Chapter Four #3
Peter leaned back, his back brushing against Braden’s chest just slightly. He held his breath, wondering what Braden would do. Would he step away and give Peter more space which Peter didn’t need? Peter hoped not.
He was so relieved when Braden’s arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him closer that he could’ve cried. He didn’t want Braden to think that he was crying because of the hug, though, so he kept the tears in and relaxed.
He was safe. He had to remember that.
“I know you’re scared,” Braden whispered, closer to Peter than he’d ever been before. “And I know that telling you that everything will be okay isn’t helping. I promise you that I’ll protect you from Lou, if it’s the last thing I do.”
Peter shook his head. “Please don’t say that.”
“Do you think that Lou would go so far as to actually hurt me or you?”
“He spent months hurting me. Of course he’d hurt you, too.”
Peter was pretty sure he felt Braden kiss his hair again, but he was distracted by the conversation they were having and by the way Braden’s body felt against his.
It shouldn’t be so comfortable, but the fact that it was wasn’t a surprise.
Braden, of all people, should feel comfortable to Peter.
It was why Peter had never been afraid of him.
Even though he didn’t know him well, part of him was sure that his mate would never hurt him.
“You forget one thing,” Braden said. “I’ve been trained to fight. I know how to defend myself and you. I’m sure that Lou would try to hurt me, but I don’t think he’d be able to actually do it.”
Something rustling in the bushes caught Peter’s attention. They were surrounded by the forest, so it was probably an animal, or maybe a shifter getting in a run in their animal form, but he kept an eye on it as he answered. “That’s not going to stop him from trying,” he pointed out.
“And if he does, I’ll give him a taste of his own medicine.”
That was the last word that left Braden’s lips before Lou appeared from between the bushes.
Peter’s body went on high alert instantly, rigid and ready to run.
He tried moving, but Braden’s arms around him were strong.
It wasn’t that Braden was stopping him from leaving.
It felt more like he was trying to show Peter that no matter what happened, he was safe.
And Peter did feel safe. Lou was standing there, looking pissed and like he was going to kill someone, and the only thing Peter wanted to do was tell him to give it a try. If he’d been alone, he’d have been cowering inside the house, but he wasn’t alone.
His mate was with him.
Braden’s arms loosened, and he gently moved Peter until he was behind him.
Once that was done, he stood to his full height, which was pretty impressive.
Lou had always been on the short side and stocky, and while Braden was muscled, he was also tall.
He certainly looked tall enough to throw Lou back into the woods where he’d come from.
Peter held his breath, expecting Braden to have to fight Lou.
Lou moved closer to the house, but he never even reached the porch steps.
Someone came running, confusing Peter until he realized it was Remi.
He wasn’t alone. Two identical-looking men were with him, and the three of them made a beeline for Lou.
Unfortunately for Lou, it took him a moment to realize what was happening, and by the time he did, it was too late for him to run.
One of the twins slammed against him with a loud whoop. Lou went down like a sack of potatoes, which, for some reason, made the guy pout. He reached for Lou, but his twin brother was there, stopping him.
“You can’t set him on fire.”
“But it’s no fun if I can’t set anything on fire,” the first twin complained.
“We’re not here to have fun.”
As far as Peter was concerned, he was having fun.
He was still afraid of Lou, but seeing him like this, flattened like a pancake on the ground, made him realize that he was just an asshole to whom Peter had given more power than he should’ve had.
Lou wasn’t dangerous anymore, and maybe he never truly had been.
He certainly wasn’t going to hurt Peter now, especially when the first twin sat on his back while the other one rolled his eyes.
“Let’s go inside,” Braden murmured, gently guiding Peter towards the front door.
Peter kind of wanted to stay out there and watch Lou, but he was also eager to finally leave his ex behind.
He didn’t know what Remi and the twins would do with Lou, and he didn’t care as long as he never had to deal with him again. What he did care about was his mate, so when Braden gently pushed him again, he went.
