Serenity

Chapter eight

Serenity's POV

I started to stir and winced slightly as I felt the tightness in my leg. I was Dry and lying in a bed with someone's arms wrapped around me. I tried to open my eyes to see who it was but my eyes were so heavy they didn't cooperate with me. "Just rest, you need it." A deep voice said gently into my ear. That did it. My eyes flew open and I looked in to the face of Alpha Marcus. He still had his eyes closed and I just stared at him. Why was he here? "I thought I said to rest?" He said as he opened one eye to look at me. I opened my mouth to speak but a squeak came out instead. A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. "Cat got your tongue huh?" I frowned slightly and cleared my throat. "No...I just need water." I said croakily. He opened both eyes and looked at me lifting his head from the pillow slightly. "I'll get it for you." He said and gently pulled himself free from me. I instantly wanted him back and I felt colder without him there.

He came back from the bathroom with a glass in his hand. He sat down on the bed next to me and held the glass out to me. I sat up slightly and took the glass from his hand. I put it to my mouth and took sip. The water felt so good going down my throat soothing the mild soreness that had been there. I passed the glass back to him. "Thank you." He nodded as he put the glass down on the bedside table. He walked back around the bed as I watched him. He sat back down and turned to me watching my reaction. "What happened last night?" I asked. I didn't remember much after making it to the toilet. "You passed out in the shower." He stated. I thought back and tried to remember my movements after going to the toilet. I remember having going to have a shower...I also remembered my leg... "Wait my leg!?" I said and went to move the blanket back to look at it. Marcus reached out and grabbed my hand. "It's ok for now. Clarisa stopped the blood flow and it's started to heal finally." He looked worried.

I decided to address the one thing that had been making me frustrated for the last few days. "Why are you here? Not to say I'm not grateful, but you just seem to always appear at the right moment... But then you usually disappear just as quick..." I said the last part quieter. I didn't know why but it made me feel a little empty every time he was gone. "You really don't know? You haven't worked it out yet?" He smiled kind of sadly but amused at the same time. "You were smart enough to work out how to use your wolf's size to your advantage, you were even smart enough to watch and wait for your enemy to make the first move so you could judge how to respond, but not this?" Now he definitely seemed amused at my expense. I crossed my arms and huffed a little. "Well I have been kind of distracted with trying to wrap my head around...All this." I said waving my arms around in exasperation. He was teasing me a little now.

He laughed adding to my frustration. I crossed my arms and frowned at him. Looking at me he sobered up a little. "I'm your mate Serenity. So I'm supposed to be there for you when you need me. That's why I've always shown up at the 'right time' as you put it." My eyes flew open in shock. I hadn't even thought of that. I mean Blake and Stephanie were inseparable and constantly touching. Clarisa and Keith were different but they had also been together longer but I still saw Keith bending to whatever Clarisa wanted or needed. I looked at Marcus and he was just staring at me giving me time to process what he had said. "Does that explain the sparks?" I slipped out. I blushed the second I realised I had said it out loud. Marcus smiled. "Yes and the comfort you felt at my touch." I nodded still blushing. "Is that also why I slept so well when I stayed in your room after I fainted at the dance?" He smirked. "Yes and why you slept so well after I brought you back to bed last night." I blushed brighter which made him smile more.

I had sat there thinking when I realised I had one more question. "Why didn't you tell me sooner that we were mates?" He got serious and his eyes darkened slightly at the thought. "I promised your grandfather and Keith that I would give you time to adjust to everything you were going through, but then things changed and...Well...To hell with them both."He said looking at me. I stared at him intently watching his face. I reached out and slid my hand gently down his cheek. He closed his eyes and turned his face into my hand placing his over mine. He held my hand there breathing gently into my palm. He let go and opened his eyes looking back at me. He grabbed my hips gently and lifted me up slightly onto his lap and held me against his chest. I closed my eyes and rubbed my face against his shirt snuggling in against him. He wrapped his arms around me and held me in place laying his cheek against the top of my head.