"Thanks," I mutter, but the truth is, I'm not sure.

•

Jeremy lets go of my hand and takes five long strides towards his brother, before his fist swings through the air, and Nathan falls to his knees in front of my mate. He shakes his hand a few times, and I close my hand as the whole thing starts to tingle, as if I'm feeling that he's in pain from the punch.

"I deserved that," Nathan states.

"Yeah, you did," Jeremy responds, but reaches down to help his brother back up to his feet. "We're done, now."

"I'm sorry, Jer, I..."

"Save it," Jeremy says, holding his hand up to stop him. "We're done. Send my love to the others, and tell them to call me, but you stay the fuck away from me and my pack."

The harsh words are emphasized with the damage in Jeremy's voice, and his growl. He turns around and walks back towards the rest of us, before planting a deep kiss on my lips, and sighing into it, like it relieves all the tension and anger in his whole body with that simple, affectionate touch.

Tristan takes a step forward, and raises an eyebrow, before crossing his arms.

"You heard my Beta," he growls angrily, "leave."

Nathan looks towards Jeremy and I once more, before turning on his heel and walking away from us through the unplowed snow, towards the forest where he came from.

Tristan turns back to us and walks up to Jeremy and I, with an angry look on his face.

"I get that he's your brother, but I could have killed him, you know," he states, looking straight at my mate with a serious look.