Chapter 15

(Seven & Lux)

It had been a long few days, but today had been a particularly good one. Seven was in Lux’s room, getting ready for bed. She, Ash, and Kenna had spent the first two nights sleeping in Wren’s room with Ryka, but something about Lux’s space had been calling to her. Maybe it was the way her wolf seemed to blossom in the space. The animal liked it in here, and she stood in the center of the room trying to figure out what it was that made her feel so…content.

The room was warm, and not just in temperature. Though the décor was pretty sparse, the colors made her feel at welcome. A bed sat against the wall in the middle of the room with a low, dark wood headboard that perfectly matched the expanse of the floors. The walls were painted gold, and the bed was dressed in a cream-colored comforter with satin gold pillows that were perfect accents for the wall color. Two low, pale marble stands were on either side of the bed, each holding lamps that looked like black candelabras, but had warm bulbs lighting the room instead of flames. She could have flames if she wanted though, because along the furthest wall, a white marble hearth that matched the night stands currently sat empty. Wiggling her toes in the thick chocolate-colored rug beneath her toes, Seven smiled at the room. It already felt like home, and she wondered if that was a good thing. This was Lux’s space after all, and while he was supposed to be her mate, maybe he’d be possessive and not want her getting too comfortable with being in his space. She didn’t dwell on that too long, because when she made her way into the bathroom, an excited squeal escaped her lips and she clamped her hands over her mouth. She’d snagged a long shirt out of one of Lux’s dressers and borrowed a pair of his boxers. She’d been dying to sink into his jetted tub since the first time she saw it. Now, alone in his room, she decided that it was time for that long-awaited bath.

She turned on the taps and while she waited, she rifled around for a towel before piling her long hair high on her head, then stripped. She couldn’t find any bubble bath, which she supposed was a good thing, so she used some of Lux’s body wash to make bubbles. Turning off the tap, she eased into the steaming water, goosebumps erupting on her flesh at how good the hot water felt against her cold skin. It had rained today and she and the girls had taken a walk around the perimeter with Wren’s pride. He’d offered to postpone for nicer weather, but the girls had all agreed that a walk was needed. It’d been great. The land was beautiful, and the scents of wet earth and pungent forest soothed Seven’s wolf like nothing else could. Relaxing into the water, she dozed for the better part of an hour. Finally, full from a dinner of pizza, salad, and sodas, happy that things seemed to be going okay for her pack, and excited at how close she was getting with Lux, Seven pulled herself from the tub and dried, humming a merry tune, unable to wipe the smile from her lips. In short minutes she was dressed in Lux’s shirt and boxers and sliding into his bed. He must have come in while she was bathing, because a small fire burned in the hearth. She felt bad that he was downstairs sleeping on the floor while she was nestled up all cozy in his too big bed. She contemplated going down and offering for him to come up, but it seemed too forward. She dozed off thinking about when would be a good time to invite her mate to share the bed with her.

Seven startled awake. Her heart was pounding and her clothes were damp from sweat, the nightmare still close. Too close! In the dark she didn’t know if it was real or not, but she did know she wasn’t alone. Someone was touching her, holding her. Instinctively, her hands curled into claws and she lashed out. “DON’T!” She started to fight Larsen, but he wasn’t laughing like last time. He wasn’t even trying to hurt her. It took a second for her eyes to adjust to the dark and her nose to come back to her.

The second she realized she wasn’t back with her old pack, and that it wasn’t Larsen attacking her, she heard Lux speaking as he smoothed a hand over her hair. “Shhhh, beautiful. I’ve got you. You’re safe now.”

Relief swamped her, and with her emotions too raw, she broke down. Her hands, which only seconds ago were clawing and shoving at Lux’s chest were now pulling him close and holding him too tightly. Seven buried her head against his chest and sobbed. “Don’t let him get me!” Her body shuddered with her sobs, and she let herself have this moment of weakness, because she’d never felt safer than right now.

“Never!” Lux vowed. “No one is ever going to hurt you again. I’ll never let that happen.”

She believed every word, and not just because his lion had taken his voice and made it almost impossible for Lux to get the words out in a manner that was discernible. No, it was the fact that Seven trusted Lux. She trusted the man to keep his word. She trusted the lion to keep her safe.

After a few hiccups and a sniff or two, she calmed and asked shyly, “Stay?”

“A thousand lions couldn’t drag me away.” He pulled back, looking down at her. “You want water?”

