Page 29 of Alpha Bond
It’s been three days.
Three days of avoiding the moments when she’s used my bathroom or needed to dress. Three days of sleeping on the thin bedroll on the floor in front of the door. Three days of hearing her soft breathing as she sleeps. And worst of all, three days of trying to ignore the scent of her, which, now that she’s rid herself of the stench of the alpha, has come into full bloom.
My quarters are heady with it…the lush scent of nature and growing things. And I’m not the only one who’s been aware of it. When she’s not safe in my room, I can’t let her out of my sight. Trips to the canteen have been like running the gauntlet. I’ve been putting off going back to Doctor Bea because she’s on the other side of the compound, and the walk would be too long. I know Sierra’s probably getting a little stir-crazy, but I don’t feel comfortable taking her on more than short walks to stretch her legs a couple of times a day. I’m edgy with the inactivity, too. Aside from daily visits to the gym and brief check-ins with Callum and the team, I haven’t strayed far from my apartment.
But the most unsettling part has been the rush of unfamiliar emotions I’ve felt watching over her.
Jealousy? Possessiveness?
I don’t know what that feels like. What I do recognize is an overwhelming urge to protect her. I’ve seen what males do when their base urges drive them. I saw what they did to my mother. And I get an unwelcome rush of memories when I sense all those eyes on Sierra.
Pull it together, Law!
I remind myself of the promises I made all those years ago. The vows I made to the first woman I ever loved…the one who gave birth to me. I’ll never disrespect her memory. Or forget how I felt the day that she died.
But I can’t help the constant restlessness. I feel the wolf prowling within me, and it occurs to me that it’s been days since I allowed him to run free. Maybe that’s the problem. Not the unsettling effect of the woman who’s sharing my world.
“Jagger,” Sierra says now, breaking the silence between us. Her voice is soft, almost hesitant. I glance over my shoulder at her. Despite the tension, satisfaction swells within me as I observe her. She’s still too thin, but she’s clean and warm. She almost looks healthy, though I suspect the color in her cheeks has a lot to do with the fever she’s trying to hide. The makeshift scarf she seems determined to keep wrapped around her neck has been washed, and although it seems odd that she won’t remove it, who am I to judge?
“Hello? Earth to Jagger?” She cocks her head at me. She’s woken from one of the frequent naps she takes and is now sitting on the edge of my bed. Reluctantly, I push away the notes I’ve been going over. With any luck, I’ll be heading out on patrol again soon, and I need to be prepared.
“Yes?” My reply is clipped, revealing nothing of the thoughts that have been preoccupying me.
“Thank you…for everything.” The words are unexpected, and my brow furrows. “For taking care of me, I mean.” Hazel eyes meet mine briefly before looking away. Her eyes always flicker green when she’s focusing on something. And I hate the fact that I’ve noticed that.
“Sure,” I grunt in response, not wanting to delve too deep into the emotions her gratitude builds in me. A single bulb overhead casts stark shadows on the bare walls. It feels like I’m under a spotlight, and I school my expression.
“You didn’t have to do any of it, and I think maybe I’ve seemed ungrateful. I just want you to know that I’m not.”
“Okay.” I nod but don’t say anything further. The silence stretches out.
“Are you always this talkative?” Sierra says eventually, perhaps trying to lighten the mood.
“Only when I have something worth saying.”
“Ah.” She looks down at her hands, picking at a nonexistent thread on her pants. These fit her better than my own – another purchase from the market in town. “Well, I just wanted to say that I’m glad you found me worth saving.”
“Sure. Couldn’t leave you out there now, could I?” I sound surly, but that can’t be helped. She’s turned my world upside down.
We lapse back into silence, and my mind drifts to the memory of how vulnerable she was when I first found her. Why had I felt the need to bring her back here when she clearly objected? Was it just a sense of doing the right thing, as I told Titer? Or was there something else motivating me?
Bullshit, Law. There was nothing else.
I push the thought away. The sound of her breathing fills the room, steady but labored, reminding me of her lingering weakness. It bothers me. She has to heal.
“Jagger?” She says my name again, and I like the way she’s so comfortable using it.
“Yeah?”
“Is there…any way I can repay you for saving my life?” She’s picking at the thread again.
“Get well,” I say simply, keeping my eyes on her face, and not for the first time, I take in the sight of her. She’s lovely, with her dark hair tumbling over her shoulders in waves. I like the way her eyes change color. And she has pretty lips, perfectly bowed and plump. She’d make someone a good mate.
“Why?” she says. “So I can get out of your life?”
I blink at her for a second. “Yes.” But that idea doesn’t appeal so much anymore. And I’ll be damned if I can understand why.
I straighten abruptly, turning back to my paperwork. It’s a goddamn mess. Yet again, Titer has put a plan together that makes no damn sense. He’s sending patrols out into regions that barely touch on the danger zones where we’d found Sierra just days ago. We should be in that region right now, making sure that whoever took her isn’t still sniffing around.