ALPHA: Heir Of The Four

Chapter Twenty-Nine

     She placed her arms on top of mine. "That wolves and mysterious, gorgeous boys will both tear me to shreds."

     I chuckled because I had not heard that in a while. "What else?"

     "That you're too beautiful for your own good. Like, seriously, do you know the burden that girlfriends have to carry when they're dating someone so good looking? Girls be crazy out in these streets, Caleb."

     "Let them be crazy. I'm yours and yours only. What else?"

     "Mmm. . .That I don't know what your favourite colour is."

     "Brown. What else?"

     "Brown? Well, that's very random. I mean, what kind of brown are we talking exactly? Dark brown? Light brown? Burgundy-ish brown or like a nude-y kind of brown? I need specifics!"

    "I'll tell you tomorrow while the sun is out."

     "The sun? What does the sun have to do with the colour brown?"

     I could have told Ava-Rain that I needed the daylight to look into her eyes and perfectly describe to her in detail the exact shade of brown that they were but that probably would have lost me too many brownie points. So, instead, I pressed my lips against her neck and continued on with the interrogation.

     "What else?"

     Unlike the three previous quick responses, the fourth came after nearly half a minute of pondering.

     "Sometimes I think. . .I wish. . .that I could heal your pain."

     "My pain? It's that obvious, huh?"

     "When I watch you, I don't look at you like you're broken or need to be fixed because there's nothing wrong or imperfect about you. I look at you and I think, 'Wow, he's  beautiful and precious. How does someone like him, who is all of those things, get stuck with someone like me, who is his complete opposite in every way?'.

     "I can't outrun you. I can't physically match you. I can't. . .I can't do for you what a wolf can do for you. I can't fully understand the decisions you make or the ones that you don't. I can't protect you. I can't heal your scars. When I look at you, sometimes. . .sometimes I just can't help but stare and think that you deserve more. More than the hand you were dealt. More than a life hidden in darkness. More than. . .more than a human mate who will never be able to heal your pain."

     "You loving me heals me, Ava-Rain. Touching me, kissing me, talking to me, being with me heals me. Every breath you breathe, every smile you give, every beat of your heart heals me."

     My father helped me come to that literal realization while Ava-Rain had been unconscious. A wound that should have healed within hours had not been able to do so while my mate's life was in jeopardy.

     'Love can be the deadliest of poisons yet the strongest of cures.'

     "While you were unconscious, I couldn't physically heal from a few broken ribs I obtained during the fight with the pure bloods. I hadn't even noticed until my father pointed it out." Lifting my hand to her face, I turned it enough so that we could look directly at each other. "You may not be as fast as me or as strong as me, but you sure as hell are the fuel to my fire, Ava-Rain. Don't you ever say that you can't heal me."

     She smiled softly, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Really? You don't. . .sometimes. . .think that maybe it would be easier if you had a wolf as a mate? To have a relationship like your parents?"