Chapter 5
Chapter
Five
ZANDER
With a paper bag full of goodies from the bakery in hand, I entered the clinic, relieved when no one tried to stop me. I made my way to the private room where Reid was staying and reached for the door handle just as it swung open and flew toward me.
I stumbled backward and caught Danny before he tripped and went sprawling on the floor.
He looked up at me, his expression stricken. “I think I made it worse.”
“Made what worse?” I asked, steadying him. The sour scent of distressed omega filled my nostrils. “What’s wrong?”
He looked down, his cheeks turning pink.
“I just wanted to help. I thought if I told him that we aren’t like the Red Moon Pack, it would make him feel better.
I tried to tell him that you aren’t anything like that asshole Trent, but he took it the wrong way.
I think he thought I was trying to trick him or something. ”
My heart sank as I listened and realized that the distressed scent wasn’t only coming from him but also from the room he’d left.
“You should probably give him some time to calm down,” Danny said, looking anywhere but at me. “He didn’t say much, but I think he was pretty upset.”
Fucking hell.
My bear clawed at me, desperate to break through the fragile barrier between us and our mate.
I didn’t think he would accept it if I simply turned and left.
He’d ride me until I at least satisfied him with a glimpse of our mate to prove he was safe, even if he wasn’t happy with the current situation.
Safety trumped all else.
“I’ll leave if he gets stressed,” I said, circling around Danny to make sure he didn’t try to block me from the door. “But I need to see him. Even if only for a few seconds.”
“Don’t scare him,” Danny whispered. “He’s been through enough.”
“I won’t,” I promised. Gods knew that all I wanted to do was protect him.
Tentatively, I entered the room. My gaze went immediately to the bed, where the little warlock sat propped against a pillow. I drank him up, eager to spend time observing him properly without the distraction of a fight going on around me.
My breath caught. He truly was beautiful.
Blond curls spilled around his shoulders.
His hair was slightly stringy but I suspected he hadn’t had a chance to wash it yet.
Once he had, his mane would be stunning.
His cheeks were plump, giving him a baby-faced appearance, and his eyes were the vivid shade of a mountain bluebird.
He was small. While I couldn’t discern his height with him in bed as he was, I’d be surprised if he was more than five foot five or six.
When I noticed the gnarled scar on his shoulder with indentations from a set of teeth left by what must have been a ferocious bite, fury scorched my veins. A growl burst from me and my claws pricked the insides of my palms.
Reid recoiled, those bluebird eyes going wide with fear. His scent soured even further.
I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. I already knew that he’d been mated against his will. It made sense that Trent hadn’t cared to bite him cleanly or give him anything to help him heal. He probably liked seeing the signs of his violence on this sweet omega’s body.
“I’m sorry.” I inhaled again and closed my eyes so he wouldn’t see my bear peeking through. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. I just got angry seeing what Trent did to you. I’m Zander.”
Once I was sure I had my bear under control, I opened my eyes again. Reid was looking away, his head turned to the side slightly, hiding the scar. He didn’t make any move to talk.
Okay, I could do this.
I dithered, shifting from one foot to the other. It felt like I’d spent eternity waiting for my mate, but I’d never expected to find them in a situation as twisted as this. It was proving difficult to figure out how to approach him.
“I’m the, uh, sheriff,” I continued, hoping that might settle him a little. “No one in Grizzly Ridge will harm you. I brought food. You must be hungry.”
A brief glance at his breakfast plate showed that he’d eaten a little, although not much.
I extended the bag toward him. “I’m not sure what you like, so there’s a donut, a fruit pastry, and a cupcake.”
I wasn’t one for sweet food but if he was, he might find comfort in the sugary offering.
He turned toward me, his wary gaze shifting to one of longing as he looked at the bag.
He didn’t make any move to take it though.
In fact, the quick darting of his eyes made me wonder if he thought it was a trap and he’d be punished for reaching for the food.
My stomach clenched at the thought.
Reid turned away again. “Just do it.”
I frowned. “Do what?”
He huffed, as if I were the one being cryptic. “You’re here to claim me, right? You said yesterday that we’re supposedly mates.”
I stared at him for a long moment as the horror of what he was suggesting sank in. I tossed the bag onto the bed and backed away from him, my hands held up in surrender even as my bear whimpered for our poor, wounded mate.
He expected me to rape him. He thought I was here to replace Trent as his new alpha mate without any consideration for his well-being.
I tried not to take it personally. He’d been through a lot. But Gods, it hurt that he didn’t expect anything better. I sank to the floor, hoping that doing so would make me appear less threatening.
“I would never force myself on anyone.” I tried to keep my voice steady, but traces of anger threaded through it.
Not at him. Never at him. But at all of the assholes who’d ever hurt him.
“Especially not my fated mate. I know you’re mourning and I hope we can eventually get to know each other, but I will respect your wishes. ”
He snorted, the sound bitter. “You say that now, but it’s just a facade to control my magic. Everyone wants to control me. You’re not any different.”
My vision sharpened as my bear came to the surface again. It wanted to curl around our mate and protect him, and it didn’t understand that being near him would only scare him further.
“I promise, I will never try to control you,” I swore to him.
I caught sight of the disbelief on his face and my bear had finally had enough. It took over, clawing its way forward, and it was all I could do to back out of the room and tear off my clothes before the shift was upon me.
I bolted toward the woods, needing to get away from Reid before I frightened him further.
“Zander!” Danny shouted after me, but I ignored him.