Luna Audrey

Chapter 14 - Try

"I would never do that to you!" Dean growled, losing his composure again as he released my body and backed away.

"How am I supposed to know that? What makes me so different from those girls?" I challenged.

"You're my mate!"

Dean's tone was lethal, causing me to freeze this time. We stared at each other, his chest heaving as he forced his wolf back. One more outburst and he could shift in the middle of the hospital room.

I swallowed hard, waiting for further yelling, expecting the worst. My heart was drumming in my ears. I'd made a bold move, so I'd pay a bold price.

"I'm your mate, Audrey," Dean said again, this time his voice slightly calmer. "I will never be one to cause you pain, and I will do everything in my power to make sure no one else does either."

I hesitated, wondering if I should even speak the words that came to mind in response. After a few moments of contemplation, I decided to continue speaking my mind. I'd been bold thus far, so why not continue?

"You've already caused me pain."

Dean's expression quickly became unreadable as conflicting emotions hit him one by one. Anger. Sadness. Confusion. Rage. Hurt. Disbelief. Frustration. Pain.

His eyes darkened even further and his body began to tremble as every muscle tensed. It was too much. His wolf was demanding to break free. To do what exactly, I wasn't sure, but I really didn't want to find out. Dean was already old fashioned and rough around the edges as a human, so I knew his wolf's expectations and emotions would be even more serious and primal.

Although I was shaken, I did the only thing I could think of that would calm him at this point. I reached out and grabbed his hand, and then pulled him as hard as I could so that I was able to rest his palm on my cheek and have my body only centimeters from his. Slowly, I looked up to gauge his reaction. This time, he looked astonished, which was understandable since I was putting out some mixed signals. He stared down at me with his mesmerizing eyes, and little by little, they softened.

Silence surrounded us. It was clear that neither of us knew what to say at this point. I wanted Dean more than anything in the world, but I was terrified of all the unknowns in our still-budding relationship. I knew he could feel my whirlwind of emotions through our mate bond, and they were likely overwhelming him when combined with his own. For once, I was thankful I hadn't marked Dean yet. I wasn't sure I could handle someone else's feelings on top of my own.

Somehow without even realizing it, I'd ended up with my face buried into Deans' solid abdomen, inhaling his natural, manly scent. His muscles felt more relaxed now, and his arms had found their way around me, holding me close. It was a bit crazy, knowing only a moment before, I'd been explaining how Dean's actions hurt and scared me, but now I wanted nothing more than to be in the comfort of his large, firm arms.

"I'll try."

His voice was barely audible, but I heard it. Two faint, simple words warmed my entire body.

"I can't promise to ever change who I am, or what I value, but I can promise to try and take your feelings into more serious consideration before I act, and I can promise to try my hardest to make you happy," he added, this time louder.

I felt my eyes begin to water again, but this time from happiness. Although I was still skeptical and unsure of the future Dean and I would have together, his reassurance made my heart soar. His words confirmed that he did care about me and wanted me to be happy with him as my mate.

My father had only a couple incidents of regret and remorse involving his abuse of me. Once was immediately after my mother's death – the first time he'd laid a hand on me. For days after he was apologetic, and I was hopeful that everything would be okay. The other time had lasted only a day, and was very faint in my memory. He'd always go right back to being hateful, eventually.