Chapter 5
Cooper
I wake up with my mate in my arms, and for one perfect, quiet second, everything in the world feels right.
Landry is tucked against my chest, her back pressed to my front, my arm wrapped around her waist as if I knew better than to let her get too far away, even in sleep. Her hair is spread over my pillow and across my shoulder, and her sweet scent fills my room, bed, and lungs.
Ours, my wolf sighs happily.
I smile. Yeah. Ours.
I tighten my arm around her, and she makes a soft little sound in her sleep, wiggling back against me. My body hardens in an instant, and I grit my teeth, closing my eyes as I try to regain control.
Just sleep, I remind myself.
My wolf growls in protest.
I promised her just sleep.
My wolf is not impressed with that promise. He’s been pacing and growling since the second she crawled into bed with us last night. He wanted me to roll her beneath me, sink my teeth into her shoulder, and mark her as ours in every way possible.
I wanted that too. Fuck, did I want that, but Landry is still getting used to this. To me. To shifters. To fated mates. To the idea that her whole life changed in the span of a night because she crashed into a giant wolf in the woods.
I’m not going to rush her. Even if it kills me.
My eyes drift to the window, and I frown when I see the pale gray light leaking around the curtains. Morning already. I barely slept. Every time Landry shifted or sighed, I woke up, ready to make sure she was okay. Ready to fight off anything that dared to come near her, even in her dreams.
She slept deeply, though, and warmth spreads through my chest at the knowledge. She feels safe here. With me.
I press my nose to her hair and breathe her in.
Tomorrow is the full moon.
The thought hits me hard enough that my wolf stills. For most shifters, the full moon is nothing to worry about. We feel it, sure. It makes our animals restless and our instincts sharper. Makes us want to run and hunt and claim what’s ours, but it’s manageable.
Usually.
I’ve never had a mate before. Never had my mate sleeping in my bed, smelling sweet and warm, trusting me with her body tucked against mine the night before the moon is full.
My wolf’s reaction is already stronger than I expected. He’s been riding me hard since the second we found her, and every hour that passes makes him more impatient. More possessive. More desperate to complete the bond.
Mark her, he growls.
Not yet.
Our mate.
I know.
Then claim her! he orders.
I blow out a slow breath through my nose, careful not to wake Landry.
“Soon,” I whisper so that only my wolf can hear it.
He doesn’t like that answer, but he settles a little.
Landry shifts again, rolling in my arms until she’s facing me. Her cheek presses against my chest, her hand landing right over my heart. I freeze, staring down at her. She looks so soft like this. So peaceful. No fear on her face. No tension in her body. No worry shadowing those pretty green eyes.
I hate that she knows what it feels like to be afraid. I hate that the cult put their hands on her. That they took her and Taylor. That they made my mate run through the woods alone and terrified.
A growl builds in my chest before I can stop it.
Landry stirs, her lashes fluttering.
Shit, I think as I smooth a hand over her back.
“Sleep, mate,” I whisper.
She hums and snuggles closer. My heart trips over itself like I’m some lovesick idiot. Maybe I am.
Actually, there’s no maybe about it.
I lie there with her as long as I can, but eventually, I have to get up. I’m on patrol tonight, and I need to check in at headquarters before then. I also need to get more food because my mate deserves better than an empty fridge and takeout menus.
Leaving the bed feels wrong. Leaving her feels worse.
I move slowly, sliding my arm out from beneath her and tucking the blanket around her body. She frowns in her sleep and reaches for me, and my chest aches at the sight.
“I’ll be back,” I promise, even though she can’t hear me.
I shower quickly, get dressed, and stand in the doorway for another full minute, just watching her sleep. Then I force myself to walk away.
By the time I make it downstairs, my wolf is annoyed with me.
Go back.
“I can’t,” I mutter.
Our mate needs us.
“She’s asleep in our bed. She’s safe.”
He growls, clearly disagreeing.
I ignore him and busy myself with making us breakfast. I don’t have to report for my patrol shift until noon, and I was hoping to spend a few hours with Landry before I had to leave, but I don’t want to wake her.
I whisk up some pancake batter and am adding the last pancake to the stack when I hear Landry making her way downstairs.
I turn with a smile, my eyes drinking her in greedily as she joins me in the kitchen. “Morning, mate. I made us some pancakes. Are you hungry?”
“Yeah, it smells good. Need a hand with anything?”
“No, I’ve got it. Here, take a seat.” I pull out a chair for her at the counter.
She sits down. “Thanks.”
