Dylan's POV:
I sighed as I pushed the door to my bedroom open, revealing a sleeping Clara who had not moved position since I had last checked on her.
I had been very busy the past couple of days, going over everything with Beta Charles about signing over the pack, however, Clara was still my priority, and I made sure all of my free time was spent with her, even if she was asleep for most of it.
Gazing down at her sleeping form, I brushed her hair out of her face, dragging my bottom lip into my mouth.
I had almost lost her.
I had no words to describe the pain of seeing my mate bleeding to death on the forest floor, not knowing whether she was going to make it or not.
My wolf completely took over, and I had ripped Alpha Paul's body to shreds until there was nothing left of him.
"Clara, sweetheart, it's three in the afternoon. I think you should have something to eat," I whispered gently, watching her stir in her sleep.
She had become a shell of a broken woman over the past few days after finding out about the loss of our child, barely eating, drinking or talking.
Opening her eyes, my mate shook her head, burying her face into the pillow, causing me to sigh.
"You haven't washed in a few days. Let me get you cleaned up," I said as I lifted her up bridal style, making my way to the on suite bathroom, setting her down gently on the counter.
As I ran the bath, making sure it wasn't too hot, I turned to Clara, noticing how her glassy eyes were focussed on the floor, avoiding eye contact with me. Hooking my finger under chin, I forced her to look at me, frowning down at her.
"I love you so much," I whispered, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead, which caused her to sigh blissfully.
"I love you," she said so quietly I barely heard it, her voice hoarse from dehydration.
Passing her a glass of water, watching her guzzle it down in a matter of seconds, I pulled her hair out of her messy bun, letting the tangled mess cascade down her back.
"We can try again, Clara," I said, gulping, "if you want to."
When the doctors had told me she had been pregnant, and there was no heartbeat, I felt like my heart had been ripped from my chest, leaving me hollow.
I didn't want Clara to find out the way she did, but I wanted her to be fully healed before knowing, worrying that her already fragile body wouldn't be able to handle the news.
I helped my mate into the tub, crouching down beside her as I began to scrub her body, lathering her soap before turning my attention to her hair, massaging shampoo into it, causing Clara to hum in pleasure.
"How is the pack stuff going?" she asked, taking me off guard.
"The pack is pretty much all signed over. There are a few more minor details to sort out, but everything is going smoothly." I answered, clearing my throat. "When you're feeling better, I want to announce to my pack that you're taking your role as Luna, if you're okay with that."
My mate nodded, closing her eyes tightly as I rinsed her hair and body, ensuring she was soap free. "I want a fresh start, Dylan."
Furrowing my brows, I looked down at Clara as I helped her out of the tub, wrapping her in a blue fluffy towel. "What do you mean?"
"I want to move to your territory. I don't want to be here anymore. It remind me of...him."
I growled as I noticed Clara's watery eyes, my wolf instantly becoming agitated at the sight of his mate looking so vulnerable.
Cupping her cheeks, I crouched down to her level. "Anything you want Clara, it's yours. If you don't want to stay here, then so be it. Just say the word and I'll make whatever you want happen."
"Thank you," she said, resting her forehead against mine, the tingles from her touch calming me, keeping my wolf at bay.
"I will never let anything like that happen to you again. Ever," I promised, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her damp body to my chest, not caring that her hair was now soaking through my T-shirt.
"How is Matthew?"
I shrugged, shaking my head slightly. "Confused. Some things he remembers and other things he just comes up blank. The doctors are unsure whether his memories will come back over time or not, but we can only wait and see."
Clara nodded, settling herself down on the end of the bed, sighing.
"Come on, let's get your dressed. Someone is downstairs waiting for you."
After I had brushed through Clara's hair, and she had dressed herself in a pair of black leggings and one of my oversized hoodies, she took my hand, padding down the stairs slowly, her face lighting up as she turned the corner.
"Dean," she whispered, smiling.
"Hello princess," he chuckled, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in for a hug, causing me to stiffen at her side slightly, but I controlled my breathing, reminding myself of how my cousin has saved Clara's life.
"I was worried you were going to leave," my mate said, perching herself down on the sofa.
"Not this time. I think I'm here for good," spoke Dean, gazing at me with a raised brow, a smirk playing at his lips.
"You're staying?" asked my mate, looking over at me.
"Yeah, he's staying," I replied, rolling my eyes, laughing. "I'm going to make you some food Clara."
Dean and Clara watched as I made my way over to the refrigerator, pulling out some ingredients for a pasta dish, getting to work chopping the tomatoes.
"I haven't had a chance to thank you," said Clara, sighing heavily.
"Well, you've been asleep for three days straight," he replied, causing me to pause.
"Dean," I warned him, my voice low.
"Yeah, so, anyway, what about the pack, huh? You're finally going to become a Luna."
"Yeah, I'm nervous," replied Clara, making her way over to the stool in front of me at the counter which caused me to smirk to myself, knowing full well she had moved because she wanted to be closer to me.
