0078
Neah
Raven practically breaks down the bedroom door as she comes flying in. I had never seen her look so flustered. Her eyes are wide and she is breathing as though she just ran a marathon.
She's flapping her hands, trying to calm herself down.
"I assume you are not okay?" I mutter
"He's here."
She had to be talking about Damien. "You saw him?"
"Yes, wait, you know?" She stops to stare at me.
"One of the guards interrupted us to tell Dane. What's he like?"
"I didn't talk to him."
"Okay."
"He looked directly at me."
"Do you think he knows?"
"Of course he knows Neah! I panicked. I literally dropped everything and I came here."
She shakes her head.
"With Salem, we both gravitated towards each other. When I first scented him, I followed my nose and Salem was doing the exact same. With this guy, he just stood there, staring at me while talking to Dane. Acting like he couldn't even smell me! Or maybe he was disgusted by me. Whatever the reason, he didn't look happy!"
"Maybe he was surprised. You have known this guy is your mate without having seen him. The first time he realised he was mated was when he arrived here."
"You are not helping."
I couldn't control the laugh.
Raven points a finger at me. "Don't! This is not funny Neah. Do you think it's because I am a Wolf?"
"I don't know."
"It is, isn't it? He's probably grossed out."
"Where is he now?"
"I don't know. I told you, I came straight here. I figured you would be the only one to understand this."
"What does he look like?" I ask calmly, hoping it would rub off on her.
She stops pacing and turns to look at me. "Like a God." She falls down on the bed next to me, giggling and letting all that panic disappear. "Do you think he will like me?"
"I'm sure he will." I couldn't understand how anyone would not like Raven
She rolls on her side, with a frown etched into her face and sighs. "He is Mallory's best friend."
"You spoke to her, didn't you?" I mutter, looking away from her
"I was curious about Damien, but yes."
"Do you believe that she is sorry?" I whisper while staring up at the ceiling.
"I really want to say no, Neah, but when she spoke of what she did, there was so much sorrow in her voice."
"You think I should speak to her?"
"Maybe hear her out and then make your decision." She shrugs her shoulders. "If you still think she is lying, then do what you need to do."
Raven sits with me for a few hours. She flicks the television on but her topic of conversation keeps circling back to Damien.
"Raven, just go and speak to him."
"I can't. I've been with you for hours now and he hasn't even come to find me."
"You are in my bedroom. In the packhouse. Do you really think he is going to come in here to find you?"
"You are right!" She jumps up off the bed and hurries to the mirror, checking herself out. "I can do this. I can seek him out. Women are just as powerful as men." She turns to me, her eyes wide. "What if he rejects me?" "Do what Jess did!"
"Refuse?"
"Why not? It seems to have worked for Jess."
She nods and hurries out of the room.
'You should have told her.' Nyx mutters
'I'm fine.' I mutter back
'Just because you are ignoring the pain in your body, it doesn't mean that you are fine!'
'I'm carrying twins. It's just uncomfortable.'
'Raven's a doctor!' Nyx argues.
'I know and she is caught up in the whole new mate bond stuff. I will be fine. I will get something to eat.'
I swing my legs over the bed and push myself up.
It took more effort than I expected but as soon as I am up, I made my way out into the hallway.
Now I had thought about food, I realised I was starving.
Heading towards the stairs, my legs give out from under me, plummeting me down each step.
My head hits something and everything goes dark.
******
"Ow!" I mutter, stretching myself out. My hand automatically goes between my thighs. No blood, thank fuck for that. These pups were stronger than expected.
There's a knock on the front door.
"Come in." I mutter from the floor.
"Shit. Are you alright?"
Unfamiliar dark eyes appear and a hand slides into mine, helping me up.
"You must be Damien?" I mutter, noticing his neck tattoos while rubbing the back of my head. If I had a wound, it would have probably healed by now anyway.
"I am, though this was not the way I intended on introducing myself. You should get checked out."
"I'm fine."
"You are pregnant though. I can smell it."
"I will be fine." I spit out the final word
He nods his head at me as I sit on the bottom step. "You may think so, but you should still get yourself looked at. You are the female Alpha."
I roll my eyes at him. "Is that why you are here? You are looking for someone to lead you?"
"I'm looking for the only person that can lead us." His dark stare is intense. If I didn't know better, I would say he had learned it from Dane. But something tells me it was the way he always looked at things, even when he was human. "And I want to offer you my protection." Nyx snorts and I almost do too. But his face is serious. "From what?"
"Whatever is coming."
"What is coming?" I ask
He just stares at me. Dark and mysterious. Exactly how Dane was when I first met him.
"And what about Raven?"
"What about her?"
"She's your mate." I mutter
"I am aware."
"Are you going to reject her?"
"I don't know her well enough to make a decision."
She didn't go to him like I suggested. Maybe I could force them together. "Actually, can you take me to the hospital? Maybe I should get checked out."
He walks with me, stopping when we are just outside the hospital doors. "Is something wrong with Raven?" He asks with a frown.
"No, she's the pack doctor."
His face is unreadable, but he still follows me inside.
"Ne...." Raven's voice fades off to a squeak as she focuses on the man who is her mate.
"I fell down the stairs." I mutter and explain to her about the pain.
She beckons me in for a scan and Damien follows.
He stands in the doorway watching, but now and again, his dark eyes would move to Raven.
Raven tried her best not to look at him, so much so that beads of sweat were forming on her brow.
The heartbeats of the twins flood the room just as Dane comes charging in. He pushes past Damien with a frown and presses his lips to mine. "Sorry, we were cutting Roan's fingers off. Are you okay?"
I nod.
"Tell Nyx to stop blocking me."
"She needs to rest." Raven snaps at him "Both boys' heartbeats are strong. But you must rest. It is still a risky pregnancy." Raven warns me. "And I don't want to confine you to the bed just yet."
"Out of curiosity, can you tell what they are?" It was Damien's first words to her. "Wolves or Lycans?"
"No." Her answer is far more abrupt than usual. Was she annoyed with him?