VULNERABILITY

Deadlines

"Mated?" Like dogs? 

A rumble sets in his throat. 

"Yes. We have not had sex. Fucked. Tumbled in the sheets. Whatever the fuck you want to call it. Poppy, you have strong genes. You are special. I sensed you were my mate so young because you have unique genes. Our pups are going to be . . . a force to be reckoned with once they are older. My parents tried to keep the situation quiet when I first realized you were my mate. Which is one of the reasons I waited so long to be with you. Now, everyone knows about you and they want you. Do you get it now, Poppy?"  

I pause and let the silence fill the cab. 

"So you are saying, people are after me to . . . mate me." 

I pray he says no and that this is all made up. However, he just confirms my fears. 

"Yes, Poppy." 

I sit there numbly and try to process this information. However, I still have one more questions. 

"Daniel is your half brother. How did you not know this?" I ask. 

"It was a dark secret of my father's. He hid it from mother for years. My mother still doesn't know about him. My father whispered his sin to me before I took over his position. I felt a small connection to Daniel but did not think much of it until I found some folders in my father's office." 

He turns into the driveway sharply amid his speech. I listen blankly as he explains everything. My chest aches as everything processes. Basically, wolves are out to get me to . . . mate me. It makes me shiver. It makes me scared. It makes me what to go back to being ignorant. 

"Poppy," he changes his tone to one much softer and full of certainty, " no one is going to hurt you. I will kill anybody that lays a hand on you. Okay?" 

I find myself lost in his eyes and his words. I feel it through our bond that he is serious. He is sincere. 

"Okay," is all I can whisper and follow him into the house. He keeps his arm around me for himself but for me also. The support is nice. Even though he screamed at me, I know it wasn't aimed at me directly. 

When we enter the quiet house, I watch as he locks the door. It's almost pathetic locking the door. Any wolf can blow through the door in a matter of seconds. 

He catches me staring. 

"I will protect you," he promises once again. 

Despite him yelling and scolding me today, he also saved me. I believe him with all my heart. I can still feel the ache in my chest as I thought Daniel killed him. I can feel the relief in my chest as I heard him call my name. He provokes so many emotions in me but the biggest one is feeling safe. 

"I know," I reply softly. 

It's then I realize that my shirt is covered in blood and that he is shirtless. All of this is so fucked up and draining. Mentally and physically I am drained. 

"You can shower first," he offers. I want to deny the offer but I can tell that he won't budge. So gratefully, I make my way up the stairs and into the bathroom. 

As I strip, I catch myself in the mirror. I look tired and sick. I feel it too. It's not every day you are told you carry a strong gene and everyone wants to kidnap you and ... rape you. I scold the tears that fight to leave my eyes. 

I keep my eyes up as I step into the shower. I know the bottom of the shower will be a deep red. The blood of my ex-boyfriend. A man I was ready to marry. A man who tried to kidnap me. 

It was all an act. Running into him in NYC was not a coincidence. Everything was set up. He didn't love me.

I try to keep my cries quiet but a sharp sob escapes my mouth. All this time I was kept in the dark. There was never a chance for me to have a normal life with a normal man. Numbly, I go through the motions of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and shaving. 

When I'm done, I enter my room and immediately collapse onto my bed. I close my eyes but my brain does not shut off. Thoughts and memories flood my brain causing me to wince and cry out. Weston's shower ended an hour ago, I heard him turn off the shower and his door close. He must know I am awake. 

I turned on my side and tried once again to be whisked away into the dark oblivion of sleep. However, sleep did not come. So I shoved the covers away and quietly tip-toed to the kitchen. Against my better judgment, I made coffee. I craved the caffeine and the comfort it brought me. I carried the blue mug with me into the living room. I hunted for the remote and finally flicked the tv on. I searched through the channels but didn't find much interesting. I changed the cable to Netflix and settled on Incredibles 2. 

I was halfway through when I heard the stairs creak. A part of me jumped and wondered if it was Daniel coming to kidnap me and reverse the mark. Weston's large body met my vision. My shoulders relaxed a little bit in relief.  

"A little late for coffee," he offers with a soft smile. 

I simply nod and take another sip of the blissful liquid. 

"I can't sleep," I explain. 

"I know. I could hear you tossing and turning." 

I'm thankful he didn't say he could hear me crying as well. I know he did.

"I'm scared." 

He takes a seat next to me, leaving a space between us. 

"I know you are. You have every right to be," he says softly and focuses on the TV screen. 

After that, it feels like we don't speak for hours. For a while, we sit together at two o'clock in the morning and watch Incredibles. On the outside, us sitting and watching TV has the normalcy that I crave. However, I know that nothing about us is normal. 

"What are we going to do about, Daniel?" I whisper and grip my mug tighter. 

I hear him softly growl.

"There is no we, Poppy. I am going to take care of him. He will pay for grabbing you so harshly and speaking about you in such an obscene way. After we find him, you will never have to worry about him ever again." 

I know that he means he is going to kill him. It makes me shiver. I know that if I tell him not to kill him, he will lose it and accuse me of defending him. For now, I let it go and nod. 

I expect him to be silent and return upstairs but he doesn't. He turns to me once more. 

"Everything I do, I do for you. I know it doesn't seem like it sometimes, but I love you, Poppy. I have loved you since I was ten. I watched you grow up and become an amazing person. It was torture not getting to hold you or kiss you. It made me crazy. I know I am not the easiest person to deal with, but I care about you. I am sorry." 

I feel my heart swell at his proclamation. I open my mouth to respond but nothing comes out. An apology was so unexpected. A proclamation of love was even more unexpected. Through our link, I felt nothing but the truth. 

"I don't expect you to answer now. I just want forgiveness." He almost looks .... vulnerable.  

I slowly set my mug down and give him my full attention. 

"I forgive you. But no more secrets or forcing me to do anything." 

"I promise." 

I nod and hold my breath as he leans in. I close my eyes and wait for his lips to press against mine. 

I almost die of embarrassment as he kisses me on the cheek. 

"Goodnight, Flower. Get to bed soon." 

Then he ascends the stairs and closes his door with a soft click. 

"Fuck, Poppy," I mumbled to myself and take another sip of my coffee. 

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Another update. Much love ya'll