Chapter 19 - Miles #2
She lies over me, her eyes closed and her energy spent.
“Are you…ok?” I ask quietly. I’ve never been with someone in wolf form, so I don’t know if she'll be upset with me.
I stroke my finger over her soft cheek and brush her hair out of her face.
This is when I see the smile on her lips.
“I’m more than ok,” she whispers softly, letting out a sigh of pleasure.
“That was…”
“That was amazing,” she says. “All of it.”
“My shoulder is burning,” I muse, realizing I can still feel her mark on my skin.
“It’ll burn for a day or two, then calm down,” she giggles, opening her eyes to look at me.
“You’re fucking beautiful, Kelsey,” I mutter.
Kelsey bites her lip and traces her hand over my pec.
“I’ve never thought of myself as beautiful,” she remarks thoughtfully. “I never really thought of myself as anything much…”
“What happened to you in the past…I wish I could have been there to help you,” I sigh, thinking about my sister as well.
“Maybe it was all supposed to happen so that I could become the person that I am today?” She says thoughtfully.
“Would I have pushes so hard to be the best? Would I have fought as hard as I did to prove them wrong and stop them from trying to drag me down if they hadn’t dragged me down in the first place? ”
I can hear the pain in her voice. Pain, mixed with something else. Determination. Pride. Strength. So much strength.
“I don’t think my past made me a better person. I watched those bullies when they attacked my sister, and I did nothing. Not a day goes by that I don’t wish I could go back and change that. I want to tell her how sorry I am, but I’m so ashamed of what I did. Or didn’t do…”
Kelsey props herself up on her elbows and looks into my eyes. “Your sister forgave you ages ago, Miles. She thinks you are an amazing person. She speaks about you only with love and admiration. If there is anyone still beating you up for your past…it’s you.”
“You’re amazing, Kelsey,” I whisper as I stare into her eyes.
“You’re not the bad person you think you are, Miles. Look at everything you’ve done to help me with what I’ve been going through.”
I smile and brush my hand over her cheek again. She tilts her face towards my hand and closes her eyes. Then she lets out a soft sigh and rests her cheek on my chest again.
Kelsey falls asleep quickly.
I feel her body relax on mine. I feel her drifting away. I hear her breathing change.
For a long time, I lie there listening to her.
She’s absolutely perfect.
And I’m falling in love with her.
But I don’t deserve to fall in love with her. She’s far too good for me.
Even though I can’t truly have her, I can give her everything I have to give.
She is my fated mate. I know that. There are no questions. I knew that the moment I saw her in that forest.
I will do everything I can to make up for the wrong I did in my past by giving her everything she ever needs. I will protect her. I will take care of her.
***
It’s early morning when we wake up, and Kelsey climbs off me with a sheepish giggle. “I’ll make the coffee if you want to shower first,” she remarks.
“The shower is big enough for two,” I tease.
“Then we will never get to work,” she scolds me, but I notice how her eyes still roam hungrily over me.
The day starts in a rush from the moment we leave the quiet comfort of our home.
Kelsey has to hurry away to a patrol meeting, then to magic training, and I have been called into a meeting with the elders for late morning, so I’ll need to rearrange everything else I had scheduled for today.
On the way to the pack house, I am messaging and shifting things around.
By the time I arrive there, I’m flustered and annoyed that the elders can’t just make meetings ahead of time instead of always demanding a last-minute audience as though their time is the only time that matters.
This is why Jace is a far better Alpha than I could ever be. He has the patience for this shit.
It’s almost eleven, and I’ve been waiting outside the elders' doors for forty-five minutes for the meeting they called and then were late for.
I’m about to stand up and walk away when the doors open, and Jeremy gestures for me to come inside.
“Hello, Miles. We’ve been eager to hear from you,” he tells me.
I bite my tongue to keep from saying something sarcastic and rude about them, only to have them claim to be eager while I wait.
Jace is inside and notices my agitation.
“Sorry about the wait,” he says, “there are some urgent matters that came up unexpectedly.”
I want to roll my eyes, but I manage not to, and Jace smirks silently before looking down to hide it from everyone else.
“Alright, well, let’s get straight to it,” Lexus says.
Thank fuck. The sooner I can get out of here, the happier I will be.
“Tell us about her magic training, and we would also like a full report on how the marriage is going,” Jermey demands.
Dammit. I was hoping this would just be about the magic.
“Her magic skills are far beyond what any of us could have expected. She is incredible. She has strength; she is still learning, but I’m confident when I say the gift was given to the strongest woman and the one best suited to handle such intense power.
She is responsible, dedicated to the pack, and trustworthy in every sense.
We could not have asked for a better person on our defense team. ”
“Yes, that sounds amazing. I was talking to Mira about some of her designs as well, and it looks like the two of them will work together nicely to build new tech support for our security team.”
I nod, “Yes, sir. Mira is doing a fantastic job as well.”
“So, Kelsey and Mira can continue doing what they are doing, and you will continue to keep an eye on both of them.”
“Yes, sir,” I agree.
“And the marriage?” Lexus pushes.
I could easily tell them that she is my fated-mate and that I’m falling in love with her. I could tell them that she is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen and that I can’t stop thinking about her day and night. Every second of every day when I’m not with her.
I could tell them that I can’t imagine my life without her, and while I don’t deserve her, I will still do everything I can to keep her…
I could tell them all that, but then they would think my options regarding her magic, strength, and trustworthiness are tainted and biased.
They are men of politics and paperwork, and they want facts. They don’t care about love.
They care about winning wars and gaining power.
“The marriage is going as expected, sir. We are getting along well enough, and from the outside, I believe we are achieving the desired effect.” I tell them with a confident and calm tone.
“The Omega is making a decent wife for you?” Lexus asks.
“Yes, sir, she is as good a wife as I could expect. The arranged marriage is a stable union and a good example for the rest of the pack that omegas and betas from different ranks can co-exist and work together.”
“And you have maintained your status within the pack without letting hers drag you down,” Lexus says thoughtfully. Anger spikes inside me, and I want to tell him it’s a fucked-up thing to say about the most valuable women in Rose Falls or any other pack.
But I don’t. They are not the people to argue with.
Their satisfaction makes life easier for Jace and for me. It will also make future negotiations with them easier.
I remain silent and stand with my legs wide and my arms behind my back.
“Will that be all, sir?” I ask.
“Yes, it sounds like things are going well. Well done, Beta. You are dismissed,” Jeremy says. Jace nods politely, and I take my leave of them. I can’t wait to get away from them, actually. I have no idea how Jace manages to stay so calm around such arrogance.