Heart of a Beast

Chapter 9 | Crystal

They decided to set out at sunrise. Her family was exhausted from stressing about her and appreciated catching a few hours of sleep in the guest rooms.

The Alpha of the Nickel Moon Pack was gracious, and Ma revealed that the vampires Tiberius had killed had been tormenting the packs in the area for the past few weeks.

While they were still unsure about Tiberius in general as a rogue and his heightened protectiveness of her, they kept a respectful distance to reduce stress and tension. Once he had calmed down some after being reassured no one would take Crystal away from him, the Luna, along with the Beta Female, came to speak with them after Crystal's family left to sleep.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries with the females, Tiberius and Crystal were taken to a guest room that would be more comfortable with a king-sized bed. They left and returned a few minutes later with the leg of a deer their pack hunted in appreciation for Tiberius' services to their pack.

He looked embarrassed as he salivated like a starved beast, and looked at Crystal with his ears lowered, asking for permission.

Was he really that nervous about eating in front of her? She'd seen her family take down big game when they went camping—she didn't have a weak stomach for blood and wouldn't be uncomfortable with him eating raw meat in her presence. That was what wolves did.

After nodding, he hunched in the opposite corner of the bedroom and feasted on the thick, juicy thigh while the females joined Crystal on the bed and chatted with her about herself and the last twenty-four hours.

They excused themselves when her eyelids began to droop and a few yawns escaped her.

Tiberius was almost done eating when they left and returned with a large mixing bowl full of soapy water for him to wash his face and paws.

Crystal watched him as she lay on her side. Even when he was trying to be careful drying his paws with a towel, his claws caught in the thick material and ripped it. He glanced at her before curling up a little into himself and turning away when the females left and turned the light off.

She understood. How could he touch her when he shredded everything so easily?

Instead of making himself comfortable on the large bed, he curled up on the floor at the side while her thoughts continued to circle around. Knots bunched up in her stomach as she stared up at the ceiling until she heard him whine softly and lick her hand.

Rolling onto her side, she looked into his gray eyes as he rested his head on her mattress.

The moonlight shone in through the window and she hated the look illuminated on his face. It tore at her heart. His eyes communicated more than words could say.

There was an aching sadness, a silent plea. It shredded her.

She reached out to pet him. The compulsion to erase the look was too great to ignore.

He closed his eyes like she knew he would and licked her hand. She couldn't help but smile despite the ache still present within her.

"What will we do?" she asked in a whisper.

How could they make this relationship work?

He continued to lick her hand until she pulled it away and tucked it under her blanket. She closed her eyes and snuggled deeper into her pillow, feeling his eyes linger on her for a minute before he settled down on the floor with a huff.

Despite the comfortable bed, she couldn't get her mind to shut off. Her thoughts continued to whirl around and after tossing and turning a few times, she managed to fall in and out of sleep.