I slide a plate in front of her. “Dig in,” I say, grabbing my plate and joining her at the kitchen counter.
“It’s great, thanks,” Landry says as she shoves another bite of pancake into her mouth.
“I’m glad you like it. Are you more of a sweet or savory breakfast person?” I ask, wanting to know everything about her.
“Usually savory. I tend to eat the same thing for like two weeks straight, then switch to something else.”
“What was the last thing that you were eating?”
“Avocado toast with a soft-boiled egg. Before that, it was blueberry muffins.”
“And before that?”
“Acai bowls. What about you?”
“I’m pretty simple. Usually, I make eggs and toast, maybe cereal if I’m running late.”
She nods, taking another bite of pancake. “What’s the plan for today?”
I glance at the clock. “I have to head to work in a little bit.”
“What are you doing at work today?”
“I’ll be on patrol. Noon to midnight,” I say, finishing my breakfast. “What about you? Did you want to do anything?”
“I’m going to job search some more. Maybe I’ll go see Taylor for a bit.”
I stand when she’s done eating to clear our plates away. Landry joins me at the kitchen sink, and we do the dishes. Things between us are so easy and effortless. I’m calmer and happier with her around.
My wolf stretches inside me, practically purring as Landry brushes past me to put away the plates.
“Do you want me to walk you over to Taylor and Reyes’s place before I head to work?” I ask as I dry my hands.
“No, I’ll text her later and see what she’s up to before I head over.”
“Do you want to use my computer for your job search?”
“Uh, yeah, that would be great,” she says with a grateful smile.
“Come on, I’ll get you set up before I leave.”
She follows me over to my office, and I pull out the desk chair for her. Opening my laptop, I log in, and she pulls up a new browser.
I shift on my feet. “Need anything else?”
“No, this is great. Thanks.”
“Of course. Here, let me give you my number. You can call or text if you need anything. I’ll be back after midnight.”
She nods, taking the piece of paper with my phone number on it and shoving it into her pocket.
“I’ll ask around about anyone hiring too,” I add, trying to stall so I can spend more time with my mate.
She grins up at me. “Thanks. I’ll see you later.”
“See you. Call if you need anything.”
“I will,” she promises.
I still don’t move.
She looks up at me, her green eyes soft. “Cooper?”
“Yeah?”
“You can kiss me before you go.”
My entire body stills. Her lips part nervously, as if she might take it back. There’s no way in hell I’m letting that happen.
I lower my head slowly, giving her plenty of time to change her mind.
She doesn’t.
The second my lips touch hers, my wolf goes silent. Everything goes silent.
Landry’s mouth is soft and warm beneath mine, and the little sigh she lets out almost brings me to my knees.
I keep it gentle. I have to. My hands tremble where they hold her face, and every instinct in me screams to deepen the kiss, to claim, to take, to make sure she never doubts who she belongs to.
But this is her first kiss with me. I won’t ruin it by rushing.
I brush my lips over hers once more and force myself to pull back. Her eyes flutter open.
“Was that okay?” I ask, my voice rough.
“Very okay,” Landry says breathlessly.
My wolf howls so loudly that I wince.
I press my forehead to hers. “I’ll come back to you.”
“You better.”
“I will.”
I press one more kiss to her forehead and leave her to her job search while I shower and change.
It’s almost noon by the time I jog back downstairs.
I need to hurry to make it to work on time, but I pause once more, listening to Landry typing away in the office.
I take a deep breath, forcing myself to turn and leave.
Making sure the door is locked behind me, I run along the path toward the Midnight Haven headquarters. My mind drifts as I go. Tomorrow is the night of the full moon, and I wonder what will happen.
Will Landry be able to feel the mating heat? Will she want me? Will she be ready, or will we wait another month?
No. Tomorrow! my wolf snarls.
I hope so, I tell him.
The headquarters building comes into view, and I hurry inside, nodding to a couple of pack members as I pass.
The building looks like a regular log cabin from the outside, which is the point.
Inside is where patrol schedules are made, territory maps are updated, and the Alphas handle pack business that humans don’t need to know about.
Russo is leaning against the front desk when I walk in. He looks up, his dark eyes narrowing on me immediately.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
Russo is a good guy, but he’s not officially part of the Midnight Haven—he fills in when we need him. If he’s here, I wonder if something happened last night.
“I’m filling in for the doctor,” he says.
“Cool. We’ll be on patrol together then.”
He nods and follows me inside.
Russo is one of my closest friends. He’s a bear shifter, big as hell even in human form, and usually too calm for his own good. Not much rattles him.