Capítulo 9: Chapter 9: The Alpha's Mate

Tobin returns with Sparrow in tow. She eyeballs Selene and settles into a chair on the other side of the room. In spite of the distance between them, Selene can feel the she-wolf’s stare burning through her. No matter, she has a bigger problem right now. Tobin sets down a bucket of water beside her and starts frantically flipping through pages in his book.

“It’s in here, I found it last night,” he stammers.

“Give it here,” Selene says while practically pulling it from his grasp.

Tobin isn’t amused, but he watches as Selene passes her hand over the cover. The book suddenly flips open directly to the spell they need. The words on its pages glow as she reads how to perform the spell. They need healing herbs, and Selene is grateful she cleared out the premixed potion cabinet into her bag.

She hovers her hand over the open satchel and the vial she needs snaps up into her grasp. She empties it into the water before adding the stones. The bucket omits a blue light as it bubbles next to her. Each stone has a rune carved into it and Selene needs to be certain to grab and place the correct ones in the right order around the wound.

The task feels like it takes forever, as most things do when time is of the essence. Selene finally settles back and takes a breath. “All we can do is wait and see if this is going to work,” she says.

Tobin nods and lowers himself onto the bench next to the hearth. Sparrow sighs from the other side of the room, but she stays silent. The only noise to speak of is the crackle of the fire and the shallow breathing of the Alpha.

“It’s working,” Tobin says while gesturing to the wound.

It is indeed. The gash is starting to shrink and the swelling has already gone down.

“Thank the Goddess,” Selene whispers under her breath.

All eyes are on Onyx as the wound slowly closes. The stones that were glowing a bright blue return to their matte black color as the healing comes to an end. Selene removes them and places them back into their velvet bag before dropping them back into the satchel. Now you just need to wake up, she urges silently.

In spite of the wound closing, Onyx’s breathing is still shallow and slow. Selene drops to her knees beside the Alpha as a sharp pain shoots through her body. She screams, startled by the sudden onset of pain. Looking over, she notices that Onyx has stopped breathing.

“What’s going on?” Sparrow yells while jumping up and hurrying across the room. “What’s wrong with Onyx?”

Tobin puts out his arm to hold Sparrow back. “The Alpha has stopped breathing.”

Selene is writhing with pain, both physical and mental, but she won’t let this happen. Onyx isn’t allowed to die. She bends down to his muzzle and holds it shut while forcing deep breaths in through his nose to his lungs. His chest rises and drops. Again, she thinks.

“What are you doing to him?” Sparrow snaps from somewhere behind her.

Tobin’s voice booms in response. “She’s trying to save him, Sparrow. Selene is replacing his breaths with her own. I have seen this before, now stop your useless fussing!”

Selene forces two more breaths into his lungs before her vision starts to fail. The pain she feels is almost unbearable. It’s as if her life is ending. Relief washes over her, and the pain subsides, as Onyx finally takes a breath on his own. His eyes flutter open and he licks her face before closing them again.

Selene feels the padded rug against her head as she curls up next to Onyx. The last thing she remembers before drifting off is Tobin forcing Sparrow out of the bed chamber and closing the door behind them.

***

Selene’s eyes fly open and she sits up. Her confusion lasts only a moment as she remembers where she is. Looking around the room, she realizes someone must have moved her from the floor to the bed as she slept. How much time has passed, she wonders while rubbing her eyes. She’s still exhausted, but her stomach aches and demands food.

Onyx is nowhere to be found and she hopes that means he has regained his ability to move. Every part of her aches as if she spent the day working muscles she hadn’t known she had. Selene swings her legs off the bed and sits up on the edge. Her feet hang just above the floor as she tries to convince herself to get up. The chamber door opens slowly and the scent of food causes her stomach to rumble.

“Someone’s hungry,” a man says.

Selene hears the chamber door close and she’s overwhelmed by the comforting smell of rain. She feels a rush of adrenalin as she prepares to see him for the first time. “Onyx?” she asks in a hushed voice. Her head is dizzy as she tries to stand up. She decides to stay sitting, not sure she can will her legs to work right now.

“The one and only, back from the dead, thanks to you,” he replies while setting a large tray filled with food on the low table by the hearth. “Can you stand, Selene, or shall we take our dinner in bed?”

She manages to muster up the strength to walk across the room before plopping onto a stool by the table. Selene looks up at him for the first time, awestruck by his beauty. She can’t help but stare as he lowers his slim muscular figure down to the stool across from her. The fire catches the golden flecks in his hazel eyes as he returns her gaze. Onyx smiles, revealing deep dimples on both cheeks.

Selene’s stomach flutters in response and blood rushes to her cheeks. He is beautiful, she thinks to herself. Even though this is her first time really seeing him, Selene feels like she’s known him her whole life. It’s like seeing a long lost friend for the first time in years but feeling like they can just pick up where they left off.

He begins placing food on their plates as she watches him. His hair is tied back, but Selene figures it probably comes down to his shoulders when it’s not contained. The front of his shirt is open, revealing a black tattoo underneath. 'I wonder what he looks like without his shirt,' she thinks to herself.

Onyx fires her another smile as he pours their drinks.

“Did you sleep well?” he asks before taking a bite of food.

Selene’s stomach lets out another growl. “If you call blacking out sleeping, then yes,” she replies while shoveling some food into her mouth. It melts against her tongue and she lets out a satisfying moan.

“I’m glad the food pleases you,” Onyx chuckles. “I wasn’t sure what you like to eat, so I grabbed a little bit of everything.”

The two finish their meal in silence. Onyx watches Selene with amusement as she devours everything he puts in front of her. She finally sits back and lets out a sigh.

“I can’t eat another bite,” she says while placing her hand on her stomach.

“You definitely have a wolf’s appetite,” he replies.

She shoots him a look, feeling very self-aware of how much she just ate.

“That wasn’t meant as an insult,” he quickly corrects.

Onyx stands up and offers his hand to Selene. She accepts and he leads her over to the couch on the other side of the fire. She tries to ignore the desire growing somewhere deep inside her, brought on by his gentle touch. She wonders if it’s just her or if Onyx feels it too.

“We have much to discuss,” the Alpha says as they both sit down. “But first.”

Selene locks eyes with him as he lowers his mouth down to hers. She hungrily accepts his kiss, welcoming waves of desire as Onyx slides his hand through her hair. His fingers rest at the nape of her neck, teasing her with each subtle movement. Selene parts her lips as the passion between them grows. Selene finally manages to pull herself away. She looks down at her lap while trying to catch her breath.

Onyx slowly pushes the hair out of her face and gently lifts her chin to lock eyes with him again. “I had to make sure,” he purrs. “Now there isn’t a doubt in my mind.”

“Of what?” Selene replies after her breathing returns to normal.

“That you’re the one,” Onyx says. “You’re the mate I’ve been waiting for.”

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