The She-Wolf’s Mate (Book 2 She-Wolf Series)
Chapter 16

Samantha

The first thing I noticed was how fuzzy my brain felt. With my eyes closed, it felt like I was seeing static from an old television screen play across my eyelids. I tried to open them, but I had barely cracked them when the effort became too much.

I sighed, ready to let myself succumb to sleep once again.

“Are you awake, little wolf?” a deep voice washed over me.

“Mmm,” was all I could manage.

My heart rate picked up as images of terror flashed through my mind. I tried again to pull myself to consciousness, but every part of me felt so heavy. It was hard to know whether I was having a nightmare or if what I was seeing was real.

Just as panic started to worm its way into my bones, I felt the warm being behind me pull me in a little closer. Despite great effort, I couldn’t organize my thoughts well enough to put a name to the voice.

“It’s okay, Sam. I’m with you.”

Safe, was the only thought that came to mind.

With that, I stilled and let myself float away once again.

~

I felt cold. Not the kind of cold you get from being out in a blizzard, but the kind you get when you have to get out from under a cozy blanket. It seemed like something was missing. I rolled onto my back and found the bed next to me warm, but empty.

I sighed, Maybe Travis got called to the jobsite early.

Immediately, I felt pain at my thought and it brought me back to reality. It had been years since I had woken up looking for him in the early morning moments before I realized he was gone. I felt a tear fall down my cheek.

Travis was dead. I was a werewolf. My parents had been kidnapped. Ivar came to rescue me.

Ivar.

“Ivar,” I choked out. My throat felt dry and I tried to swallow. “Ivar!”

“I’m here, little wolf,” I hear him call.

I opened my eyes to see him hurrying from the bathroom. Immediately, I reached for him and I felt his arms lock around me. He sat on the bed and picked me up cradling me against his chest.

“Shh, it’s okay,” he said, his face buried in the crook of my neck.

I shook my head, not wanting to explain my rush of emotions.

“Everyone is safe, Sam,” he told me. “You’re safe.”

I took a deep breath trying to settle myself. My head still felt like it weighed half a ton. I wrapped my arms around his neck and felt a pull against my hand.

“Watch the IV, hun,” Ivar whispered, reaching next to me and relieving the pressure.

“What happened?” I asked, finally finding my voice.

“Do you remember anything?” he asked, hesitantly.

I nodded. “My parents were kidnapped. I went after them. You came to get me. Luke -” I shot up, “Oh my goddess! Luke was there. Is he okay?”

My head started spinning at my sudden movement. I took in a sharp breath and put my hands on my temples. Ivar pulled me in close and I nestled into his solid chest to anchor myself.

“Luke is just fine,” he said, rubbing my back. “Like I said, everyone is safe. You were in the worst shape. Dr. Martin has been giving you fluids to try and flush the wolfsbane. Trinity tried to heal your more serious wounds, but she was pretty wiped after… everything.”

At the mention of fluids, my brain suddenly clicked in to a very urgent issue.

“Shit. I have to pee. Now,” I gritted and tried to scooch out of Ivar’s grasp.

Instead, he tightened his grip and I felt myself being lifted and carried. The wheels squeaked as he rolled the IV pole with us. He set me down at the door to the toilet and I immediately grabbed his forearm to steady myself. Once I had my bearings, I let go and started to pull away.

“Let me help you,” he commanded, gently.

“Nope. I’m good,” I told him. I looked up at his handsome face where he stood in the doorway. I squinted against the dim light.

“I don’t want you to fall,” he said, frowning.

“Psh. I’m an alpha werewolf. I got this.” I tried for a joke but it came out a little slurred.

His frown deepened, but he stepped back so that I could close the door. I took the three steps to the toilet, steadying myself between the wall and my IV pole.

“I can hear you breathing against the door,” I called out as I sat down. “Could you give me some privacy? I don’t like the thought of you hearing me pee.”

I heard him snort. “I’m the werewolf king,” he said. “I could hear you blinking from the front yard if I wanted to.”

He turned on the bathroom sink anyway. I smiled at his familiar grumpiness. The sweet relief of emptying my bursting bladder could not be overstated. It made me think I had been out for a while. It was early morning when I left, but the windows appeared dark now. Although, I wasn’t sure how long I had been at the warehouse.

When I opened the bathroom door, Ivar immediately scooped me up.

“Hey!” I squeaked. “I need to wash my hands.”

He grumbled but set me down at the sink nonetheless. He pressed gently against my back, his arms caging me in on either side as I worked. I saw him move to pick me back up as soon as I had rinsed the soap, but I quickly grabbed my toothbrush.

“Ivar,” I said as he huffed. “I just need a minute.”

He nodded slowly behind me and wrapped his arms around my middle. I watched as his large hand splayed across my abdomen in the mirror. Despite how poorly I was feeling, tingles coursed through me as he nuzzled my hair and breathed in deep.

“You’re making this a little more difficult, pal,” I giggled but reached up to rub the back of his neck at my shoulder.

I felt his body relax slightly at my touch. He pulled away after a moment, and I grabbed my toothpaste to continue my task. Ivar leaned against the bathroom counter with his arms crossed in front of him, looking at me intently.

As I spit and rinsed, I told him, “You glaring at me like that is a little unsettling.”

