Mate Mysteries

Chapter 9

Pip had fallen asleep very peacefully. He had play fought with Krey up until the moment they collapsed on top of each other when the moon was high in the sky. They hadn't argued more and decided not to bring up the journals again that evening.

Krey woke when Pip was tossing and turning in his sleep. Pip's heel kept digging into Krey's thigh. Krey had experienced only one dream in his life, and that was the dream about Pip sitting by himself in the library. Krey's sleep was usually deep and blank unless Pip was thrashing around beside him.

Pip was a vivid dreamer. Krey liked hearing the stories of his craziest dreams. Some were so odd, Krey had no idea how his brain thought of such madness.

Now, in the dead of night, Krey watched Pip tremble with stress. He was having a bad dream. Krey had only seen him have bad dreams a handful of times, but Pip usually told him in the morning about his nightmares.

"I don't know where," Pip mumbled, clenching his fists.

On his side of the bed, Krey switched on the lamp. The light was warm, but still harsh on his eyes. He leaned over Pip and softly said his name, hoping to drift him enough out of his dream to fall into a better one.

Pip pushed against Krey's chest. "I don't know where it is!" Pip said more loudly, so Krey shook him harder.

"Pippor," he said, and his mate jumped out of his sleep. He stared up at Krey with worried balls of blue.

"Oh," Pip breathed, loosening his fingers on Krey's t-shirt. "You're not Jordan."

"No," Krey said lowly. His heart leapt in his chest. "Jordan is dead."

"Dead," Pip whispered, nodding his head and turning on his side.

Krey copied him and allowed his sleepy mate to hold onto his hands. When Pip's eyes closed again, he was asleep instantly. Krey doubted he had woken up at all, but at least Pip was calm now.

Krey watched his chest rise and fall for a while, hoping Jordan wouldn't plague his dreams ever again.

When morning arrived, Pip didn't remember Krey waking him and telling him that Jordan was dead, though Pip did remember dreaming about the former Beta wolf.

"What happened in your dream?" Krey asked. His eyes were droopy, his hair was a mess, and he yawned for the second time. They still laid in bed with a red sun peeking through their window. The morning was young.

"In my dream, I was in your office and Jordan was yelling at me about last year's journal. He was mad that he couldn't find it. He thought I knew where it was, and I kept telling him I didn't. Every time I said that he pushed me closer to the open window." Pip was tucked tightly under the duvet. Krey's leg was on top of him because they just had to touch.

Krey scowled at the thought. "It's a good thing I woke you then. You were kicking me in your sleep."

Pip buried his head under the duvet, mumbling an apology. "This journal stuff is affecting me a bit." If Pip dreamt about it, then it was deeper in his thoughts than he realised.

"I'm thankful I don't dream." Krey knew he would have had many bad dreams about his father, and that would have been heart-wrenching. He rubbed his eyes and flopped back onto the pillow. He stared at the ceiling for a quiet few moments then asked if Pip wanted to go for a run with him.

"Yes," Pip chirped and jumped out of bed.

"I'll run in my wolf form." Krey watched his mate hurry to change into his workout clothes. "We'll run on the outside of the fence today."

Pip paused. "On the outside?"

"Yes." Krey stretched his arms above his head. "You were right, we are living in fear. This pack is the most prepared they have ever been for an attack. Nobody has come close to this building in a year. We'd know if they did and I'd smell them."