NINE
Mabel
I can feel it as soon as I open my eyes in the morning. My entire body is awake, alive in a way it never has been before. Every nerve ending is firing.
I take a deep breath and try to clear my head as I sit up in bed. Miles’s scent is all around me, making my thoughts dirtier.
I want him.
I need him.
I’m…horny for the first time in my life.
But do I want to be his mate? Miles is a good guy, and I don’t want to hurt him. I need to be sure about him, about us, before I do anything.
I glance at the clock on the nightstand and curse when I see how late it is. I need to get ready to go to the hospital. I need to talk to Dillon about all of this. If anyone can help me figure this out, it’s Dillon.
She might be feeling this, too. Her mate has already claimed her, I think as I climb out of bed.
My clothes are folded neatly on the dresser, and I smile as I think about Miles doing that for me. It must’ve taken him hours last night to do it all.
A knock sounds at the door, and Miles pokes his head in. I sense the shift in him as soon as our eyes meet. He’s tense and on edge, but he’s fighting the mating heat and his feelings to keep me calm and relaxed.
God, he’s perfect.
I love him.
I blink at the thought.
“Did you want to head to the hospital soon?” he asks.
“Yeah. I just need to get dressed.”
“Okay. I’ll meet you downstairs.”
He closes the door, and I hurry to dress and pull on my shoes. I jog down the stairs and smile as he passes me a bagel with cream cheese.
“I have Asiago cheese if you prefer.”
“This is good. Thanks.”
We head out, walking in silence. I rack my brain for a safe topic but come up empty. Every subject seems loaded.
We ride the elevator to the second floor when we get to the hospital.
“I’ll give you and Dillon some privacy,” Miles says as the elevator doors slide open.
“Okay, thanks.”
“Here. For Dillon,” he says, passing me another bagel.
I see Jensen pacing the hall as we approach Dillon’s room. “Is everything all right? Is Dillon okay?” I ask in a rush.
“She’s fine. Just…on edge.”
“Oh…OH!” I say when understanding dawns on me.
“We’ll stay out here,” Miles says.
I nod and head into the hospital room.
“Hey,” I greet Dillon.
She huffs. “Do you know?”
I freeze as my eyes meet hers. “Yeah. I wanted to talk to you about that.”
Her gown slides to the side as she sits up in bed, revealing the bite mark on her neck. She brushes over the mark and shivers. “He bit me.”
“Yeah, I can see that. Miles told me about it. He said it was the only way to save you.”
“And you believe that?” she asks angrily.
I shrug. “Yeah. I…You were in rough shape, Dillon.” Tears pool in my eyes. “God, I thought I was going to lose you.”
“They’re paramedics,” she says, her tone slightly less pissed off. “They should be able to help.”
“It was bad, Dillon. You were so pale, so… lifeless.” Tears spill onto my cheeks.
Dillon reaches for me. “I’m okay.”
“Yeah, because of them!” I shout. “Jensen saved your life. He wouldn’t have bit you without talking to you, without letting you choose, if there was any other way.”
“We’ll never know that for sure.”
I shake my head. “I know it. I do.”
“What’s going on with you and Miles?” she asks, changing the subject.
“He’s my fated mate.”
“Okay.”
“Has Jensen told you about all this?”
She gives me a tense nod. “A bit. But I wasn’t very receptive.”
I laugh. “Yeah, it was a bit of a shock to me, too. When Miles shifted, I mean.”
Dillon smiles. “Shocking, right?”
“Like, mind-blowing, shocking. Unbelievable,” I whisper. “But it’s real.”
“It’s a lot to absorb.”
“I know.”
We’re silent for a minute before Dillon clears her throat.
“Is that for me?” She nods at the tinfoil-wrapped bagel.
“Oh, yeah. Here.”
She takes the bagel and unwraps it, taking a big bite. “So much better than the stuff here.”
“I bet.” I laugh.
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know,” I say honestly. “I can’t deny that I have…feelings for him.”
“So, you want to be with him?”
“Yeah,” I say, hearing the guilt in my voice.
“Then be with him.”
“But, what about our plan,” I argue.
Tears fill her eyes, but she smiles. “Plans change. They already have. I mean, getting into a car accident, being bitten by a wolf shifter, and dealing with all of this wasn’t part of the plan. But it happened, and we have to adjust and deal with it.”
Dillon reaches for my hand. “It’s okay. I just want what’s best for you. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. I want you to be happy and safe and loved. Miles clearly does all of that.”
I take a shuddering breath. “It’s hard to trust that it will last.”
“I know. But, Mabel, the way he looks at you? That’s forever.”
I smile through my tears. “What will you do? I don’t want us to be apart. You’re my family.”
“And you’re mine. I’ll stay, at least for a while. I need to make some money to get a new car and pay all these bills.”
“What about Jensen?”
Her jaw clenches. “I don’t know. I can feel the mating heat, but I can’t get over what he did. I can’t wrap my head around any of this.”