He rolled his icy blue eyes, but stayed put.

I wiped my mouth and grabbed onto the IV to make my way back to my bed. Instead, I felt my world tilt as I was slung into Ivar’s arms.

I yelped in surprise.

“Ivar, I can walk!”

“Barely,” he scoffed.

“I’m fine,” I argued.

“You can hardly stand on your own,” he muttered as he set me down on the bed.

He crawled in next to me, sitting up against the headboard and pulling me into his lap. The king met my gaze and I found his eyes pleading. Immediately, I stopped resisting and gave him a questioning look.

“Please just let me take care of you,” he begged, softly.

“Okay,” I sighed. “I really am okay though. The dizziness is getting better after being up for a bit.”

He nodded, but stayed quiet.

“You never said what happened,” I pointed out.

He sighed before finally relenting. “I got your message while we were in Canada. Trinity, Aidan, and I teleported here and found Luke and Emerick. Luke found your note and figured out where to start.”

“I was pretty sure he would,” I told him.

“He’s a smart kid. Actually, he’s pretty incredible,” he said, sounding surprised at his own words. “Why didn’t you tell me about his wolf?”

“Which part?” I asked, knowing the probable answer.

“He’s probably the only wolf I’ve met who could challenge me in strength and size.”

I shrugged but bit my lip.

“A couple reasons I suppose. The main one being that I didn’t want you to use that information to try and prove that he is ready to be Alpha. It’s been a struggle just to keep the pack from making a bigger deal out of it than it needs to be.

“Besides, the strength of his wolf will only help him so much. He needs to be a strong leader diplomatically as well. That all takes time and maturity.”

Ivar’s expression gave away none of his opinions, but I supposed he just had no interest in rehashing old arguments.

When I didn’t continue after a moment, he asked, “What’s the other reason?”

I took a deep breath.

“I didn’t want you to see him as a threat.”

“Hmm,” he murmured.

We sat in silence. The only sound was our breathing and the gentle drip of the IV fluids. I couldn’t tell what Ivar was thinking and it made me fear that there was truth to my words.

Finally he said, “I would never hurt your son, Sam. I’m sorry that that’s the impression you have of me.”

“I didn’t say that you would…” I trailed off, not sure what else to say.

“You didn’t have to,” he shrugged.

I met his gaze and saw regret.

“That’s not what I meant. It’s just not a topic that comes up easily in conversation,” I insisted. “What was I supposed to say, ‘Hey, werewolf king. I think my son could kick your ass.’? I didn’t know how to tell you, and honestly, I figured you would find out on your own eventually. Actually, with as much intel as you seem to have been gathering I’m surprised you didn’t already know.”

“First of all, little wolf, I think ‘kicking my ass’ is far-fetched to say the least.”

“I mean he’s pretty strong,” I teased. “And I’ve taught him everything I know so -”

“Ugh, that means I’m going to retrain him,” he said with a smirk.

I elbowed him and giggled.

“Hey, I’ve been in self-defense since I was a kid. Plus Jackson has been training me relentlessly for the last year. I can fight.”

“I know you can,” Ivar said, quietly. “I just don’t want you to have to. Seeing you hurt...”

He trailed off and I could tell he was thinking about what had happened in the Moon Valley Pack once again.

“You didn’t finish telling me what happened after Luke found my note,” I pointed out.

He sighed and nodded.

“Luke, Aidan, and I decided to track you on foot. Ender could keep up for the most part, but Aidan’s wolf isn’t as fast so he trailed behind. When we made it to where they had put you in the car, the trail became a little more difficult to follow.

“We had to stick to the trees to avoid passing vehicles, but that made it harder to keep the scent. Luckily they took you to a pretty secluded area, so there wasn’t a lot of traffic to disperse the trail.

“When we got there…” His voice became thick and he cleared his throat. “When we got there, Spurnwood already had a witch trying to perform the Mating Ceremony. Luke somehow kept control of Ender and was able to release you and your parents before taking you and your mom on his back.”

I nodded. “I told you, he’s an impressive kid.”

He agreed and then continued to give me the basics about the fight and how they defeated the late Alpha Spurnwood and his lackeys.

“You said something blocked Camille’s spell?” I asked. “Was it our bond?”

He shook his head.

“I think maybe Trinity should explain,” he said, hesitantly.

“Don’t do that,” I told him. “Leaving me guessing is torture.”

I glared at him, narrowing my eyes. He met my gaze briefly before looking away.

“She said a force seemed to be protecting you. She thinks maybe it was Travis,” he said, quietly.

I felt the air leave my lungs. My heart clenched at the sound of my late husband’s name.

“Wh-What does that mean?” I asked, my voice shaky.

“I’m not sure exactly,” he shook his head. “I guess his spirit was able to hold off the spell, at least until Trinity was able to intervene. I’m sorry, I don’t really know how else to explain.”

I nodded, still trying to catch my breath. The dizziness returned full force, but I wasn’t certain whether it was the wolfsbane, heartache, or both.

I burrowed further into Ivar, hoping his support could keep me from falling apart. He wrapped his arms around me and stroked my hair. Silent tears fell down my cheeks while my head throbbed and thoughts raced.

I felt unconsciousness beckon me once again.

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