"You don't have to worry. Big Alpha boy will sort everything out with the pack," announced my cousin, patting me on the back, rolling his eyes as I scowled at him.
"I want to be involved. I don't want to just sit around," replied Clara, chewing on her thumb nail.
"You can be involved with as much or as little as you want, baby."
"Well, you guys are kind of going to make me puke with these pet names, so I'm going to set off on a run, but Clara, in all seriousness, I'm very relieved you're okay," said Dean, sighing, running his hands through his dark messy hair, flashing us a quick smile before making his way out of the door.
"Sorry, he doesn't ever stick around for long. He's not good with emotional stuff," I said, which caused my mate to smile sadly.
"It's okay. I just wanted to thank him."
"I'll make a quick call to Beta Charles to let him know we want your pack to make the move over to mine, unless you've changed your mind?"
Clara shook her head, scowling at the floor. "No, I don't want to be back at that pack. I want to be here, but does everyone have to come? I feel bad for forcing people to move out of their homes."
"I'm afraid it's either we all move to your pack or mine; I can't have the pack dispersed, it's not safe. They'll need an Alpha on stand by and I can't be in two places at one time."
"I can't help but feel like I'm not going to be much help. I don't know anything about this kind of stuff," sighed my mate.
I threw the pasta into the pan, turning around and making my way over to her, chuckling. "You need to stop doubting yourself. You'll be perfect, and whatever you don't know, I'll teach you."
Clara hummed, leaning forward to capture my lips with hers, her tongue exploring my mouth, which caused me to growl lowly in my chest.
Wrapping her arms around my neck, she pulled me closer to her, our chests touching, allowing me to feel the vibrations of her laboured breathing, the kiss deepening and quickly becoming passionate.
Pulling away, I shook my head, gazing at my beautiful mate. "We can't. You're still recovering."
"I want to try again, Dylan."
I swallowed harshly, closing my eyes for a few seconds, pushing my wolf back down within me, before opening them again slowly to see Clara looking at me with glassy eyes.
"Clara, I-"
"If you don't want to, I understand. I know the baby wasn't exactly planned and what you said upstairs was probably just to make me feel better. I know you might not be ready, but I just thought-
"Stop," I ordered, caressing my mate's cheek with the pad of my thumb. "I want nothing more than to have children with you, Clara, but I am not putting you in danger again. Your body is still recovering and I'm not risking anything, but when you're healed, we can try again. We can try as many times as you like."
Suddenly, Clara crashed her lips to mine, kissing me passionately, moaning into my mouth.
I could feel my member straining against my jeans, and as if reading my mind, Clara began to unbutton them, causing me to grab her wrists, stopping her.
"We don't have to have sex if you're afraid of hurting me, but, can I please touch you?"
"Are you sure?" I asked questionably, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes."
Pulling off my jeans, I carried Clara over to the sofa, sighing as she settled down on top of me, straddling my hips, pulling my member out of my boxers.
"You're killing me, you know that?" I chuckled, moaning loudly as she began stroking me up and down, her soft fingers caressing me gently, driving me wild.
I planted soft kisses down her neck, sucking on her soft spot which caused her to grind her hips against me, a moan escaping her lips.
Feeling greedy as her hands worked me up and down, I reached my hand down into her leggings, pausing to check if she was okay, but she only scowled at me for stopping, waving away my hesitation.
I chuckled to myself as I traced her underwear, feeling how wet she already was for me.
"Please, Dylan," begged my mate as she rubbed me faster.
I immediately entered her with two of my fingers, stroking the inside of her gently, which caused her back to arch as she tilted her head back in pleasure.
"Tell me how much you like it," I growled, my member stiffening in her hand.
"I love it, please go faster."
After hearing her laboured request, I began to move my fingers in and out of her quicker, allowing my thumb to circle her clit.
"Yes, keep going just like that, baby," I said as I rested my head against the back of the sofa, feeling my orgasm surface, feeling myself release in my mate's hand.
"I'm going to come, Dylan," moaned Clara as I moved faster, my other hand resting at the small of her back, ensuring she wasn't going to fall off my lap.
"Come for me then, sweetheart," I replied, watching as she became undone on top of me, a loud moan escaping her lips as she rode out her orgasm, eventually collapsing on top of me, breathing heavily into my neck.
"Looks like someone needs another bath," I said huskily as I wrapped my arms around my sweat covered mate, planting a quick kiss on the top of her head.
"Bathe with me?" she asked, gazing up at me through unfocused eyes, fatigue clearly overwhelming her, causing me to worry if we had overdone it.
"Sure, and then you need-"
Suddenly, I was cut off by the loud blaring sound of the smoke detector, causing Clara to gasp in surprise.
"Shit, the pasta!"
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What do you guys think will happen with Matthew?
Do you think Clara and Dylan will try again for another child?
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Have a wonderful day everyone!