“I get it. It takes time.” I squeeze her hand. “What do you think of Jensen? He’s cute, right?”
“He’s—”
“Hey,” Miles says as he enters the room.
Jensen is right behind him, and his eyes lock on Dillon. “Want to finish that sentence?”
“He’s a pain in my ass,” she says without missing a beat.
“Aww,” Crew says as he and Tucker walk into the room behind our mates.
“Hey, ladies,” Tucker says. “Are you okay with answering a few questions?”
“Sure. Is the case still ongoing?” I ask, confused. “I mean, I was at fault. No one else was involved in the accident.”
“It’s not that simple,” Crew tells us.
“We think that the wolves were from a neighboring pack,” Miles explains, moving to stand by my side, offering his support.
“Oh, my gosh. Did I hurt a wolf shifter?” I ask in a rush.
“It would be good if you did,” Jensen mutters.
Dillon glares at him. “Why is that?”
“Because the Red Fog Pack has been trying to start a war with us,” Tucker explains.
“Yeah, we think you prevented them from starting another fire or doing something even worse when you almost hit them,” Crew tells us.
I frown. “Fire?”
Miles wraps his arm around my shoulder. “They’ve been burning houses and causing trouble for a few months. They tried to send in a spy, but that didn’t work. They’ve grown more desperate since then.”
“So, it’s not safe here?” Dillon asks in alarm.
Her wide eyes meet mine, and we both swallow hard.
“You’ll always be safe with me,” Jensen assures her.
He reaches for her, but she swats his hand away.
“Can you describe the wolves at all?” Tucker asks.
“Did you see which way they ran? Did you see others nearby?” Crew adds.
“I… No, not really. It all happened so fast. One minute, we were driving, and the next, they were there.”
“And there were three of them?” Tucker asks.
“Yeah.”
“No, four,” Dillon interjects. “There was one in the woods. I saw him before the others.”
“Okay, what was he doing?” Tucker asks.
Jensen moves closer, and Dillon lets him rest his hand on her shoulder this time.
“He was watching. It was like…he knew it was going to cause an accident. Like that was the plan,” she says, trailing off.
The men share a worried look.
Tucker clears his throat. “Can you describe the wolves?”
I shrug. “Big. Gray.”
“The one in the woods had yellow eyes. It was creepy,” Dillon says, shuddering at the memory.
Crew’s eyes narrow. “Yellow. You’re sure?”
Dillon nods.
“Okay, that’s helpful. Thanks, ladies,” Tucker says.
“Hope you’re feeling better,” Crew adds before they turn to leave.
“Fuck,” Jensen hisses.
Miles nods. “We’ll be right back.”
“We’ll be outside,” Jensen tells Dillon, who nods distractedly.
“You all right?” I ask once they’re gone.
“Yeah, I just…That wolf gave me the creeps.”
“He sounds like bad news.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t stay here,” she mumbles.
“Miles will keep us safe. We know better than most that bad people are everywhere.”
She nods, frowning as she remembers our past.
“So, what now?”
“Well, we have a few more hours left before visiting hours end. What do you want to do?” I ask.
“Get the hell out of this hospital.”
“I don’t know if I can do that, but I can get us some snacks, and we can watch TV. Maybe come up with a new plan.”
“Sounds good.”
The door opens, and Miles pokes his head in. “You guys all right?”
“Yeah, I was about to go for some snacks.”
“On it,” he says.
“I’ll stand guard,” Jensen tells us.
“Great,” Dillon deadpans.
He smiles at her, and she glares back. I bite back a smirk.
Oh, she has it bad for him, but she’s scared. Just like I was. But I have a feeling Jensen will prove himself to her like Miles did to me.
“Thanks,” I say, and the door closes behind him.
“That’s what you want?” Dillon asks.
I laugh. “I know. It’s great, right?”
She rolls her eyes, but I can tell she’s thinking it over.
We spend the afternoon talking and watching TV. The guys bring us snacks and drinks but leave us alone for the most part.
The doctor comes in to check on Dillon while Jensen hovers over his shoulder.
“She should be good to leave tomorrow,” he says with a satisfied smile.
“Thank god,” Dillon groans.
Jensen fluffs Dillon’s pillows as the doctor heads out.
“They’re fine,” she snaps. “You and the damn pillows.”
“I just want you to be comfortable.”
She doesn’t answer.
I look at Miles. “We should be going. They’re about to kick us out.”
“See you in the morning. You can spring me from this place,” Dillon huffs.
I laugh. “For sure. We’ll be back bright and early. Call me if you need anything.”
“I will. Have fun,” she says with a knowing look.
“You, too.”
She blushes as her eyes cut to Jensen, watching him warily.
I tuck myself against Miles’s side, and we head out.
“Want to grab a pizza?” he asks
“Sounds good.”
“What do you like on yours?”
“Pepperoni.”
“You got it.” He orders the pizza as we walk.
I look up at the rising full moon and murmur, “I can feel it.”
He tenses against my side. “Me, too.”