* * * *
brADEN WASN’T SURPRISED that it didn’t take Camden long to visit.
He’d taken Peter to the kitchen, thinking he might need to sit down, but while Peter seemed spooked, he was also steady.
He kept glancing outside the window, even though he couldn’t see anything from there.
The kitchen faced the back of the house, while Lou and the others were at the front.
Braden went to open the door when he heard the knock.
He peeked outside to find Camden standing there, but he couldn’t see Lou anywhere.
Hopefully, it meant that Remi and the twins had dragged him away, but Braden wanted to know what was going to be done.
Lou had entered pack territory. He hadn’t hurt anyone, though, so it would be hard to actually stop him from trying again.
Unfortunately for Peter, this mess wasn’t over yet.
“How is he?” Camden asked as he walked in.
“Better than I expected. He’s shaken, but Lou didn’t get near him, so I think he’ll be okay.”
Camden’s expression was serious. “That’s good.”
“But there’s a but, isn’t there?”
Camden grimaced. “Unfortunately, there is.”
“Peter’s in the kitchen.”
They made their way there. Peter was making coffee when they walked in, and he smiled at the alpha. Braden could see that Peter was nervous, but he didn’t say anything about it.
“I’ll get straight to the point,” Camden said. “Lou trespassed on private property, but that’s not going to keep him in for long. He didn’t hurt anyone and didn’t attack you. Unfortunately, that means that even if the police arrest him, he won’t stay in for long.”
Peter sighed. “So he’ll continue coming for me.”
“Unfortunately, I think that’s probable.”
“Maybe he finally understood that he’s not going to be able to get to Peter,” Braden suggested.
Peter shook his head. “He saw me. Even worse, he saw me with you. He’s going to have something to say about that.”
Braden still wasn’t sure what had possessed him to hug Peter that way, but he was glad he had and that it had helped Peter. He couldn’t care less what Lou thought. Still, it unfortunately meant that they’d have to deal with Lou again.
“I’ve increased security,” Camden said. “That doesn’t mean he won’t be able to get in, though. You two need to be careful.”
“Do we know how he managed to find my precise location?” Peter asked. “How did he find the house?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to guess it’s through your cell phone,” Braden said. It wouldn’t be the first time something like this had happened. He should’ve thought of telling Peter, but he hadn’t wanted to take that away from him, too.
Peter looked horrified. He took out his phone and turned it off, then dumped it onto the kitchen table. It was a little late for that, but it was better than nothing. “Do you think I should move?” Peter asked.
Camden and Braden looked at each other. Braden decided to take the lead since he was the expert in this kind of situation.
“You could,” he told Peter. “But he’s going to continue coming after you.
I’ve seen people with his personality in my work.
Lou won’t take no for an answer, and he’ll try to get to you until he gets a yes. ”
“That’s never going to happen. I’m not going back to him.”
“I don’t want you to get hurt, but I think that at this point, it would probably be better to wait and see what happens next.”
“You’ll stay with me and protect me, right?” Peter asked.
“Of course. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Then I’ll stay.”
There wasn’t much else to do. Camden left after reassuring Peter that the pack was on his side, and Peter disappeared into his bedroom.
Braden wasn’t surprised when he spent most of the day there.
Vincent came at one point, and they both holed up upstairs.
Braden brought them food but otherwise left them alone.
He stayed in contact with Remi and Camden, so he knew that while Lou had been taken to the police station in town, Camden had been right.
They hadn’t kept him for long, and he was out there again.
Hopefully, he wouldn’t try to get to Peter a second time today, but Braden wouldn’t be surprised if he did, so he spent most of his day checking the cameras and walking around the house.
Being hypervigilant like that meant that by the time it was time to go to bed, he was exhausted.
He still made his rounds, securing all the doors and windows, then checking in on Peter to make sure he was okay.
Peter was already sleeping when Braden peeked in, so Braden left him alone and went to his bedroom.
Even though he was exhausted, it took him a little while to fall asleep.