She nodded, and Lux peeled himself from her to pad to the bathroom. She watched him walk away, and realized he was only wearing a pair of boxers. Even in the dark, her eyes could see every detail. He was perfect. The muscles in his arms and legs were perfectly balanced by his thick torso. His dark hair, just brushing his shoulders, made her wonder if it was as soft as it looked. As he disappeared into the bathroom and blasted on the sink, Seven lifted her hands to quickly wipe the tears from her cheeks before trying to straighten her hair. Guilt hit hard at him having seen her all broken. She was Ryka’s Beta, and Beta’s were supposed to be strong. Betas weren’t supposed to have nightmares and beg their mate to protect them.

Mate. Lux was her mate. She knew it because her wolf was different around him, but it wasn’t just her wolf. She was different around him. She felt safe, like she could tell him anything and he’d support her and protect her. Since they’d arrived, Lux had been nothing but doting and considerate. He was always doing things for her, and for the rest of her pack too. It was nice. He was nice.

Could it be this easy? Could finding one’s mate and falling for him happen so seamlessly?

***

In the bathroom, Lux filled a glass with water from the tap. His hands were still shaking, making him slosh water down the side of the glass. Shaking his head, he set the glass down, left the water running, and planted his hands on the vanity, lifting his eyes to stare at his reflection. His eyes were glowing with his lion pacing beneath the surface.

He’d been coming up to check on Seven like he’d done every night since she’d arrived. He never disturbed her, just listened outside the door to make sure she was sleeping soundly, whether she was sharing a room with the rest of the girls or not. Tonight, he’d actually passed Wren in the hallway, and he could only assume his brother was doing the same for Ryka. What a bunch of saps.

Tonight though, Seven had been in his room. He’d come to check on her after dinner and had built her a fire, pride filling him that she’d chosen to sleep alone in his room and not spend the night with her sisters again. It was a sign she was growing to trust him, getting comfortable with him. He’d watched a movie with his brothers then come up to check on her one last time to find her breathing labored. At first, he thought she was crying, but when he cracked the door the scent of her terror slammed into him. Unable to stop himself, he charged into the room. There was no intruder, there was no danger. Seven was sleeping and dreaming. No, not dreaming. She was having a nightmare.

“NO! Don’t touch me! STOP!” she’d cried, and when she whimpered and started struggling against the sheets covering her, Lux rushed to her and pulled her into his arms.

Staring at himself now, he tried to calm his inner lion. The beast was pissed, pacing just below his skin. They both wanted to hunt whoever in the fuck had hurt Seven. Larsen! It had to be. Fisting the glass, he exhaled one last breath and turned back to the room.

Seven was propped up against the pillows, and honestly, the sight of her in his bed and waiting on him had his balls drawing up tight. Settling himself on the side of the bed, he turned and planted a hand on the far side of her hip, handing her the glass of water with the other. “You okay?”

She nodded and accepted the glass, taking small sips.

“Do you have nightmares often?” he asked, hoping she’d voluntarily open up to him.

She shook her head and stared at the glass in her hands.

Lifting a hand, he brushed her hair back from her face, his inner lion swelling with pride when she didn’t flinch away. “If you tell me who hurt you, beautiful, I promise to fucking end him.”

She smiled at that and glanced up at him. Relief was swift. He didn’t want her to think he was some kind of psycho, but he also wanted her to know that he meant what he said.

“It’s okay.” Seven looked back down, fidgeting with the glass. “It’s over now.” Then she looked back up at him with worried eyes. “Isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” he breathed, smoothing a hand over her cheek as his thumb brushed just beneath her tear-swollen eye. “Anyone wants to touch you now, they gotta go through me.”

“Does that bother you? That I’m yours, and you don’t even know me? That you’re expected to defend me, and you don’t even know if I’m worth it?”

“Naw.” He shook his head as his lips tweaked up in a grin. “I’ve been waiting for you. Trust me. You’re worth it. A thousand times you’re worth it. I waited so long.”

“You did?”

“Yeah, beautiful. I’m not like Cason, Jesup, or Liddick. I didn’t enjoy the parties we had every night. I wanted something else.”

“What? What did you want?”

“I wanted someone I could cuddle up on the couch with. We’d eat copious amounts of popcorn and drink sodas ‘til we burst. We’d watch movie after movie until we fell asleep in each other’s arms, and then I’d wake up and carry her…you. I’d carry you up to our room. We’d spend our days learning each other’s lives.”

“And nights?”

