Josephine's Secret

30. Notes

'Do you think mate is gonna leave for work today?' my wolf questions even though we both already know the answer.

It's selfish to want to spend the day alone with Archer, especially considering all the shit we need to deal with, but we can't help it. 'He'll make time some other day.' I tell my wolf, knowing that Archer and I will make time for each other when we can.

With a sigh, I finish the rest of my bathroom business and pull my hair into a loose braid before entering the bedroom again, finding Archer still sleeping on the bed. I head over to the window and look outside, but don't dare to get too close incase a certain someone decides to pull another trick.

I like having my hair up. Having it down just irritates me. A lot. Yet, I always wear it down because I feel exposed when it's pulled back.

Ugly.

When my hair is pulled back, my face is no longer hidden from anyone. It's relaxing to be able to do something with it when I'm alone, but I haven't worn my hair in any other style in public for at least five years. During pack-training I'll have my hair in a ponytail sometimes, but that's only because it's mandatory.

Ugly.

Ugly.

Ugly.

I shake my head, wanting to clear those thoughts before the bad memories start coming back to me.

The sun is barely even up yet, but my body is trained to wake up early. Archer isn't a fan of how little I sleep. A lot of the time, he's getting at least two more hours of sleep than I am, which probably means that I shouldn't be depriving myself of rest, but it's hard. I feel like if I slept in later, then I would be wasting my alone-time; the little time I get when Archer's sleeping and when I don't have any guards around me.

I wince when another wave of pain hits me, most of it coming directly from my neck. Slowly getting back onto the bed, I lay down next to Archer, trying my best to not disturb him in his sleep. The pain gets better when our skin makes contact again, but there's still a dull ache where the mark is placed.

Even though I know that I should be leaving him alone and that risking him waking up before he actually has to isn't a great idea, I still prop myself up on my elbows and lean over to try seeing if his mark has appeared yet. I'm able to see part of his mark, but I can tell that it's still developing on his skin by how light it is. "Oof." I huff when his arm circles around my waist, pulling me down towards him.

He wraps one leg around my body, trapping me in his embrace. I push away from him chest, surprised at how easy it was to do so. With our legs tangled comfortably on the bed, I lay my head down on his chest, tracing random patterns on his skin. My body wants to fall back asleep, but I force myself to stay awake so I won't miss saying bye to Archer when he leaves for work.

I try being a sweet mate and lay in his arms until he wakes up, but I get bored and end up back near the window, finding that waiting for the sun to rise is more interesting than waiting for Archer to wake up. It's almost six, so his alarm should be going off soon, then he'll probably be out the house no later than 6:45.

'I want a hug from mate before he leaves again.' my wolf says out of nowhere. 'One where he's awake.'

I literally jump two feet in the air when arms wrap around me, my heart beating fast when I realize that I have to discuss marking with Archer. "Hi." I murmur, wanting to his myself with a rock for not being able to come up with something better to say.

"Don't hit yourself with a rock." Archer says, hugging me from behind.

My eyes widen as I remember that we're able to read each other's thoughts now, my first reaction being to automatically put up my wall. "Are you serious right now?" he narrows his eyes at me, turning me around to face him.