When he did, he kept waking up to every strange noise, so it wasn’t a surprise that he jerked upright in bed when he felt the blankets move.
He tensed, ready to defend himself, only relaxing when he heard Peter’s voice.
“I’m sorry,” Peter whispered. “I didn’t mean to wake you up. ”
“It’s fine. Do you need anything?”
Braden couldn’t see much since it was dark, but he could feel Peter’s hesitation. He desperately wanted to give Peter anything he wanted, and he hoped that Peter would tell him what that was.
“I had a nightmare,” Peter eventually murmured. “Can I sleep with you?”
“Of course.” Braden didn’t hesitate. There was no reason for him to.
He raised the blankets, allowing Peter to slip under them.
He gave the man plenty of space, but it didn’t seem like that was what Peter wanted because he rolled in Braden’s direction.
Braden could feel him watching, and he waited, curious.
“Why are you letting me sleep here?” Peter asked.
Braden blinked at the darkened ceiling. “Because you asked me to. You clearly need comfort and a feeling of security. I can give you that.”
“You really weren’t lying when you said that you would always make sure that I’m safe, were you?”
“I would never lie about something like that. You are safe with me, Peter. If there’s anything I can do to protect you, I’ll do it.”
Braden was surprised but touched that Peter seemed to trust him enough to want to spend the night in his bed. He liked that Peter trusted him. He wanted more of that.
Lou was still a problem. He would keep coming after Peter, but Braden would be there to stop him every time. He was willing to make it his full-time job until Lou was finally stopped.
A tentative touch made Braden blink. He shuddered at the feeling of Peter’s fingers on his arm, but Peter didn’t take them away.
Instead, he grabbed Braden’s wrist, wrapping his long fingers around it.
It felt like a brand on Braden’s skin. Braden kind of wished that it were.
“There’s a reason you feel that way,” Peter said.
“I know.”
“No, you don’t. You think it’s because you want to help people, and maybe in part it is, but there’s a reason you feel so strongly about me in particular.” Peter sucked in a breath. “You’re my mate, Braden.”
Braden’s brain stopped working for a second. When it restarted, he couldn’t stop hearing the words Peter had just said.
He was Peter’s mate. Of course he was. “Everything does make sense now,” he said.
Peter snickered. “Doesn’t it? I couldn’t believe it when I saw you. I didn’t realize it the day of the move because I was so busy obsessing over Lou, but yeah. You’re my mate.”
Braden inched closer to Peter. Peter was still holding his wrist, and Braden reached over to gently stroke his cheek. “You know that I don’t expect anything from you, right? I’m just glad that you trust me and I’m here to protect you.”
“But you’re my mate. You know what that means.”
“I do. I know what it means, and I know what I want, but none of that matters. You matter, and whatever you want is what we’ll do.
” He couldn’t imagine that it would be easy for Peter to trust anyone after Lou, even his mate.
It hurt Braden’s heart, but that didn’t mean he was going to step away from this.
He and Peter shared a bond, and he had every intention of honoring it.
“What you want also matters,” Peter insisted.
“Well, what I want is for you to be happy. What I want is for you to trust me and be comfortable with me. If that’s all you can give me for now, it’s fine. I’ll be perfectly happy with that until you’re ready to give me more.”
“I just don’t want you to regret this.”
Peter’s voice was soft, and it hurt Braden to hear him like that.
“I don’t see how I could ever regret it.
I don’t want you to worry about any of this, Peter.
I’m not in a rush. Whatever you want to give me, whatever you can give, I’ll take it.
We can talk about this again once the mess with Lou is over, if you want, but I need you to know that I don’t expect anything from you. ”
Braden felt Peter’s body relax and mentally patted himself on the shoulder for doing that.
He hadn’t been lying. Whatever Peter was ready for, it was what Braden would give him.
Yes, he hoped that Peter would eventually be ready for more than cuddling at night, but even if he never was, Braden didn’t care.
They could build something anyway. Their relationship was theirs, and it didn’t have to be like anyone else’s.
It wouldn’t be.