My Mate's Touch

Chapter 50 - Elias

Alpha Felix was right about us needing some time to rest. It took a few days for my fear and anxiety to fade away, and it helped immensely to have Luca and Aspen by my side. The three of us hung out in Luca's apartment and talked with each other like we did before all of this Ryland stuff. It felt relieving to know that things were getting back to normal. Well, somewhat.

I didn't know what was happening, but I felt like I just had to be near Xander. I missed him so much and I couldn't control it nor push the thought of him away. I wanted him to hug me again like he did at the infirmary, kiss my cheek and subtly give me a peck on my jawline before making his way back up. I was touchstarved in every sense of the word.

Aspen went back to her room earlier this afternoon, so it was just Luca and I. We sat and talked for a while after she left, but the mate bond's pull on me was beginning to edge on uncomfortable. The feeling inside of me was so strange, but I had to do what it was telling me to. I needed to see Xander.

"Hey Luca, I, um, I think I'm going to go visit Xander."

"He's ok, if that's what you're worried about. Felix is making sure he's taken care of."

Luca looked up at me and noticed that I wasn't budging. He furrowed his brows, giving me a concerned look as he spoke again.

"Do you want me to go with you? Just in case?"

"I'm ok, I promise. It's light outside and I'm not scared anymore. I just want to see Xander."

"Ok." He stood up and gave me a hug, his soft brown hair tickling my cheek. "Be safe. If Xander hurts you or something..."

"He won't!" I interjected, poking Luca on his forehead.

"If he does, I'll come down there myself!"

"I'm sure you will!"

We both laughed and then I headed to the door, waving goodbye to Luca as he stood by the couch. As the door latched and I walked down to the Shadowclaw headquarters building, my mate was running through my mind every step of the way.

I walked through the pack grounds and gazed around to see crowds of happy werewolves going in and out of the buildings, creating a lively sense of community as they smiled and spent time with their loved ones. There were people of all ages walking down the bustling streets of the Shadowclaw pack and the sight was nothing short of admirable. As I turned to look at the spectacle around me, I bumped into someone and my heart jumped when I saw who it was smirking playfully at me.

"You should watch where you're going, Pipsqueak."

Bubbling up with excitement, I instantly melted into his chest. "Xander! I thought you were resting. I was just going to see you. What are you doing here?"

Xander rubbed the nape of his neck and averted his gaze sheepishly. "Well, today was my last day on bed rest and I was getting bored as hell. I was actually going to see you."

My eyes widened and I lifted my head from his chest. "Really?"

"Yeah, really. I missed you. A fucking lot."

I looked up at Xander in complete adoration and he smiled earnestly before leaning down to kiss my cheek. He chuckled huskily as I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face into him bashfully. Xander placed his chin on my head and I could feel his jaw moving as he spoke.

"Since we're both out, did you want to do anything?"

"Oh, I hadn't thought about it..." As I struggled to think of something, a lightbulb went off in my mind. "Wait, we could go to the library!"

Xander took his head off of mine and gave me a puzzled look. "The library?"

"Yeah, I went inside once but I only read a handful of books. The place is huge and I barely touched a shelf."

As I spoke about it, I tried to push the thought of Ryland kidnapping me to the back of my mind. I was with Xander now. He would protect me if anyone tried to hurt me. When I looked back up at his face, I noticed he looked a bit uninterested.

"U-Um, did you have somewhere else in mind?"

"Nah, we can go to the library, if that's where you want to go."

Xander looped an arm around me as we walked towards the grand building, and I felt the same wonder and amazement upon walking through the front entrance as I did the first time. Locking eyes with all of the books calling my name, I darted away from Xander and to the first shelf that caught my attention.

As I searched through the vast collection of books, I noticed Xander had caught up with me, his eyes widened upon entering the aisle.

"What the fuck, are you going to read all of those?"

I smiled awkwardly. "That's the plan."

"Here, let me take them then."

I handed over the heavy stack of novels and encyclopedias and Xander carried them effortlessly to the seating area. After a moment, a mysterious book caught my eye and I instinctively reached for it, only to grasp at the air. I huffed, the realization hitting me that I was too short for the top shelf. I walked out of the aisle and whispered loudly to Xander.

"Um, Xander? Could you get this book for me?"

He looked at me and then strided over. Instead of asking me to move out of his way, he reached for the book with me underneath him, pressed between the bookshelf and his warm, muscular body. I blushed, my back to his front side, the pressure lessening as he backed away and handed me the book.

"There you go," He smirked. "Need another one?"

"I-I'm good, thanks!"

His smile turned warm as we walked back over to the seating area and I sifted through my pile and tried to choose which book to read first. After I found the one, I went to sit on a beanbag chair when I heard a sound. I turned to see Xander patting his thigh with an arched eyebrow.

"Come here."

Was... he inviting me to sit on his lap? I felt my face turn red but I didn't hesitate to comply and sunk into his lap. I felt safe in his arms, like nothing in the world could hurt me. As I read, Xander played with my hair, twirling the short strands in between his fingers.

Before I knew it, I was over halfway through my books and I noticed that a little over an hour had gone by. I closed the book I was reading and shifted around to look at Xander, who looked infatuated by me. I felt bad, realizing he was probably bored out of his mind and that I completely spent our evening for myself.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize it had already been this long," I said as I got up from his lap, scooping up the books and struggling to hold their weight.

"It's fine. It was nice spending time with you."

To my reluctance, Xander took the books from my arms and put them up himself before we left the building together. As we walked down the street, I clung to his arm, relishing in every moment of physical contact we shared. I didn't want the day to end.

"What now?" I asked.

When I looked up at Xander he wore a hesitant but sure expression, his eyes looking down in front of him before flicking to me. His shifted demeanor made me gulp.

"You want to go back to my room?"

✩｡:*•.───── ❁ ❁ ─────.•*:｡✩

A date, mayhaps? I think yes! Elias and Xander have a nice evening out together, and there may be more to come if you catch my drift 👀 If you enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to leave a vote and comment your thoughts! - D ♡