Chapter 6

Jaydon paid me a visit before dinner, telling me to rest and recover. The incident had reached the Alpha's ears and he had ordered a respite for the recruits. Two days off of training and we were allowed to visit the nearby village. I'm sure Megs, Ash and Amy are ecstatic about that, the topic of shopping having come up numerous times in our cabin. 

"Thanks for visiting me, Jaydon." I say, feeling my body being pulled towards sleep once again.  

I've got no clue what drugs Doc had given me but they sure did work a charm.  I woke up with a start as the sun was starting to rise. I could smell the lingering scent of Liam and knew that he had been in the room.  I managed to pull myself out of bed and made my way to the bathroom, the pain being more of an irritation now than actual pain. Megan had dropped off some clothes and toiletries so I gratefully took a much needed shower and brushed my teeth before dressing in the tank top and shorts Megan had provided. 

Walking into the ward, I found Ricky sitting in the only chair, his feet propped up against the bed. 

"Morning, oh twin of mine." He drawled lazily, stifling a yawn. 

Greeting him,  I get back into bed,  pulling the covers over my legs and leaning back against the pillows. 

"So… mate huh?" He launches his inquisition.  "Since when?" 

I sigh,  turning to face him. 

"Since the selection. He was outside and I sensed him when we drove past… but it wasn't until we got here that I actually met him. He's a member of Dark Moon." 

Ricky looks thoughtful, knowing my stance on mates and relationships in general. 

"And now what? Are you going to accept him?" 

I shake my head briefly. 

"I don't have time to deal with emotions, Ricky. We need to finish this training and then we need to avenge mom and dad… just like we always planned." I sigh,  resting my head back against the propped up pillows. "I'll start planning the rest of my life once that has happened." 

As if! Ember pipes up. You know as well as he does that you're going to walk away from this pack with the aim of never seeing that hunk of muscle you call a mate again. 

I ignore my pain in the ass wolf and ask Liam how the mood was among the recruits.  

"Boy but did I get it from Megan!" He moans, running his hand over his face. "It's like I planned on injuring you. Have you been in contact with Grampa by the way?" 

"I tried but he's not answering my mind- link.  Do you think it's the distance?  We've never been so far away from him."

"I doubt it." Ricky replies, "but you never know." 

There's a moment of silence between us… unspoken concerns for the old man evident.  

"Sorry, I'll come back later." Liam announces from the door and starts to turn away. 

Ricky quickly gets up. "Nah don't stress. I'm on my way out anyway." He looks over to me smiling sheepishly "The guys and I are going hiking with one of the other Betas here that Matt knows.  Will check on you when I get back. Hopefully you'll be out of the sick room by then though." 

Ricky kisses me on the cheek before heading for the door, sending Liam an unreadable look as he passes. 

Liam chuckles softly to himself as he takes Ricky's vacant seat, putting a massive bouquet of pink roses on the bedside table.

"Guess he doesn't like me, huh?" He chuckles again, taking my hand. 

"He just doesn't know you." I find myself replying,  "Hang, I don't even know you." 

Liam looks thoughtful before he nods and asks me what I would like to know. 

"Everything,  I guess." I replied, the warmth of his hand slowly creeping up my arm. 

"Hi, my name is Liam, I'm twenty-eight and I'm from the Dark Moon Pack. I love dancing in the rain and long walks at sunset." He says cheesily, sounding like the bio off some lame dating site. "On a serious note, I'm pretty much your average guy. Oldest of three kids, grew up with a ton of responsibilities so I guess that's why my sense of humour is a bit bent. I enjoy tracking and I'm bloody good at it if I might brag. I tried to track you down after that Council Meeting, but you move quickly and I thought I'd never catch up… turns out you came to me." 

He rubs his thumb against the palm of my hand and a tingle races through my body. 

"Your turn." He grins. 

I sigh. I guess I owe him some information about me… he is my mate after all. 

"Hi, I'm Natalia Jones, I'm nineteen and originally come from the Red River pack." I start out in the same vein. "Ricky and I are twins and we grew up within Red River until we were nine. Our parents were murdered then… so our grandfather took us out of pack life and raised us in a cabin high up in the mountains. He's the one who trained us in everything we know. " 

A moment of silence passes between us.  

"I honestly never expected to find a mate." I finally admit. "And to be honest,  I don't know how I feel about this whole thing."

He smiles weakly at me. "Yeah, I know. Not exactly great timing for either of us." His eyes flick to my lips briefly before he continues. "I just can't seem to stay away from you." 

I flush slightly, as his eyes flick to my lips again. I feel myself gently bite my lower lip subconsciously and Liam automatically reacts, getting to his feet and brushing his lips against mine gently. 

I find myself gasping at the fireworks that seem to go off in my mind. Liam takes advantage of my surprise to dart his tongue against mine and I feel his fingers lace through my hair, pulling me closer to him.  I hear myself whimper in pleasure and it seems to drive him wild,  deepening the kiss, utterly possessing me.  

"Ahem!" A cough from the door forces Liam to pull back, disengaging my arms that somehow wound themselves around his neck.

"Good morning Doc." Liam greets the arrival as if nothing earth shattering had just occurred between us.  "Just thought I'd check up on your patient and see if she is ready to be discharged." 

Doc shakes his head smiling slightly in amusement. 

"Well if she can withstand your checking-up-on-her I'm sure she'll be fine to head back to her cabin." Doc jests, handing me a bottle of pills. "Two in the evening after dinner. They're to help you sleep. Remember,  you can't perform at your peak if you're not sleeping" Doc looks at Liam meaningfully,  "so don't let this rascal keep you awake."  

Liam winks at me before thanking Doc. 

"I have to get back to work." He says, leaning down and kissing the tip of my nose. "I'll send a message to your roommates to come and fetch you though and I'll check in on you soon." 

"Thanks for coming to umm… check on me." My voice sounds husky to my own ears and he grins in response before he walks away.