Nickolas
I open the door to my room to see Lexi still asleep on the couch. She looks perfectly comfortable, but there is no way in hell my mate is sleeping on a couch. I gently slip my arms around her back and legs to carry her to my bed, minding her broken leg. She immediately snuggles into the warmth of the blankets. I watch her sleep in peace for a few moments debating whether or not if I should join her on my bed. And I do.
Lexi
My life sucks.
These past three days have been painfully boring. My life is literally just eating food, sleeping and watching TV. That's fun for the first day, but after that?
I'm not even allowed to step foot outside this room; Nickolas has guards by the doors at all times to make sure I don't.
I had to remind Nickolas that I'm still in school and close to failing because I couldn't show up. He arranged for my teacher to bring in my textbooks and e-mail homework assignments on a daily basis. I thought that Nickolas would just get bored and leave me alone, but he never does. Then I try mentioning that he has to keep up his duties as Alpha, and he has a larger desk brought in along with his computer and printer.
I quickly run out of things to complain about, and he never lets me out of his sight. My escape plan is a failure.
Nights however, are completely different. When I'm ready for bed, I change into some shorts and a tank top and then climb right into the middle of the bed.
Nickolas just sits on the couch and watches me; we would stare at each other for hours. I try to stay awake as long as I can, but I always fall asleep at some point.
The next morning I would wake up and find Nickolas fast asleep next to me; he always snuck into the bed once I fell asleep. I then give him a hard kick with my good leg before he gets out of the bed and takes a shower.
Nickolas
I am getting nowhere with my mate. I have her with me her in my house and manage to sleep with her before getting shoved off in the morning, but she keeps refusing to accept me.
Making my decision, I hesitantly leave Lexi alone one morning. I know the late-night watching me has to be wearing her out, so she'll probably stay asleep for a while anyway.
I instruct the guards outside my room and home to call me if Lexi wakes up and leave the house. My parents have their own house now that they've retired and I make my way there.
I knock twice on my parents door before my mom opens it. My mother was a great Alpha Female and she's continuing her duties because my mate isn't cooperating just yet. The duties of an Alpha Female include making sure the house are well kept, the school has supplies, bills are paid and my pack maintains a cover image from the human world.
"Any luck with her?" is the first thing she asks me. I greet her before answering and she invites me into her house.
"I can sleep with her for a few hours before she shoves me off my bed." I sigh.
"She's young. Try to understand her."
"I get that she's young! I haven't touched her! She just hates me!"
"Do you know why she hates you? I know she used to date another boy, but that should just make her sad; there's no reason for her to hate you.....What did you say to her?" Her voice rose an octave.
"Nothing!" I protest. Nothing ever gets past my mother.
"Nickolas. You said something to her that changed her opinion of you. What was it?"
"The first night, she told me how she still loved Aaron and wanted to have his pups. We were arguing and I just got mad."
"What did you say?" She demands.
"I said she was mine...and that every night she would, you know, have sex with me....and uh, carry my pups." I admit; this was the single most embarrassing thing I have ever told my mother. Or anyone for that matter.
"You're an idiot, Son." My mom breaths out.
"What?"
"You're an idiot." She repeats. "You found your mate, and instead of being kind and gentle, you pretty much said you'd rape and knock up a 15-year-old child; she's still a pup herself and you expect her to carry yours already?" She speaks without hesitation.
"I just said the truth. Okay, the pups were out of line, but she will give me some soon. She's mine and I expect her to realize that!" I argue.
"Oh god. She is 15 years old! You know wolves first shift when we're 13, so her wolf is barely 2 years old! Do you not realize that you're 6 years older than her, that your wolf is 4 times as old as hers? Her wolf isn't sexually mature, not for at least 2 more years!"
"Yeah..." I trail off.
"What did they teach you at that academy? She and Aaron were friends for years before they fell in love. You've known her for what, 5 days? Your wolf is mature, meaning the attraction you feel for her is no where near what she feels for you. Get it through your skull that her wolf's mate bond is no where as strong as yours yet."
"The academy and you and Dad all told me that my mate would love me as soon as I met her."
"That's true when your mate is 18 or older."
"That's something I was never told. But I realize that I have to make her fall in love with me and not just sit back and let the mate bond do the work." I have to let her love me, by doing anything I can.
"I have to make her fall in love with me, not just let the mate bond do the work." I could do this stuff, if it meant she'd like me.
I suddenly realize that there's no way Lexi is ready to mature. She had no idea that she would ever have the responsibility of a Beta, let alone the Alpha Female of one of the biggest packs in the world.
She thought she had years left of freedom.
Being my mate won't allow that.
