Everything Anew

Chapter Thirty-One

Thirty-One

Lila

I hadn't realized that I fell asleep. The blankets were so warm and inviting that I didn't think twice to lay down and wrap myself in them. When I opened my eyes, I realized hours had passed and the sky was full with night.

Then I heard the familiar sound of rain hitting the roof, and it welcomed me back to bed. It was too cold to slip out from beneath the sheets, and when my foot accidentally found itself outside of my bed, I quickly brought it back beneath me and hummed in content.

Turning over, I buried my face against my pillow and froze. I opened my eyes when I noticed the pillow I was laying on wasn't my own, it was Nathan's, and he wasn't laying against it.

I sat up in bed and checked the time. Five in the morning, he should have been in bed by now. I slipped out from the warm blankets and walked towards the nearby windows to look outside. It was too dark to see, even as a shifter my eyesight wasn't good with such minimal lighting in my human form.

Grabbing a sheet from the bed, I wrapped it around myself and eased the bedroom door open while stepping into the hall. The house was eerie when everyone was asleep, even Evan would have been home after a night of fighting in the ring. Some steps I took creaked as I made my way towards the stairs, my feet taking me to Nathan's office first. When I peeked inside, I saw that the room was dark and empty. I went to the kitchen next, and then the dining room.

The bathroom doors were open, showing he wasn't using them either. A moment of panic took over, concern welling up inside me. What if something had happened to him while we all slept?

My bare feet padded against the floorboards until I stopped halfway through the foyer. Amarok had said I could track Nathan, I wondered if it was possible. I didn't know for sure if we were even mates, it might not even work, but I had no reason not to try.

I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on my breathing. I eased the image of Nathan into my mind, wishing to know where he was and if he was okay. The concern I felt for him only lifted the sensation building inside me, my head turned as I opened my eyes and stared at the back door.

I rushed over to it, pulling the blanket over myself tighter and taking a step outside. The rain was freezing, my feet sinking into the wet grass when I stepped onto it. "Nathan?" I said in a soft voice. I knew being outside alone was dangerously stupid, but the Frosted Fangs should have been nearby. I looked out towards the forest but saw only darkness staring back at me.

I flipped the backlight on, allowing it to help guide me forward. I went to turn towards the cellar but it was like a tether was tightening when I walked towards it. I moved back towards the trees and felt it loosen. Following that sensation, I whispered his name again and squinted when rain dripped down my forehead and into my eyes. Panic was settling in, knowing I was alone outside and not being able to see anything. A wolf could easily see me illuminated by the light, and I would have no idea.

Just as I fought the urge to turn around, I saw him.

I couldn't know for sure, but I could sense it. His tall figure was standing under the gazebo, arms leaning against the railing with his head down. I took a step forward and as if he could sense me, he turned. Nathan's posture straightened and I could sense something in my chest, too many emotions at once to pinpoint exactly what it was.

He stood frozen as I made my way over and up the steps to join him. My body was shaking from the cold rain and air, but I was relieved more than anything to see him standing in front of me.