He grinned and glanced down, his smile broadening at the flush of color high on Seven’s cheeks. “We’d spend our nights learning each other’s bodies.” He didn’t miss the shiver that coursed through her. “But that’ll all come in time. We’ve got forever, Seven. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Me either,” she breathed, and his heart constricted in his chest before it started pounding double time.

“You aren’t gonna push me away?”

“I know what you’re thinking.” She reached out and covered his large hand with her own. “Ash is afraid of Liddick, it’s why she’s the way she is with him. And Ryka is trying to look out for us instead of looking out for herself.”

“And you?”

“I… I’ve been waiting for you too. I don’t want to fight it, don’t want to fight you. Is that normal?”

He chuffed a laugh to disguise the giddiness riding him. “I don’t know if it’s normal, but I don’t want to fight it either.”

“Will you stay in here with me tonight?” She rushed to add, “Just to make sure I don’t have another bad dream I mean. I’m not asking you to…”

He grabbed her chin, tilting her face up to his. “Whatever you want, beautiful. Whatever you want.”

Her smile melted his heart, but it vanished when he peeled back the covers to climb into bed with her. She tried to yank the covers higher, and when she couldn’t yank them from Lux’s grip, she blushed beet-red.

“Sorry. I got into your drawer and borrowed some clothes. I took a bath and didn’t want to get back into my dirty clothes, so I thought you wouldn’t mind if…”

“It’s alright, Seven. What’s mine is yours.”

She peeked up at him. “You’re not mad?”

“Hell no.” He quirked a brow, studying her slight frame dwarfed in his shirt. His eyes dipped to his boxers settled at her hips before sliding to her exposed thighs. He swallowed hard, then hurried into the bed before she could see just how much he approved of her in his clothes. “I meant that too. What’s mine is yours, so help yourself to anything I own.”

“Thank you.”

“We’ll have to schedule some time to take you and the other girls into town to do some shopping. In the meantime, borrow what you need. I’ll wash your clothes in the morning.”

When she cuddled into his side, he scented her happiness and couldn’t stop the purr that rumbled up from his chest if he tried. Seven giggled and nestled closer to him, and his purr deepened into a contented rumble.

After a few minutes his lion quieted, and Lux concentrated on memorizing the feel of his mate’s slender fingers as they twined with his.

“His name is Larsen.”

Her words had his smile slipping.

“He’s the pack Beta. Our Alpha…ex-Alpha, Marill, wanted Kenna. Larsen wanted me. They didn’t go after Ryka, because she was too dominant, and they left Ash alone because she’s too tough, and honestly, I think they’re afraid of her.” She gave a humorless laugh.

“Larsen is the one who gives you nightmares?”

“Yeah. He was pretty aggressive before Ryka got us out of there.”

He wanted to ask what she meant by aggressive, and then he wanted to ask exactly how aggressive this Larsen had gotten. Instead, he asked, “You have the nightmares often?”

“No. Usually I’m good, but tonight someone…”

Her words died off, and Lux sat up in bed. “Someone what? Is one of my brothers messing with you, Seven?”

She sat up too, holding out her hands in a placating gesture. “No! Gosh, no! It was a door. Someone slammed a door, and Larsen was always slamming doors. I dreaded hearing it because if he left his room and a door slammed I was always terrified that he was coming to mess with me. I never slept those nights.” She shook her head. “Sorry. It was just a door slam. No one’s messing with me. Your brothers have been really great, actually.”

Lux relaxed back into the pillows, pulling Seven into him. “You’d tell me if someone did mess with you, right? Or if something was bothering you, or if there was something I could do to make things easier for you?”

When she replied, there was a smile in her words. “Yes. I’d tell you.”

They sat in silence a few moments before she asked, “You know, this feels almost too good to be true.”

“Hmm?”

“You. Us. You know, if you’re feeling obligated in any way to...”

“Hush, woman. Nothing I say or do is false where you’re concerned. I wouldn’t do that to you. Hell, I wouldn’t do that to myself.”

“Do mates work the same with mountain lions as they do with wolves?”

“What do you mean?”

“We don’t know anything about mountain lions. We don’t know how matings work for your kind.”

That was a startling revelation, one he bet Wren and Liddick would like to be clued in on. If their females knew that this was it for the Prime brothers, then they might be more inclined to trust Wren, Liddick, and Lux.

“Yes. We mate for life just like wolves. There’s no denying it. We’d gladly die now for you girls. No going back, beautiful. You’re my one.”

She made a happy little sound, and Wren felt feral possession surge to the fore when his mate curled up tight against him and fell asleep in his arms, the way he’d been dreaming of for years.