Lexi
I wake up this morning, ready to shove Nickolas off, but the space next to me is empty. I smile in triumph and snuggle into the blankets. He must've finally gotten the message.
And I jinxed myself, because then Nickolas unlocks the door and walks in. I whine and cover my face.
"C'mon Lexi, check this out." He calls me. I groan and sit up in bed. I stare at the stuff he has in his hands. He slowly lines them up on the table in front of the couch; glow in the dark stickers for the ceiling, a 3D castle, a Bop It and a large gift bag.
He pushes the spinning chair to me and I join him by the table as he opens the puzzle.
"Where do want these stickers?" I point directly over the bed.
"Make a little and big dipper, so I can see them every night." He chuckles and starts assembling them on the ceiling while I work on the puzzle. I continue coaching him while eating the freshly arrived pancakes.
He finishes and then puts in some movies as I continue to work on the puzzle. Don't judge me, I absolutely love puzzles; and I knew I wasn't stopping until I finished it.
A few hours later, Nickolas and I take a picture of our finished castle.
He places it carefully on a nightstand and I can't stop smiling. I wish I could shrink myself and live in it.
Nickolas grabs a pair of scissors from his desk and cuts the wires that package the Bop It.
"I assume you know how to play."
"Of course." I scoff at him.
I twist it and start a solo round; I get up to 60 before I miss a beat and pass it to Nickolas. He sucks at it; I believe his high score was 4. After his 8th miss, he throws the device from the couch to the bed in frustration. My laughing at him is probably not helpful.
"That was bad." I giggle.
"I've ended long pack feuds that were easier then that."
"I'm going to sleep." The Bop It turns itself off.
"Good! And you can stay asleep you stupid piece of plastic!" Nickolas snaps at the poor toy. My ribs are starting to hurt from all the laughing.
I remember the last time I laughed like this; I was with Aaron. I had just managed to hit my brother in the windpipe with a paintball gun, and his screaming in pain gave him away as more people heard and attacked him.
"One more surprise." Nickolas pulls me away from my day dreaming. He opens the closest and pulls out the gift bag. Inside are stuffed animals; primarily of white wolves.
"I remembered seeing some stuffed animals around your room, so I went back and got them for you. Hopefully it will make it feel like home." I examine my old stuffed animals before looking at Nickolas. He's biting his lip in fear of how I'd react.
"These are the earliest toys I've had; they're as old as me. Thank you." I give him a smile which he returns. This is actually a really sweet thing, to have him even notice an old pile of stuffed animals and go back for them.
Nickolas stands up and starts assembling the toys on top of a dresser.
"Thanks, for the gifts." I nod towards them.
"Can I ask for a gift in return?"
"I'm not kissing you." I reply immediately.
"No, no, it's not that. It's just...my back is really hurting from being kicked out of bed and stuff, so do you think I can sleep in my bed tonight and not get kicked out tomorrow?"
I glare at him for a few seconds.
"I'm not going to touch you. I promise." He holds out his pinky. I hesitate for several minutes.
I take his pinky into my own but refuse to look at him. I can tell he's smiling though.
I pull out some clothes from my suitcases, I have yet to unpack anything, and roll the chair into the bathroom. It's been 3 three days since my last shower and despite never sweating or really moving, I'm starting to stink.
Nickolas carefully watches me as I wrap my cast in plastic.
"What are you doing?"
"Getting ready to take a shower."
"You can't, what if you fall?"
"I'll take a bath."
"Lexi, you could get hurt."
"It's just a shower."
"I'm gonna help you."
"No way! I'll be fine."
"Lexi-"
"You can wait right outside the door. I'll call you in if anything happens."
"You keep the door unlocked."
"And I rip your eyes out if you peek."
"Alright." We compromise.
I shut the door, resist to lock it, and turn the water on. Leaving the towel and clothes on the floor, I climb into the warm tub. Nickolas calls out frequently, asking if I'm alright. I wash out my hair and scrub my skin quickly. I take minutes to rinse and towel myself off.
I sit in the edge of the bathtub and pull my shirt and shorts on. Then I peel off the plastic and toss it in the trash.
I move on top of the rolling chair and tell Nickolas to open the door. I roll over to the bed and climb on.
Nickolas's eyes are on me as I snuggle under the covers and sigh in content. He bites his lip, watching me.
"Just get in already." I yawn. He doesn't hesitate to climb under the sheets next to me. I sigh from the heat radiating off his body. I'm almost asleep, my eyes barely open, when I feel Nickolas stealthily wrap his arm around my waist.
My first instinct is to slap it away and kick him off the bed for touching me and braking his promise, but I don't.
His arm feels nice on my waist.