Chapter Ten
Lachlan
I clutched Chloe tighter to me, my heart pounding so hard against my sternum that I was sure it would break free of my chest.
The dream had begun the same as it always had. Belinda and I were fighting off the wolves that had sided with the Faction. There were too many of them for me to take on alone and there was no way to escape. As I’d ripped at my opponents with teeth and claws, I could see the flashes of light as Belinda fought them with magic.
Just as I’d begun to believe we might win, that she would be safe, I heard her scream. I whirled in time to see a partially shifted wolf lift her in his grasp and give a sharp slash with his claws.
Howling with rage, I’d torn apart any shifters that tried to stop me from getting to my mate. The sight of her blood covering the floor and the wolf that held her drove me to madness. He dropped her body as I approached and bared his fangs at me.
Without hesitation, I pounced on him. In my fury, I raked at him with my teeth and rent his flesh with my claws. He couldn’t defend himself against the murderous rage that poured through me. I never felt his blows because I was consumed with madness and the compulsion to destroy him.
When he finally lay motionless beneath me, nothing left of him but blood and bones, I climbed off his body. With shaking hands, I lifted Belinda, cradling her in my lap as I brushed her hair away from her face.
This time the dream was different. The pale features that lay in the crook of my arm didn’t belong to my mate.
It was Chloe, deathly still, her body covered in the blood that had poured from her torn throat.
When her voice pierced through the haze of my dream, the emotions that roared through me were indescribable. She was here now, warm and alive, her arms and legs wrapped around me and holding me close.
I felt the tears falling from my eyes but I couldn’t bring myself to give a shit. All that mattered was that she was safe.
My body shook with violent shudders as the dregs of the dream faded away, leaving me cold and empty. Slowly, I became aware of the lean muscles of Chloe’s thighs where they cradled my hips and the lavender scent of her hair. Unlike the perfume on the note, this fragrance was lighter and carried the undertones of Chloe’s own scent.
I inhaled again, my nose brushing her shoulder, letting her presence soothe me.
Suddenly, I realized that my body was reacting to her. My cock began to harden. It had been nearly two years since I felt my blood stir this way.
Shocked, I released her abruptly, which was almost worse. The t-shirt she wore clung to her breasts and without my body pressed against hers, the cool air caused her nipples to harden. Her hair was spread around her on the floor as though she’d been lying beneath me for a very different reason.
“Did I hurt you?” I asked, my voice rough. I sat back, leaning against the bottom of the couch and bending my knees to hide my erection.
“No,” she whispered, slowly sitting up.
I wanted to reach out and help her, especially when I saw the way she winced and favored her ribs. Instead, I snapped, “I thought you said I didn’t hurt you.”
She stared at me, a frown tugging her brows down. “My ribs are a little bruised, but I’m not truly hurt. It’ll heal up in a matter of minutes.”
“Dammit, Chloe. You know you shouldn’t touch me when I’m having a nightmare. Why didn’t you yell or call my name?”
“I did,” she answered shortly, pushing herself off the floor and to her feet. “You didn’t wake up.”
“Well, turn on the light or throw something at me next time,” I snarled.
She moved to the cabinet next to the sink and took out two glasses, filling them with water from the tap. “Don’t worry, I will,” she growled back, bringing a glass to me and handing it over with a fierce scowl.
I took the water from her, feeling even more like as asshole. “Thank you,” I mumbled.
“You’re welcome.” She moved over to the trunk at the end of the bed and sipped her own water. “Do you want to watch some TV or something?”
I drained the glass and shook my head. “No. Just go back to sleep, Chloe. I’ll be fine.”
She didn’t speak for a long moment, but I could feel her eyes on me. I tensed, waiting for her to say something, to ask me if I would be okay. To my surprise, she sighed and got up, walking around the bed.
There was a rustle of sheets as she slid beneath the covers and settled. She remained silent, the still air stretching until the quiet vibrated with all the unspoken words between us.
I sat on the floor, my back against the couch, and listened to her breathe until I knew she had fallen back asleep. It was only then that I got up and lay on the sofa, staring up at the ceiling until the moonlight gave way to the rising sun.
The whisper of the screen door shutting woke me up. It took me a moment to remember where I was and what had happened last night. Grunting in disgust, I sat up on the couch and scrubbed my face with my hands. I saw that there was half a pot of coffee left and the clock said it was just after ten.
I must have fallen asleep after the sun came up, I realized. That surprised me. I usually couldn’t sleep again after a nightmare. If I’d been alone in the cabin, I would have turned on every light in the place and paced the floor until dawn. Or I would have gone for a long, punishing run in wolf form. Unfortunately, I could do neither last night.
Getting to my feet, I walked on silent feet to the front door and looked outside. Then I froze. Chloe stood in the front yard with her back to me, naked. Her long hair gleamed in the sunlight, the dark blonde illuminated by the rays until the strands took on a hue of pure honey. Her long body was curved in all the right places and packed with lean muscle.
Unable to look away, I watched as she lifted her arms above her head and gave a cat-like stretch, which should have looked strange on a wolf shifter, but it didn’t.
No, it was sexy as hell.
I took several steps away from the door then, backing into the kitchen until I could no longer see her. What the fuck was I doing? Staring at Chloe and thinking she was sexy?
My gut twisted with guilt and horror. I had no right to look at a female with lust. Not after what I had with Belinda. Now that I knew the touch of a true mate, nothing else would fill the void left behind.
A streak of brown out the kitchen window caught my eye and I realized Chloe must have shifted and gone for a run.
The guilt inside me morphed into something darker and uglier—anger. Chloe knew that we were being watched, and possibly in danger, yet she went for a run alone, without telling me.
I let that ire build within me until my temper snapped. Snarling, I tore off the pajama pants and briefs I wore and ran out the door. As I bounded off the porch, I felt my body shifting and changing. Within a few strides, I was running on four paws, following the scent of lavender and Chloe.