Chapter 13

Aaron POV

We stayed in the bathroom for over an hour as I just held her to me. The image of her blood running down her arm kept flashing in my mind. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to let it go.

We are now sitting together on the couch in the living room where she fell asleep about twenty minutes ago. My angel is curled up against my chest as I breathe in her scent.

I hear the sound of my mother’s footsteps moving down the hall before she even reaches the room.

“She’s asleep,” I tell her as she walks in and sits on the edge of the coffee table.

“How is she?” my mom asks me, quickly checking over my mate’s arm for any issues.

“Alright, I think,” I tell her honestly, “If I’m being honest, I think seeing her like that is affecting me more than her.”

“It’s never easy to see your mate hurt,” she says softly.

“But she wasn’t just hurt,” I try to keep my voice level, but I know she can tell that I’m barely hanging on by a thread, “She hurt herself... and I failed to stop her from doing it.”

“It’s not your fault,” she sighs gently with a sad look in her eyes, “You don’t know what your mate went through when she was in that lab, but you know it’s left a toll on her mind. She probably thought that getting the device out the way she did was the only way. She heard your conversation about the hunters getting close to the border. I believe she hurt herself to get that tracking device because she was trying to protect you.”

“It’s not her job to protect me,” I say, “I’m supposed to protect her. I promised her.”

“It is her job,” she shoots back, “Do you think I stood back while your father fought against the council when I became Luna?”

I shake my head no with a small smile breaking on my lips.

“Mates protect each other. It’s not one-sided. She may not understand the bond you share now, but she wants to keep you safe, just like you want to protect her,” she says to me, “She is going to be a strong Luna and mate. But right now, your mate is struggling with her past. She’s trying to heal and you are helping her do that, but you have to be patient with her.”

“By how can I help her when we can’t talk?” I ask, “She didn’t even try to tell me about the device. She just cut it out.”

“We can be impulsive with our mates, especially when it comes to their safety. I know you want to protect her, so start with talking to her. Tell her how today scared you. Learn her cues and try to find a way to communicate with one another,” she gives me one last smile before she stands up to leave the room, “The strongest mate bonds aren’t formed in a moment. They take time to grow.”

“How much time?”

She turns back to me and glances down at my beautiful angel asleep in my arms, “As long as it takes.”

*****

My girl wakes about an hour later. She leans up slowly and her lips curve into a smile.

“Hey, angel,” I breathe out as I smile back, “Are you feeling better?”

She nods her head yes before down casting her eyes away from me. I move my hand and tip her chin up with my index finger. When her eyes meet mine, I see an apology swimming in her dark brown orbs.

I think about what my mom said about finding a way to communicate better.

“We need to talk about what happened, angel,” I start.

She sits up on the couch. I keep my hands around her waist to make sure she can’t move too far away.

“I understand you not being able to tell me exactly what was happening and I’m trying to accept you hurting yourself to get the tracking device out,” I say, trying to focus on staying calm, “But I can’t accept that you didn’t even try to tell me.”

Her eyes fill with tears as her hand runs over her throat.

“I know, angel. You can’t use your words, but you could have tried. Maybe you could have shown me your arm, ran my fingers over the device. I don’t know for sure,” I argue with her, “But I need you to try.”

I pull her onto my lap. Her legs wrap around me and her hands hold onto my shirt against my chest.

“When I smelt your blood, I- my heart stopped beating,” I say, leaning my forehead against hers, “I know I’ve said this to you already, but I can’t lose you, angel.”

I kiss her gently on the cheek. My lips tingle as our bond radiates through me. The shiver I watch pass over her body gives me a small sense of satisfaction that she can feel our bond too.

“I waited so long to find my mate. I can’t lose you now that I have.”

She moves back at my words and her eyes widen. I’m not sure what I said, but a moment later her smile brightens my entire soul.

Before I even realize she was going to move, her lips are on mine.

It feels as if time stops.

My lips are searing at her soft touch. The kiss is slow and delicate, just like my angel. The electricity of the kiss lights up my soul so bright, it could be seen from space.

I wrap one of my hands into her hair to pull her closer as she clutches me tighter. I want to deepen the kiss, but I know not to push her too fast.

Using every ounce of strength I possess, I pull back from her perfect lips. Her eyes are hazy with desire as she smiles shyly. I run my thumb over her red lips and I lean my forehead back onto hers.

"You are perfect," I smile.

I want to kiss her again. I want to pull her as close as possible to me. But Kiba's words halt any other thought but his.

I can feel her! Kiba yells in my head.

You can hear her spirit? I question hopefully.

She isn't reaching out, but I can feel her, Kiba jumps around like an excited puppy, My mate!

Staring down at my angel, I put away the memories of the bathroom into a box in my mind and focus on her.

My perfect angel is safe in my arms. Kiba can feel her spirit and she can feel the mate bond.

I don't know how long it will take for my mate to heal completely, but as I look down at her smile, I know that she slowly is.